When Lao Dan (nickname Lao Tzu) died, Qin Yi came to his house to express condolences, cried loudly three times and went out. The student asked him:
“Wasn’t the deceased your friend?”
“Yes, I was,” answered Qin Yi.
“Then is it proper to express your grief for him like this?”
- Certainly! At first I considered the deceased to be the great man he had previously been for me, but then I realized that I was mistaken. I came to express my condolences, but what? There are old people around, crying as if they were grieving for their dead children, and young men, sobbing as if they had lost their mothers. Apparently, there was something in the dead man himself that gave rise to such a mood. After all, all these people, gathered together, lament when there is no need for words, and cry when there is no need for tears. Truly, they turn away from the Heavenly law and forget about what was given to them from birth. The ancients called this "flight from the law of Heaven." When the time came, the teacher came. The deadline expired - the teacher submitted. When you live, obeying the dictates of time, sadness and joy have no power over you. The ancients called this “royal liberation.”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru