This commentary on Zhuangzi ‑ Daozhi features three fictional dialogues. Robber Zhi and other figures assail conventional Confucian morality, exposing its hypocrisy and urging people to cherish their innate inborn nature.
Chan Master Dazhu Huihai, a prominent Tang Dynasty monk, was ordained under Master Daozhi at Dayun Temple in Yuezhou. After reading Huihai’s writing (The Essential Gateway to Truth by Sudden Awakening), Master Mazu Daoyi praised him as “Great Pearl” — a Buddhist symbol of awakening and wisdom — hence later generations also referred to…