This book brings an eminently readable translation of a philosophical and literary text by a ninth-century Daoist thinker with the pseudonym “Master Incapable” to anglophone readers. The English translation is accompanied by the Chinese text on facing pages, footnotes and text-critical endnotes, and also an introduction, a bibliography detailing editions of the text, earlier translations, specialized secondary scholarship, and works cited. The excellent quality of the translation reflects De Meyer's engagement with the text over almost 40 years (p. xxxv).
Master Incapable (Wunengzi) consists of a short preface and three books with discourses and anecdotes; it is accessible and thought-provoking for both specialists and general readers. The preface introduces the author, the time (887 ce), and the circumstances surrounding the writing of the text, without disclosing who Master Incapable is.
The first book outlines the key themes. The opening chapter, “The fault of the sages”, analyses the reasons for the world's decline. All creatures that had emerged from the differentiation of unitary qi (“life-force”) lived originally in harmony, purity, and simplicity. But then humans, referred to as “naked creatures”, claimed to be different from other creatures because of their intellect and language. Master Incapable argues vehemently against the notion that language and intellect are unique to humans; however, this (unnatural and erroneous) differentiation of humans from other creatures persisted, leading to the development of civilization, hierarchies, jealousy, and “quarrelsome minds”. The sages exacerbated the process by forcibly establishing names (qiangming 強名). Civilizational values and institutions, including rites, music, filial piety, laws, and punishments are the ineffective remedies the sages proposed to return to original purity. They all failed, however, and led people “to forget what is fundamental”. The next chapter then explains the “fundamental”, proposing as a solution “to make nonpurposive action the center” (p. 17). The following chapters present an analysis of delusions regarding life and death, followed by a solution, namely “Being free of worries” (p. 21), and an analysis of the “fraudulence” (p. 23) of reputation, wealth, and kinship, followed by a solution, “True Cultivation” (p. 29), which emphasizes spontaneity and being free of intentionality (wuxin 無心).
The first book thus outlines the major problems of the condition of humanity and offers remedies. The second and third books illustrate these key themes through discourses and anecdotes.
The second book presents discourses on nine historical persons, each in a dialogue with a wise advisor. The third book shifts from history to the author's present, reporting dialogues with relatives and friends, “things witnessed” (pp. 95 f.), among others. The last section, “Consolidating the foundation”, revisits the concepts of unintentionality (wuxin) and non-purposive action (wuwei), demonstrating how the pursuit of profit, rather than human preferences or external influences, is the root of the world's misery. The text concludes by emphasizing that craving and desires prevent humans from returning to the ideal origin, and the choice between desires and cravings or non-purposive action (wuwei), which leads to serenity, rests solely with the individual. Wrong choices, according to the text, stem from customs, presumably those established by the sages: “That ordinary humans are deluded and can never be made to attain insight means that their customs are an obstruction to them. Those who are enlightened turn their back on custom.” (p. 105).
De Meyer contextualizes the text in a substantial introduction, covering the political history of the late Tang dynasty in the grip of the Huang Chao rebellion (875–883) and its aftermath, a survey on the development of Daoism up to the Tang, and a detailed presentation of the text's structure and ideas. He also discusses the possible identity of the author (pp. xxvi–xxvii).
A concise discussion of the text's reception in imperial and contemporary China, as well as in the West, follows, along with a convincing argument for the completeness of the received text.
The book contains footnotes and text-critical endnotes. Surprisingly, possibly due to layout considerations, the “text-critical endnotes” contain not only notes for specialized readers but also a wealth of explanations and references that might typically be expected in footnotes.
The Wunengzi has mostly been studied in the context of anarchism, but De Meyer points out that “Master Incapable's fundamental stance is not primarily that of anarchism in the Western sense, but that of radical anti-conventionalism or anti-traditionalism” (p. xxiv). “What Master Incapable proposes is a return to naturalness, simplicity, absence of intentionality, and nonpurposive action. In that, he remains remarkably close to the message of the Daode jing, Zhuangzi, and Liezi” (pp. xxiv–xxv).
In fact, the Wunengzi has primarily been contextualized in the political and social visions of these ancient texts. De Meyer presents a survey of the development of Daoism in the Tang, but concludes: “one wonders whether Master Incapable had any ties with the institutionalized Daoism of his day, beyond his thorough understanding of the Daodejing, Zhuangzi, and Liezi” (p. xx).
It is worth noting that the Wunengzi's vision of ethics, its emphasis on wuxin (unintentionality or no mind), and its conception of agency as timely response without intentionality (e.g. pp. 54–9), which can be considered core arguments of the text, have much in common with other Tang Daoists, such as e.g. Cheng Xuanying 成玄英 (c. 601–c. 690).
This translation is a most welcome addition to the growing body of Tang Daoist texts available in English translations, which highlight the depth and variety of Tang Daoist thought. The bilingual presentation will be appreciated by readers trained in Chinese and by teachers using the text in the classroom. Both academics studying Chinese thought and general readers will find it a most enjoyable and thought-provoking read and a valuable contribution, as it brings new perspectives to the study of Daoism, Chinese philosophy, political philosophy, and Chinese literature.
