The cultivation of emotions in Zhuangzi

• Main Author: Kong, Angela Chin Wen
• Other Authors: Winnie Sung
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Humanities
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/73533
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Emotions and having the capacity to empathize is one of the special make-up of a human being that also allows us to build and maintain relationships with others in the society. The heart is often regarded as the organ responsible for any emotions we have. At the same time, it can be used to represent the mind as well. Emotions expressed under other circumstances may be ambiguous, but in encountering death of a loved one, it is hard to argue that one does not feel grief or sorrow. However, stories of the Sages and their encounter with deaths seem to defy the norm in society in Zhuangzi’s writings. The Sage figure is someone to be modeled upon when it comes to emotions. This paper aims to study the concept of heart and its role in producing emotions to understand how a Sage produces the emotions he has. Cultivation will be discussed as the plausible method to attain the emotions of a Sage.