Marblehead Posted January 29, 2017 Shent'u Chia had been mutilated by having one of his feet cut off. He and Kungsun Sir Ch'an, prime minister of the state of Cheng, were studying together under Uncle Obscure Nobody. "Either I leave first and you stay here," Sir Ch'an said to Shent'u Chia, "or you leave first and I stay here." The next day they sat down together on the same mat in the hall. "Either I leave first and you stay here;" Sir Ch'an said to Shent'u Chia, "or you leave first and I stay here. Now I am about to leave. Can you stay here for a while or not? Moreover, when you see a minister of state and do not step aside for him, do you consider yourself his equal?" "Is there really a minister of state such as this studying in our master's school?" asked Shent'u Chia. "Are you so pleased with your prime ministership that you would look down on others? I have heard it said; 'If a mirror is bright, dust and dirt will not settle on it; if they settle on it, then the mirror is not bright. If one associates with wise men for long, he will be faultless.' Now, the great one with whom you have chosen to study is our master, and yet you utter words such as these. Isn't this a bit much?" "In spite of the fact that you are like this," said Sir Ch'an, "you would still contest with Yao over who's the better man. If you take stock of your own virtue, shouldn't that be enough to prompt you to self-reflection?" "Many are those who gloss over their own faults, believing they ought not to suffer," said Shent'u Chia. "Few are those who do not gloss over their own faults, believing they ought not to be spared. Only a person of integrity can recognize the inevitable and accept it as his destiny. It is only destiny that prevents someone who wanders within range of the archer's bow from being struck. There are many people who laugh at me for having only one foot because they have both of their feet. It makes me boiling mad, but when I come here to the master's place, I return to my former placidity. Perhaps it's because the master purifies me with his goodness. I have wandered with him for nineteen years already, but he has never made me aware of my mutilation. Now you and I are wandering inside of the physical body, but you keep drawing me outside. Isn't that a bit much?" Shuffling his feet with shame, Sir Ch'an changed his expression and said sedately, "Mention no more about it, sir." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taoist Texts Posted January 30, 2017 Shent'u Chia had been mutilated by having one of his feet cut off. Whats with all these amputees ? This must be 4th or 5th person without a foot in ZZ. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted January 30, 2017 Whats with all these amputees ? This must be 4th or 5th person without a foot in ZZ. It is my understanding that back then oftentimes the punishment for crimes was amputation. Kinda' like being made to carry a sign on your back stating that you were caught being a criminal. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taoist Texts Posted January 30, 2017 It is my understanding that back then oftentimes the punishment for crimes was amputation. It seems they are all the best for the wear cause they all are consistently wiser than the regular men. Does not seem like a coincidence. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted January 30, 2017 It seems they are all the best for the wear cause they all are consistently wiser than the regular men. Does not seem like a coincidence. Some people actually learn from their mistakes. But Chuang Tzu uses the physically deformed person to contrast with the spiritually complete person. "His body was deformed but his spirit was complete." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taoist Texts Posted January 30, 2017 (edited) yeah, got me thinking about this Other supernatural smiths, while not described as lame, are seen as squat or deformed in various ways. Ptah, the Egyptian god of craftsmen and architects, is often depicted as a deformed dwarf, while in northern Europe the dwarven smith is a well known archetype. Yet the epithets used to describe Hephaestus are very precise – Amphigúeis (Ἀμφιγύεις) “the lame one” or “lame in both feet”, Kullopodíōn (Κυλλοποδίων) “the halting”. They direct attention particularly to the feet. Bhoot (ghost) - Wikipedia A bhoot or bhut is a supernatural creature, usually the ghost of a deceased person, in the ... However, their feet often reveal them to be ghosts, as they are backwards facing Hands and feet: A yūrei's hands dangle lifelessly from the wrists, which are held outstretched with the elbows near the body. They typically lack legs and feet, floating in the air https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%ABrei and so on. I woud say this lack of feet is a vestige of supernatural mythology, intended to emphasize the spirit-like superiority of these men. Edited January 30, 2017 by Taoist Texts 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
