Lie Zi - 1.4 - Hundred-Year-Old Skull | All Beings Come From Elements, All Go Back to Elements

When Li Yitsu traveled to Wei State, as they were eating a meal on the way, his followers found a hundred-year-old skull. Pulling out the tangle of weeds and pointing to the skull, he looked back at his disciple, Bai Feng, and said, Only he and I know, we've never been born and never die. Is he to grieve? Am I to rejoice? Is death really sadness, and is life really happiness? Species have intricacies. If a frog becomes a quail, in water, it becomes water plantain, at water's edge it becomes moss. Growing on high ground, it becomes plantain, when plantain is on a dungheap, it becomes crowfoot grass. Crowfoot roots become maggots, and the blades become butterflies. Butterflies are evanescent, changing into grubs, they hatch under stoves, shaped like sloughed-off skins, they're called periplex. In a thousand days, periplex transmute into birds called dry leftover bones. The saliva of dry leftover bones birds becomes a kind of insect, which turns into a vinegar bug. The vinegar-eating bug produces vinegar flies, vinegar flies produce bacon beetles, bacon beetles produce mosquitoes, mosquitoes produce cucumber flies. Sheep liver turns to matter, horse blood turns to phosphorus, human blood turns to fox fire, kites become sparrowhawks, sparrowhawks become cuckoos, with cuckoos eventually turning back into sparrowhawks. Swallows become clams, field mice become quails, rot melons become fish, leeks become amaranth, old ewes become monkeys, fish eggs become insects. Animals on certain mountains reproduce by parthenogenesis, some water birds reproduce by gazing at each other. There's a totally female species called the big waste, and a totally male species called immature ants. Sensitive men are aroused without marrying, sensitive women get pregnant without marrying. Ho Chi was born from a giant footprint, Yi Yin was born in a hollow mulberry tree. Dragonflies are born in moisture, flies are born in wine leaves. Weeds grow by bamboo, old bamboo produces insects, insects produce panthers, panthers produce horses, horses produce humans. People eventually resolve into elements. All things, and all beings, come from elements, and all go back to elements.