Miracle Method of China 10: The best Chinese medicinal recipes are offered for health Sesame to strengthen the liver In a glass of water, boil 5 teaspoons (25 g) of sesame seeds and 50 g of rice for a quarter of an hour. Then this mixture is eaten once a day for 2 weeks, which strengthens the liver and

Introduction The subject of this study is the so-called “Taoist yoga”, a term already familiar to the modern reader, which however requires some clarification, because it would be more correct to classify it as “internal alchemy” (nei dan) or, more precisely, as Taoist

Chinese principles of proper nutrition Principle 1. How much to eat Chinese medicine prescribes moderation in nutrition. Overeating is harmful, it is better to limit yourself, it is enough to eat 70–80% of what you could

Parables And the Blessed One thought: “I have taught the truth, which is excellent in the beginning, excellent in the middle and excellent in the end; it is excellent and glorious in letter and spirit. But although it is simple, people cannot understand it. I must speak to them in their own language. I

by tatiana on Sun, 01/31/2016 - 16:30

The story of how the snake's legs were painted on

In the ancient kingdom of Chu, there lived one aristocrat. In China there is a custom: after the ritual of remembering ancestors, all those suffering should be treated to sacrificial wine. He did the same. The beggars who gathered near his house agreed: if everyone drinks wine, there won’t be enough of it; and if one person drinks wine, there will be too much for one person. In the end, they made the following decision: the one who draws a snake first will drink the wine.

When one of them drew a snake, he looked around and saw that everyone around him had not finished yet. Then he took a teapot of wine and, pretending to be smug, continued to finish drawing. “Look, I even have time left to paint the snake’s legs,” he exclaimed. While he was drawing the legs, another wrangler finished the drawing. He took away the teapot with the words: “After all, a snake has no legs, so you didn’t draw a snake!” Having said this, he drank the wine in one gulp. So, the one who drew the snake's legs lost the wine that should have been intended for him.

This parable suggests that when completing a task, you need to know all the conditions and see clear goals in front of you. We must strive for our goals with a sober head and a strong will. Don't let an easy victory go to your head.

The story of the jasper of the He family

One day, Bian He, who lived in the kingdom of Chu, found precious jade on Mount Chushan. He presented the jade to a prince from Chu named Li-wan. Li-wan ordered master stone-cutters to determine whether the jade was real or fake. A little time passed, and the answer was received: this is not precious jade, but a simple piece of glass. Li-wan decided that Bian He was planning to deceive him and ordered his left leg to be cut off.

After the death of Li-wan, the throne was inherited by Wu-wan. Bian He again presented the jade to the ruler. And again the same story happened: Wu-wan also considered Bian He a deceiver. So Bian He’s right leg was also cut off.

After Wu-wan, Wen-wan ruled. With jade in his bosom, Bian He groaned at the foot of Mount Chushan for three days. When his tears dried up and drops of blood appeared in his eyes. Having learned about this, Wen Wang sent a servant to ask Bian He: “There are many legless people in the country, why is he crying so desperately?” Bian He replied that he was not at all saddened by the loss of both legs. He explained that the essence of his suffering is that in the state, precious jade is no longer jade, but an honest person is no longer an honest person, but a fraudster. Hearing this, Wen-wan ordered the stone cutters to carefully polish the stone, and as a result of polishing and cutting, a jade of rare beauty was obtained, which people began to call the jade of the He family.

The author of this parable is Han Fei, a famous ancient Chinese thinker. This story embodies the fate of the author himself. At one time, the ruler did not accept Han Fei's political beliefs. From this parable we can conclude: stone cutters must know what kind of jade they are, and rulers must understand what kind of person is in front of them. People who sacrifice their most precious things for others must be prepared to suffer for it.

The story of how Bian Que treated Tsai Huan-gong

One day, the famous doctor Bian Que came to visit the ruler Tsai Huan-gong. He examined Hung-gong and said: “I see that you are suffering from a skin disease. If you don’t see a doctor immediately, I’m afraid the disease virus will penetrate deep into the body.” Huan Gong did not pay attention to Bian Que's words. He replied: “I’m fine.” Hearing the prince’s speech, the doctor Bian Que said goodbye to him and left. And Huan-kung explained to those around him that doctors often treat people who do not have any illnesses. Thus, these doctors take credit for themselves and claim awards.

Ten days later, Bian Que visited the prince again. He told Tsai Huan-kung that his illness had already turned into muscles. If he is not treated, the disease will be especially acute. Huan Gong again did not listen to Bian Que. After all, he did not recognize doctors.

Ten days later, during the third meeting with the prince, Bian Que said that the disease had already reached the intestines and stomach. And if the prince continues to persist and does not enter the most difficult phase. But the prince was still indifferent to the doctor’s advice.

Ten days later, when Bian Que saw Tsai Huan-gong in the distance, he fled in fear. The prince sent a servant to him to ask why he fled without saying a word. The doctor replied that at first this skin disease could only be treated with a decoction of medicinal herbs, a warm compress and cauterization. And when the disease reaches the muscles, it can be treated with acupuncture. If the intestines and stomach are infected, they can be treated by drinking a decoction of medicinal herbs. And when the disease passes into the bone marrow, then the patient himself is to blame for everything, and no doctor can help.

Five days after this meeting, the prince felt pain throughout his body. At the same time, he remembered Bian Que’s words. However, the doctor had long since disappeared in an unknown direction.

This story teaches that a person must immediately correct his mistakes and mistakes. And if he persists and dissolves, this leads to disastrous results.

The story of how Zou Ji showed off

The first minister of the kingdom of Qi, named Zou Ji, was very well built and handsome in face. One morning, he dressed up in his best clothes and looked in the mirror and asked his wife, “Who do you think is more handsome, me or Mr. Xu, who lives on the northern outskirts of the city?” The wife replied: “Of course, you, my husband, are much more beautiful than Xu. How can you compare Xu and you?”

And Mr. Xu was a famous handsome man of the Principality of Qi. Zou Ji could not completely trust his wife, so he asked the same question to his concubine. She answered the same way as his wife.

One day later, Zou Ji had a visitor. Zou Ji then asked the guest: “Who do you think is more beautiful, me or Xu?” The guest replied: “Of course, Mr. Zou, you are more beautiful!”

After some time, Zou Ji visited Mr. Xu. He carefully examined Xu's face, figure and gestures. Xu's handsome appearance left a deep impression on Zou Ji. He became convinced that Xu was more beautiful than him. Then he looked at himself in the mirror: “Yes, after all, Xu is much more beautiful than me,” he said thoughtfully.

In the evening in bed, the thought of who was more beautiful did not leave Zou Ji. And then he finally understood why everyone said that he was more beautiful than Xu. After all, his wife curries favor with him, his concubine is afraid of him, and his guest needs help from him.

This parable suggests that a person himself must know his own capabilities. You should not blindly believe the flattering speeches of those who are looking for benefits in relationships and therefore praise you.

A story about a frog who lived in a well

In one well there lived a frog. And she had a very cheerful life. One day she began to tell a turtle who came to her from the East China Sea about her life: “Here, in the well, I do whatever I want: I can play with sticks on the surface of the water in the well, I can rest in the hole , carved into the wall of the well. When I get into the mud, the mud only covers my paws. Look at the crabs and tadpoles, they have a completely different life, they have a hard time living there in the mud. Besides, here in the well I live alone and am my own mistress, I can do what I want. This is simply paradise! Why don’t you want to inspect my house?”

The turtle wanted to go down into the well. But the entrance to the well was too narrow for her shell. Therefore, without ever entering the well, the turtle began to tell the frog about the world: “Look, for example, you consider a thousand miles to be a huge distance, right? But the sea is even bigger! You consider a peak of a thousand li to be the highest, right? But the sea is much deeper! During Yu's reign, there were 9 floods that lasted for a whole decade, but the sea did not get any larger. During the reign of Tang, there were 7 droughts for 8 whole years, and the sea did not decrease. The sea is eternal. It neither increases nor decreases. That’s the joy of life at sea.”

Hearing these words of the turtle, the frog became alarmed. Her big green eyes lost their liveliness, and she felt very small.

This parable suggests that a person should not be complacent and, not knowing the world, stubbornly defend his position.

The parable of the fox who put on airs behind the tiger's back

One day the tiger became very hungry and scoured the entire forest in search of food. Just at that time, on the way he came across a fox. The tiger was already getting ready to have a good meal, and the fox said to him: “You don’t dare eat me. I was sent to earth by the Heavenly Emperor himself. It was he who appointed me the head of the world of animals. If you eat me, you will anger the Heavenly Emperor himself.”

Hearing these words, the tiger began to hesitate. However, his stomach did not stop growling. “What should I do?” thought the tiger. Seeing the tiger's confusion, the fox continued: “You probably think that I am deceiving you? Then follow me, and you will see how all the animals will run away in fear at the sight of me. It would be very strange if it happened otherwise.”

These words seemed reasonable to the tiger, and he followed the fox. And indeed, the animals immediately scattered in different directions at the sight of them. The tiger had no idea that the animals were afraid of him, the tiger, and not the cunning fox. Who is afraid of her?

This parable teaches us that in life we ​​must be able to distinguish between the real and the false. You must be able to not be deluded by external data, but to delve into the essence of things. If you cannot distinguish truth from lies, then it is very possible that you will be deceived by people like this cunning fox.

This fable warns people not to be foolish and put on airs after achieving an easy victory.

Yu Gong moves mountains

“Yu Gong Moves Mountains” is a story that has no real history behind it. It is contained in the book "Le Zi", and the author of which is the philosopher Le Yukou, who lived in the 4th - 5th centuries. BC e.

The story “Yu Gong Moves Mountains” says that in former times there lived an old man named Yu Gong (literally translated as “stupid old man”). In front of his house there were two huge mountains - Taihan and Wangu, which blocked the approaches to his house. It was very inconvenient.

And then one day Yu Gong gathered the whole family and said that the Taihang and Wangu mountains were blocking the approaches to the house. “Do you think we will tear down these two mountains?” - asked the old man.

Yu Gong's sons and grandsons immediately agreed and said: "Let's start work tomorrow!" However, Yu Gong's wife expressed doubts. She said: “We have been living here for several years, so we can continue to live here despite these mountains. Moreover, the mountains are very high, and where will we put the stones and soil taken from the mountains?”

Where to put rocks and soil? After discussion among family members, they decided to throw them into the sea.

The next day, Yu Gong's entire family began to crush the rock with hoes. Neighbor Yu Gong's son also came to help tear down the mountains, although he was not yet eight years old. Their tools were very simple - only hoes and baskets. There was a considerable distance from the mountains to the sea. Therefore, after a month of work, the mountains still looked the same.

There was an old man named Ji Sou (which literally means “smart old man”). Upon learning of this story, he began to ridicule Yu Gong and called him stupid. Zhi Sou said that the mountains are very high and human strength is insignificant, so it is impossible to move these two huge mountains, and Yu Gong's actions are very funny and ridiculous.

Yu Gong replied: “Although the mountains are high, they do not grow, so if I and my sons take a little bit away from the mountain every day, and then my grandchildren, and then great-grandchildren continue our work, then in the end we will move these mountains!" His words stunned Ji Soo, and he fell silent.

And Yu Gong's family continued to tear down mountains every day. Their persistence touched the heavenly lord, and he sent two fairies to earth, who moved the mountains away from Yu Gong’s house. This ancient legend tells us that if people have a strong will, they will be able to overcome any difficulties and achieve success.

History of Laoshan Taoist

Once upon a time there lived a lazy man named Wang Qi. Although Wang Qi did not know how to do anything, he passionately wanted to learn some kind of magic. Having learned that near the sea, on Mount Laoshan, there lived a Taoist, whom people called “the Taoist from Mount Laoshan,” and that he could perform miracles, Wang Qi decided to become a student of this Taoist and ask him to teach the student magic. Therefore, Wang Qi left the family and went to the Laoshan Taoist. Arriving at Mount Laoshan, Wang Qi found the Laoshan Taoist and made his request to him. The Taoist realized that Wang Qi was very lazy and refused him. However, Wang Qi asked persistently, and eventually the Taoist agreed to take Wang Qi as his disciple.

Wang Qi thought that he would be able to learn magic very soon and was delighted. The next day, Wang Qi, inspired, hurried to the Taoist. Unexpectedly, the Taoist gave him an ax and ordered him to chop wood. Although Wang Qi did not want to chop wood, he had to do as the Taoist instructed so that he would not refuse to teach him magic. Wang Qi had been chopping wood on the mountain all day and was very tired; He was very unhappy.

A month passed, and Wang Qi kept chopping wood. Working every day as a woodcutter and not learning magic—he couldn’t come to terms with such a life and decided to return home. And it was at that moment that he saw with his own eyes how his teacher - the Laoshan Taoist - showed his ability to create magic. One evening, the Laoshan Taoist was drinking wine with two friends. The Taoist poured wine from the bottle, glass after glass, and the bottle still remained full. Then the Taoist turned his chopsticks into a beauty, who began to sing and dance for the guests, and after the banquet she turned back into chopsticks. All this surprised Wang Qi too much, and he decided to stay on the mountain to learn magic.

Another month passed, and the Laoshan Taoist still did not teach Wang Qi anything. This time, lazy Wang Qi became agitated. He went to the Taoist and said: “I’m already tired of chopping wood. After all, I came here to learn magic and sorcery, and I ask you about this, otherwise I came here in vain.” The Taoist laughed and asked him what magic he wanted to learn. Wang Qi said, “I have often seen you pass through walls; this is the kind of magic I want to learn.” The Taoist laughed again and agreed. He told Wang Qi a spell that could be used to walk through walls, and told Wang Qi to try it. Wang Qi tried and successfully penetrated the wall. He immediately became happy and wished to return home. Before Wang Qi went home, the Laoshan Taoist told him that he needed to be an honest and humble person, otherwise the magic would lose its power.

Wang Qi returned home and boasted to his wife that he could walk through walls. However, his wife did not believe him. Wang Qi began to cast a spell and walked towards the wall. It turned out that he was not able to pass through it. He hit his head on the wall and fell. His wife laughed at him and said: “If there are magic in the world, they cannot be learned in two or three months!” And Wang Qi thought that the Laoshan Taoist had deceived him, and began to scold the holy hermit. It just so happens that Wang Qi still doesn’t know how to do anything.

Mister Dungo and the wolf

The fairy tale “The Fisherman and the Spirit” from the collection of Arabian tales “A Thousand and One Nights” is widely known throughout the world. In China there is also a moral story about "Teacher Dongguo and the Wolf." This story is known from Dongtian Zhuan; the author of this work is Ma Zhongxi, who lived in the 13th century. , during the Ming Dynasty.

So, there once lived such a pedantic armchair scientist, whose name was teacher (Mr.) Dungo. One day, Dongguo, carrying a bag of books on his back and driving a donkey, went to a place called Zhongshanguo to do his business. On the way, he met a wolf who was being pursued by hunters, and this wolf asked Dungo to save him. Mr. Dungo felt sorry for the wolf and agreed. Dungo told him to curl up in a ball and tied the animal with a rope so that the wolf would fit in the bag and hide there.

As soon as Mr. Dungo stuffed the wolf into the bag, the hunters approached him. They asked if Dungo had seen the wolf and where it ran. Dungo deceived the hunters by saying that the wolf ran in the other direction. The hunters took Mr. Dungo's words on faith and chased the wolf in a different direction. The wolf in the sack heard that the hunters had left, and asked Mr. Dungo to untie him and let him out. Dungo agreed. Suddenly, the wolf jumped out of the bag and attacked Dungo, wanting to eat him. The wolf shouted: “You, good man, saved me, however, now I am very hungry, and therefore be kind again and let me eat you.” Dungo got scared and began to scold the wolf for his ingratitude. At that moment, a peasant passed by with a hoe on his shoulder. Mr. Dungo stopped the peasant and told him how it happened. He asked the peasant to decide who was right and who was wrong. But the wolf denied the fact that Teacher Dungo saved him. The peasant thought and said: “I don’t believe both of you, because this bag is too small to accommodate such a large wolf. I won’t believe your words until I see with my own eyes how the wolf fits in this bag.” The wolf agreed and curled up again. Mr. Dungo tied the wolf again with rope and stuffed the animal into a sack. The peasant immediately tied the bag and said to Mr. Dungo: “The wolf will never change his cannibalistic nature. You acted very stupidly to show kindness towards the wolf.” And the peasant slapped the sack and killed the wolf with a hoe.

When people talk about Mr. Dungo these days, they mean those who are kind to their enemies. And by “Zhongshan wolf” they mean ungrateful people.

“The track is to the south, and the shafts are to the north” (“harness the horse tail first”; “put the cart before the horse”)

During the era of the Warring States (5th - 3rd centuries BC), China was divided into many kingdoms that continuously fought among themselves. Each kingdom had advisors who specifically served to advise the emperor regarding methods and means of government. These advisers, persuasively, knew how to use figurative expressions, comparisons and metaphors, so that the emperors consciously accepted their advice and suggestions. “Harnessing the Horse Tail First” is a story about the advisor of the Wei kingdom, Di Liang. This is what he once came up with to convince Emperor Wei to change his decision.

The Wei Kingdom was stronger than the Zhao Kingdom at that time, so Emperor Wei decided to attack the capital of the Zhao Kingdom, Handan, and subjugate the Zhao Kingdom. Upon learning of this, Di Liang became very worried and decided to convince the emperor to change this decision.

The Emperor of the Wei Kingdom was discussing with his military leaders a plan to attack the Zhao Kingdom when Di Liang suddenly arrived. Di Liang said to the emperor:

Just now on my way here I saw a strange phenomenon...

What? - asked the emperor.

I saw a horse walking north. I asked the man in the cart, “Where are you going? " He replied: “I am going to the kingdom of Chu.” I was surprised: after all, the kingdom of Chu is in the south, and he was going to the north. However, he laughed and didn’t even raise an eyebrow. He said: “I have enough money for the road, I have a good horse and a good driver, so I will still be able to get to Chu.” I just couldn’t understand: money, a good horse and a wonderful driver. But it won't help if he's going in the wrong direction. He will never be able to reach Chu. The further he rode, the more and more he moved away from the kingdom of Chu. However, I was unable to dissuade him from changing direction, and he drove forward.

Hearing Di Liang's words, the Wei Emperor laughed because the man was so stupid. Di Liang continued:

Your Majesty! If you want to become the emperor of these kingdoms, then first you must gain the trust of these countries. And aggression against the Zhao kingdom, which is weaker than our kingdom, will reduce your prestige and remove you from your goal!

Only then did Emperor Wei understand the true meaning of the example given by Di Liang and cancel his aggressive plans against the Zhao kingdom.

Today the phraseology “The track is to the south, and the shafts are to the north” means “To act in complete contradiction with the goal”

Acquiring a concubine by measuring land

One young man, who had not yet reached adulthood, but was very intelligent, lost both his parents at an early age and lived under the tutelage of his uncle. One day the young man noticed that his uncle looked very worried. He began to ask about the reasons for this. The uncle replied that he was worried that he did not have a son. To take care of the male offspring, he should take a concubine into the house, but his wife does not want this. That's why he's worried.

The young man thought for a while and then said:

Uncle, don't be sad anymore. I see a way to get my aunt's consent.

It’s unlikely that you’ll succeed,” my uncle said incredulously.

The next day, in the morning, the young man took a tailor's ruler and began to measure the ground with it, starting from the door of his uncle's house, and did this so persistently that his aunt looked out of the house.

What are you doing here? - she asked.

“I’m measuring the area,” the young man answered calmly and continued his work.

What? Are you measuring the area? - exclaimed the aunt. - Why are you worried about our good?

To this the young man explained with a self-confident expression:

Auntie, this goes without saying. I'm preparing for the future. You and your uncle are no longer young, and you have no sons. Therefore, of course, your house will be left to me, so I want to measure it, because I am going to rebuild it later.

The aunt, irritated and angry, could not utter a word. She ran into the house, woke up her husband and began to beg him to take a concubine as soon as possible.

Chinese stratagems

A parable about the cycle of fate.

A man's wife died, and a neighbor came to express his condolences. Imagine his surprise when he saw the widower squatting and singing songs. The neighbor turned to the widower: “Shame on you!” You have lived so many years with your wife. And instead of mourning her, you sing songs!

“You’re wrong,” replied the widower. “When she died, I was sad at first. But then I thought about what she was like before she was born. I realized that she was scattered in the void of chaos. Then it became breathing. The breath turned - and she became the body. The body transformed - and she was born. Now a new transformation has come - and she died. All this changed each other, like the seasons alternate. Man is buried in an abyss of transformations, as if in the chambers of a huge house. To cry and lament over him means not to understand fate. That's why I started singing instead of crying.

Moral: The life of the soul is endless

Parable about a talkative man.

Lao Tzu went for a walk every morning, accompanied by his neighbor. The neighbor knew that Lao Tzu was a man of few words. For many years he accompanied him on his morning walks in complete silence, and he never said anything. One day he had a guest in his house who also wanted to go for a walk with Lao Tzu. The neighbor said: “Okay, but you shouldn’t talk. Lao Tzu does not tolerate this. Remember: you can’t say anything!”

It was a beautiful, quiet morning, only the singing of birds broke the silence. The guest said: “How wonderful!” This was the only thing he said during the hour-long walk, but Lao Tzu looked at him as if he had committed a sin.

After the walk, Lao Tzu said to his neighbor: “Never bring anyone else! And don’t ever come again! This man seems to be very talkative. The morning was beautiful, it was so quiet. This man ruined everything."

Moral: words are unnecessary. By the way, we also have a good proverb on this matter: “silence is golden.”

Parable about the mirror and the dog.

Parable about the mirror and the dog.

A long time ago, a king built a huge palace. It was a palace with millions of mirrors. Absolutely all the walls, floors and ceilings of the palace were covered with mirrors. One day a dog ran into the palace. Looking around, she saw many dogs around her. Dogs were everywhere. Being a very intelligent dog, she bared her teeth, just in case, to protect herself from these millions of dogs surrounding her and to scare them. All the dogs bared their teeth in response. She growled - they answered her with a threat.

Now the dog was sure that its life was in danger, and began to bark. She had to tense up, she began to bark with all her might, very desperately. But when she barked, those millions of dogs also began to bark. And the more she barked, the more they answered her.

This morning this unfortunate dog was found dead. And she was there alone, in that palace there were only millions of mirrors. No one fought with her, there was no one at all who could fight, but she saw herself in the mirrors and was scared. And when she began to fight, the reflections in the mirrors also began to fight. She died in the fight against millions of her own reflections surrounding her.

Moral: the world around us is a reflection of ourselves. Be calm and radiate positivity, the Universe will reciprocate your feelings!

A parable about happiness.

Once upon a time there lived a man who carved stones from a cliff. His work was hard and he was unhappy. Once a stonecutter exclaimed in his hearts: “Oh, if only I were rich!” And lo and behold! His wish came true.

After some time, the emperor arrived in the city where he lived. Seeing the ruler with his servants holding a golden umbrella over his head, the rich man felt envy. In his hearts he exclaimed: “Oh, if only I were an emperor!” And his wish came true.

One day he went on a hike. The sun was so hot that even a golden umbrella was unable to protect the emperor from the scorching rays. And he thought: “Oh, if only I were the sun!” His wish came true this time too.

But one day the sunlight was obscured by a cloud. Then the sun exclaimed: “Oh, if I were a cloud!” And he was a cloud, and it rained, and water filled every corner of the world. But here's the problem! Drops of rain desperately beat against the cliff, but could not crush it. The rain exclaimed: “Oh, if I were a cliff!”

But a stonecutter came, raised his pickaxe over the rock and enslaved it. And the rock exclaimed: “Oh, if only I were a stonecutter!”

At that very moment, he became himself again and realized that neither wealth nor power would give him joy.

Moral: if anyone hasn't guessed it, then l The key to happiness, described in this parable, is to be able to rejoice in what you have.

This story happened in China, during the time of Lao Tzu. There lived a very poor old man in the village, but even the monarchs were jealous of him because the old man had a beautiful white horse. The kings offered a fabulous price for the horse, but the old man always refused.

One morning the horse was not in the stable. The whole village gathered, people sympathized:

Stupid old man. We already knew that one day the horse would be stolen. It would be better to sell it. What a misfortune!

The old man, laughing, replied:

Don't rush to conclusions. Just say that the horse is not in the stable - that's a fact. I don’t know if this is a misfortune or a blessing, and who knows what will happen next?

A couple of weeks later the horse returned. It wasn't stolen, it just got loose. And he not only returned, but brought with him a dozen wild horses from the forest.

The neighbors came running and vying with each other:

You were right, old man. Forgive us, we do not know the ways of the Lord, but you turned out to be more perspicacious. This is not a misfortune, this is a blessing.

The old man grinned:

Again you are going too far. Just say that the horse is back. Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow.

This time people didn’t say much, but in their hearts everyone thought that the old man was wrong. After all, as many as twelve horses came! The old man's son began to ride around wild horses, and it so happened that one of them threw him off. The young man broke both legs. People gathered again and began to gossip.

They spoke:

You were right again! This is a misfortune. Your only son broke his legs, but he is your support in his old age. Now you are poorer than you were.

The old man answered:

And again you started to reason. Don't go too far. Just say that my son broke his legs. Nobody knows whether this is bad luck or bad luck. Life is just a series of events and the future is unknown.

It so happened that a few days after this the country entered the war and all the young men were mobilized. Only the old man's son remained, who became a cripple. Everyone groaned in anticipation of a hot battle, realizing that most of the young men would never return home. People came to the old man, complaining:

You're right again old man, it was a blessing. Although your son is crippled, he is still with you. And our sons are gone forever.

The old man said again:

You are judging again. No one knows. Just tell me that your children were taken into the army, but my son stayed at home.

The moral of this parable: you should not interpret the events of your life, we are not given the opportunity to see them in their entirety. One day you will realize that everything is fine.

The young man was confused:
- But I didn’t notice anything!
Then the teacher said:


The student replied:

An old Chinese teacher once said to his student:

Please look around this room and try to find anything that is brown in color. The young man looked around. There were many brown objects in the room: wooden picture frames, a sofa, a curtain rod, book bindings and many other small things.
“Now close your eyes and list all the objects... blue,” the teacher asked.
The young man was confused:
- But I didn’t notice anything!
Then the teacher said:
- Open your eyes. Just look at how many blue objects there are!!!
It was true: blue vase, blue photo frames, blue carpet...
The student replied:
- But this is a trick! After all, at your direction, I was looking for brown, not blue objects!
The teacher sighed quietly and then smiled:
- This is exactly what I wanted to show you! You searched and found only brown. The same thing happens to you in life: you look for and find only the bad and lose sight of all the good!
“I was always taught that you should expect the worst, and then you will never be disappointed.” And if the worst does not happen, then a pleasant surprise awaits me. Well, if I always hope for the best, I will expose myself to the risk of disappointment!
- Confidence in the benefits of expecting the worst makes us lose sight of all the good things that happen in our lives. If you expect the worst, you will definitely get it. And vice versa. It is possible to find a point of view from which every experience has a positive meaning. From now on you will look for something positive in everything!

Chinese parables

Need to jump

The master said to the student:

Completely forget about your past and you will become enlightened.

“That’s what I do, only gradually,” the student answered.

Gradually you can only grow. Enlightenment is instant.

The master later explained:

You need to jump! The abyss cannot be overcome with tiny steps.

Golden mean

The Emperor of China was sitting on a platform under a canopy and reading a book. Below, the wheelwright was repairing his carriage. The emperor put the book aside and began to observe the actions of the old master, and then asked him:

Why are you so old and repairing the carriage yourself? Don't you have an assistant?

The master replied:

Yours, indeed, sir. I taught my sons the craft, but I cannot pass on my art to them. But here the work is responsible and requires special skill.

The Emperor said:

You are talking cleverly! Explain your idea more simply.

The old master said:

Can I ask you what you're reading? And is the person who wrote this book alive?

The Emperor began to get angry. The old man, seeing this, said:

Don't be angry, please, I'll explain my point now. You see, my sons make good wheels, but they have not achieved perfection in this matter. I have achieved it, but how can I convey my experience to them? The truth is in the middle...

If you make a wheel strong, it will be heavy and ugly. If you try to make it elegant, it will be unreliable. Where is the line, the measure that guides me? It is inside me, I have comprehended it. This is art, but how to convey it? The wheels of your carriage should be elegant and strong at the same time. So I, an old man, have to make them myself.

So is the treatise you are reading. The man who wrote it many centuries ago achieved a high understanding, but there is no way to convey this understanding.

Blacksmith problems

One day the king asked an artisan blacksmith about his problems. Then the blacksmith began to complain about his work:

O great king, I do not like my craft, because the work is difficult, it does not bring much money and my neighbors do not respect me for it. I would like another craft.

The king thought and said:

You won't find a job that suits you. It is difficult because you are lazy. It doesn't bring you much money because you are greedy, and it doesn't bring you the respect of your neighbors because you are vain. Get out of my sight.

The blacksmith left, hanging his head. A year later, the king again visited those areas and was surprised to find the same blacksmith there, only quite rich, respected and happy. He asked:

Aren't you that blacksmith, offended by life, who complained about his craft?

I, the great king. I'm still a blacksmith, but I'm respected and the work makes me enough money and I like it. You pointed out to me the cause of my problems in me, and I eliminated them. Now I'm happy.

Quality, not quantity

One high Chinese official had an only son. He grew up as a smart boy, but he was restless, and no matter what they tried to teach him, he did not show diligence in anything, so his knowledge was superficial. The boy drew and even played the flute, but artlessly; studied the laws, but even simple scribes knew more than him.

The father, concerned about this situation, in order to make his son’s spirit strong, as befits a real husband, apprenticed him to a famous martial arts master. However, the young man soon got tired of repeating the monotonous movements of the blows. And he turned to the master:

Teacher! How long can you repeat the same movements? Isn't it time for me to study real martial art, for which your school is so famous?

The master did not answer, but allowed the boy to repeat the movements after the older students, and soon the young man already knew many techniques.

One day the master called the young man and gave him a scroll with a letter.

Take this letter to your father.

The young man took the letter and went to the neighboring town where his father lived. The road to the city skirted a large meadow, in the middle of which an old man was practicing a punch. And while the young man walked around the meadow along the road, the old man tirelessly practiced the same blow.

Hey old man! - the young man shouted. - The air will beat you! You still won't be able to beat even a child!

The old man shouted back that he should try to defeat him first, and then laugh. The young man accepted the challenge.

Ten times he tried to attack the old man, and ten times the old man knocked him down with the same blow of his hand. A blow that he had been tirelessly practicing before. After the tenth time, the young man could no longer continue the fight.

I could kill you with the first blow! - said the old man. - But you are still young and stupid. Go your own way.

Ashamed, the young man reached his father's house and gave him the letter. Unrolling the scroll, the father returned it to his son:

This is for you.

In the teacher’s calligraphic handwriting it was written on it: “One strike, brought to perfection, is better than a hundred half-learned.”

About orange

One day, two students, Yang Li and Zhao Zeng, approached Hing Shi with a request to judge their dispute. The students could not decide how to answer the questions in a conversation with their interlocutor. Young Lee said:

Teacher, I think that it would be better to answer the interlocutor’s question without delay, and later, in case of an error, to correct it, than to make the interlocutor wait too long for an answer.

To this Zhao Zeng objected:

No, on the contrary, you should think about your answer carefully, weighing every little thing and detail. Let it take as long as you like, but the main thing is to give the correct answer.

Hing Shi took a juicy orange in his hands and said, turning to the first student:

If you let your interlocutor eat the first half of an orange unpeeled, and only then, having peeled the peel, give the second, it may happen that your interlocutor, having tasted the bitterness of the first half, throws away the second.

Then Hing Shi turned to the second student, who, after listening to the teacher’s words addressed to Yang Li, smiled, anticipating his victory in the argument.

You, Zhao Zeng, will certainly not feed your interlocutor bitter orange. On the contrary, you will peel it for a long time and carefully, carefully separating the slightest veins of the peel from the pulp. But I’m afraid that your interlocutor may leave without waiting for the promised treat.

So what should we do? - the students asked in one voice.

Before you treat someone with oranges, learn how to peel them so as not to feed your interlocutor with either the bitterness of the peel or vain expectations,” answered Hing Shi, “but until you learn how, it’s better to entrust this process to the one you are going to treat...

Remember the fragments

One day Hing Shi talked with Young Li about an important skill for a person - to subdue anger in the heart, not allowing oneself to stoop to revenge. After listening carefully to the Teacher, Young Li embarrassedly admitted that he was not yet able to forgive his enemies, although he sincerely strives to do so.

“I have an enemy,” the student complained, “and I would like to forgive him, but I still can’t get the anger out of my heart.”

“I will help you,” said Hing Shi, removing a cracked clay teapot from the shelf, “take this teapot and treat it as you would like to treat your enemy.”

Young Lee took the teapot and turned it hesitantly in his hands, not daring to do anything. Then the sage said:

An old teapot is just a thing, it’s not a person, don’t be afraid to do with it now as you would like to do with your enemy.

Then Young Lee lifted the teapot over his head and threw it onto the floor with force, so much so that the teapot shattered into small pieces. Hing Shi looked at the floor, strewn with fragments of a broken vessel, and said:

Do you see what happened? Having broken the kettle, you did not get rid of it, but only turned it into many fragments, on which you yourself or those around you can cut your feet. Therefore, every time, not finding the strength to throw anger out of your heart, remember these fragments,” said Hing Shi, and a little later added, “or rather, try not to allow cracks to appear where they should not be.”

Supreme Craftsmanship

One day, a European student came to the old Teacher of Chinese martial arts and asked:

Teacher, I am the champion of my country in boxing and French wrestling, what else could you teach me?

The old master was silent for a while, smiled and said:

Imagine that, while walking around the city, you accidentally wander into the street, where several thugs are waiting for you, dreaming of robbing you and breaking your ribs. So, I will teach you not to walk along such streets.

All in your hands

A long time ago, in an ancient city there lived a Master, surrounded by disciples. The most capable of them once thought: “Is there a question that our Master could not answer?” He went to a flowering meadow, caught the most beautiful butterfly and hid it between his palms. The butterfly clung to his hands with its paws, and the student was ticklish. Smiling, he approached the Master and asked:

Tell me what kind of butterfly I have in my hands: alive or dead?

He held the butterfly tightly in his closed palms and was ready at any moment to squeeze them for the sake of his truth.

Without looking at the student’s hands, the Master answered:

All in your hands.

Who needs to change

To the student who constantly criticized everyone, the master said:

If you are looking for perfection, strive to change yourself, not others. It's easier to put on your sandals yourself than to cover the entire ground with carpet.

Dignity

Lao Tzu was traveling with his disciples and they came to a forest where hundreds of lumberjacks were cutting down trees. The entire forest was almost cut down, except for one huge tree with thousands of branches. It was so big that 10 thousand people could sit in its shadow.

Lao Tzu asked his disciples to go and inquire why this tree had not been cut down. They went and asked the woodcutters and they said:

This tree is completely useless. You won't be able to make anything out of it because each branch has many branches - and not a single straight one. You cannot use this tree as fuel because its smoke is harmful to the eyes. This tree is completely useless, that's why we didn't cut it down.

The disciples returned and told Lao Tzu. He laughed and said:

Be like this tree. If you are useful, they will cut you down and you will become furniture in some house. If you are beautiful, you will become a commodity and be sold in the store. Be like this tree, be absolutely useless, and then you will begin to grow large and vast, and thousands of people will find shade under you.

Wise choice

Dubinkina-Ilyina Yu.

One day a young man who was about to get married came to Hing Shi and asked:

Teacher, I want to marry, but definitely only a virgin. Tell me, am I acting wisely?

The teacher asked:

And why specifically on a virgin?

This way I will be sure that my wife is virtuous.

Then the teacher got up and brought two apples: one whole, and the second bitten. And he invited the young man to try them. He took the whole one, bit into it - the apple turned out to be rotten. Then he took the bitten one and tried it, but it turned out to be rotten. Perplexed, the young man asked:

So how should I choose a wife?

“With my heart,” answered the Teacher.

Harmony

Dubinkina-Ilyina Yu.

One day, Hing Shi and one of his students were sitting on the shore of a small but very picturesque lake. The air was filled with the subtle aromas of nature, the wind almost died down, and the mirror-like surface of the reservoir reflected everything around it with incredible clarity. The perfection of nature, its balance and purity, involuntarily gave rise to thoughts of harmony. Therefore, after some time, Hing Shi turned to his student with a question:

Young Lee, tell me, when do you think there will be complete harmony in human relationships?

The young and inquisitive Young Li, who often accompanied the Teacher on his walks, began to think. After some time, looking at the identity of nature and its reflection in the lake, he said:

It seems to me that harmony in relations between people will come only when all people come to a common opinion, think alike, and become, as it were, a reflection of each other. Then there will be no disagreements or disputes,” the student said dreamily and added sadly, “but is this possible?

No,” Hing Shi answered thoughtfully, “this is impossible, and it is not necessary.” Indeed, in this case, there would not be harmony, but a complete depersonalization of a person, the loss of his inner “I”, individuality. People would become not so much a reflection as a shadow of each other.

Harmony in human relationships will become possible only when each person strives not for a common opinion or imitation of others, but for respect for the right of another person to express his individuality.

Secret desires

One day the blue devil from the Great Cave decided to become a saint and become famous for his good deeds. He put on the most beautiful clothes and sent his relatives and acquaintances to all corners of the Celestial Empire with the news that he was undertaking to fulfill people’s deepest desires. Soon lines of people, eager to receive what was promised, reached the cave where the devil lived.

The first to appear before the devil was the poor peasant. I just wanted to turn to the evil one with my request, as the devil says:

Go home. Your wish is granted.

The peasant returned home, began to look for bags of gold and silver, when suddenly he saw a neighbor coming to his house, and on his shoulders instead of his own, there was a boar’s head, rolling his eyes and snapping his tusks. The peasant was horrified: “Do I really have such desires?”

After the peasant, an old woman approached the devil, carrying a man with withered legs on her back. She laid it at the feet of the devil and said:

Fulfill my son's deepest wish. I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life.

The devil looked at the man, and his hands withered.

What have you done, you damned one!

And the devil says:

What should I do, if since childhood he wanted his hands to wither, then you will not be able to force him to weave boxes and you will feed him from your hands.

Nothing to do. The mother threw her son on her shoulders and ran out of the cave before her son wanted anything else.

The devil never became a saint. There was a bad reputation about him. But he himself is to blame for this. Who the hell should know that innermost desires are not always desired.

The secret of invincibility

Once upon a time there lived an invincible warrior who loved to show off his strength on occasion. He challenged all the famous heroes and masters of martial arts to battle and always won.

One day a warrior heard that not far from his village, high in the mountains, a hermit had settled - a great master of hand-to-hand combat. The warrior set off to look for this hermit in order to once again prove to everyone that there was no stronger person in the world than him. The warrior reached the hermit’s home and froze in surprise. Thinking that he would meet a mighty fighter, he saw a frail old man practicing the ancient art of inhalation and exhalation in front of the hut.

Are you really the man whom the people glorify as a great warrior? Truly, human rumor has greatly exaggerated your strength. “You won’t even be able to move this block of stone you’re standing next to, but I, if I want, can lift it and even take it to the side,” the hero said contemptuously.

Appearances can be deceiving,” the old man answered calmly. - You know who I am, and I know who you are, and why you came here. Every morning I go down to the gorge and bring back a block of stone, which I smash with my head at the end of my morning exercises. Luckily for you, today I haven’t had time to do this yet, and you can show off your skills. You want to challenge me to a duel, but I won’t fight a man who can’t do such a trifle.

The infuriated hero approached the stone, hit it with his head as hard as he could and fell down dead.

A kind hermit cured the unlucky warrior, and then for many years he taught him the rare art of winning with reason, not force.

Boy's instructions

The Yellow Lord Huang Di went to visit Tai Kwei, who lived on Mount Chu Tzu. But along the way, the Lord lost his way.

The emperor met a boy tending horses.

Do you know how to get to Chu Tzu Mountain? - the Yellow Lord asked him.

The boy replied that he knew the way and even knew where Tai-Kwei lived.

“What an unusual boy! - thought Huang Di. - How does he know that we are heading specifically to Tai-Quei? Maybe I should ask him how I can better arrange my life in the Middle Kingdom?”

The heavenly world must be left as it is,” the boy answered. - What else should we do with it?

Indeed, ruling the Celestial Empire is not your concern,” said Huang Di. - But still, answer me, how should I deal with her?

The shepherd boy did not want to answer, but the emperor repeated his question.

“Running the world is no more difficult than herding horses,” the boy said then. - It is enough to eliminate everything that is dangerous for horses - that’s all! The Celestial World should be governed in the same way.

The emperor bowed low to the shepherdess, called him “heavenly mentor” and left.

Two peaches kill three warriors

Stratagem No. 3 -Kill with someone else's knife

During the “Spring and Autumn” era, three brave warriors served Prince Jing (d. 490 BC) from the Principality of Qi (in the north of the present Shan-tung province): Gongsun Jie, Tian Kaijiang and Gu Yezi. No one could resist their courage. Their strength was so great that even with their bare hands their grip was like that of a tiger.

One day, Yan Zi, the first minister of the Principality of Qi, met these three warriors. Not one rose respectfully from their seat. This offense against politeness angered Yan Zi. He turned to the prince and informed him about this incident, which he assessed as posing a danger to the state.

These three neglect etiquette towards superiors. Can you rely on them if you need to suppress rebellion within the state or act against external enemies? No! Therefore, I suggest: the sooner you eliminate them, the better!

Prince Jing sighed with concern:

These three are great warriors. It is unlikely that they will be captured or killed. What to do?

Yan Zi thought about it. Then he said:

I have one thought. Send a messenger to them with two peaches and with the words: “Let the one whose merits are higher take the peach.”

Prince Jing did just that. The three warriors began to compare their exploits. Gongsun Jie spoke first:

Once I defeated a wild boar with my bare hands, and another time I defeated a young tiger. According to my deeds, I am entitled to a peach.

And he took himself a peach.

Tian Kaijiang spoke second.

Twice I put to flight an entire army with only cold steel in my hands. According to my deeds, I am also worthy of a peach.

And he also took a peach for himself.

When Gu Yezi saw that he didn’t get a peach, he said angrily:

When I was once crossing the Yellow River in our master's retinue, a huge water turtle grabbed my horse and disappeared with it in a stormy stream. I dove under the water and ran along the bottom a hundred paces upstream and nine miles downstream. Finally I found the turtle, killed it and saved my horse. When I emerged with a horse's tail on the left side and a turtle's head on the right, the people on the shore took me for a river deity. This deed is even more worthy of a peach. Well, none of you will give me the peach?

With these words, he unsheathed his sword and raised it. When Gongsun Jie and Tian Kaijiang saw how angry their comrade was, their conscience began to speak and they said:

Of course, our courage cannot compare with yours and our deeds cannot be measured against yours. By the fact that we both immediately grabbed a peach for ourselves and did not leave it for you, we only showed our greed. If we do not atone for this shame by death, we will also show cowardice.

Then they both gave up their peaches, drew their swords and cut their throats.

When Gu Yezi saw the two corpses, he felt guilty and said:

It’s inhumane that both of my comrades died, and I live. It is unworthy to shame others with words and glorify yourself. It would be cowardly to do such a thing and not die. Moreover, if both of my comrades divided one peach among themselves, both would receive their fair share. Then I could take the remaining peach for myself.

And then he dropped his peaches on the ground and also cut his throat. The messenger reported to the prince:

All three are already dead.

There is a Tibetan proverb: every adversity can become an opportunity. Even tragedy contains opportunities. The meaning of another Tibetan proverb is that the true nature of happiness can only be seen in the light of painful experience. Only a sharp contrast with painful experiences teaches you to appreciate moments of joy. Why - the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu explain in The Book of Joy. We are publishing an excerpt.

Parable of the Peasant

You never know how our suffering and misfortunes will turn out, what in life is for the better and what for the worse. There is a famous Chinese parable about a peasant whose horse ran away.

The neighbors immediately began to talk about how unlucky he was. And the peasant replied that no one can know: perhaps this is for the best. The horse returned and brought with it an unbroken horse. The neighbors began to gossip again: this time, talking about how lucky the peasant was. But he again replied that no one knows whether this is good or bad. And so the peasant’s son breaks his leg trying to saddle a horse. Here the neighbors have no doubt: this is a failure!

But again they hear in response that no one knows whether this is for the better or not. The war begins, and all healthy men are drafted into the army, except for the peasant's son, who remains at home due to a bad leg.

Joy in spite of

Many people consider suffering to be bad, the Dalai Lama said. - But in fact, this is an opportunity that fate throws at you. Despite difficulties and torment, a person can maintain firmness and self-control.

The Dalai Lama has been through a lot. And he knows, he says, - .

It is clear what the Dalai Lama means. But how can you stop resisting suffering and perceive it as an opportunity while in the thick of things? It’s easy to talk, but to do... Jinpa mentioned that in the Tibetan spiritual teaching “Seven Point Mind Training” there are three categories of people that you should pay special attention to, since it is with them that relationships are especially difficult: family members, teachers and enemies .

"Three objects of special attention, three poisons and three roots of virtue." Jinpa explained the meaning of the mysterious and intriguing phrase: “Daily interaction with these three objects of special attention gives birth to three poisons: attachment, anger and delusion. They are the cause of the greatest suffering. But when we begin to interact with family members, teachers and enemies, it will help to comprehend the three roots of virtue - detachment, compassion and wisdom."

Many Tibetans, the Dalai Lama continued, spent years in Chinese labor camps, where they were tortured and forced to do hard labor. Then they admitted that it was a good test of their inner core, which showed which of them was truly a strong personality. Some were losing hope. Others did not lose heart. Education had little effect on survival. In the end, it was fortitude and kindness that mattered most.

But I expected to hear that the main thing would be unyielding determination and firmness. With what amazement I learned that people were helped to survive the horror of the camps by fortitude and

If there are no difficulties in life and you are relaxed all the time, then you complain more.

It seems that the secret of joy was born through strange alchemical transformations of mind and matter. The road to joy did not go away from adversity and suffering, but ran through them. As the Archbishop said, without suffering it is impossible to create beauty.

Education by life

People have been convinced more than once that in order to reveal the generosity of the spirit, we must go through humiliation and experience disappointment. You may doubt it, but there are very few people in the world whose lives run smoothly from birth to death. People need education.

What exactly in people requires education?

The natural reaction of a person is to respond blow to blow. But if the spirit has been tempered, it will want to know what forced the other person to hit. So we find ourselves in the shoes of the enemy. It is almost an axiom: those who are generous in spirit have gone through humiliation in order to get rid of the dross.

Get rid of spiritual waste and learn to take the place of another person. In almost all cases, in order to educate the spirit, it is necessary to endure, if not torment, then, in any case, disappointment, to come across an obstacle that prevents you from following the chosen path.

No one strong in spirit has ever walked a straight path devoid of obstacles.

“There was always something that made you go off the path and then go back.” - The Archbishop pointed to his thin, weak right arm, paralyzed as a child after contracting polio. A striking example of the suffering he endured as a child.

The spirit is like muscles. If you want to maintain their tone, you need to give the muscles resistance. Then the strength will increase.

Aesop - Northern workshop of Feano.

Everything happens... no one knows why,
But everything is a mystery to the inquisitive mind...
One helps the other, so what?
The other one in response... bites him, for a reason...

Or maybe the unobvious thing is a game.
The figures act as the fruit of a mind game...

CARRIER

There lived an old man by the river, with a kind heart,
He did not refuse services to anyone:
Transported people, animals, and therefore
He was not rich, and lived submissively to his fate...

One day a huge snake swam across the river,
Yes, he began to drown... This is where the carrier helped!
But, of course, the snake could not pay him,
And suddenly he cried... And didn’t say a word.

In those places where the snake cried, then flowers,
(To the surprise of everyone who saw this miracle,
What arose without seeds, out of nowhere),
Wonderful ones sprang up, of the most delicate beauty.

The good fellow saw another time - a roe deer was drowning,
And he helped again, and she suddenly... ran away...
And she didn’t even say a goodbye word.
I've been through such fear - it touches my soul.

The old man went into the forest nearby to pick some salad.
And suddenly, out of nowhere, there is a goat in front of him.
He stands and digs the ground as if he has found something.
It happens that... there are no miracles.

I could use a shovel! - he thinks.
And at the same moment a passerby walks with a shovel.
The goat immediately ran away, looking like a shadow.
An old man to a passer-by: - ​​It’s like a wonderful dream!
So, be kind and dig for me in this place!
And he only dug three times and saw - a treasure!
There are three pounds of gold in it. Everyone would be happy!
“Thank you,” said the old man, “we are together.”
They found him! I'll give you half.
- But I dug it! And it's all mine! -
So the passer-by shouted, “the matter is decided!”
And there is no point in arguing.
They went to the judge.

The judge... gave all the gold to a passerby...
It happens, although it is not clear why...
Everything is just a mystery to the inquisitive mind.
- I decide in fairness! - he said.

Put in the stocks for extortion
Already a carrier, and at night a thick snake
He crawled and bit his legs until they blistered.
And during the day my legs became completely swollen... They said:

Our carrier will die from snake wounds!
And at night... the snake again...
Brought him some medicine!
Healing herbs such as the kingdom has never seen.
And he says to him: “It will heal in the morning!”

So, in fact, there are no marks on the leg!
And the snake crawled again... to the wife of that judge,
Yes, he bit her in defiance of the laws.
It happens, even if it’s unclear, in fate.

Her leg is swollen and it hurts so much
What did everyone think - the poor thing would die.
And then the judge goes to the carrier.
And before him, as before a judge, he stands.

Tell me, by what miracle did you recover?
- Yes, the snake that bit me gave me medicine!
I have never seen such leaves anywhere.
I will help your wife outside the prison walls.

And then he returned home, then went into the forest,
I collected herbs that I had never seen before,
And now it turned out to be a strange value,
And he returned again to the judge's house,

Yes, the patient applied medicine - she came to life!
The swelling disappeared, and the bite immediately
It disappeared from my leg, and a weight was lifted from my soul.
The judge's wife thanks him!
- But why did the snake bring these leaves?

And then the old man told how it was.
How he saved a snake and a roe deer at the limit.
Judge for this:
- You transported the roe deer,
What did she give you?
- Yes, the husband of a roe deer,
The goat showed me the gold with his hoof!
The judge here ordered to catch up with the passerby,
And return the treasure to the owner... And the treasure was returned!
Everything happens for no apparent reason.
And everything is a mystery to the inquisitive mind...

TWO TIGERS

The flow of freedom is given to him to experience,
Who stays in the present every moment,
And not about the past, or about the future, he suffers,
The light of truth is like a rainbow through a window...

Reminiscent of a parable, a fairy tale about a monk,
That I met an angry tiger on the way,
Yes, he ran to the rock that “knew” how to save,
Let me clarify that we are not talking about the chopping block here...
About our life, and about vain affairs,
About how the memory of days past sighs,
About how the heart languishes in predictions,
Another thing is that everyone... is a little bit of a monk...

So, I fled from the terrifying beast
Monk, and now he’s on the edge of a cliff...
To whom to direct the groan of the passing life,
It's hard to imagine if you live... without believing...

The monk flew down from the beast without fear,
Yes, on the way I got caught in the branches of a tree...
Hanging from the edge of the ledge! I didn't kill myself...
Below(!) another ferocious tiger arrived...

And, meanwhile, the eyes... turned to the bush,
And we spotted a strawberry under a bush...
A fragrant berry is home in any gorge!
The monk tore it off... His eyes shone!

Yes, right into your mouth... What a wonderful moment!
The monk said: - Oh, how delicious! - and fell silent...
He must have known the benefits of ripe berries.
Have you guessed it?
This is the end of the poem...

Two tigers - past and future tense.
Appreciate the berry, it contains the seed of truth...

The flow of freedom is given to those who
Who feels time like a berry in his mouth...

THE SECRET OF ART

Cabinetmaker Qing for bell frame
Carved from wood. When she was
Already finished, the radiance of craftsmanship
It bewitched everyone who rejoiced at the gift...

What was dark was instantly illuminated,
Former grief disappeared like water into sand,
And it’s as if happiness is here and should always be!
And a joyful feeling arose in my heart...

When ruler Lu himself saw the frame,
Then he asked: - What is the secret of mastery?
- What a secret... - Qing answered, - I am your servant,
Craftsman, what else can I say...

But, nevertheless, something exists here.
When your servant is planning this frame,
Then he pacifies the heart with a three-day fast,
And he transforms the strength of spirit within himself.

Thoughts about awards and money go away...
On the fifth day of fasting, judgments also disappear:
Praise, blaspheme, both skill and ineptitude,
And on the seventh... there is only the sky in the mirrors.

I forget about myself, and something -
Timeless, magical art
I am overcome with a certain flurry of feelings,
What exists at this moment, and... has been forever!

I go into the forest and look into the essence:
In the movement of branches under the sigh of the breeze,
In the fluttering of a swallow, the whirling of a moth,
Into that innermost place where I can look.

My hearing disappeared... in the embrace of Nature's music,
My gaze, like rain in the waves of the sea, disappeared...
And I myself was embodied in the thought of a wonderful frame...
Then! I'm working.
My skill is like childbirth...

Then the heavenly with the heavenly... in unity!
And this frame is a gift from a servant to the king in respect...

A NOBLE HUSBAND BEFORE HEAVEN

One day three wise men whose names
They sound Russian, well, it’s very unclear,
They were having a conversation with each other... and privately
Transformed thoughts... into words.
Not for myself, of course
just for us!
They understood each other without words...
And without the earthly “clothing of the body” - shackles,
They even see our thoughts... without eyes...

So, this is what they said to each other:
- Capable of being together without being all together...
- Capable of acting, even though everyone is in a different place...
- Able to travel through Time!
loved
They smile at each other: and in the sky
The sun is playing, smiling with its rays!
One frowns, and, gloomily bending over,
A thundercloud rushes in threatening anger...

One will think - the wind will rustle,
Another sneezes, and immediately thunder booms loudly.
One will tell his friends a fairy tale - lo and behold... the dawn
The burning haze of a dream beckons you!

Friends, as usual, helped each other,
After all, with half a sigh, with half a glance, they understood.
But one of them, Tzu-Sanghu died... before,
How people understood that he gave hope.

Confucius himself learned about the death of the sage,
He sent Tzu-kung to express his sadness.
When he arrived at the place, in this distance,
It turned out... there is no sad face.

Friends, playing the lute, sang calmly
Over the body of a friend. And Ji-kung could not resist:
- Is it proper to sing over someone who has flown to God?
Have the friendly feelings really flown away?

But, looking at each other, they laughed
Friends quietly: - What is a ritual?
Tzu Kung returned and told Confucius
About the fact that those people turned out to be strange...

They wander with their souls beyond the light! -
This is how Confucius answered his friend,
- They are beyond the borders, but I am in the light, I live here.
Condolences to them are a stupid omen...

I was stupid to send you there
After all, these people are in unity
The breath of Heaven and Earth and in the feeling,
That life is an abscess, and death is freedom from the mind...

For them, the entire chain of times is a single ring.
They are only temporarily under the earthly image,
The whole Universe is their support, and time is smoke.
For them, the Creator and the world are one person!

And, forgetting about myself until the pulse of the cell,
They throw away sight and hearing,
The end meets the beginning, closing in an eternal circle,
And they float serenely in the over-worlds like children...

Their travels are like the thoughts of a boy,
Where ritual and public opinion are nothing.
Tzu Kung asked:
- Why do we need this mortal banner?
Answer, Teacher, are we a society of deceit?
- There is a punishment from Heaven that lies on a person,
And I'm the same person...
- What does it mean? - Ji-kung asked him again, and almost cried... -
You are our Teacher, the best in this century!

You know, fish are all free only in water,
And the people of Truth are free on the Path.
To live in water, you need a pond, but to walk...
We need freedom, but the world keeps us in line...
The fish in the water kingdom do not remember each other...
And the people of Truth are on the Path, like Musicians,
They forget everything, and only their talents are heard!
The art of the highest Path is a diamond on a circle...

Tzu Kung asked: “What is a diamond?”
- This unusual person is a baby in the world...
He is invisible, small, like an empty reed...
But before Heaven he is a wonderful Musician!
He who is noble among men is small before Heaven.
And only a small one among people before Heaven... in color
From the noble Rose of Truth blooms...
The unremarkable among us... will find a diamond!

MOMENT OF FORGETING

It so happened that Hua Tzu from the Kingdom of Song
Lost his memory in adulthood... He could
Receive a gift in the morning, and in the evening
Forget about it already... If he fell asleep,

Then in the morning he doesn’t remember the evening...
When on the street, he could forget to go.
When he's at home, he forgets to sit down, and days...
Everyone counts, as if they were the first at dawn!

His family became worried and so,
They're calling the soothsayer to describe
Everything that happens to Hua Tzu. But he didn’t!
Then the shaman was invited... At the gate,

Barely looking at Hua Tzu, he exclaimed: “No!”
I can't help it! - and the doctor refused...
And the eldest son... called the Confucian here
From the kingdom of Lu. He gave him this answer...

Neither hexagrams nor prayers will help,
Medicines with needles are also not needed here.
To him... other thoughts would be important.
I will try to do this “as a drop in the bucket.”

There is hope that the whirlpool will cure him.
And after these words the monk is a Confucian
Suddenly a strange dance began to perform,
And call on the Maelstrom deity...

Then he began to tear off all the patient’s clothes.
He began to look for them, putting them on, as if again...
The healer treated the patient's blood with hunger,
He began to look for food...
- There are hopes!

He isolated the patient in the dark,
And he, as he should, began to look for approaches to the light!
- The disease, apparently, is curable, but...
I must follow what was given to me from birth.

The Confucian said this to the family of the patient:
- My secret art is preserved for centuries,
I won’t tell you about him anywhere and never,
And that’s why I ask you to leave the house...
I will block the patient’s hearing for seven healing days,
And I’ll stay with him... - The household agreed.
Besides, good signs appeared...
No one knows the meaning of their entire destiny...

So... the long-term illness has completely disappeared!
When Hua Tzu woke up, he was so angry,
That, having scolded his wife, he drove his sons out into the yard,
I scared the Confucian... He's "kind"

He said that he would turn his head off! I took a spear...
Yes, and drove along the long streets of the village!
Hua Tzu was arrested and awaiting trial
It's come to this... Here's the treatment, the potion...

The judge told him: - Explain the reason!
And Hua Tzu responded: “I forgot before!”
How I flew across the sky with my thoughts without boundaries...
Now, suddenly, I remembered the disasters of the journey.

Overcoming, loss and separation,
Love and hate, and joy and sadness...
Over the past thirty years, oh, what a distance...
All this is a storm that causes torment!

Now I'm afraid that all my troubles are mine,
Gains and bitterness from loss,
Some kind of poison ate my whole heart...
I'm afraid that again I won't be... in oblivion...

AMONG PEOPLE

And for what reason is He among people?
I will fully understand at the end of my fate...

One day the Carpenter, heading to the kingdom of Qi,
I saw an Oak tree so huge that behind it
Hundreds of mountains with their crown could hide.
That Oak stood at the Altar of the Holy Land.

Eighty cubits from its roots
The crown grew thicker on a dozen spokes - branches...
So huge that from every boat
They could do it, surprised by the enormity...

Crowds of onlookers walked around him,
And they discussed among themselves all day long...
And only the Carpenter, nicknamed Kemen,
I walked through without looking, as if there was nothing here...

His students had seen enough of him,
We caught up with the Carpenter and immediately asked:
- Preborn! You really surprised us!
(And the unsaid thoughts kept spinning...)

Since we've been following you, never
We have never seen such a miracle, but you...
They didn’t even want to notice the Oak of Rumors...
- Enough! - The carpenter answered, - Volcano of the mind...

It bubbles within you, and in vain, sages...
What's the use of wood - it's not drillable!
And no matter what you make from Oak, it’s all empty,
The boat will sink, the sarcophagus will completely rot...

If you make a gate, the juice will flow,
The dishes will immediately split, otherwise
That tree is called long-lived,
It only says that everyone is given a deadline.

Returning home, our Kremen saw a dream,
As if the Oak at the Altar said to him:
- What did you compare me with and humiliate me...
Really, with those from whom the stump remains...
With fruit bearing ones? Hawthorn, pear?
When the fruits are collected from them, they insult...
Large branches, well, break small ones.
They are useful, and therefore depressing...
The Earth gives them a harsh fate.
They don't live to a ripe old age,
And they don’t know the uselessness of Oak’s life,
And only I aspired to uselessness...

Although he himself almost died because of the fruits.
But now I have achieved what I was striving for.
You see the benefit of being no good
I need boars and fools...

Besides, both you and I are just things.
How can one thing suddenly judge another?
You are useless, I am useless... But in the heat
I will cover and give the fool a prophetic dream...

Waking up, the Carpenter interprets the dream.
And again the students get bored:
- If Oak tried to live without benefit, - they press,
- Why was he born at the Altar?

Yes, shut up! - Flint interrupts them
He grew up there so that he would not be insulted there...
But still He lives so long, you would know...
For another reason, sit in the shade...

Confucius, while wandering, saw two youths
They argued so much that he stopped
And he turned to one of the speakers,
Wanting to resolve their dispute, in the end...

What are you trying to prove to someone else?
- I affirm - the sun is closer to people in the morning!
And he insists that, they say, at noon it is lower...
It's huge at sunrise!
- How to say... -
Another boy immediately interrupted him.
- It only seems to us that the small one is further!
But it is known that if you get up early in the morning,
How cool it is! Well, noon has struck -

It bakes mercilessly! This means that the object itself is close!
When it's hot in the distance, it doesn't burn,
But if you get close, it will burn everything.
Confucius thought deeply in response...

And both boys shouted after him:
- Aren’t they calling you a sage here?

DEPENDENCE ON OTHER THINGS

Once upon a time Master Le Tzu studied
From a friend of Lesnoy, from the Chalice Mountain.
Lesnoy said: - If you can hold on
You are behind others, you will understand that it seems...

It doesn’t really matter if you are on the Path.
It is much more important to find yourself.
If you cultivate restraint in yourself,
You will remember a lot and learn a lot...

Le Tzu said: “How can I be left behind?”
- Turn around and look at the shadow!
Lieh Tzu turned around and began to observe:
He bent his body, the shadow bent like a “yat”.

Curves and slenderness emanate from the body.
If you become a shadow, then they will dance around
Other bodies, stay back!
Then you will feel how to be ahead...

INTEGRITY

Lieh Tzu once asked the Guardian of the Borders:
- It's incredible that an ordinary person
Walks along the bottom of the seas, along the slopes of mountain rivers,
Through the fire! Yes, unharmed to the eyelashes...

And the Guardian replied: - They achieve this,
Understand, not by dexterity, not by courage, not by knowledge,
And by maintaining purity, remembering
Its immensity in the time of the past...

Only he is blown by the wind of truth who can
Understand the process by which things are formed
From the unformed chaos of the nights,
And realize that changes are Prologue...

And Constancy is the true goal,
And only the unity of all Nature is impartial.
But the purity of the ether is the main sign of the weather
Favorable passage through the gap...

And he who has passed never dies,
There is no lack of it, and integrity reigns.
And the heart speaks evenly, without sorrow.
At any moment he begins and ends...

Imagine that a drunk man falls off the cart, suddenly...
He will not fall to death, barely breathing,
Yes, just whole in a drunken shower,
He unconsciously does everything appropriately.

Neither surprise nor fear in his chest
We didn't play out from the fall... Imagine,
If wine gives such integrity! Add,
What is given to us from Nature for the Path...

When the sage merged with Nature to live,
Nothing can hurt him anymore...

One seagull lover swam every day,
And seagulls flocked to him...
His father asked him: “Tell me one thing...
I heard the seagulls around you, like your shadow!

When he sailed across the sea again in the morning,
Then the seagulls, just as before, flew around,
However, as always, they didn’t get close...
And he didn’t get any fun for his father.

And it says: - Good speech - without speeches.
The highest action is not action, but knowledge,
What is distributed to everyone, without understanding,
Unreliable, shallow, like a stream...

THE ART OF KIDNAPPING

A rich man from the family of the Owners of Everything lived in Qi.
And in the kingdom of Song there is a Poor Man from the Distributing clan.
A poor man once came to Qi to the singing gardens,
And he asked the Rich Man for the secret of the Vine.

I have long mastered the art of kidnapping,
Since he started kidnapping. For the first year
I managed to feed myself, lived without worries,
But in the second year there was plenty of food!

In the third year I achieved abundance,
Since then I have been giving alms to villages.
The poor man was happy... - Well, I can do it too!
But the essence of the word “kidnapping” did not penetrate...

He broke down doors and stole whatever he could find!
In the end, he was caught, beaten,
They confiscated everything and condemned me to slavery!
The poor man curses the rich man whatever he has to...

How did you rob? - The rich man asked him?
And when I heard what happened, it served me right!
You made such a mistake by becoming a thief of ignorance,
You stole not from nature, but from people, circus performer!

When I learned the times and their properties,
Then he began to rob Heaven of the best weather,
And the Earth has an increase in plants, and nature
I robbed as was necessary in my days...

But is gold, jade and silver
Gifted to you by nature? What about the goods?
You stole people's property like those fires
What is left is only a scorched bottom...

This time the poor man does not believe the rich man!
He rushes to the East to the First Born,
And he asks a question... And he, apparently, is strict:
“You don’t own anything here, I’m not kidding.”

After all, even your body is stolen here.
To create life for you, nature is robbed!
From the darkness of things, inseparable branches of the family
Descended to earth into earthly existence...

Robbery for the race of those who own everything - science
Living in true harmony, and yours...
Robbery out of personal desire is rotten!
What is punished by the Law is fear and torment...

The rich man remained unharmed - this is the common Path.
When they take from the common for the benefit of all,
Both joy and success are inevitable.
When they take it for private purposes, don’t deceive

Law of Creativity of Nature.
Here's the secret.
He who has known the properties of all things has also known light.

MONKEY KING

There lived a monkey king within the Song kingdom.
He lovingly fed a flock of subjects for a hundred moons.
And he knew how to unravel all desires...
To the detriment of his family, he decided to please the flock.

But he suddenly became poor, and food became scarce...
The king decided to deceive the flock so that it would not rebel...
And so he said: - And what, as soon as I begin to give
The next morning there are three chestnuts, by the evening... five?

Then the monkeys rose in legitimate anger...
- What if it’s five in the morning and three in the evening sky? -
He asked again immediately, listening to their reason,
And the monkeys immediately lay down on the ground...

The people of Han-dan offered it on New Year's Eve
Unwitting turtledoves for the Tsar. He awarded
They were very generous, and the turtle doves... he released,
And thereby pleased the devoted people...

Once a guest asked him: - Why?
- There is mercy here!
- But everyone knows that the desire of the Tsar
Letting the birds go free will destroy them, and in vain...
Wouldn't it be better to ban fishing?
Diligence...
What do your people do when catching them?
Has ruined many others, and will not make up for it
He doesn’t remember the dead birds, or even the saved ones...
The king agreed: - That's right! - and calmed down with a smile...

KNOWING THE CAUSE

Le Tzu learned to shoot, well, the Guardian of the Borders
His question is: - Do you know why...
Did you hit the target? And he: - I don’t know.
- Well well...
If you haven't mastered the skill, learn from the birds...

Three years passed, and Le Tzu came again.
And the Guardian asked again: “Do you know why?”
- Now I know! - So Le Tzu in response to him...
- Now you have mastered the skill. You are wise.

The sage understood not life and death, but their causes.
Not the appearance, but the essence of any guise.
And if you hit the target, then remember why...
Do not degrade your being with earthly food.
And don’t be ashamed to go through three years of training,
Perhaps you don't know all the meanings yet...

One day the King of Zing decided to unite
With his neighbor to attack the kingdom of Wei,
Prince Chu cast his eyes at the sky
And he laughed... How can the Tsar not get angry!

He asked him angrily:
- Why are you laughing?
- I, your servant, am only laughing at my neighbor:
He took his wife to his mother before dinner...
Walking back, I met a beautiful woman...

She collected mulberry leaves in her apron,
And he involuntarily began to flirt with her,
But, turning around, he waved to his wife -
Some rogue was beckoning her, asking her to drink.

I laugh at him...
And the Tsar understood the hint.
Having stopped his troops, he led them home...
Its outskirts were threatened by a neighbor with war,
But, having seen the troops, he took off running...

REALLY

Our Zen master, who was always pious,
The house opened to the knock of the angry couple.
Whose daughter, hiding the culprit from trouble,
She set him up, revealing her pregnancy...
Having calmly listened to their abuse, he said quietly:
- Oh really? - and went back to the house,
And his reputation... was ruined...
They brought him a baby! He took it bravely!
Yes, I took care of it with diligence.
And a year later, the daughter confessed, revealing her father...
Her parents take the boy back
They ask for forgiveness...

Really? ... - Zen master...

One day a student came
And I have a question about what you were wondering about:

Where's the justice? I'm so small
And you are big, and you yourself drooped... -
One is handsome, the other is ugly,
Don't talk to me about karma...
But... why are guys stronger?
What are they chatting about without caring?
Why is God unfair...
Someone's joy, but someone's trouble
For some it flows like water...
But... There was a spill initially?!
How did all the differences come about?
After all, time had begun...

Once upon a time your thought was silent!
Perhaps she knew greatness?
You are small, baby, and I was small...
When I was growing up, I thought the same.
But I never thought twice...
Same thing and... silent...
A few years will pass and you,
Dropping the mind, you know something
Beyond time, of course,
And the question itself... will go into futility...

TWO MONKS AND A GIRL

Rain season. And two monks on the way
We reached a shallow river. In front of her
A beauty stands in silk, the moon is brighter,
He can’t cross the river, but he’s waiting for help.

It should be recalled that the ban was as follows
For all monks: do not touch women's bodies,
Do not be distracted by the mundane in the course of business,
Do not think about sin... - the path to God is harsh.

You surprised me no less... That's what, brother,
I left the girl there on the shore...
And you carry it all day, but with “why”...
Leave the world behind and pray for the sunset...

MONEY CAN NOT BUY HAPPINESS

Money doesn't buy happiness, they say, but prove it
To me this phrase, bypassing the phenomenon of lies...
To this the Master answered: - Life is like a river...
And this phrase, my boy, has been true for centuries.

Money will buy you a bed, but, alas, not a dream...
Medicines are easy, health is downhill...
I’ll eat, please, but where can I get my appetite...
You will buy servants, but not friends, your soul is sad...

Perhaps you can buy a woman, but not love,
Housing - yes, but not family, warm shelter...
You will pay the teachers, but where will you get the intelligence?
Happiness is not in money, but in the sound of pure thoughts...

HOPE FOR CORRECTION

The monk told the shooter that he was measuring with his eyes
Possible path of the arrow from the place where he stood...
- You won't learn to shoot if there is hope
Correct your mistake, you militant ignoramus...

This is not possible in battle, learn to shoot
With one arrow... and hit the target reliably!
Do anything right away, don’t hope
That you can fix anything, don’t laugh!
In life we ​​often rely on fittings,
And, alas, we do not cut off without error...
But, if you live, as if it were the last day in fate,
Then you can open the abyss in yourself...

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