Knowledge wandered in the North at the sources of the Dark Water River, climbed the Imperceptible Hill and met with Inaction.
“I would like to ask you,” said Knowledge to Inaction, “how to reflect, how to think in order to know the path?” Where to be, what to submit to in order to establish yourself on the path? Who to follow, which road to find the path?
Inaction did not answer any of the three questions. Not only did she not answer, but she also did not know what to answer.
Having achieved nothing, Knowledge returned to the southern bank of the Bright Water River, climbed the End of Doubts Hill and, noticing the Towering Madman, asked him the same questions.
- Ah! “I know this, I’ll tell you now,” answered the Towering Madman, but immediately forgot what he wanted to say.
Having achieved nothing, Knowledge returned to the ancestral palace, met the Yellow Ancestor and asked him the same questions.
“Don’t think, don’t think, and you will begin to learn the path.” Be nowhere, do not submit to anything - and you will begin to establish yourself on the path. “Don’t follow anyone, don’t follow any road, and you will begin to find your way,” answered the Yellow Ancestor.
“You and I know this,” said Knowledge. “And both of them I met didn’t know before.” Which one is right?
- One, named Inaction, is truly right; the other, the Towering Madman, is similar to him,” answered the Yellow Ancestor. “Neither I nor you will come close to them, for the One who knows does not speak, the one who speaks does not know.” Therefore, the wise man carries out his teaching silently. Paths cannot be comprehended in words, properties cannot be achieved through speeches. With mercy you can act, with justice you can cause harm, with ceremonies you can deceive each other. That is why it is said: “After the loss of the path, virtue appears, after the loss of virtue, mercy appears, after the loss of mercy, justice appears, and after the loss of justice, ceremonies appear. Ceremonies are the decoration of doctrine and the beginning of unrest.” That is why it is said: “He who carries out the path loses more and more every day, having lost, loses again, until he reaches non-action, and by non-action he accomplishes everything.” If now, having already become a thing, someone wants to return to his root, won’t it be difficult for him? This is easy only for a great man. After all, life follows death, and life begins with death. Does anyone know their order? The birth of a person is an accumulation of ether. The ether will gather, life will form, and if it will dissipate, death will form. If death and life follow each other, why should I grieve? For all the darkness of things, this is common: both what is admired as a divine miracle, and what is hated as corruption. What has decomposed again turns into a divine miracle, and the divine miracle again decomposes. That is why it is said: “The single ether permeates the entire universe,” which is why the wise person values the one.
Knowledge said to the Yellow Ancestor:
“I asked Inaction, but Inaction did not answer me.” This did not mean that he did not answer me - he did not know what to answer me. I asked the Rising Madman, the Rising Madman wanted to tell me, but did not tell. This didn’t mean that he didn’t tell me - he wanted to, but he forgot what he was going to say. Now I asked you, and you knew it. Why don't we get closer to them?
“One is truly right thanks to his ignorance,” said the Yellow Ancestor, “the other is like him thanks to his forgetfulness.” Neither I nor you will come close to them because of our knowledge.
The Rising Madman heard about this and decided that the words of the Yellow Ancestor were knowledge.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru