Emperor Yao was on his way to the kingdom of Hua when he was noticed by a border guard. The guard wanted to greet the emperor.
- Long life, sir! - he shouted.
The Emperor did not like being distracted from his thoughts, and he ordered the guard to be silent. But he did not let up:
- May the sage become the richest!
The emperor again ordered the guard to be silent, but he did not obey this time either.
- May the sage have many children!
The emperor again tried to calm the guard, but he said:
- Long life, wealth, many children - that's what most people want. But why don't you want it?
Yao replied:
— The more children, the more excitement. The more wealth, the more anxiety. The longer you live, the more humiliation you get. All this does not help to cultivate the life force of Qi, so I reject it.
Then the guard said:
“At first it seemed to me that you were a sage, but now I see that you are simply a noble person.” When Heaven gives life to a person, it also prepares some things for him. If you had a lot of children, there would be something for everyone to do, so why should you worry? If you were rich and shared with others, would worries overtake you?
The sage stands like a quail, and eats like a chicken, leaving no traces on his bird's path. When there is order in the Celestial Empire, he rejoices in life along with everyone. When there is no order in the Celestial Empire, he nurtures strength in solitude. In a thousand years, he will be fed up with the world, and will leave it, and ascend to heaven. He will sit in that cloudy chariot and rush off to the abode of his royal ancestors.
The hardships of the world will not touch him. The misfortunes of life pass him by. Where does humiliation come from?
And with these words the guard turned and walked away. Yao rushed after him with the words:
- Let me ask you...
But the guard just waved his hand, as if shooing away a fly:
- Move away!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru