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Living in a world filled with much suffering, people often enter into conflict, and suffer due to their resentment for each other. It is human nature for people to be selfish and unwilling to help others succeed, and to lack patience and endurance. Due to this, an originally peaceful and harmonious organisation may eventually be filled with violence and grievances.
The courage of a sage
In Confucius’ time, there lived an evil man in the Kingdom of Wei by the name of Yang Hu, who was capable of committing any crime under the sun. Yang Hu always bullied the innocent, and he was resented and hated by many as a result. Coincidentally, Confucius resembled him in appearance.
During one of his travels one day, Confucius arrived at a village in the Kingdom of Wei. The villagers mistook Confucius for Yang Hu, and closed in on the sage and his disciples. After being trapped for some time, Confucius and his team began to run out of food and water. The students were very anxious and worried, because if the situation continued, they would either die of illnesses or starvation. Yet, Confucius remained calm and at ease, and continued teaching his students as usual every day.
One day, one of his students, Zi Lu, could no longer contain his desperation. He asked Confucius: “Teacher, we are now facing a major crisis, but why aren’t you affected at all?”
Confucius replied, “A person who dares to enter the waters is not afraid of dragons; this is the courage of a fisherman. A person who dares to go into the mountains is not afraid of
tigers; this is the courage of a hunter. If someone willingly goes and fights in a battlefield, then he will not fear being hurt by weapons; this is the courage of a soldier."
Life is never a bed of roses. But if we can accept our lot and be content with life, and understand that it is fate that decides whether we are born rich or poor, we will be able to face any hardship in life with a calm mind. In the event of a crisis, if we are able to remain courageous and fearless, always do our best, and leave the rest to Heaven, then we truly possess the courage of a sage and are truly brave.
We are exhibiting bravery, too, if we remain calm and at ease when faced with the realities of society. Everyone comes to this world with their own karma, so we should peacefully accept our lot in life. Although we may experience direct and circumstantial karmic retributions, we must bravely face reality and handle every situation we encounter in life in the proper way.
Finding peace in stillness
Some time ago, a group of people from the education sector visited the Jing Si Abode. They asked me many questions, and one of them was: "What are your views and thoughts about the current society?"
I replied, "We will naturally enjoy peace if we keep our mind still. No matter how much turmoil there is in the society, everyone will have peace if they can settle and calm their minds.”
After all, there are still many people who are quietly doing good to help others. We should not be affected by the negative voices and conflicts of a minority group of people. Neither should we blindly follow their actions as this would bring about more chaos and unrest in society. This is the perspective a modern citizen should adopt.
Every one of us should bravely face our present circumstances in life and make full use of our skills and capabilities to bring more harmony and progress to our society. Hence, whether or not our society is harmonious and peaceful depends on whether we have the courageous mindset of peacefully accepting what life brings us.
As human beings, we should broaden our hearts and practise the “Four Immeasurables” of infinite loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity in our daily lives. If we can be more forgiving and accommodative towards others in our daily dealings with people, we will naturally feel less tension and avoid conflict with others.
The modern society lacks the “Four Immeasurables”. If we are able to implant the virtues of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity in everyone, our society will be very harmonious and peaceful.
Extracted from “Sheng Huo De Zhi Hui”《生活的智慧》
Translated by the Tzu Chi Singapore translation team
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