King Ch`êng of Ch`u[2]
was reading in the hall, and at work
below was Lun-pien,[3]
who asked, "What is the book Your Highness
is reading?"
King Ch`êng said, "It is a book of the Former Sages."
Lun-pien said, "It is certainly only the dregs of the Former
Sages, and not their essence."
King Ch`êng said, "What grounds have you for saying that?"
Lun-pien said, "Let us put it in terms of the wheels I make.
With the compass I make them round, and with a square I make
them straight. These [techniques] I can pass on to my sons and
grandsons. But when it comes to bringing three pieces of wood
together, there is a response in the heart and a movement in the
body which there is no way to transmit. Hence what has been
transmitted is certainly nothing but the dregs. Thus it is possible
to examine
[4]
the methods of T`ang and Yü,
[5]
but there is no
attaining to their illumination of men's hearts. The Ode says,
[6]
The doings of High Heaven
Have neither sound nor smell.
Who can attain to this?"
