Introduction to Lao Tzu’s three stories

Introduction to three stories about Laozi

Confucius asked for courtesy

One day in 538 BC, Confucius paid tribute to his disciple Nangong The uncle said: Lao Dan, the official in charge of the Tibetan Chamber of the Zhou Dynasty, was knowledgeable about the past and present, knew the origin of rituals and music, and understood the essentials of morality. Now I want to go to Zhou to ask for advice. Would you like to go with me? Nangong Jingshu happily agreed and immediately reported to Lord Lu. Lu Jun is sure to do it. A chariot, two horses, a boy and a chariot were sent, and Nangong Jingshu accompanied Confucius there. Lao Tzu was very happy to see Confucius come all the way. After teaching, he invited Confucius to visit the doctor Chang Hong. Chang Hong was good at music and taught Confucius music temperament and music theory. He also introduced Confucius to watch rituals of worshiping gods, examine missionary places, and observe the etiquette of temple fairs. Confucius was amazed and benefited a lot. Stay for a few days. Confucius bid farewell to Lao Tzu. Lao Dan sent him outside the building and said: "I heard that the rich and noble people give money to others, and the benevolent and righteous people give words to others." I am neither rich nor noble, and I have no money to send you as a gift; I would like to give you a few words as a gift. In today's world, the reason why those who are smart and insightful are in trouble and almost die is because they like to ridicule the wrongs of others; the reason why those who are good at eloquence and understanding often bring disaster to themselves is because they like to promote the evil of others. As a son of others, do not put yourself first; as a minister of others, do not put yourself first. I hope you will remember this. Confucius paused and said: Disciples must keep this in mind!

Walking to the bank of the Yellow River, he saw the turbulent water and rolling turbid waves. Its momentum was like ten thousand horses galloping, and its sound was like the roar of tigers and thunder. Confucius stood on the bank and sighed unconsciously: He passed away like a man, and he did not give up day and night! The water of the Yellow River is endless, and people's years are passing by. The river does not know where to go, and the life does not know where to return. Hear Confucius's words , Lao Tzu said: Life is between heaven and earth, but it is one with heaven and earth. Heaven and earth are natural things; human life is also a natural thing; people have changes in youth, youth, strength, and old age, just like heaven and earth have alternations of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. How tragic is it to be born in nature and die in nature? , If you let nature take its course, your nature will not be chaotic; if you don’t let nature take its course, if you are busy between benevolence and righteousness, your nature will be fettered. If fame and fame are kept in the heart, anxiety will arise; if the desire for gain is kept in the heart, worries will increase. Confucius explained: I am worried that the great road will not work, benevolence and righteousness will not be implemented, wars will continue, and the country will not be governed. Therefore, some people lament that life is short and they cannot make contributions to the world or do anything for the people!

Laozi Dao: The heaven and the earth move on their own without being pushed, the sun and the moon shine by themselves without being burned, the stars sequence themselves without being arranged, animals come into being by themselves without being made by man, this is what nature does, why bother with man? The reason why man is born, why there is nothing, why Honor and disgrace all have natural principles and ways. If we follow the principles of nature and act in accordance with the ways of nature, the country will be autonomous and people will be self-righteous. Why should we focus on rituals and music to promote benevolence and righteousness? To focus on rituals and music and promote benevolence and righteousness is contrary to human nature! Just like human beings. Beat the drum to seek for those who are escaping. The louder the beat, the farther away the person will be!

After a moment's pause, I pointed to the mighty Yellow River and said to Confucius: Why don't you learn the great virtue of water? Confucius said: What is the virtue of water? Laozi said: The best is like water: water is good for all things and does not fight for it. It is the virtue of being humble. Therefore, the river and the sea can be the king of a hundred valleys. If they are good at water, they can He is the king of hundreds of grains. There is no one in the world who is soft and weak compared to water, and no one who attacks the strong can win. This is the virtue of softness; therefore, the soft can defeat the strong, and the weak can defeat the strong. Because it has no existence, it can enter the non-existence. From this, we can see the benefits of teaching without saying anything and doing nothing. When Confucius heard these words, he suddenly realized: Sir, these words made me understand: when everyone is above, the water alone is down; where everyone is easy, when water is alone, it is dangerous; where everyone is clean, when water is alone, it is dirty. If you are in a place that is full of evil, who can fight with it? This is why it is the best thing to do. Lao Tzu nodded and said: You can teach me! You must remember: If you don't compete with the world, no one in the world can compete with you. This is to imitate the virtue of water. Water is similar to Tao: Tao is everywhere, water is unfavorable to all, avoid heights and go downwards, there is nothing against it, and it is a good place on earth; empty space is pure and quiet, unfathomable. Goodness is the source of the abyss; damage is not exhausted, giving without expecting reward, kindness is benevolence; circles must turn, squares must break, plugs must stop, decisions must flow, good and trustworthy; wash away the filth of the crowd, level the high and low, and be good at managing things. Also; if you use it to carry it, you will be floating; if you use it to learn, you will be clear; if you use it to attack, you will be strong and invincible. Make good use of your energy; don't give up day and night, make progress in Yingke, and treat the time well. Therefore, the sage acts at any time, the wise man changes in response to the situation; the wise man governs by doing nothing, and the wise man lives by following nature. After you leave, you should get rid of your arrogance in your words and your appearance. Otherwise, the voice has been heard before the person has arrived, the wind has moved before the body has arrived, and you are flamboyant like a tiger walking on the street. Who dares to use you? Confucius said: The words of the teacher come from the heart and enter the heart and spleen of the disciple, and the disciple benefits. It's so profound that it will be unforgettable for a lifetime. Disciples will obey and obey without hesitation to thank the teacher for his kindness. After saying that, he said goodbye to me, got in the car with Uncle Nangong Jing, and reluctantly drove to the state of Lu.

Returning to the State of Lu, the disciples asked: Sir, when you visit Lao Tzu, can you see me? Confucius said: See him! The disciples asked: What is Lao Tzu like? Confucius said: Birds, I know they can fly; fishes, I know it can swim; the beast, I know it can walk. Those who walk can use a net to tie it, those who swim can use hooks to catch it, and those who fly can use arrows to catch it. As for the dragon, I don’t know how it can ride on the wind and clouds to the nine heavens! I have seen Lao Tzu, and it is like a dragon. His knowledge is profound and unpredictable. , The ambition is high and difficult to know; like a snake that bends and stretches at any time, like a dragon that changes at the same time. Lao Dan is my real teacher!

Laozi taught Yang Ziju

One day, Lao Dan rode an ox to the outskirts of Liang (now Kaifeng, Henan). He was closing his eyes to rest, and suddenly he suddenly I heard someone shouting Mr. When Lao Dan heard the sound, he opened his eyes and found that it was his disciple Yang Ziju.

Yang Ziju, a native of Wei, entered the Imperial Academy of Zhou Dynasty. He heard that Lao Tzu was profound and learned from him, so he privately worshiped him as his teacher. Unexpectedly, he met Laozi in Lianghui. Yang Ziju hurriedly got off his horse, lifted up his brocade and green robe, and knelt down in front of the green bull that Lao Dan was riding. Lao Dan came down, helped Yang Ziju up, and walked with him.

Lao Dan asked: What has the disciple been busy with recently?

Yang Ziju saluted and said: "I came here to visit my ancestors' residence, purchase real estate, decorate the beams, recruit servants, and regulate the family."

Lao Dan said: A place to lie down and a place to eat is enough, why do you need to be so showy?

Yang Ziju said: To cultivate your body, you need silence when sitting and relaxation when walking. , Drinking needs pure food, sleeping needs peace, how can it be possible to build a deep house and a single family without having a deep house, without hiring servants, without using tools, how can it be maintained without recruiting servants, buying tools, and without establishing household rules? Cure it

Lao Dan smiled and said: The great road is natural, so why force yourself to be calm. Walk without seeking and feel relaxed; drink without extravagance and feel pure; lie down without desire and feel at peace. There is no need to live in a deep house for self-cultivation. You eat when you are hungry, rest when you are tired, work at sunrise, and sleep at sunset. Why do you need to work at home? If you follow nature and do nothing, your mind will be at peace and your body will be healthy; if you go against nature and camp, your mind will be confused and your body will be damaged.

Yang Zi lived with a humble confidant, and felt ashamed and said: I am a vulgar disciple, thank you sir for your advice.

Lao Dan asked: Where to live?

Yang Yuju Road: Pei (now Peixian County, Jiangsu Province).

Lao Dan said: We are just walking together. Yang Ziju was very happy. Xin Ran walked eastward with the teacher. When they reached Nanshui, the two of them took a boat to cross. Lao Dan led the ox and climbed up first, while Yang Ziju led the horse and climbed up later. Lao Dan has a kind smile. He chatted and laughed happily with his fellow passengers; Yangziju held his head high and held his chest high. When the guests saw him, he gave him a seat, and the captain offered him tea and a towel. It was difficult to cross the water, so the two of them rode on their animals and continued moving forward. Lao Dan sighed: "I just saw your demeanor, with your head held high and your chest high, arrogant to others, self-centered, arrogant and arrogant, and cannot be taught." Yang Ziju looked ashamed and said sincerely: Disciples have become accustomed to it, so they must change it! Lao Dan said: When a gentleman interacts with others, he is like ice released in water, and when he interacts with others, he is like a humble servant; pure and flawless. It contains dirt and hides dirt. It is rich in virtue but seems to be vulgar and ordinary. After hearing this, Yang Ziju changed his original arrogance. His appearance was neither reserved nor respectful, and his words were neither arrogant nor flattering. Lao Tzu praised and said: I have made a little progress! Human beings are born from the bodies of parents and stand between heaven and earth. They are natural things. To value oneself and despise things is against nature, to value others and despise oneself is against nature, to look at all things equally, all things and myself to be one, go with the flow, take advantage of the situation, stop, words and deeds that are unnatural are in line with the Tao!

Confucius pays homage to Laozi again

It is said that Confucius and Lao Dan were separated. In the blink of an eye, it was seventeen or eighteen years. At the age of fifty-one, he still had not learned the Tao. Hearing that Lao Dan returned to Song Guopei to live in seclusion, he specially brought his disciples to visit Lao Tzu.

When I saw Confucius coming to visit, I asked him in the main room: We have been separated for more than ten years, and I heard that you have become a great sage in the north. When you come here this time, what advice can you give me? Confucius said: My disciple is not talented. Although I have thought hard and studied diligently, I have been wandering in vain for more than ten years and have not entered the gate of the great road. So I came here to ask for advice. Laozi said: If you want to see the great road, you must first wander your mind to the beginning of things. Within heaven and earth, outside the universe. The figures in heaven and earth, the sun, moon, mountains and rivers all have different shapes and properties. The same thing is that they all arise and die in accordance with nature, and they all move and stop in accordance with nature. To know that they are different is to see their appearance; to know that they are all the same is to know their origin. If you put aside the differences and observe the similarities, you can wander back to the beginning of things. In the beginning, things were mixed into one, formless, sexless, and no different. Confucius asked: What joy can there be in seeing the similarities? Laozi said: Seeing the similarities, then all things can be harmonized. I am equal to all things, and equal to right and wrong. Therefore, life and death can be regarded as day and night, misfortunes and blessings are the same, good and bad are equal, there is no high or low, no honor or disgrace, the heart is like an ancient well, I go my own way and enjoy myself, there is no way to be unhappy

When Confucius heard this, he observed that his body seemed useless and his reputation was like dung.

Thinking about what body and honor you had before your next life, what kind of skin you have after your death, how noble or low you are, your desire to seek benevolence, justice, and etiquette suddenly disappeared. You felt relieved, carefree, and at ease. Lao Tzu went on to say: The Tao is as deep as the sea, as tall as a mountain, it spreads all over the universe and is everywhere, it flows endlessly and everything comes to you, you can't get it if you seek it, and you can't reach it if you talk about it! The Tao is the procreator. Heaven and earth are not in decline, and they support all things without shortage; the sky is high with it, the earth is thick with it, the sun and moon are with it to move, the four seasons are with order, and all things are shaped with it. When Confucius heard it, he felt like soaring in the clouds, like diving into the sea, like entering the mountains and forests, like clear objects, heaven and self are integrated into one, self is all things, all things are self, his heart is relaxed and happy, and he can't help but admire: How vast! How vast. Yes! Boundless! In the fifty-one years of my life, I have only known benevolence, righteousness and etiquette. Who would have thought that the world is so vast and empty! Let’s live a happy life, let’s talk about it again! Let’s talk about Laozi seeing that Confucius has entered the gate of the great road, and talked about it: A sage lives in the world, does not betray when things happen, does not keep when things change, and goes with the flow. Do things naturally. The person who is harmonious and adaptable is a virtuous person; the person who adapts to the situation is a person who has attained the Tao. Confucius heard it, and if the clouds are floating, they will move with the wind; if the water is flowing, they will move with the force. He said happily: "How leisurely! How leisurely! I float on the sea in a boat, and travel on the land in a car." If you advance together, you will advance together, and if you stop, you will stop together. Why use your own strength to replace the boat and the chariot? The nature of a gentleman is not different, and he is good at pretending to things! Wonderful! Wonderful! Let’s talk again! Let’s talk again and Lao Tzu said: From the beginning of the universe Looking at it, everything is formed by vaporization, and vaporization and destruction. The birth of a person is the accumulation of Qi; the death of a person is the dispersion of Qi. Life is like a white horse passing through the gap between heaven and earth. It is over suddenly. The life of all things is vigorous and flourishing, and there is no one who can't help but end up with nothing; all kinds of things multiply and change in thousands of ways, and there is no one who can't help but return to nothing before they begin. The birth of things is from nothingness to existence; the death of things is from existence to nothingness. Yes, the Qi gathers and is visible; without, the Qi disperses and cannot be seen. There is also Qi. Nothingness is Qi, existence and non-existence are Qi, so life and death are one Qi. There is no immortality in the living, but people are happy when they see life, and sad when they see death. It is not surprising that people die. It is like breaking away from the shackles of the body, getting rid of the shackles of temperament, and returning to the original state from the temporary world. A person is far away from his original state, like a wanderer who has traveled far away to a foreign land. When a person dies, he returns to his original state, like a wanderer who returns to his hometown. Therefore, life is not considered joyful, and death is not considered sad. Those who have attained the Tao regard life and death as one, life as happiness and death as rest; regard right and wrong as the same, yes and no, neither and neither; regard noble and inferior as one, neither inferior nor inferior, noble nor noble; regard honor and disgrace as the same. If you are equal, you will not be honored even if you are honored, and you will not be humiliated if you are disgraced. Why Zai stands on the great road and observes the fundamentals of things. Life and death, right and wrong, nobility, honor and disgrace are all man-made values, and they are also in a state of instantaneous change. At its root, they are the same but not different. If you know this great way, you can follow its changes without being distracted by them. The sun and the moon alternate, the heaven and earth shake, the wind roars, the tsunami, the thunder and lightning strike, and you remain calm.

When Confucius heard this, he felt that he was a magpie, flying on the branches; he felt that he was a fish, swimming in the rivers and lakes; he felt that he was a bee, gathering nectar from the flowers; he felt that he was a human being, and he sought the way from Lao Dan. He couldn't help but feel relaxed and enlightened, and said: I stood up at thirty, and I was not confused at forty. Now I am fifty-year-old and I know what nature is. If you make me a magpie, it will change according to the nature of the magpie. If you make me a fish, it will change according to the nature of the fish. , when I was created as a bee, I followed the bee nature, and when I was created as a human, I followed the human nature. Magpies, fish, bees, and people are different, but they are the same despite changes in nature. Changing in accordance with nature means walking along the path. Standing in the midst of differences and wandering in the realm of great unity, it is in harmony with the great path. I seek the Way every day, but I don’t know that it is within me! After saying this, I stood up and said goodbye.