Lao Tzu lived in a cave in the mountains. His oddities were legendary. Confucius went to see Lao Tzu. The disciples remained waiting for him at the entrance to the cave. When he came out, he was shaking all over. They asked him:
- What happened?
“I know that a bird flies, a beast runs, a fish swims.” A person running can be caught in a trap, a swimmer can be caught in a net, a flyer can be shot down with an arrow. As for the dragon, I don’t know how to catch it yet! He is not a man, he is a dragon!
Even Lao Tzu's disciples were shocked because Confucius was much older, he was respected by the people, he was respected at court. And the way Lao Tzu behaved with him was simply insulting. But not for Lao Tzu! He was a simple man, not arrogant, not humble, just a pure man. And if this hurt so much - his purity, his ordinariness - if it hurt Confucius so much, then what could he do?
Lao Tzu was a pure mirror that reflected everything imperfect.
The disciples asked Lao Tzu:
- What did you do?
“I didn’t do anything, I just reflected!” - he answered.
When Confucius looked into Lao Tzu's eyes, he realized that this man could not be deceived. Confucius tried to start a conversation about the “tall man,” but Lao Tzu laughed and said:
“I have never seen anything “higher” or “lower.” A man is a man, just as a tree is a tree. All participate in the same Existence. There is no one who is higher or lower. This is nonsense.
Then Confucius asked what happens to a person after death.
- You live, but can you really say what life is? - Lao Tzu asked in response.
Confucius was embarrassed, and Lao Tzu continued:
“You don’t know this life you’re in now.” And instead of cognizing it, you worry about that beyond.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru