[Step 107] Reading the Butterfly Dream (6) - Subject and Object
This time, we continue with the "Butterfly Dream." Up until the last installment, we read it from the perspectives of "dream and reality" and "consciousness and unconsciousness," but this time I would like to delve a little deeper into what could be called the core of Zhuangzi's philosophy.
1. Even so, reading the Butterfly Dream.
❝ Once, I, Zhuang Zhou, dreamed I was a butterfly, fluttering about, happy and doing as I pleased. I did not know I was Zhuang Zhou. Suddenly, I awoke, and there I was, Zhuang Zhou again. I do not know if it was Zhuang Zhou dreaming I was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming I was Zhuang Zhou. Between Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly, there must be a distinction. This is called the transformation of things. ❞
➙ Long ago, I, Zhuang Zhou, became a butterfly in a dream. In the dream, I was a butterfly, fluttering comfortably and happily through the sky. I had no awareness at all that I was Zhuang Zhou.
Before long, I suddenly woke up and returned to the real Zhuang Zhou.
At that moment, I could no longer tell if I had been dreaming that I was a butterfly, or if the butterfly was dreaming that it was Zhuang Zhou.
Between Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly, there must certainly be a distinction in form. This kind of change is called "transformation of things" (wuhua).
In the first installment of this "Butterfly Dream" series, I explained the story of the "Butterfly Dream" in three steps, focusing on "dream and reality."
That is,
① The real Zhuang Zhou
② Zhuang Zhou fluttering in the sky as a butterfly in a dream
③ Zhuang Zhou returning to reality and looking back at ②
These are the three steps.
Many stories related to dreams, which could be called successors to the "Butterfly Dream," are mostly in a format that travels back and forth between the two worlds of dream and reality. They are stories where dreams and reality intersect, and one learns of the ambiguity of the boundary between the two, or the fleeting nature of reality and dreams.
However, wait a moment.It is true that the book "Zhuangzi" writes about the ambiguity of dreams and reality, and the mystery of not realizing one is dreaming while inside a dream. But the latter part of the text of the "Butterfly Dream" only states, "Between Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly, there must certainly be a distinction in form. This is called the transformation of things," and does not speak of the mystery of dreams. The main point is about the "distinction" between "Zhuang Zhou" and the "butterfly."It can be said that the "dream" in the "Butterfly Dream" is merely a medium for understanding the "transformation of things."
2. "That" and "This."
❝ There is nothing that is not 'that' (the other), and there is nothing that is not 'this' (the self). From the perspective of 'that,' it cannot be seen; from the perspective of 'this,' it can be known. Therefore it is said: 'That' arises from 'this,' and 'this' also depends on 'that.' This is the theory of simultaneous birth. Even so, as life is born, it is dying; as it dies, it is being born. As it is affirmed, it is denied; as it is denied, it is affirmed. Because it is right, it is wrong; because it is wrong, it is right. Therefore, the sage does not follow these, but illuminates them with Heaven, and also relies on 'this.' 'This' is also 'that,' and 'that' is also 'this.' 'That' has its own right and wrong, and 'this' has its own right and wrong. Is there really a distinction between 'that' and 'this'? Or is there really no distinction? When the opposition between 'that' and 'this' disappears, and neither finds its counterpart, it is called the 'pivot of the Way.' Only when this pivot is at the center of the circle can it respond to the infinite. 'Right' is an infinity, and 'wrong' is also an infinity. Therefore it is said, 'It is better to use clarity.' ❞
➙ There is nothing that is not "that" (the other), and there is nothing that is not "this" (the self). (For humans,) it is difficult to stand in the other's position ("that"), but from one's own position ("this"), one can understand things.
That is why it is said, "'That' is born because of 'this,' and 'this' also exists because of 'that.'" This is the "theory of simultaneous birth," where "that" and "this" depend on each other and are born at the same time.
However, (the standards of the world are always changing.) Life is heading toward death from the moment it is born... and from the moment it dies, it is heading toward (new life). The moment something is acknowledged as "right," it changes to "not right" (incorrect), and from the moment it is considered "not right," it changes to "right." Because it relies on "right," "wrong" is born, and because it relies on "wrong," "right" is born.
Therefore, the wise person (sage) does not follow this quagmire of relative opposition (between "that" and "this," "right" and "wrong"), but simply entrusts themselves to "Heaven's natural illumination (the perspective of great nature)." This is also following what is as it is.
"This" is simultaneously "that," and "that" is simultaneously "this." The position of "that" has its own "right and wrong," and the position of "this" has its own "right and wrong."
Then, is there really a distinction between "that" and "this"? Or is there really none?
The state where the oppositional relationship between "that" and "this" disappears, and both lose their counterpart (the opposing thing) to become one, is what is called the "pivot of the Way" (the fundamental axis of rotation for all things).
Only when this axis of rotation is at the center of the circle (the hollow hole) can one freely respond (without being swayed) to the infinite changes unfolding on the outside. The claim of "right" is infinite, and the claim of "wrong" is also infinite.
Therefore it is said, "It is better to use the clear wisdom (the wisdom that stops human shallow distinctions and illuminates things as they are)."
This is what is called the "theory of simultaneous birth" in the Qiwulun chapter of "Zhuangzi." "There is nothing that is not 'that,' and there is nothing that is not 'this.'"
Among these, I will explain "that" and "this" because they are easily misunderstood. The words "that" and "this" in Japanese are used differently depending on the distance from the object.
If it is far, it is "that," and
if it is near, it is "this." If you read Zhuangzi's "that" and "this" with this feeling, the meaning will not make sense. In "Zhuangzi," "that" should be read as "the other, the object," and "this" as "the self, the subject." It is a relationship like "the other shore" (higan) and "this shore" (shigan) in Buddhist terminology.
For example, in the relationship between "Zhuang Zhou" and the "butterfly" in the "Butterfly Dream," if you look at the "butterfly" from "Zhuang Zhou," Zhuang Zhou is the subject and the butterfly is the object.
However, the "butterfly" is also looking at "Zhuang Zhou." In this case, the "butterfly" is the subject and "Zhuang Zhou" is the object.
And when "Zhuang Zhou" becomes the "butterfly" in the dream, "Zhuang Zhou" as the subject undergoes a change into the "butterfly." In this dream, the existence that is the "subject" forgets that it was once "Zhuang Zhou" and recognizes itself as the "butterfly."
By applying the concepts of "subject" and "object," we can interpret "The Butterfly Dream" as having this kind of structure.
3. The 'seal' (feng) that separates things.
❝The wisdom of the ancients reached the ultimate state. What was that state? The first, ultimate state was to consider that 'from the beginning, there were no things (as objects separated from the subject).' This is the highest wisdom, to which nothing can be added. The next state was to consider that 'things (objects) exist, but there are no artificial boundaries (feng) between them yet.' The next state after that was to consider that 'there are (natural) boundaries, but there is no conflict (of value judgment) as to which is right or wrong (no right or wrong yet).' However, later, the evaluations of 'right' and 'wrong' clearly appeared in the world. Because of this, the 'Tao' was damaged. And because the Tao was damaged, emotions of love and hate were born. Does this (the state of all things) truly have 'completion' or 'deficiency,' or is there neither 'completion' nor 'deficiency'...?❞
➙ The wisdom of the ancients reached the ultimate state. What exactly was it?
The first, ultimate state was to consider that 'from the beginning, there were no things (as objects separated from the subject).' This is the highest wisdom, to which nothing can be added (the ultimate state).
The next state was to consider that 'things (objects) exist, but there are no artificial boundaries (feng) (that cut off this from that) yet.'
The next state after that was to consider that 'there are (natural) boundaries, but there is no conflict (of value judgment) as to which is right or wrong yet.'
However, later, the evaluations of 'right' and 'wrong' clearly appeared in the world. Because of this, the 'Tao' was damaged. And because the Tao was damaged, emotions of love and hate were born. Does this (the state of all things) truly have 'completion' or 'deficiency,' or is there neither 'completion' nor 'deficiency'...?
This is also an important part of the Qiwulun chapter. It is also written in three steps. Namely:
(1) The state where things do not exist at all (weishi youwu)
(2) The state where things exist but there are no boundaries ('feng') yet (weishi youfeng)
(3) The state where there is a distinction between subject and object, but no judgment of right or wrong (weishi youshifei)
These are the three steps. Since our ordinary society is a situation swayed by various value standards and emotions such as right/wrong, large/small, noble/base, and beautiful/ugly, it should be called step (4) and beyond, but if we trace it back and pursue it further, we end up at the state of (1). It would be interesting to see how this differs from the Buddhist term 'Mu' (nothingness), but this time I would like to focus on the 'feng' (seal) in (2).
This 'feng' is similar to the 'fen' (division) that separates Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly in 'The Butterfly Dream.' It is the wall that separates subject and object, perhaps what could be called the 'A.T. Field (Absolute Terror Field)' in 'Neon Genesis Evangelion.'
The 'A.T. Field' acts like an all-purpose barrier in the work, but it is the 'wall of the heart' that separates oneself from others, expanded and materialized. Generally, we are recognized as adults and live adapted to society by distinguishing between self and others and responding according to the TPO (Time, Place, Occasion). We say that becoming an adult is 'gaining discernment' (funbetsu), and we also call the process of a child growing up 'gaining a sense of things' (monogokoro). In the process of growing up, we divide subject and object, self and others, and consider that to be good. In a sense, we think it is human to increase 'feng' or 'fen.' However, the 'equality of all things' that Zhuangzi speaks of considers the state where such 'feng' or 'fen' are removed to be the best. I would like to talk about the details of this another time as it would take a long time.
4. Thinking about The Butterfly Dream through synchronization rate.
In 'Neon Genesis Evangelion,' the sense of distance between the protagonist and others is also a very major theme. The protagonist, Shinji Ikari, who has a modern naivety—the kind that would immediately hide behind a wall of the heart—grows through interactions with various characters. While the 'A.T. Field' as a weapon is important, the pilot's 'wall of the heart' is also one of the major themes of this work.
* By the way, the enemy in Episode 9, "Both,of,YouDance Like You Want to Win," the 7th Angel 'Israfel,' has a core that is a ☯ (Taijitu), and I think the author intended to evoke Taoist concepts.
Among the concepts that appear in 'Neon Genesis Evangelion,' along with the 'A.T. Field,' the one that has a particularly high affinity with Zhuangzi's philosophy is the 'synchronization rate.' The 'A.T. Field' can be called the 'wall of the heart' that separates subject and object, but the 'synchronization rate' indicates the degree of coincidence of brain waves between the giant weapon Evangelion and the pilot, and this represents the relationship and degree of involvement between subject and object.
In terms of 'The Butterfly Dream,' it is possible to express the relationship between Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly through the 'synchronization rate,' and to express the 'fen' (division) in 'The Butterfly Dream' through the 'A.T. Field.'
For example,
Step (1). The normal relationship between Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly can be said to be a state where the 'synchronization rate is 0%' and the 'A.T. Field' is firmly present.
Next is step (2-1). When Zhuang Zhou dreams as a butterfly. Since Zhuang Zhou has become a butterfly, this can be said to be a 'synchronization rate of 100%.' However, since he recognizes that he is a butterfly, it can be said that the 'A.T. Field' is still intact.
And step (2-2). The 'state where there is no distinction between Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly' mentioned in the text is a state where not only Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly, but even the absolute boundary between subject and object has been removed; the 'A.T. Field' has disappeared, and it can be said to be a synchronization rate of 200%.
The final step (3) is Zhuang Zhou waking up from the dream and looking at (2-2). This returns to a 'synchronization rate of 0%' again. It means the 'A.T. Field' has also been restored.
What is important here is the existence of the steps (2-1) and (2-2). When Zhuang Zhou is dreaming as a butterfly (2-1), there is still a 'fen' (division) that distinguishes the 'subject as a butterfly' from others. A change in the subject has occurred, but the boundary itself that separates subject and object has not disappeared.
What is even more important is the subsequent (2-2), the 'state where there is no division between Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly,' a state where the very distinction between subject and object has disappeared.
In other words, it is before the magatama of the Taijitu divides into 'subject' and 'object.' That is to say, it is close to the state of '(1) the ultimate state where things do not exist at all (weishi youwu)' mentioned above. At the same time, this is also close to the 'enso' (circle) in Zen Buddhism.
In the version of the 'Butterfly Dream' typically introduced in Japan, it is often treated as merely moving back and forth between the dualistic worlds of dream and reality, or the afterlife and this life, so (②-1) and (②-2) are frequently grouped together. However, if we look at the 'Qiwulun' chapter as a whole—or rather, if we read the entire book of 'Zhuangzi'—we should say that the state where 'the boundary between subject and object has vanished' is the true theme of the 'Butterfly Dream'.
And it is precisely this transition of steps that can be called 'transformation of things' (wuhua).
If we don't read it this way, it just doesn't feel right. I do not deny that the reason Zhuangzi chose the butterfly as a motif in the 'Butterfly Dream' lies in its fragility as it wanders through the void on thin, unreliable wings. However, to me, it seems the main focus is on its light, dynamic movement as it constantly changes and leaps over the walls and boundaries created by humans.
Yes, that is all for today. Let's meet again after the next dream. Until then, Al-manāma sa'īda!!