The Unmoored Boat

Introduction: An untethered boat is another name for a stone boat. A stone boat is a garden structure, usually built with a stone base, hence the names “stone boat” or “stone ship,” and its common name, “land boat.” Since it can never move, it is also called a stationary boat. The phrase “untethered boat” comes from The Liezi, in the chapter “Lie Yukou”: “Well-fed and roaming, drifting like an untethered boat, empty and free to roam.” A meditation hut withdraws from the world, while a stone boat embraces it, even treating it as a game. Yang Weizhen wrote in Record of the Painting and Calligraphy Boat: “Heaven is a vast ocean; earth is a vast boat.” He then put these words in Gu Ying’s mouth: “I know I live aboard a boat, and have no intention of seeking the Great Way beyond it.” In other words, he would rather live as an ordinary person in this world, aboard a boat, than attain the Way in an immortal realm beyond it. A stone boat resembles a ship, yet is a house: it is the most imaginative and romantic structure in a classical Chinese garden. Synopsis: Buddha says that a person’s life is a journey through the world. We cannot choose our origins. Our lives seem to unfold one step at a time through our own choices, yet it always feels as if some invisible force is pushing us forward. When we reach the end and look back, will we realize that everything was governed by fate and cause and effect? Fang Zizai’s life as a young girl has begun, but what will its ending be? Why I’m writing this: One person’s life is just a corner of the vast human world. Laughter and tears are much the same for everyone. Life goes on peacefully, whether or not things turn out as we hoped. But a person’s dreams are like magma churning beneath a rock, never extinguished, waiting for a chance to erupt. Writing is the way I ultimately chose. Sharing it with others brings joy; savoring it alone is its own quiet pleasure. Note: This story will be deleted and reposted after extensive revisions in November.