Taming Tigers & Butterfly Dreams: 144 Fables—Taoist Wisdom for Modern Life is filled with ancient stories that express great truths by fusing anecdotes with philosophy. These foundational stories related to the Taoist path always speak to a powerful and collective wisdom:
Through these stories, we make sense of our identities, aging, and emotions. By fusing the wisdom of yesterday with our present experiences, author Deng Ming-Dao helps us find sanity and clarity, empowering us to visualize and navigate a better tomorrow.
This book was previously published as The Wisdom of the Tao.
Excerpt
1 | Fishing For Something Big
Prince Ren got a huge iron hook, a thick black silk line, a bamboo pole, and fifty steers for bait. He squatted on Kuaiji Mountain and cast his line into the far-off East Ocean. The prince fished every morning for an entire year, but didn’t catch anything.
Finally, a monstrous fish gobbled the bait. It dived, dragging hook and line behind it. Then it burst to the surface, beating its fins, frothing the waters, and raising mountainous white waves. The whole sea shook and the noise was like demons fighting gods. People were terrified for a thousand kilometers around.
The prince finally landed the fish, cut the body into pieces, and dried them. Crowds came from far away in the east and north to eat their fill.
For generations since, roaming storytellers have repeated this tale as they tried to outdo one another. They never mention this: what if Prince Ren had held his rod and line over ditches and had just tried to catch minnows? Would he have caught such a big fish?
Likewise, those who dress up small fables to get a position for themselves are not of wide intelligence—just as anyone who doesn’t know the story of Prince Ren really isn’t able to lead the world. (Z)
2 | The Superlative Horse
Duke Mu of Qin said to Bo Le, his best judge of horses: “You are growing old. Could I ask your sons to find horses for me in your place?”
Bo Le replied: “Anyone can find an excellent horse by looking at its build, its color, its muscles, and its bone structure. But only a rare few can find a superlative horse that raises no dust and leaves no tracks. Although my sons have the talent to find excellent horses, they cannot see a superlative horse. However, I do have a friend named Gao who is a firewood and vegetable hawker. His ability to choose horses is as good as mine. Please talk to him.”
So Duke Mu summoned Gao and hired him to look for horses. Gao returned after three months and reported that he had found a horse in Shaqiu.
The duke asked him eagerly: “What kind of horse is it?”
Gao replied, “It is a brown mare.”
Duke Mu sent for the horse with great excitement. But he was disappointed weeks later when the grooms brought him a black stallion.
The duke was speechless with anger and summoned Bo Le. “This is terrible. The man you recommended doesn’t know the difference between colors or whether a horse is a stallion or a mare! How can he possibly judge horses?”
Bo Le sighed deeply. “Has he progressed that far? Then he’s worth a million of me and there is no comparing us. His vision is superior! He sees the divine workings and the subtle essence instead of coarse appearances. He sees what’s inside and is not fooled by what’s outside. He sees what ought to be seen and ignores what ought to be ignored. Gao can truly judge horses!”
Bo Le asked to see the steed. When it was led in, he saw right away that it was a superlative horse. (L)
3 | Between Small and Large
King Tang (c. 1675–1646 BCE) said to Minister Ji: “A vast dark ocean in the barren north is called the Pool of Heaven. A fish several hundred kilometers wide and of a-length-no-one-has-ever-seen lives there.
“Similarly, a bird named the peng has a back as large as the sacred mountain Tai and wings that spread through the skylike clouds. When it soars into the heavens, its path of flight spirals like the whorls of a goat’s horn. After rising some twenty kilometers through the cloudy air and looking as if it could lift the whole blue sky, it then sets its course for the distant south.”
Overhearing this, a quail on the bank of a marsh laughed and said, “Where could such a bird be going? I can spring up and land in just a few yards. I can dart between raspberry bushes and mugwort and I’m done with my flight. Where could such a creature possibly need to go?”
Such are the differences between the small and large. In the same way, some people might know enough to hold office, or to be the head of a village, or to serve a ruler and help guide a state—but they are as shortsighted as that quail. (Z)
4 | The Sage Has No Thought of Fame
There was once a great person named Song Rongzi. He was like this: If the whole world had praised him, he would not have been flattered. If the whole world had condemned him, he would not have been discouraged.
He clearly knew the difference between inner and outer and the difference between glory and disgrace. However, that was as far as he went. He could account for everything, but he couldn’t fully find his own place in the world.
Or take Liezi as another example. He could ride the wind skillfully and smoothly, but he couldn’t stay up in the sky forever. He had to come down after fifteen days. Liezi was not a scheming person. He didn’t grab for what everybody else calls happiness, and he didn’t even need to travel like other people—but there were still times when he had to wait for the right conditions so that he could fly again.
However, what if you could mount the truth of heaven and earth and ride on the variations of the Six Energies? You could roam without limits!
Therefore, it is said: A realized person gives no thought to self. A spiritual person gives no thought to their own merit. As age gives no thought to fame. (Z)
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About the Author
Deng Ming-Dao is an author, artist, philosopher, teacher, and martial artist. Deng is his family name; Ming-Dao is his given name. From a young age, he studied Taoism and internal arts such as qigong, tai chi, and kung fu. He is the author of many books, including 365 Tao, Everyday Tao, The Way of Heart and Beauty, Each Journey Begins with a Single Step, and Chronicles of Tao. His books have been translated into fifteen languages. Visit him at dengmingdao.com.
