The Heaven and the Earth(10)

1 Zi Gong passed a small town called Hanyin when he traveled back to the State of Jin from the State of Chu.

2 Zi Gong saw a farmer toiling in a vegetable garden nearby road. The farmer bailed water with a barrel from the well and then carried the barrel to water vegetable one by one. Shaking his head, Zi Gong considered that this countryside lagged too much and the way of watering was ineffective. Watering a vegetable costs so much time, how big a garden the farmer can water within one day? No wonder they are so poor.

3 Zi Gong had a sudden sympathy for the farmer. He felt that he must tell the local people the simple way of irrigation that they had been employed for years in the State of Jin.

4 Zi Gong stopped his carriage, stepping down. Over the ridge of the garden, he said to the farmer. “I know a high efficient machine that can irrigate a field of a hundred more Mu every day. It saves labor and time. Would you like to have one?”

5 The farmer looked at the well-dressed stranger. “How does it look like?”

6 Zi Gong said, “This is a wood-made machine. Its work principle is to use lever with one end light and the other end heavy. The light end carries water. The operator press slightly the heavy end and the water is bailed out into the dug drain and then flows into the field. It is easier to water with the machine. It is called Gao. Have you heard it?”

7 Laying down his barrel, the farmer laughed. “Oh, Gao. I don’t like it as well as all other machine tools. My teacher told me that a man who would like to use machine to save labor and time, inclines to the shortcut or secure advantages through pull or influence; a man like this is ready to resort to dubious shifts and to cheat his superiors and defraud his subordinates, of which a man of practice should avoid.

8 My teacher preached it that ingenious conception in mind expels purity and simplicity, without which it is impossible to reach composure and tranquilness. All practices are impossible without a composed, tranquil and peaceful heart.

9 We have the Gao you mentioned but I just dislike using it.”

10 Zi Gong learned from Confucius for some time. He was regarded as one of main disciples of Confucius. Today hearing “A man with an unrestful spirit, Tao will not come to him” by the farmer, he felt very abashed and lowered his head without a word.

11 The farmer detected the atmosphere of embarrassment. He tried to break the deadlock. “Who are you? Judged from your dress, you must be somebody. ”

12 Zi Gong seemed to pick up some confidence. He thought that it is time to save his face back. Zi Gong replied seriously, “I am a disciple of Confucius.”

13 “Oh.” The farmer responded, “You are one of the groups who read many books and try to act as the sages. Your group ran around many countries for years and tried to benefit the masses by the ideal that few people agreed on, by which you publicize your fame. However, I think that it is kind of you to stop to help a countryside farmer. Nevertheless, you must take off the lofty look from your face and wipe off your pride from your heart. By these, it is possible to continue your practice. If not, you have difficulty in looking after yourself, let alone the governance of a country. Well, you go on to travel. I have no time to talk more with you.”

14 With the little regained confidence, Zi Gong fell into the bottom of depression again. Lowered his head, Zi Gong stepped slowly back to his carriage. In silence, he tasted what the farmer said and felt depressed as if his effort of years became futile.

15 Dropping deeply into the mood of disappointment and shame, Zi Gong gradually recovered after rode for thirty li on his way back to the State of Lu. His disciples kept silent due to Zi Gong’s expression. They didn’t ask something until Zi Gong became unclouded somewhat. “Sir. Just now whom did you talk with? Why did your expression become depressed and heavy when you stepped on the carriage?”

16 Shaking his head, Zi Gong whispered, “I always thought that my teacher, Confucius was the only sage in this world. Today I found another one.

17 Confucius taught us to try our best to get a job well done and do it efficiently, so I believed that the tactics and skill are necessary. Those are the ways that we should learn. However, the farmer I talked with pointed out our essential mistakes.

18 He deemed that the Tao of sage stressed intact and original personality, without articifice, falseness and glozing, which is called ‘Complete Virtue’. A man of complete virtue should keep physical intactness, namely keeping body’s original feature and normal situation. For example, we should not fatigue too much, going to bed and getting up early; we go on diet, keeping fit; we don’t dye hair; we don’t seek too much fame and wealth, keeping our health from being ruined by causes.

19 By keeping physical intactness, it is possible to have a composed, tranquil and peaceful heart.

20 A composed, tranquil and peaceful heart is called ‘Complete Mind’, after which, the practice is on the right way to seek for Tao.

21 A man of perfect practice focuses his care on the subjective conditions, disregarding the change of objective conditions. He, who intends to intervene or boost the change of objective condition, attempts to achieve success of causes by the skills, tactics and artifices. These are enough to destroy the sound and peaceful mood so the practice has come to an end.

22 Hence, the right way of practice is to do everything that maintains a composed, tranquil and peaceful heart and to do nothing that distract and even spoil a composed, tranquil and peaceful heart.

23 He insists on doing something right that even other people may disapprove of. He doesn’t put a finger on something wrong that even it would bring great fame and wealth to him. The objective conditions, such as the honor, shame, praise and disparagement, have no influence on him. By doing that such a man would be a perfect practice someday.

24 Me, Zi Gong is no more than a vulgar fellow who bustle around for the fame and interest. It is a shame! It is a shame!”

25 After he returned to the State of Lu, Zi Gong told Confucius about the event.

26 Confucius said. “The farmer you met must be a man of senior practice on the Chaotic doctrines. Before Heaven and Earth came into being, the universe stayed in chaos. All things are integral with no discrimination. The men who follow the Chaotic doctrine looked all things as a whole, against any viewpoint of discrimination and self.

27 Their practice reflects their theory. They only devote their mind to the improvement, cultivation and attention of subjective conditions, neglecting the objective conditions. Not to mention interference, boosting, and possession of the objective conditions.

28 The men who practice the Chaotic doctrine lead advocated simple, easy, and austere lives. What they seek for is the sound, tranquil and peaceful mind.

29 Usually they beware of the details of their conducts, never committing a blunder by and from ignoring the small error. They know that consciousness is not the leading source but the complement and assistant tool of self-nature, Buddha-nature, Qi, calmness and refinement. So they accept the instruction of the nature in great decision, ignoring the influence of objective conditions, personal fame and interest.

30 Therefore, they always live easy and leisure lives, striving for nothing. You are certainly surprised because you never hear this concept before. What’s more, the thought of totally non-self and being flexibility are beyond our common people’s reach.”