External Things (2)

1 Almsgiving is a very important deed of practice. The man of practice he focus on Zen, meditation and yoga practice, all his living stuff such as money, food, clothes, medicine etc., are given by the common people. In return, the man of practice offers pray, wish, enlighten and disabuse to the common people. The man of practice and the common people are in symbiosis; it is almsgiving holding them together and eventually forms the religious group.

2 Sanskrit had spoken much of almsgiving. He suffered from rheumatism in his late years. He often couldn’t stand upright with his painful back. One day, he was suggested to bathe in the hot spring to relieve his back pain. After bathing, he felt smooth and comfortable. With his delight, he said, “In the future, someone who runs hot spring bathhouse for people would get one meritorious deed.”

3 Sanskrit required the man of practice to be strict about subsisting. He said: the man of practice should not persist in subsisting; he should not become the common people’s retainer or specialist, for the purpose to get the stuff the common people offered.

4 Almsgiving is a presentation of Cibei (mercy). Ci is offering good thing to other and bei is that you help other to take away or unload the bad thing and put the good thing on him. All deeds are called by a joint name “Shi”(Almsgiving).

5 Chuang Tzu thought that almsgiving must be reflected directly from the inner heart of some one without any hesitation. Reluctant almsgiving or purposeful almsgiving is not significant.

6 Chuang Tzu was poor. He lacked food temporarily one day. He asked an official of river management to lend him some millet. The official perhaps thought that you guy is poor and it is not an urgent need. I help the urgent one, because once for all and don’t help the poor because it is an endless request. Hence, he declined, “Well. No problem! Next month I will collect people’s tax and then I will lend you three hundred kilogram millet.”

7 Chuang Tzu almost starved to death. He thought that without food I would dead next month and why I needed your millet at that time. He said angrily, “On the way to your home, I heard someone calling me. I stopped to look for who was calling. Finally, I found a crucian foaming and laying in the pit of track.

8 The fish told me, ‘I am the water official of East Sea. I am in charge of water in my life. Today, I fell in the dry pit due to my incaution and can’t move. Could you give me a liter of water so I have a chance to live through?’

9 I told the fish, ‘No problem. Let me lobby the King of Wu and the King of Yue to canal the west river to here and let you return to the East Sea. What do you think?”

10 The fish said sullenly, ‘Fish can’t leave water. Now I stay in the pit and stifle to death soon. I only ask you to give me a liter of water for urgency. Why you said to canal the west river. Do you willing to save me or not? Canal the west river? It is sooner to find me on the fisher’s stall tomorrow.’

11 When some one asks for help, helping them immediately without any hesitation if you are able to. If you are unwilling to or can’t help, you should speak of it directly and don’t nonsense to bullyrag him.