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The Man Who Spurned The Machine

(1) Tsekung, a disciple of Confucius, saw an old man laboriously irrigating his vegetable garden with a pitcher of water from a nearby well. Tsekung suggested using a well-sweep, a wooden device that easily draws up and channels water. (2) The gardener declined, saying those with cunning tools have cunning hearts not fit for purity. He was content with his simple methods. (3) Tsekung was shamed by the gardener's wisdom and independence from worldly concerns like efficiency. He realized true perfection lies in following one's heart above praise or blame.

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3K views1 page

The Man Who Spurned The Machine

(1) Tsekung, a disciple of Confucius, saw an old man laboriously irrigating his vegetable garden with a pitcher of water from a nearby well. Tsekung suggested using a well-sweep, a wooden device that easily draws up and channels water. (2) The gardener declined, saying those with cunning tools have cunning hearts not fit for purity. He was content with his simple methods. (3) Tsekung was shamed by the gardener's wisdom and independence from worldly concerns like efficiency. He realized true perfection lies in following one's heart above praise or blame.

Uploaded by

Kristell Pungtilan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Man Who Spurned the Machine

By Chuang Tzu
Translated by Lin Yuang

(1) When Tsekung, the disciple of Confucius, came south to the state of Ch’u on his way to Chin, he passed
through Hanyin. There he saw an old man engaged in making a ditch to connect his vegetable garden
with a well. He carried a pitcher in his hand, with which he was bringing up water and pouting it into the
ditch, with very great labor and little results.

(2) “If you had a machine here, “ said Tsekung, “in a day you could irrigate a hundred times your present
area. The labor required is trifling compared with the work done. Would you not like to have one?”

(3) “What is it?” asked the gardener, looking up at him.


(4) “It is a contrivance made of wood, heavy behind and light in front.
(5) It draws water up smoothly in a continuous flow, which bubbles forth like boiling soup. It is called a well-
sweep.”

(6) Thereupon the gardener flushed up and said with a laugh, “I have heard from my teacher that those who
have cunning implements are cunning in their dealings, and those who are cunning in their dealings have
cunning in their hearts, and those who have cunning in their hearts cannot be pure and incorrupt, and
those who are not pure and incorrupt in their hearts are restless in spirit. Those who are restless in spirit
are not fit vehicles for Tao. It is not that I do not know of these things. I should be ashamed to use them.”

(7) Tsekung’s countenance fell, humiliated, and he felt discomfited and abashed. It was not till they had
gone thirty K that he recovered his composure.

(8) “Who was that man?” asked his disciple. “Why did your face change color after seeing him and why did
you seem lost for a whole day?”

(9) “I thought,” replied Tsekung, “there was only one man (Confucius) in this world. But I did not know there
was this man. I have heard from the Master that the test of a scheme is its practicability and the goal of
effort is success, and that we should achieve the greatest results with the least labor. Not so this manner
of man. Coming into life, he lives among the people, not knowing whither he is bound, infinitely complete
in himself. Success, utility and the knowledge of skills would certainly make man lose the human heart.
But this man goes nowhere against his will and does nothing contrary to his heart, master of himself,
above the praise and blame of the world. He is a perfect man.”

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