Chuang Tzu : genius of the absurd

by Chuang Tzu

Other authorsNorthrop Frye, James Legge, Clae Waltham

Paper Book, 1971

Status

Available

Call number

181.09514

Genres

Philosophy

Religion & Spirituality

All Topics

Nonfiction

Collection

Gifts

Publication

New York : Ace Books, 1971.

Description

Only by inhabiting Dao (the Way of Nature) and dwelling in its unity can humankind achieve true happiness and freedom, in both life and death. This is Daoist philosophy's central tenet, espoused by the person?or group of people?known as Zhuangzi (369?-286? B.C.E.) in a text by the same name. To be free, individuals must discard rigid distinctions between good and bad, right and wrong, and follow a course of action not motivated by gain or striving. When one ceases to judge events as good or bad, man-made suffering disappears and natural suffering is embraced as part of life.Zhuang

User reviews

LibraryThing member mewilbur

Chuang Tzu is the author of the first seven chapters, and they are brilliantly chaotic and muddy. In other words, he invented a style of writing that reflects the character of the Taoist sage as described in the Tao Te Ching. It seems as though he has turned everything on its head; however, if you

read these passages carefully and recognize the intended humor, they'll make sense to you. The remaining chapters are believed to be by his students. They are not nearly as clever. Burton Watson's introduction is helpful in pointing the way to understanding this extraordinary book.

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LibraryThing member dullchimes

I'm a budding biologist taking a pit stop in my course work to enjoy some eastern philosophy. I found the Tao Te Ching to be too detached and esoteric from the every day. The Chuang Tzu seems to be a cure. Involving anthropomorphic creatures and humorous personages belonging to cicadas and doves as

well as humans. Its refreshing and enjoyable. The common sense employed by Chuang Cho is sharp and cuts to the bone.

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LibraryThing member ritaer

Sigh, another work of philosophy that I just couldn't finish. Perhaps I am a victim of Western linear thinking, but endless anecdotes that don't make any sense just make me run out of steam. Add to that the footnotes which make it clear that much of the translation is educated guesswork and I

wonder what the point is.

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LibraryThing member mitchanderson

A lot of fun to read and looking forward to reading more. Nothing conveys a philosophy better than laying out the supposed world it speaks to than through a series of poems, stories, discourses and expositions. Initially grabbed this due to a quote in Feyerabend's Discourses and reading it in

context made it all the more interesting and enlightening, so I'll complete this short comment with the same (though many others were tempting, you just can't beat this concision):

> The Emporer of the South Sea is known as Change. The Emperor of the North Sea is called Dramatic. The Emperor of the Centre is called Chaos. Change and Dramatic met every so often in the region of Chaos. Chaos always treated them kindly and virtuously. Change and Dramatic said, "Everyone has seven orifices so they can see, hear, eat and breathe. Chaos does not have these. Let us bore some holes into him." Each day they bored a hole into Chaos…, but on the seventh day Chaos died.

So many potential goodies packed into one story told in one paragraph.

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