ABSTRACT
Z i rana is one of the oldest philosophical concepts in China. Lao Zi, the founder of Daoism,1 was the one who introduced the concept into Chinese philosophy.2 In the history of Chinese philosophy, zi ran was often used to designate some thing which exists above and, in most cases, in opposition to ren weih, i.e., something made by human beings. Therefore, zi ran is also interpreted as tian ran i.e., something which is made by heaven and has nothing to do with human beings. Clearly enough, this interpretation of zi ran as tian ran is based upon an absolute separation and antagonism between heaven (nature) and humanity. It then implies that zi ran cannot be achieved without totally rejecting human activities and the human desires behind those activities. Because of this, Daoism was criticized as a doctrine “ blindly following heaven but ignoring human beings” in the history of Chinese philosophy.3
