Zhi the Robber (3)

1 Wuzu was Zhihe’s classmate. In class they had learnt a lot from their teacher about off-desire, not doing cause and not seeking honor.

2 Wuzu asked Zhihe, “In my opinion, every body would like to seek for fame and interest. Why does our teacher ask us to give them up? I think that being rich is good. They say that ‘rich man who even lives in the remote mountains has far relatives’. As long as you are rich, people would come around you and obey your order with reverent and respectful attitude. When a lot of people are around you, you become distinguished naturally. Owing to being respected, you feel happy, beaming face with pride. Thus you feel comfortable. Is it the way for long life?

3 I really don’t know why you agree on teacher’s view? Do you really dislike making fortune and winning promotion? Or you want to, however, your ability is not enough; so you daren’t struggle for or scramble for it? Or you cowardly say that you want to do the right things according to the rule of practice, but still expect someday, you would succeed in acquiring fame and interest in private?”

4 Zhihe defended for himself. “When seeing rich man or person of high rank, someone favor with them and thinks that they are extremely noble persons. Though they, the rich men or the persons of high rank live in the same age or in the same city, they think them is god-man over the world, just like the people worshiped Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin in the past. Those poor people are stupid and don’t know the fact.

5 They appraise a man by the common standard of all ages. They are not men of perfect practice. They just are peers of the common.

6 Beside the flesh body, they forget the original natures, such as self-nature and Buddha nature, only these are actually worthy of being cherished. Those poor person, they stirred by avarice, wrath and obsession, they think occasional and shallow happiness as the way of stability and joy and the permanent way of pursuit of happiness, which truly is that 'a tiny error of ideas leads them to astray very far'.

7 They go all out to seek for fame, interest, richness and honor, not knowing how to protect their body. They trouble themselves by sorrow or joy, to disturb the mind of soundness, tranquility and peace. They bustle for fame, interest, and richness but don’t know why to acquire the wealth that they never use at all. They toil for the whole life but don’t know why to come to this world and where to go after death. The confused questions obsess everyone, even a king or the very rich man doesn’t make an exception.

8 So, fame and interest can never eliminate people’s terror and pain. Only religion or practice works.”

9 Wuzu said, “Alas! You take our topic too far. Confucius said that ‘we even don’t know life and how can we know death’. We don’t talk about problems after death. In life, high position and richness fairly are good. Money gives you joy, beauty and stateliness that your man of practice can’t expect to possess. They say that ‘money makes mare go’. With money, you may bribe official and person of high rank even the gangster to support you and to make your voice loud. With money, you may invite counselor to make out ideas so that you can jump at opportunity. Consequently, you succeed in doing everything. .

10 Usually you donate money to charity. Praised highly, you are called great well-doer. With these social rank and reputation, you have stateliness as the same as king, even not being a local official. That’s great!

11 You always stress original nature. I think that human’s original nature is to hunger for music, beauty, gourmet food, power, interest and position. Anyone produces satisfaction as long as he touches and has them.

12 Additionally, all men have same object to like, dislike, avoid and seek, such as loathing shit, avoiding death and seeking for life and beauty. This is the real original nature.

13 Self-nature and wisdom that you mention are too mysterious and unpractical. Whatever you say to deny my view can’t change the fact that it is real and it is the truly original nature.”

14 Zhihe said, “I admit that what you said is a part of human nature but they are avarice, wrath, obsession that make people sorrow, annoy and rotate forever in transmigration. Self-nature, Buddha-nature, Qi, calmness and refinement in human nature however, are different. They are free from and beyond material, not being led by material. They, who seek for self-nature, think that empty five aggregates are the source of impermanence and sufferings. So, they often keep material at an arm length.

15 This kind of people has no selfishness. They have the mind of no-self and being flexibility. So, if they are in power, their policy and guideline are subject to people’s actual requirements. Once the requirements of people are meet, conflicts in society will reduce. Due to fewer requirements of such governors, what the service and tax they ask from people will be less. When they asking something from people, the people wouldn’t think them are greedy, because what they do is for the people, not for the governors themselves.

16 When things are enough, they stop asking. They even return the surplus back to people. The goal of all policy is for people’s interest. The surplus returns to people, which is very natural. Thus, the governor doesn’t flatter himself that he is uncorrupt. Avarice or incorruption derives from the inner heart, and not from the temptation and stimulation of material. Therefore, controlling a man being incorruption and not avarice must start from his inner heart.

17 With this concept and culture, as a king, he doesn’t use his power and rank to put on airs in front of others and to bully them; he as a rich man, doesn’t use money to tread on others. Some people assume that being rich has the privilege to override others. For example, some rich man, they toy with waiters in the entertainment place despite of waiters’ dignity.

18 Men of practice know clearly the serious sequela of being ‘the noble is proud and the rich is bullying’. They know, at end of the day, all the results were reflected to themselves and they will be one of the victims also. Hence, men of practice should be very prudent in being the noble and rich person; why they do that, however, is not necessarily for cheating of fame.

19 Emperors as Yao and Shun, they still kept their grace and tolerance, without pressure to others. They had no intent to love people while they actually were afraid that their power was a double-blade sword and would hurt themselves if careless. Yao wanted to remise throne to Shanjuan and Xuyou who however, refused the throne. They considered it in the standpoint of his culture and they were afraid that worldly affairs would disturb their mind of soundness, tranquility and peace.

20 The above said examples all mean that a man of practice also weighs advantage and disadvantage before making any decision. Simply, their advantage and disadvantage are different from those of worldly people. In the standpoint of man of practice, they never consider reputation in making decision.”

21 Taking a sign, Wuzu said, “If what you said is reasonable, you must not pursue material but give up the enjoyment of sound, vision, taste, smell and touch by eye, ear, nose, tongue and body; You must force yourself to live in a simple and plain life as a long bedridden guy lives on air tank and nutritional supplement. Buddy! Is it too hard and unworthy?

22 Zhihe answered, “A man is blissful if his supply is only enough in life. Too much supply instead is harmful. The effect of money in this respect is much so.”

23 You see, the rich man only listen to the music played by famous musician and only eat gourmet, such as swallow nest and abalone. Extravagance and waste are seen everywhere to satisfy them in their life. At last, they forget their devotion to his original mission. If the situation lasts long, their cause will go into mess.

24 In order to save face, maintain rich appearance and keep the credit of load, he is desperate to keep his air and impetus. The life is as if he holds a heavy thing to step up stairs. The hardship he has is imaginable.

25 Indulging themselves in seeking fame and interest, the rich don’t know the principle “People acknowledge five aggregates are empty, which can eliminate all their suffering”. Their avarice in wealth begets hatred; their lingering power and arrogance to others result in their isolation because of too many enemies. When they are idle, they indulge themselves into comfort, lechery, crapulence and gluttony. When they are on high rank, they walk with head rising and become arrogant.

26 Common saying is ‘they are not allow to have good meal over three days’. It means that they forget who they are and even do evil when life becomes good somewhat. Strictly speaking, they are sick.

27 They go to any length to extort wealth and want to become rich by any means. In scrambling for wealth, they dash forward rashly despite a great deal of difficulties. After success, they are proud to look down on other rivals. These people would ask for insult and come down in the world for heavy debt. In the past, the ends of so called the king of stock market and the ends of most VIPs already proved the view.

28 To be honest, the greedy people painstakingly accumulate wealth, most of which, however, they have no opportunity to enjoy at all; they only hold it and share with nobody. They are really stingy. They consider how to manage this wealth all day and meanwhile they are afraid that others would thieve and occupy it. In consequence, these things that should bring happiness to them instead become the source of vexation and worry.

29 These people only see tree and is blind to forest. They don’t know the jeopardy of too much wealth. We really are worried about them. They are afraid of being stolen and being robbed, so their house is defended by high wall, plus iron doors and iron windows. When going out, they dare not walk alone and need bodyguard. Every day they are in fear and trembling.

30 The above said six situations are big bane of human, which however, common people all forget and don’t reflect time to time. When misfortune befalls and all wealth is gone, at that time, it is impossible and too late for them to have even a peaceful life as usual.

31 Therefore, in the view of fame, there is no benefit; in the view of interest, there is no permanent interest. In pursuit and conservation of those fame and interest, body and heart have to suffer a lot. Isn’t it bewildered and unworthy to do so?”