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Daoism -> Zhuangzi -> Outer Chapters -> Perfect Enjoyment -> 1.3

Now the rich embitter their lives by their incessant labours;
they accumulate more wealth than they can use:
while they act thus for the body, they make it external to themselves.
Those who seek for honours
carry their pursuit of them from the day into the night,
full of anxiety about their methods whether they are skilful or not:
while they act thus for the body they treat it as if it were indifferent to them.
The birth of man
is at the same time the birth of his sorrow;
寿 and if he live long he becomes more and more stupid,
and the longer is his anxiety that he may not die;
how great is his bitterness!
-- while he thus acts for his body, it is for a distant result.
天下 Meritorious officers are regarded by the world as good;
but (their goodness) is not sufficient to keep their persons alive.
I do not know whether the goodness ascribed to them be really good or really not good.
If indeed it be considered good,
it is not sufficient to preserve their persons alive;
if it be deemed not good,
it is sufficient to preserve other men alive.
Hence it is said,
'When faithful remonstrances are not listened to,
。”(the remonstrant) should sit still, let (his ruler) take his course, and not strive with him.'
子胥Therefore when Zi-xu strove with (his ruler), he brought on himself the mutilation of his body.
If he had not so striven,
he would not have acquired his fame:
was such (goodness) really good or was it not?
As to what the common people now do, and what they find their enjoyment in,
I do not know whether the enjoyment be really enjoyment or really not.
I see them in their pursuit of it
following after all their aims as if with the determination of death, and as if they could not stop in their course;
but what they call enjoyment
would not be so to me,
while yet I do not say that there is no enjoyment in it.
Is there indeed such enjoyment, or is there not?
I consider doing nothing (to obtain it) to be the great enjoyment,
while ordinarily people consider it to be a great evil.
Hence it is said,
'Perfect enjoyment is to be without enjoyment;
。” the highest praise is to be without praise.'


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