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Maybe contrast that to Chuang Tzu's Dexterous Butcher... "When I first began To cut up an oxen I would see before me The whole ox All in one mass. After t
by EdwardDiego 4y ago
Maybe contrast that to Chuang Tzu's Dexterous Butcher...
"When I first began
To cut up an oxen
I would see before me
The whole ox
All in one mass.
After three years
I no longer saw this mass.
I saw the distinctions.
“But now, I see nothing
With the eye. My whole being
Apprehends.
My senses are idle. The spirit
Free to work without plan
Follows its own instinct
Guided by natural line,
By the secret opening, the hidden space,
My cleaver finds its own way.
I cut through no joint, chop no bone."
It's not the tool, but the wielder.
- MonkeyClub 4y ago> It's not the tool, but the wielder. It’s following the tao of the ox. That’s why he didn’t need to sharpen his cleaver for a decade or something, it just “naturally” went into the empty spaces, rather than stumble against bones and sinews. (If I remember correctly; my old Burton Watson copy is now sadly long lost.)