Yan Hui came to Confucius and asked permission to leave.
-Where are you going? - asked Confucius.
“I’m going to the kingdom of Wei,” answered Yan Hui.
- What will you do there?
“I heard that Lord Wei is young in years and reckless in his actions. He does not care about the welfare of the state and does not notice his mistakes. He values human life so low that mountains of corpses are piled up in his domain, and the people are driven to despair. I remember, teacher, your words: “Do not worry about those kingdoms where there is order. Go where there is no order. There are many sick people at the gate of the house where the doctor lives.” I want to somehow put into practice what you taught me and bring order to that unfortunate kingdom.
- Oh, that's how it is? - Confucius responded. “I’m afraid you are rushing towards your own destruction.” The Great Path does not tolerate confusion, for when our minds are overwhelmed by confusion, the truth is fragmented, and when the truth is fragmented, people are gripped by anxiety. If you cannot overcome the anxiety in your soul, you will never become free. Perfect people of antiquity taught others only what they themselves found strong support in. Until you yourself have found such support in yourself, how can you undertake the education of an arrogant ruler? And do you understand that the source of our power over people is also the true source of our knowledge? Power over people finds expression in glory, but knowledge is born from rivalry. To acquire a name means to win the struggle, and knowledge is the weapon of this struggle. Both are harmful things, they will not make us better. I also need to tell you that to have outstanding abilities, impeccable honesty, but not to see what is hidden in the soul of another, not to strive for glory, not to understand the human heart and at the same time preaching goodness, justice and noble deeds before a hard-hearted sovereign means showing your beauty by exposing the ugliness of another. Truly, such a person should be called a “walking misfortune.” And to those who cause displeasure to others, people, of course, will also try to harm. I'm afraid you won't be able to escape the attacks of the world! And one more thing: if the ruler of Wei loves smart and worthy men so much and hates insignificant people, what is the point of proving to you that you are an extraordinary person? It’s better for you not to enter into an argument with the sovereign, because the sovereign will probably find fault with your shortcomings and flaunt his own merits.
He will blur your vision. He will humble your pride. He will shut your mouth. He will kill your pride. And will give you another heart. Then you will have to “put out fire with fire, pour water with water.” This is what they call “it was bad, but it got worse”! If you give in to him from the very beginning, you will please him until the end of your days. And then he will hardly listen to your enthusiastic speeches, and, therefore, sooner or later you will not escape the chopping block.
I also want to tell you this. In the old days, King Jie executed Guan Longfeng, and King Zhou executed Bigan. Both executed were people of impeccable behavior who cared about the welfare of people. But it turned out that, due to their good behavior, the rulers decided to get rid of them. And, besides, these were people who dreamed of fame. Once upon a time, Yao went to war against the domains of Zong, Zhi and Xuao, and Yu attacked the domain of Yuhu, and these kingdoms were turned into desert, and their rulers laid down their heads on the block. There was no end to robberies and executions, and there was no limit to the thirst for victory. And all because these people were looking for glory. Don't tell me you've never heard of them! Even the wisest of men can be seduced by fame, what can we say about people like you? However, it seems that you want to tell me something - so say it!
Yan Hui said:
- Is it good to be careful and dispassionate in your intentions, and diligent and consistent in your deeds?
Confucius replied:
- Oh no, this is no good! The ruler of Wei does not know how to restrain his passions, and he has no balance in his soul. Ordinary people, of course, do not dare to avoid meeting him and try to hide their anxiety and fear under the cover of calm. Even what is called “a beneficial influence growing day by day” will not be born in them - what can we say about the great power of virtue? But he will stand his ground and will not want to change. Outwardly, he may agree with you, but in his heart he will not take you into account. What's good about this?
“If this is so,” said Yan Hui, “I will be straight inside and pliable on the outside, I will be true to my convictions, yielding to the royal will.” As a person who is “straight within,” I will be a disciple of Heaven. He who becomes a novice of Heaven knows that the Son of Heaven and himself are children of Heaven, and that he alone knows how to speak on his own, as if without intent, so that sometimes people like his speeches, and sometimes not. In the world, such people are treated like children. This is what I call “being a disciple of Heaven.” The one who is “pliable on the outside” will be a novice of man. Holding a ritual tablet in your hands, falling to your knees and prostrating yourself - this is how a subject behaves. All people do this, why shouldn’t I do the same? By doing what others do, I will not give anyone a reason to be unfriendly to me. This is what I call “being a man’s obedient.” Keeping true to my convictions and submitting to the royal will, I will be a novice of the ancients. Truthful words, whether orders or edifications, go back to the ancients, and I myself am not responsible for them. In this case, I can be straight without risking myself. This is what I call “being a disciple of the ancients.” Is this behavior appropriate?
- No good! - answered Confucius. - The plans are cunning, but they are difficult to implement. Be simpler, and then, even without standing out for your great intelligence, you will avoid trouble. However, we should stop there. You still can’t change your master. With your plans, you rely too much on your own mind.
“I have nothing more to say,” said Yan Hui. - I ask you, teacher, to give me advice.
“Fast, and I will tell you,” answered Confucius. “Isn’t it too easy to act according to your own understanding?” And those who prefer easy paths will not see the Heavenly Radiance.
“I live poorly and have not drunk wine or eaten meat for several months now.” Can I be considered to have fasted?
- This is how one fasts before a solemn sacrifice, but I’m talking about fasting of the heart.
— Dare I ask, what is fasting of the heart?
- Make your will one: do not listen with your ears, but listen with your heart, do not listen with your heart, but listen with spiritual currents. In listening, dwell on what you hear; in consciousness, dwell on what you are thinking. Let the vital spirit in you remain empty and spontaneously respond to external things. The path converges in emptiness. Emptiness is the fasting of the heart.
“As long as I, Hoi, have not yet comprehended my true existence, I will indeed be Hoi,” said Yan Hui. “When I comprehend my true existence, I will not yet be Hoi.” Isn't this what it means to “make yourself empty”?
- That's right! - Confucius answered. “I’ll tell you what: enter his enclosure and walk freely in it, but don’t bother yourself with thoughts of glory.” When they listen to you, sing your song, when they don’t listen to you, shut up. Don't announce your beliefs, don't have any mottos. Learn to live the inevitable, and in this find for yourself a home that can accommodate everything. Then you will be close to the truth. Easy to walk without leaving any traces. It is difficult to walk without touching the ground. The actions of man's servants are easy to imitate, but the accomplishments of Heaven's servants are difficult to imitate. You know that you can fly with wings. You don’t yet know that you can fly even without wings. You know that you can gain knowledge through knowledge, but you do not yet know that you can gain knowledge through ignorance.
Look closely at that hidden chamber: a dazzling light emanates from the empty hall. Happiness brings liberation from the desire to be free. Until you come to this end, you will gallop, even sitting motionless. If your ears and eyes listen to your inner thoughts and you renounce mental thinking, even deities and spirits will flock to you, to say nothing of people! This is what the transformation of all the darkness of things is! Yu and Shun here found the knot in which all the threads converge. Fu Xi and Ji Ju stopped their wanderings at this point, but ordinary people should stop here even more so!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru