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The ancient sages were mostly born in troubled and chaotic times, which was why they could become who they were. Among the many ancient sages, Lao Tzu was a great philosopher who gained his realisations from a turbulent world. Lao Tzu lived in a chaotic society which enabled him to experience and understand the evils and dangers of the world, and he was able to realise the truths of life in such an environment. Hence, he was a truly enlightened sage.
Unshaken by libellous abuse
Lao Tzu was a role model in how he treated people and dealt with matters. There was a scholar who claimed himself to be very knowledgeable and well-learned, and he often heard others praising Lao Tzu for his extraordinary wisdom. So, he thought to himself, “How can there be anyone who is smarter and wiser than me?” However, everyone had an extremely high opinion of Lao Tzu, thus he went to pay the latter a visit.
When he arrived at Lao Tzu’s residence, he said to him: “I often heard people praise you as a sage of great wisdom. Therefore, I’ve expressly come here for a visit despite the long journey to get here. However, what I see now is very different from what I’ve heard about you. When I walked into your residence, I felt as though I were entering a mouse hole. Vegetables are strewn all over the floor, and your place is a mess. You don’t even know how to manage your home environment. It is a waste of my time and effort to come this far to visit you and see that you are such a gross person!"
Lao Tzu did not respond at all to what the scholar said. After the scholar was done insulting Lao Tzu, he turned his back and left. But he kept recalling and pondering over what happened and felt very strange. He thought, "I yelled at the man whom everyone called a sage. I even compared him to a mouse and also compared his residence to a mouse hole, but he didn’t rebut me at all. So I should have a sense of victory. But why do I feel a sense of loss in my heart? I don’t feel like I have won him. Why is this so?”
The scholar could not sleep throughout that night. The next day, he paid a visit to Lao Tzu again. Lao Tzu’s facial expression was still the same as the day before. There was no sign of anger or repulsion towards the scholar on his face.
The scholar sat in front of Lao Tzu and asked, “I said a lot of rude things to you yesterday, but you are not angry at all. I thought I had won the conversation, but the fact is, I feel a sense of loss in me. What is this so?”
Only then did Lao Tzu begin to speak. He said, "The person who truly understands what life is about will see all creatures as equal, be it a cow, a horse, a dog, a cat, or a mouse. How much different are they from human beings? So, no matter what you compare me with, I don't find it insulting, because all lives are equal!”
How to return to one’s pure innate nature
The scholar gained some realisations after listening to what Lao Tzu had said, and he quickly moved his chair to the side. He did not want to sit in front of Lao Tzu as he felt that Lao Tzu was a great man while he had suddenly become inferior and childish. Thus, he did not dare to look at Lao Tzu directly in the eyes.
He then asked Lao Tzu, "How can we truly understand the truths of life?"
Lao Tzu replied thus:
"Yesterday, you came with fury in your eyes as if you were going to fight with someone. From there I could see that your mind was unstable. You must understand that people who regard themselves too highly, and who are arrogant and love to argue with others, will naturally not have a peaceful mind.
Everyone has a pure innate nature, but when there is chaos in a person’s mind, he will start challenging people wherever he goes. This means that there is an “inner thief” in his mind. So it is best to go home and calm down your mind, “capture” this “thief” in your mind, and then cultivate a mind filled with kind thoughts that are without any expectations and complaints.
Once you have recovered your pure innate nature, you will be able to see the horses, cows, monkeys, dogs, cats, etc. as equal to human beings. Everything is without the Self. When one is awakened to the state of ‘no self’, one becomes one with nature.”
Eliminate the egoistic self to attain enlightenment
This is a story about Lao Tzu, a great philosopher worshipped by many since ancient times. He was born in a world filled with turbidities, so he was able to thoroughly understand the principles of human nature. Modern day people are blessed with abundant food and materials, but they are missing something in life. This is because many people have lost their innate nature and are unable to recover their conscience. Thus, they forget who they are and become egoistic. This is not the same as those who have eliminated their egoistic self and awakened to the state of the sages, who have transcended the Self. These two states are completely different.
Practising Buddhism is about eliminating our egoistic self and any notion of the Self. Only then can we arrive at the natural state, where we have transcended the Self and become one with the “true Self of the universe”.
Extracted from Tzu Chi Taiwan’s newsletter, Issue 160
Translated by the Tzu Chi Singapore translation team
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