The Will of Heaven

M aster Mozi said: the gentlemen of the world today know the small thing and miss the large one. Here is how I know it. In a household, a man who offends the head of the family can still run next door, run to the neighbors, and put some distance between himself and the trouble. Father, mother, friends all warn him: you have to watch yourself, you have to be careful — how can a man live in a household and not watch himself? And it is the same in a state. Offend the ruler and there is still somewhere to flee, the next state over. Even here the warnings come: watch yourself, be careful — how can a man live in a state and not watch himself? These men have a place to run and still they are told to mind their step. How much more careful should they be where there is nowhere left to run. Master Mozi said: The gentlemen of the world today know the small and do not know the great. How do I know this? I know it from how they conduct themselves in the household. If a man offends the head of his household, there is still a neighboring household he can flee to. Yet father, mother, elder brother, and friends all warn him in earnest, saying: you must be cautious, you must be careful — how can one dwell in a household and not be cautious and careful? And so it is in the state as well. If a man offends the ruler, there is still a neighboring state he can flee to. Yet father, mother, elder brother, and friends all warn him in earnest, saying: you must be cautious, you must be careful — how can one dwell in a state and not be cautious and careful?

But this is a man who still has somewhere to run, and even so they tell him to be careful. There is one place with no neighbor to flee to, and there they tell him nothing. This is the saying: know the small and miss the large. So what is the large thing? It is Heaven. Heaven cannot be escaped in a forest, a valley, a dark and lonely place where no one is — Heaven sees you clearly all the same. And yet the gentlemen of the world, when it comes to Heaven, are strangely careless. This is how I know they know the small and miss the large. Now these men still have a neighboring household, a neighboring state, to which they may flee, and even so they are warned this earnestly. How much more should there be warning where there is no place to flee to. There is a saying: in broad daylight commit an offense — where can you flee to? There is nowhere. For Heaven cannot be taken for a forest or valley, a dark and secluded place where no one is: Heaven will surely see you clearly. Yet toward Heaven the gentlemen of the world are oddly careless. This is how I know they know the small and do not know the great.

So what does Heaven want from us, and what does it hate? Heaven wants the right and hates the wrong. How do I know Heaven wants the right and hates the wrong? Because in this world, where there is the right there is life, and where there is no right there is death; where there is the right there is wealth, and where there is no right there is poverty; where there is the right there is order, and where there is no right there is chaos. So Heaven wants people to live and hates to see them die, wants them rich and hates them poor, wants them in order and hates them in chaos. That is how I know Heaven wants the right and hates the wrong. Then what does Heaven desire and what does it hate? Heaven desires the right and hates the wrong. How do I know that Heaven desires the right and hates the wrong? Because in the world, where there is the right there is life, and where there is no right there is death; where there is the right there is wealth, and where there is no right there is poverty; where there is the right there is order, and where there is no right there is disorder. So Heaven desires that they live and hates that they die, desires that they be wealthy and hates that they be poor, desires that they be in order and hates that they be in disorder. This is how I know Heaven desires the right and hates the wrong.

“I have the will of Heaven the way a wheelwright has his compass and a carpenter has his square.”

And where does the right come from? It does not bubble up from below. The right is not made by the foolish and lowly; it comes down from the honored and the wise. Who is most honored? Who is most wise? Heaven is honored, Heaven is wise — that is all. So the right comes from Heaven. The gentlemen of the world, if they truly want to do right and keep clear of wrong, had better look to what Heaven wants and steer clear of what Heaven hates. Moreover, the right is the standard for governing. The right does not come from the stupid and the lowly; it must come from the honored and the wise. How do we know the right does not come from the stupid and the lowly but must come from the honored and the wise? I say: who is honored, who is wise? Heaven is honored, Heaven is wise, and that is all. So the right indeed comes from Heaven. The gentlemen of the world, if they wish to do the right, must obey the will of Heaven.

Here is how I work with it. I have the will of Heaven the way a wheelwright has his compass and a carpenter has his square. The wheelwright takes his compass and the carpenter his square, and with them they measure everything in the world, round and square, and they say: what fits the tool is right, what does not fit is wrong. I do the same with conduct. I lay down the will of Heaven and take it as my measure, and with it I measure the rulers and ministers and officers of the world, and whether they are kind or cruel comes out as plain as telling black from white. Master Mozi's having the will of Heaven is no different from the wheelwright's having his compass and the carpenter's having his square. The wheelwright and the carpenter take their compass and square and with them measure the square and round things of the world, saying: what hits the mark is right, what misses the mark is wrong. So I set this up as the model and establish this as the standard, and with it I gauge whether the kings, dukes, great men, and ministers of the world are humane or not — it is like distinguishing black from white.

So what does the will of Heaven actually measure to? This: Heaven holds the whole world together and cares for it, and works through everything to benefit it. There is not a thing as small as the tip of a hair that Heaven did not make, and the people get the good of it. You would have to call that a great benefit. And what does Heaven get back? Nothing. Heaven does not need our offerings. It cares for us anyway, all of us, with no one left out. Heaven holds the whole world inclusively and cares for it; it brings the ten thousand things to completion to benefit it. There is not so much as the tip of a fine hair that is not the work of Heaven, and the people obtain it and are benefited by it — you may call this great indeed. Yet Heaven asks no return. Heaven loves the whole world inclusively and brings forth the ten thousand things to benefit it. This has been so from antiquity down to the present.

Now follow it down. Heaven cares for all the people without distinction. It wants them fed and clothed and at peace. So it must want the people to care for one another and to do one another good — and it must hate to see them harm one another. How do I know Heaven hates the harm? Because Heaven holds them all and cares for them all, benefits them all. To love what Heaven loves and benefit what Heaven benefits is to be on Heaven's side. To love everyone Heaven loves and help everyone Heaven helps — that is the whole of it. Heaven cares for the people inclusively. Therefore it wants people, those with strength, to work for one another; those who know the way, to teach one another; those with wealth, to share with one another. Whoever cares for what Heaven cares for, and benefits what Heaven benefits, this Heaven will surely bless. So those I care for, Heaven cares for inclusively; those I benefit, Heaven benefits inclusively. Heaven's will desires that the people of the world care for and benefit one another, and does not desire that they harm one another.

So Heaven does not want the great state smashing the small one, or the great house preying on the lesser one. It does not want the strong robbing the weak, the cunning cheating the simple, the high-born sneering at the low. All of that, Heaven hates. And it is not only that Heaven hates it. Heaven wants the opposite: the strong to help the weak, those who know the way to teach it, those with means to share. That is what it looks like to give the world the good Heaven means it to have. The will of Heaven does not desire that a great state attack a small state, that a great house disorder a small house, that the strong plunder the weak, the cunning deceive the foolish, the noble be arrogant toward the lowly — this is what Heaven does not desire. And it is not only this. It desires that those with strength work for one another, that those who know the way teach one another, that those with wealth share with one another. It also desires that those above diligently attend to government, and that those below diligently attend to their work.

Now look at the record, because Heaven keeps accounts. The sage-kings of the three dynasties — Yu, Tang, Wen, Wu — did what Heaven wanted. They cared for the people and did them good, and they led the world to honor Heaven and serve the spirits. So Heaven was glad of them. Heaven set them up as Sons of Heaven, made them rich with the whole world, and the generations after praised their names, down to today. These are the men who went with the will of Heaven and were rewarded. The ancient sage-kings of the three dynasties, Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu — these are they who obeyed the will of Heaven and obtained reward. They cared for the people and benefited them, led the world to honor Heaven and serve the spirits, and Heaven was pleased. Heaven raised them to be Sons of Heaven, made them rich with all the world, and their names have been handed down and praised from antiquity to the present. They are those who, complying with the will of Heaven, obtained reward.

And the other column. The cruel kings of the three dynasties — Jie, Zhou, You, Li — did the opposite. They turned against what Heaven wanted. They hated the people and harmed them, set the great states attacking the small, the strong robbing the weak, and they cursed Heaven and abused the spirits. So Heaven was against them. It cut their lives short and tore the throne away, and the generations after curse their names, down to today. These are the men who went against the will of Heaven and were punished. The whole lesson is one line: go with what Heaven wants, and you have the measure of the right. The ancient cruel kings of the three dynasties, Jie, Zhou, You, and Li — these are they who opposed the will of Heaven and met with punishment. They hated the people and oppressed them, with a great state attacking a small one, a strong house disordering a weak one, the strong plundering the weak, the many tyrannizing the few; they cursed Heaven and reviled the spirits and slaughtered the people. So Heaven was not pleased, and brought down punishment upon them, making them lose their kingdoms and their lives, to be reviled by later generations to this day. To comply with the will of Heaven is the standard of the right.

天志 The original Chinese · honored as an artifact

子墨子言曰：今天下之士君子，知小而不知大。

Opening lines, classical Chinese · The Mozi 墨子