The Movements of the Heaven (5)

1 Since youth, Confucius had aspired to seek Tao but he didn’t have any achievements when he was fifty-one. He felt that he must have done something wrong. Hence, he paid a visit to Laotse for consulting.

2 Seeing the famous scholar who took a long journey to visit him, Laotse felt surprised. “What’s your purpose here? I heard that you are a famous scholar in the north. Did you obtain Tao?”

3 Feeling shameful, Confucius said, “I have an undeserved reputation in the north. It is unworthy of mentioning. Actually, I have not achieved Tao. This is why I come here to consult you about it. I had aspired to seek Tao when I was younger. Now I am fifty-one but nothing has been gained. Why is this so?”

4 Laotse said, “How do you practice?”

5 “I did it in terms of laws and courtesy but I obtained nothing after five years.” Says Confucius.

6 Laotse asked again, “So what did you do before that?”

7 “Before that, I studied the theory of Yin and Yang but I got nothing after twelve years of effort.” Confucius replied.

8 Laotse said, “Well. If Tao was a tangible object, people would offer it to their kings.

9 If Tao was a gift, people would give it to their loved ones.

10 If Tao was a doctor's prescription that could be clearly written, people would lose no time to give it to their siblings.

11 If Tao was an item that was able to be packaged, parents would wrap it well to hand down to their offspring.

12 However, of all ages in history, why has this never happened?

13 The reason is that you must have a sound, tranquil and peaceful mind before practice, or your practice can't be on the right track.

14 As for the objective condition surrounding you, you have to be close to good people and follow the correct eightfold path which Buddha mentions in his scriptures.

15 Practicing to seek Tao is destined for the privileged few. It is not suitable for publicizing. Therefore, a man of perfect practice doesn’t impart Tao to others on request unless the timing, surrounding and object are aliened.

16 The information of objective conditions are: stimulation, idea and temptation that transfer to his mind via eye, ear, nose, tongue and sense, if they don’t meet the requirements of Tao, the man of perfect practice would not accept, trust and rely on them.

17 Mr. Confucius, official position is a means set for serving the masses. When you are an official, you have to make mental and physical efforts and consume your valuable time accordingly. Therefore, you better not occupy too many positions at a time and do it too long. Otherwise, you will consume your time and energy too far, which may have bad influence on your practice.

18 Hotel is a rest place for travelers. When the night falls and the travelers are tired, they have an place for overnight rest, however, they will hit their road next day. They should not linger there for its coziness and comfort and give up their trips.

19 In the way of practice, benevolence and righteousness are rest place that the ancient built. A man of practice sometime can take benevolence as a shortcut and take righteousness as roost. His main goal is to roam freely in the vast wild field, a wonderful world where he enjoys everything, does everything and tours everywhere.

20 Benevolence and righteousness are a kind of binding and confine. It is safe to live with them but the side effect is to be deprived of the right to roam freely and happily. So you may just hold them in a short time.

21 Besides this, your luggage must be light and simple. On the practicing road, you are allowed to scratch the surface of worldly affairs only and keep your life indifferent to the fame and wealth. During the happy and free excursion, beside the practice you are seeking and doing nothing special. When you are satisfied with life indifferent to the fame and wealth, the happy and free excursion is possible. This degage attitude of life is called ‘a journey to collect genuine nature’ in the ancient.

22 Those who seek wealth in their lives scramble for interest as soon as they see it. They become exhausted and forget dinner and sleep.

23 They, whose goal of life is honor or fame, struggle for the fame and position with great efforts. They are exhausted.

24 They, whose goal of life is power, fame and position. They scramble for the power and position, completely ignoring the importance of authorizing and delegating of work. As a result, he is tired to death while the work is not done well.

25 They covet wealth, honor and power which they rack their brain to obtain. Once they lose them, they feel as if being deprived of parents. They always live in an unrest life. How can they keep sound, tranquil and peaceful mind?

26 How can they hit the way of practice without the sound, tranquil and peaceful mind?

27 Therefore, I declare that fortune, honor and power are the real murders who slay the original nature of human.

28 They are eight tools to govern a country, such as complaint, favor, taking, giving, persuasion, forgiveness and killing. Like benevolence and righteousness, they are roost on the way of practice. If you can make right use of them, they are helpful in your happy and free excursion. If the eight tools are in right use, the country is in order and people live and work in peace and contentment. Also, governor deals with governmental affairs at ease. If they are in improper use and being clung too far, they are obstacles on the way of practice.

29 In other viewpoint, a man of really perfect practice can employ everything and everyone. The eight tools will not puzzle him and can’t be encumbrance in his happy and free excursion.

30 Confucius, you wish to exert your talent of governance in your whole life. It is not a bad thing at all. However, you must have a right recognition on fame, benevolence, righteousness, complaint, favor, taking, giving, persuasion, forgiveness and killing. Without the right recognition, you obtain nothing in governance and practice, just like a man climbing tree in order to catch fish, at the end of day he certainly got nothing.”