Confucius Visits a Waterfall

Confucius Visits a Waterfall

James Ishmael Ford rewrites one of Zhuangzi’s Stories for the Children’s Moment at the Pacific Unitarian Church, in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Told with Kim Gosney & Vicki Gavel.

13 September 2015

Vicki: Zhuangzi, Master Zhuang lived in China somewhere in the general neighborhood of the fourth century before the birth of Jesus. He wrote short stories. His most famous story is a really, really short one. Perhaps you’ve heard it before. One day a man took a nap and dreamed he was a butterfly. Then he woke up, but he wasn’t sure if he’d just dreamt he was a butterfly, or if in fact, he was a butterfly dreaming he’s a man. That’s it. Like I said, a short, short story.

James: (Talks with the kids)

Kim: Kind of weird. But, kind of cool, too. And people have been retelling that story just about forever. But, actually, today we want to focus on another story by Zhuangzi. Today much of what we’re talking about here in the Hall touches on water. Water is very important. It’s all over the universe. But it’s the water here on Earth that we think most about. A bit more than seventy percent of our globe is covered in water. But, only about two and a half percent of that water is fresh water, water people and other animals can drink or use to grow things. And, of course, some places like here, there’s not enough fresh water and we need either to get it from somewhere else or figure out ways to make salt water fresh.

Vicki: People have a lot of water in them. The average grownup is about fifty to sixty percent water. A newborn human is a bit more than three quarters water. Apparently we evaporate. Which makes a little sense, at least that shows how we really, really need water to survive. It seems no one can survive more than ten days without drinking water. Most of us a lot less, for most of us, maybe three days at the outside.

Kim: So, we are surrounded by water and we need water. Also, water is powerful and dangerous. We can drown in water. And, it does weird things. It is a liquid for us. I drank a glass of it today. It can also be a gas. Clouds here on Earth are all water in its gas form. And, it can become a solid, like the ice in a drink. So, we tend to think about water. And, we use it and its weirdnesses as metaphors.

James: (Talks with the kids.)

Vicki: Which brings us back to Zhuangzi. He tells a story about Confucius, who was a real life person, and kind of an important one, too. But, this is a made up story about him, made up by Zhuangzi.

Kim: So, once upon a time, a very long time ago, in a place very far away, a wondrous kingdom that we’ll call China, lived a great philosopher Confucius. People told him about this wonderful waterfall, maybe two days journey away from where he was living. And, he thought it would be a delight to visit it.

Vicki: He packed up a cart and with two of his students made the trip. When they got to the base of the waterfall it was everything people had said. It must have been a million miles high. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but it was really, really high. And it was big, maybe half a block wide at the top, and bigger at the bottom, which was maybe four or even five stories from top to bottom.

Kim: They stood back from the foaming and spurting of the water as it hit the pool at their feet, and were truly amazed at how wonderful it was.

Vicki: So, Confucius was looking up as his students began to unpack their lunch. The old philosopher thought he saw something. He was getting a little old and this was before they had invented glasses, so he had to ask his students what it was they saw up there on top of the falls.

Kim: They looked up, and both gasped. “It’s a man, swimming along the edge of the water fall!” one exclaimed! “He’s going to be sucked into the fall,” said the other, gasping in horror. And sure enough the man fell with the force of the water, all the way down.

Vicki: Confucius said, “We have to retrieve his body. His parents will have a hard enough time, but it will be worse if they don’t have his remains.” And so the three waded out into the water. When the most amazing thing happened. Right in front of them, the man swam up out of the water and into the air, and then came back down. He stood up with the three, and shook his long hair. That’s when they realized actually the person was a woman.

Kim: She smiled at them, and said, “You all okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Vicki: The two students just stood there, their mouths gaping wide. Confucius’ mouth hung open as well, but just for a moment. He shut it. Then he asked, “How did you do that? Why aren’t you, if you’ll pardon the question, why aren’t you dead?”

Kim: She replied, “I have grown up by the side of this waterfall, and I’ve spent my life watching it, and the currents, and how it moves, and where. I pay attention. And going into the water I’ve learned how to go with the various currents. I never struggle with it, I simply flow with it, and go with it, and so I am always safe.”

James: (Talks with the kids)

Vicki: They invited the strange woman to have lunch with them. After that they went home. But Confucius never forgot the woman, nor her amazing way with water, and her equally haunting words.

Kim: And now let’s sing the children out to their classes.