Tree on Hill (8)

1 Chuang Tzu someday toured near a chestnut garden in Diaoling.

2 Attracted by a bird flying from south, he unwarily walked into the chestnut garden.

3 Looking up at the weird bird, he found that the bird’s wings were seven feet in width when stretching fully and its eyes were one inch in diameter. When the bird passed him, its wing brushed his forehead unwittingly. At last, the bird perched on a branch of a chestnut tree.

4 Watching the bird, he thought what kind a bird it was. It had so long wings but it didn’t fly, perching idly. It had so big eyes but it was not able to see the surrounding, brushing my forehead carelessly.

5 Chuang Tzu became more interested in the bird.

6 With a sling in one hand and the lip of his robe held in the other hand, he followed the bird to go deep into the garden.

7 Standing soundly, Chuang Tzu found that there was a cicada perching peacefully in the shadow of branches. It sang in high pitch, and was oblivious of itself.

8 There was a mantis behind the cicada. Raising high its foreleg, it tried to prey the cicada under the cover of leaves.

9 The mantis focused too much on its prey and neglected a bird behind staring covetously at it.

10 The bird focused its entire mind on preying — the mantis, neglecting a man who was ready to shoot it down with sling.

11 Chuang Tzu under the tree comprehended suddenly that this is the biological chain, one eating another.

12 Then the guardian of the garden found Chuang Tzu with sling in hand and mistook him as a thief who intended to sneak chestnut. Hence, guardian shouted at him with abuse. Throwing off sling, Chuang Tzu had to run out of the garden.

13 After returning to home, he sank into sullenness for three days, willing to go nowhere.

14 Linqie, Chuang Tzu’s disciple watched him and found the change of his mood. He asked Chuang Tzu, “Why do you feel sullen and close yourself in the room? What has happened on earth?”

15 Chuang Tzu said, “I focus too much on the world of material. I expect too much worldly desire so that I lose myself, forgetting there are self-nature, Buddha-nature, Qi, calmness and refinement in my deeper heart.

16 It is just like that we forget there is limpid water in the deep place of a lake when we see the turbid stream.

17 The senior even told me that we must do in Rome as Rome does. I neglected the taboo of being in a chestnut garden when I toured in Diaoling. The low-flying bird brushing my forehead attracted my attention for which the bird almost was killed. The bird’s action resulted from focusing too much on the mantis on the tree. I was mistaken as a thief by the guardian. How can I become happy?”