Title

The Internal Other: Zhuangzi’s Thoughts on the Relationship between the Limitations of Life and the Possibilities of Practice

Author

Liu Tsang-long

Genre

Article

Pages

267-292

Download

PDF

Language

Chinese

Key words

Zhuangzi, internal other, limitations, possibilities

Abstract

   This article examines how Zhuangzi views self-transformation and selfunderstanding from the perspective of the “internal other.” Paradoxically, action from within life’s constraints is the result of the inaction following the acknowledgement of such constraints. Inaction is not passively doing nothing; rather, it is acknowledging the limitations before us and achieving self-liberation. By shifting our perspective, life’s external limitations can be internalized such that the “external other” becomes the fundamental criterion for self-understanding, namely the “internal other.” Zhuangzi’s “fasting of the heart” is the technique which enables this shift in perspective. We empty ourselves to make room for the “other,” thereby generating a greater understanding of ourselves. “Fasting of the heart” brings us to the realization that there exists a creative, paradoxical relationship between the limitations of life and the possibilities of practice. In short, the limitations of life and politics serve as the foundation for the possibilities of practice.