The Three Principle Texts of Daoism translated by ... - Bad Request

Emperor T'ang's Second QuestionT'ang continued his inquiries, saying: “What is therebeyond the Four Seas (that is, in the inhabited world asknown to the ancient Chinese)?”Ko replied: “Just what there is here in the province ofCh'i."“How can you prove that?" asked T'ang.“When travelling eastwards," said Ko, “I came to theland of Ying, where the inhabitants were nowisedifferent from those in this part of the country. Iinquired about the countries east of Ying, and found thatthey, too, were similar to their neighbour. Travellingwestwards, I came to Pin, where the inhabitants weresimilar to our own countrymen. I inquired about thecountries west of Pin, and found that they were againsimilar to Pin. That is how I know that the regionswithin the Four Seas, the Four Wildernesses and theFour Uttermost Ends of the Earth are nowise differentfrom the country we ourselves inhabit. Thus, the lesser isalways enclosed by a greater, without ever reaching anend. Heaven and earth, which enclose the myriad objectsof creation, are themselves enclosed in some outer shell.“Enclosing heaven and earth and the myriad objectswithin them, this outer shell is infinite and