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“All things are but a
horse.”
by Stephen Marsh
To say that all things are but a horse, illustrates the
subjective beliefs of Taoism. Tao is considered to be the
“uncarved block.” This means that all things are Tao and the
only distinctions are those that we create in our minds. To
say that all things are a horse means that all things are Tao.
An animal, a horse, and a white horse are only these things
because we make the distinction. This relativity carries over
to all other parts of life. Therefore, you should regard all
things as one and in this way be close to Tao.
Zhuangzi explains this concept by comparing examples of opposites, and
showing that these things are only so because we have decided
that they will be so. He explains that a road becomes a road
only when people walk on it and call it a road. Before it was
walked on, the road was no different except in our minds. A
beam is only small when it is compared to a larger one. This
comparison can be made for all objects and emotions, and as
with the horse, these things are not so because of some aspect
with in themselves. All that they truly are is part of the
Tao.
Taoism regards Tao as the only absolute
truth and denies the distinction of true and false. Zhuangzi
notes that people and schools have their differing opinions.
Although they each have their own interpretations and ideas,
one cannot be objectively true or false because what is said is
not final. This means that because the Tao cannot be spoken of or
comprehended, that which is said is not Tao. It is just a
division of the “uncarved block” that has been artificially
created and therefore does not really exist individually any
more than the horse exists individually.
Creation and destruction are also said to be artificial
because Tao itself cannot be created or destroyed. This is a
similar idea to the Greeks concept of the atom. All matter
continues to exist and is unchanged. One example could be a
cycle in which a colt is born and grows to a horse and is
finally returned to the earth when it dies. We could say that
this cycle ended with the destruction of the horse. Or we
could say that the colt was destroyed when it became a horse.
There are an infinite number of divisions that could be made
but they exist only where we decide to create them. The atoms
have not changed and similarly the Tao has not changed. The
Taoist considers these, without division, as one.
When you regard something as beautiful, the definition of
ugliness is created. For the same reason good cannot exist
without evil, and high cannot exist without low. Zhuangzu
describes this by saying that being creates non-being.
Although the two are opposites, they necessitate each other
and are identical. A horse exists only when compared to a
non-horse and these are identical. All things are a horse and
all things Tao.
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