The rukh at an altitude of 90,000 li (three li to a mile) is no more than a mote in a sunbeam a few feet from the ground.

For whether the blue of the sky is its real colour, or only the result of distance without end, the effect to the bird looking down would be just the same as to the motes.ĭistance being relative. Just so are the motes in a sunbeam blown aloft by God. And in the Record of Marvels we read that when the rukh flies southwards, the water is smitten for a space of three thousand li around, while the bird itself mounts upon a typhoon to a height of ninety thousand li, for a flight of six months’ duration. With a mighty effort it rises, and its wings obscure the sky like clouds.Īt the equinox, this bird prepares to start for the southern ocean, the Celestial Lake.

This leviathan changes into a bird, called the Rukh, whose back is many thousand li in breadth. In the northern ocean there is a fish, called the Leviathan, many thousand li in size. Read moreĪrgument:-Space infinite-Time infinite-Relativity of magnitudes, physical and moral-The magnitude absolute-Usefulness as a test of value-The usefulness of the useless. This edition follows the translation of Herbert A. With an emphasis on living a less human-focused life that is more in tune with nature, “The Book of Chuang Tzu” had a profound influence on the development of Zen Buddhism and continues to be a source of guidance and wisdom to countless readers the world over. Chuang Tzu’s work has withstood the test of time with its humorous and clever anecdotes, its lyrical and poetic observations of the natural world, and its startlingly wise insight into human nature. Scholars believe that some of “The Book of Chuang Tzu” was written by Chuang Tzu himself, a minor official during the Warring States period of Chinese history who attracted national attention with his brilliant prose and poetry. Notable for its stark difference with the Chinese philosophy of Confucius, Taoism does not encourage one to live a strict life according to a rigid set of principles, but rather values following a more flexible path that can adapt to the irregular rhythms of life, or the “way”. Together with the “Tao Te Ching”, “The Book of Chuang Tzu” is a an important foundational text for the Taoist philosophy. “The Book of Chuang Tzu” is an ancient and important Chinese spiritual text dating from the 4th century BC.

The book of chuang tzu