Tzu-Gong was returning home from a trip to Chu with his students and on the way he saw an old man digging up a garden and watering it, climbing into a well with a clay jug. The old man worked tirelessly, expended a lot of energy, but his work went slowly.
Tzu-Gong felt sorry for the old man, and he addressed him with the following words:
- Don't you know that there is a mechanism for watering? This is such a wonderful device that it can water a hundred beds in one day! You don’t need to spend a lot of effort with it, and the work progresses quickly. Wouldn't it be better for you to buy such a car?
The peasant looked at him and asked:
- What kind of car is this?
— It is made of wood, its back is heavy, and its front is light. Water flows out of it like from a spring. It is called a water wheel.
The old man frowned and said with a grin:
“My teacher told me this: “He who works with a machine does everything like a machine.” The one who does everything like a machine, the heart also becomes a machine. And when the heart becomes like a machine, chastity and purity disappear. If there is no chastity and purity, there will be no fortitude. And those who are not strong in spirit will not preserve the Tao within themselves.”
Ashamed of his words, Tzu-Gong lowered his head and remained silent. Then the old man asked him:
- Who are you?
“I am a student of Confucius,” answered Tzu-Gong.
“Aren’t you one of those who hoard knowledge in order to boast to others?” - asked the old man. “Aren’t you one of those who sing sadly alone, dreaming of glory?” If you forgot about your spirit and freed yourself from your corporeal shell, you might get closer to the truth. But you can’t cope with yourself, where can you find control over the entire Celestial Empire? Leave! Don't interfere with my work.
Ashamed, Tzu-Gong walked away thoughtfully. Only after walking thirty li did he come to his senses. Then the disciples asked him:
-What kind of person was this? Why did you turn pale after talking with him and couldn’t come to your senses all day?
“I used to think that there was only one person in the Celestial Empire, but now I found out that there is another one,” answered Tzu-Gong. “The teacher instructed me: be prudent in business, strive tirelessly for success, achieve a lot with little effort - this is the Tao of the truly wise. But this person teaches differently: whoever follows Tao, the vital properties are integral, in whom the vital properties are integral, the body is also integral, and in whom the body is integral, the spirit is also integral. To be whole in spirit is the Tao of the truly wise.
Trusting life, the wise man acts together with all people and does not know why he does this. He is so simple and so artless! Thoughts about merits and benefits, tricks and successes do not disturb his heart. Such a person will not go against his will, he will not live contrary to his desires. Having achieved success, he will not admire himself, even if the whole world praises him. Having failed, he will not be embarrassed, even if the whole world scolds him. Neither praise nor blasphemy of the world will add anything to him and will not take anything away from him. This is what a person is, whose vital properties are holistic! I am one of those who are carried by the wind on the waves.
Returning to Lu, Tzu-Gong told Confucius about everything, and Confucius said:
“That man thinks that he possesses the ancient secrets of approaching the Tao. He knows only one thing and does not want to know the other: he cares about the internal and does not think about the external.
He has received his sight in his heart, he is artless in his soul, he lives in inaction, he has returned to the beginning, he has comprehended nature, he preserves the spirit within himself in order to glide freely in the vulgar life of the world. How can you not be amazed? But is it possible for you and me to know this art?
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru