konkelz

Hello, I'm wondering how well the chapters in Wandering on the Way (translated by Victor H. Mair) correlate with the translations of Zhuangzi used here. Also, in the conclusion of the first part of the translator's introduction, Mair says that Master Chuang's book should foremost be approached as a literary monument of ancient China and not a philosophical document, which is a problem in his view. "The Chuang Tzu is, first and foremost, a literary text and consequently should not be subjected to excessive philosophical analysis... This is by no means to say that the Chuang Tzu is devoid of importance for the history of Chinese philosophy... Because of the heterogeneous nature of the text, it is extremely difficult, if not altogether impossible, to determine a system of thought to which Chuang Chou subscribed." It seems that this forum approaches it as a philosophical document. Thoughts?

Awesome. Anyway I can get notifications outside the forum for when it posts?

Wonderful.

I'm game. I've found Wandering on the Way in a couple bookstores here in Corvallis. I got it for $5.

I retract my reply. lol, I thought you were talking about the relativity of the Zhuangzi's message, but after rereading I don't feel I originally grasped what you were saying. So Mair is saying it doesn't present a philosophy... a system of thought per say because it is beyond thought?

So Mair is touching on the subjectivity of Zhuangzi's approach of pointing at the objective?

the concept of philosophical discourse seems "anit-Chuangist" for lack of a better term, so maybe that is what Mair is referring to?

Hello, I've been studying Shankara's Crest-Jewel of Discrimination, zen buddhism, and Wandering on the Way/Chuang Tzu and through their signs, I have found my purpose. Shankara's Brahman, zen's emptiness, and the Dao are all representations of the same thing, in my eyes, though I suppose you can find divine symbolism in everything. I'm looking forward to connecting with you all, and welcome thoughts on what I've said. -Zach