The pleasures of life are many and varied. Some people like to play mahjong and after they have won a game, you can see how pleased and excited they are, even to the extent of dying from a heart attack. This kind of exhilaration revolves around gain and loss. On the other hand, Tao Yuan-ming's happiness is likened to having obtained the Way. It is not necessary for one to be very pious in a certain religion. As soon as you have attained a certain spiritual and mental equilibrium, you would then achieve a very peaceful and contented bliss.

In the line, I whistle contentedly by the east window; the character 'xuan' refers to a window. 'Dong xuan xia' means beside a window that is facing east. What is the meaning of the line: For incidentally I have found my life again? This is yet another wonderful line. In the third Drinking poem, Tao Yuan-ming had lamented, "They have wine, yet do not drink, caring only about their worldly reputation. We cherish the body dearly, because we possess it for a lifetime. But how long can a lifetime last? It passes as swiftly as a lightning flash. Being lax for a hundred years, what can we achieve in this way?" In the Christian Bible, the Gospel of St. Paul also says, "What dost it profit a man to gain the whole world, but suffer the loss of his own soul?" A person spends every day in his entire life seeking external fame and reputation, profit and gain; but these are all empty attributes that will disappear eventually. Tao Yuan-ming mused, "This evening, while drinking my wine and whistling contentedly by the east window, I feel that I have truly found myself and that I have chosen the correct path." This is the meaning of "I have found my life." However, preceding this, he used two characters 'liao fu'. I have mentioned previously that Tao's poems are very concise and to the point, and do not contain any flowery expressions that require a lot of explanation. But then he employs a tone that is very subtle and profound. The sixth poem, There are a thousand myriad ways to act, ends with the lines:  

Treating the foolish people with contempt, I prefer to emulate Huang and Qi. He declared that he did not want to pursue empty and illusory things like other people, but was inclined to follow the footsteps of Master Xia-huang and Qi Li-ji and lead a life of seclusion. The character 'qie' in the sixth poem has a similar meaning to the character 'liao' here in the seventh poem. This is another point about Tao Yuan-ming that is noteworthy. In the midst of his self-contentment and bliss, he often portrayed a feeling of loneliness and disappointment. This illustrates that Tao could not stay totally indifferent. This is because if a person had truly achieved the state of 'wang qing' [detachment], he would just be self-satisfied and not feel lonely or rejected.

Therefore, you should know that when Tao Yuan-ming was young, he had the ambition of making his mark in the world. He once said, "When I was young, I was strong and brass. I carried my sword and traveled alone." Then again, he also said, "Hardly involved with worldly affairs as a youth, I enjoyed studying the Six Classics." The Six Classics are Confucian texts and the Confucians advocated the administration of the country in order to bring about peace. Moreover, in Tao Yuanming's lifetime during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the nobility fought amongst themselves and generals with military power were in rebellion. During this turbulent period, the people lived in abject misery.

Some years ago, the Mainland was very fond of using a revolutionary perspective to criticize ancient poets. They said that Du Fu cared about the ordinary folks whereas Tao Yuan-ming adopted a passive attitude by retreating into seclusion and was not in the least concerned about the ordinary people. This may not be incorrect, but then you must understand that Du Fu and Tao Yuan-ming were two totally different characters. Du Fu expressed his sentiments externally and that's why his writings were focused on the outside world and his concern for everybody at large. On the other hand, Tao Yuan-ming was an introverted character, and that explains why his works were mainly about his inner thoughts and reflections. There is a Confucian saying: The distinguished person extends his benevolence to all under beaten; the unfortunate person only benefits himself. Here, the character 'qiong' does not refer to poverty, but rather to a person who is down on his luck. If you were an influential person with power and position, then you would naturally want to govern the country to bring about peace. However, you might not have this kind of opportunity or the circumstances might not permit you to realize your goals. Then the least you could do would be to take care of yourself first. The latter course of action arises from a lack of alternatives.

Amidst the chaotic political situation during the Jin-Song transition period, Tao Yuan-ming was able to take care of himself. As compared to other literati, the outcome of his choice was not bad. I mentioned that he was unable to forget his sentiments because he had not completely forgotten his concern for his fellow countrymen. He said, "Although I have found my life and am living in security, and have achieved contentment and bliss, what about the rest of my countrymen? What happened to my original ideals?" Therefore, finding my life is only incidental because there is no better choice or alternative. That's why when you read Tao's poems, you must take special note of this kind of subtle and profound emotion.

~ To be continued