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

intellect in an obstinate adherence to the individuality ofthings, not recognising the fact that all things areOne,--this is called Three in the Morning."“What is Three in the Morning?" asked Tzu Yu.“A keeper of monkeys," replied Tzu Chi, “said withregard to their rations of chestnuts, that each monkeywas to have three in the morning and four at night. Butat this the monkeys were very angry, so the keeper saidthey might have four in the morning and three at night,with which arrangement they were all well pleased. Theactual number of the chestnuts remained the same, butthere was an adaptation to the likes and dislikes of thoseconcerned. Such is the principle of putting oneself intosubjective relation with externals.”“Wherefore the true sage, while regarding contraries asidentical, adapts himself to the laws of Heaven. This iscalled following two courses at once.”“The knowledge of the men of old had a limit. Itextended back to a period when matter did not exist.That was the extreme point to which their knowledgereached. The second period was that of matter, but ofmatter unconditioned. The third epoch saw matterconditioned, but contraries were still unknown. Whenthese appeared, Tao began to decline. And with thedecline of Tao, individual bias arose."