Liezi

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Liä Dsi (Liezi), Taoist cult image, presented to Richard Wilhelm as a gift from the governor of Schantung in 1911

Lièzǐ (also Liä Dsi, Lieh-tzu or Liä-Tse, 列 子), Master Lie, (around 450 BC) was a Chinese philosopher of the Daoist direction who wrote the work The True Book from the source of the source (translated into German by Richard Wilhelm ), which is also called Liezi after him . Liezi is said to have led a very secluded life, which explains why there are no records of him. He is said to have stayed away from all offices (Book II, 14th) and even refused a gift from the Prime Minister (Book VIII, 6th). Richard Wilhelm already points out in his introduction that of the two protagonists, about whom this book is mainly about ( Liä Yü Kou and Yang Dschu ), historical evidence only exists for the latter. Another view, in which the book in the time between about 300 BC. And 300 AD, is represented e.g. B. by the Taoist teacher Eva Wong (in: Die Lehren des Tao , Ullstein Verlag).

However, recent research assumes that this book was only published around 350 BC. BC - so after its time - and even question its existence. However, other research suggests that the book contains a core that probably came from Liezi himself and was compiled by his students. In the Zhuangzi , the person of Liezi plays an important role. B. as a Daoist saint ( Zhenren ) who can ride the wind. Richard Wilhelm, who took the standpoint of Daoism as philosophy in his work , remarked in his introduction to Liä Dsi:

“The fact that at the end of his apprenticeship he had advanced so far in his spirituality that he could ride the wind (see II, 3), we should not give him credit so heavily that we would have to doubt his existence, especially since he himself, his According to his own statement, at that time was in the state of the highest ecstasy. "

- Richard Wilhelm : Liä Dsi

According to Richard Wilhelm (Introduction to Liä Dsi), a first comment was made by Dschang Dschan during the Dzin dynasty, which he dates to the period AD 265-420. After Eva Wong, this dynasty is called the Chin Dynasty, which dates it to AD 317-420, but in its introduction to the sample texts from Lieh-tzu (Liezi) it does not give the name of the author (Eva Wong: " The teachings of the Tao ”, Ullstein Verlag). Richard Wilhelm goes on to explain in his introduction that the book was given the title Tschung Hü Dschen Ging (True Book of the Swelling Urgrund) under Emperor Hüan Dsung (713–756) . In 1804 a commentary by Lu Dschung Yüan (Tang period), believed to be lost, was found in a Daoist monastery in Nanking . Richard Wilhelm used this commentary for his translation, together with a facsimile print from the Sung dynasty, as well as a new edition from 1877.

Liä Dsi (Liezi), translation into German by Richard Wilhelm, title page of the first edition, Eugen Diederichs Verlag, Jena 1921

content

The book is the most understandable of the classics of Daoism. It contains many fantastic, allegorical stories and parables about life in the Dao and deals with different topics such as magic and sorcery, legends , myths, philosophical treatises or cosmological speculations.

The miracle and magic stories of the book are said to have been put together by Liezi's students and later followers of the teaching. Many old folk tales and myths were used, which is why the book is also an important source for ancient Chinese folklore . It is believed that the core of these magic stories is Daoist mysticism , and that the Daoists of that time already knew meditation techniques by means of which they changed their state of consciousness .

The central concept of the work is Ziran (自 然, literally: being like that by yourself, also: nature), the spontaneity by means of which the Dao can be achieved. The book challenges people to be free of knowledge and desires and not to follow reason. The image of the Daoist saint, which is also sketched in the other classic books of Daoism, is no different from these. Liezi takes a standpoint of quietism and Daoist humility .

By dissolving or giving up the I or ego (an inevitable event at death from a Daoist point of view, which can be brought to life through concentrated contemplation), a subjectively felt connection with the Dao can be achieved in meditation . The infinity of space and time, which has become a certainty, can also become effective, as well as the logical conclusion that follows, that one can be in the center of infinite space and time at any place now and always, and that one is in connection with or in dissolution in which Dao can be everywhere at the same time. In his comments on Book IV of Liezi, Richard Wilhelm remarked:

"This book ... gives a solution to the tension ... in the individual's surrender to space, the great" die and become "."

- Richard Wilhelm : Liä Dsi

Liezi was the first Chinese philosopher to advocate a theory of the origins of the world, which is only hinted at in Laozi . According to Liezi, the world emerged from the emptiness of the Dao. Likewise, he advocated a doctrine of the infinity of space and time. The cosmological speculations of Liezi are those of Daoism, Liezi assumes a cyclical cycle of all things, which corresponds to the phases of change in Yin and Yang , while only the Dao itself is unchangeable and indestructible.

Like other classic books of Daoism (e.g. Daodejing and Huainanzi ), the Liezi also contains a teaching that is aimed at the ideal ruler who is supposed to rule by means of Wu wei (無 為).

The traditional version of the book is divided into eight chapters. Some passages in the book are taken from the Zhuangzi , and the final chapter contains the philosophy of Yang Zhu . Richard Wilhelm translated in his introduction to 'Liä Dsi' (Liezi) a collection of sayings called Yin Fu Ging, the book of secret additions , to which he ascribed a very old age, and he also dated the material on which the Liezi was based before Zhuangzi. Alfred Forke commented on this ('Literarisches Zentralblatt für Deutschland', No. 43, year 1912): “The Gilessche ( Lionel Giles ) theory that Lieh Tse [Liezi] never existed and that his work was a forgery is rejected and special emphasized that the text of the Chuang Tse [Zhuangzi] can easily be derived from the Lieh Tse, but not the other way around. On the other hand, the author is mistaken if he considers the Yin-fu-ching, which he translates in the introduction, to be an old work. It is generally considered a fake. "

In Richard Wilhelm's 1925 published commentary "Die Lehren des Laotse " (contained in: R. Wilhelm, "Laotse. Tao te king. The book of the way of life", Bastei Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach, 2nd edition: January 2003) he explains his view on Liezi: "

“It would be very pleasant if we included an authentic script from the 5th or 4th century BC in the work of Liä Dsi [Liezi]. Before us. That alone is not the case. For the editing of the book we cannot go back to the 4th century AD. Nevertheless, the book is of course based on older material. The development of the teaching of Liä Dsi now goes to the point that the problems of Tao te ching are more metaphysical. Thought deals with the antinomies of space and time, with the problem of the development of the various kinds of living beings, and with all sorts of other such questions. The naturalism is even stronger and more one-sided than in the Tao te king. The Tao is becoming more and more a metaphysical substance that causes all growth and decay and projects it into the appearance without ever appearing itself. It is characteristic that some stories are told in the form of parables. Sometimes they should play into the miraculous and show the power of a unified yoga practice. At Liä Dsi we find the magical element developed alongside the mystical. "

- Richard Wilhelm : The teachings of Laotse
Liä Dsi (Liezi), translation into German by Richard Wilhelm, frontispiece of the first edition, Eugen Diederichs Verlag, Jena 1921

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ It would be very pleasant if we included an authentic script from the 5th or 4th century BC in the work of Liä Dsi. in front of us. That alone is not the case. For the editing of the book we cannot go back to the 4th century AD. Nevertheless, the book is of course based on older material. Richard Wilhelm, The Teachings of Laotse, VI. Taoism according to Laotse, in: Laotse. Tao te king. The book of the way of life. 2nd Edition. Bastei Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach 2003, ISBN 3-404-70141-0
  2. ↑ In the commentary to this section, Richard Wilhelm explains: “The assassination of Minister Dsï Yang of Dscheng, who is mentioned here, falls in the third year of King An of the Dschou dynasty (399). From this it would follow that Liä Dsï around 450 BC. Must have been born when one takes into account the times from I, 1. " In the last paragraph of this section, a passage seems to be missing as to why Liä Dsï refused the gift. You can eliminate the ambiguity if you follow the repeated sentence "... that on top of other people's talk!" preceded by a supplement such as B. “Because if it had been a matter of punishment, then ...”.
  3. ^ Liä Dsi on www.zeno.org. Retrieved August 12, 2013 .
  4. ↑ If my spirit returns through the gates whence it came, and my bones go back to the source from which they sprang, where does the Ego continue to exist? (If my spirit returns through the gates from which it came, and my bones return from where they came, how is the I supposed to continue to exist?) ( Lionel Giles , "Book of Lieh-Tzu", p. 23 –24, 1912, free copy on the Internet: http://www.sacred-texts.com/tao/tt/tt04.htm )
  5. ↑ "Quiet contemplation begins in the mind. When a thought arises, you must stop it immediately so that you can maintain your stillness. Then get rid of all illusions, desires and wandering thoughts .... Concentrate on the empty mind ... If you find stillness in your meditation, practice everyday activities such as running, standing, sitting, and sleeping in this state of mind. Be relaxed and serene in the midst of events and excitement. Whether things happen or not, your mind should be empty. " (Eva Wong, "Die Lehren des Tao", section "The Scriptures of the Holy Spirit of the Mysterious Grotto on Concentrated Contemplation (Tung-hsüan ling-pao ting-kuan ching)", p. 132, Ullstein Verlag, Berlin 1998.)
  6. ↑ Richard Wilhelm (translation and comments): "Liä Dsi. The true book from the source of the source", Book I, sections 4, 7 and 7 8, Eugen Diederichs Verlag, Düsseldorf / Cologne 1967 (orig. 1911) (free copy on the Internet: http://www.zeno.org/Philosophie/M/Liezi+%28Li%C3%A4+Dsi%29/Das+wahre + Book + from + source + source )
  7. ^ Richard Wilhelm (translation and comments): "Liä Dsi. The true book from the source of the source", Book V, Sections 1 u. 2, Eugen Diederichs Verlag, Düsseldorf / Cologne 1967 (orig. 1911) (free copy on the Internet: http://www.zeno.org/Philosophie/M/Liezi+%28Li%C3%A4+Dsi%29/Das+wahre + Book + from + source + source )
  8. ^ Richard Wilhelm : '"Laotse - Tao Te King", section 47, Eugen Diederichs Verlag, Cologne-Düsseldorf 1957.
  9. ^ Works by Liezi at Zeno.org ., Book I, Section 1 u. Book II, Section 1, in the German translation by Richard Wilhelm
  10. ↑ "The highest man is spirit." Dschuang Dsi, The true book from the southern blossom country, book II, section 8, p. 60, Anaconda Verlag GmbH, Cologne, 2011, original edition by Eugen Diederichs Verlag, Jena, 1912, translation by Richard Wilhelm (free copy on the Internet: http: //www.zeno.org/Philosophie/M/Zhuang+Zi+%28Dschuang+Dsi%29/Das+wahre+Buch+vom+s%C3%BCdlichen+Bl%C3%BCtenland/1.+Esoterisches/Buch+II /8.+Wer+hat+Recht )
personal data
SURNAME Liezi
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lie, Yukou; Lie Zi; Lent Tzu
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Chinese philosopher of the Daoist direction
DATE OF BIRTH 6th century BC BC or 5th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 5th century BC Chr.