Mair 19:9

[Marblehead]

Woodworker Ch'ing was carving wood for a bellstand.  When the bellstand was completed, all who saw it were as amazed as though they were seeing the work of a spiritual being.  The Marquis of Lu went to see it and inquired of the woodworker, saying, "With what art have you made this?"

"Your subject is merely a workman," was the reply.  "What art could I possess?  However, there is one thing.  When I am getting ready to make a bellstand, I dare not waste any of my energy, so it is necessary to fast in order to calm my mind.  After fasting for three days, I no longer presume to harbor any thoughts of congratulations and rewards, of rank and salary.  After fasting for five days, I no longer presume to harbor any thoughts of censure or praise, of skill or clumsiness.  After fasting for seven days, I abruptly forget that I have four limbs and a body.  At that time, I have no thought of public affairs or the court.  My skill is concentrated and all external distractions disappear.  Only then do I enter the mountain forest and observe the heavenly nature of the trees till I find one of ultimate form.  Only after the completed bellstand manifests itself to me do I set my hand to the work.  Otherwise, I give up.  Thus is heaven joined to heaven.  This is what makes one suspect that my instruments were made by a spiritual being."

[OldDog]

14 hours ago, Marblehead said:

Only after the completed bellstand manifests itself to me do I set my hand to the work ...

 

... and then go about removing everything that is not bellstand.

[Marblehead]

5 hours ago, OldDog said:

 

... and then go about removing everything that is not bellstand.

Exactly.

 

[wandelaar]

19 hours ago, Marblehead said:

At that time, I have no thought of public affairs or the court.  My skill is concentrated and all external distractions disappear.  Only then do I enter the mountain forest and observe the heavenly nature of the trees till I find one of ultimate form.  Only after the completed bellstand manifests itself to me do I set my hand to the work.  Otherwise, I give up.  Thus is heaven joined to heaven.  This is what makes one suspect that my instruments were made by a spiritual being."

 

The typical Taoist disregard for social and other external distractions (here achieved by fasting) combined with choosing the most appropriate material to work with allows the intuition (Heaven) to work wonders. The Taoist woodworker doesn't claim to have made anything of his own design, he only assisted in providing the finishing touch to the bellstand that had essentially already grown in the found tree of ultimate form. And then as OldDog aptly said all that had to be done was only to remove everything that is not bellstand.

[Marblehead]

Nice.

 

Remove all attachments.

 

[Stosh]

Wing it. 

[OldDog]

The woodworker is an interesting character. Not unlike the the butcher cutting up the ox ... or other Chuangtsean characters. From his response to being questioned about the art of woodworking one can see that, even before explaining what is involved,  the attitude of the woodworker is different. He is humble. He takes little to no credit for having done anything special. But when pressed, openly describes his approach.

 

Wandelaar touches on an interesting point in the story. Just what is it that the woodworker is doing in his preparations? How does going through the austerities prepare him for the task at hand? 

 

It would seem as though he is developing his intent and focus on the task so that he can perform his work with sincerity ... so that he can recognize the bellstand that exists in a piece of wood and through his ability assist the the bellstand in manifesting.

 

The austerities themselves ( periods of fasting ) are relatively unimportant ... for the woodworker, fasting works. What is important is the removal of attachments to notions of gain or loss that would prevent him from seeing the bellstand. 

 

 

[wandelaar]

What is also important is the fact that worries and consequent nervousness as regards the reception of one's own work seriously interfere with the execution of the job.