Remaining Unaffected Whether Granted Favor or Subjected to Humiliation, Seeking Neither Fame nor Wealth, Remaining Tranquil and at Peace

Article by Qing Yan

(Clearwisdom.net)

In the Tang Dynasty, there was someone with the name of Lu Chengqing from Zhuo (a place in today's Hebei province) of Youzhou (an area equivalent to a state in the Tang Dynasty, where Hebei Province is today). He worked as the "Kao Gong Yuan Wai Lang," the official in the imperial court who is in charge of examining the achievements and mistakes of officials.

Once a food-shipping boat sank in an accident. Lu Chengqing degraded the official in charge of this incident to "below average." He informed this official of his decision. Surprisingly, this official did not show any sign of hate, anger, or unhappiness.

Later, Lu Chengqing considered that the sinking of the boat resulted from an unexpected accident, therefore the responsibility should not be totally attributed to the official. So he returned the grade of the official to "average." After the official was informed of this change, he was still very calm and did not feel happy because of it.

When Lu Chengqing saw that this official could remain indifferent whether granted favor or subjected to humiliation, he praised the official profusely and decided to raise his grade to "outstanding."

The Chinese Phrase, "Chong Ru Bu Jing" means one remains unperturbed by favor or humiliation, and always remains calm and at ease; one can let go of the concern for loss and gain. If one can accomplish the state of "Chong Ru Bu Jing," one must be open-minded, with a big heart, magnanimous, and pay little attention to name and profit. This perhaps was the reason why Lu Chengqing praised and upgraded the official.

In life, one will experience loss and gain, favor and humiliation. If one can treat all these with the attitude of following the course of nature, seeking neither fame nor profit, with a heart of peace and tranquility, like what the ancient people said, "Remain indifferent whether granted favor or subjected to humiliation, just watch the flowers open and fall in the front courtyard; Not paying attention to whether to stay or to leave, but only watch the clouds folding and unfolding in the sky," then one has reached a high realm of "going beyond the ordinary."

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2006/1/12/118486.html

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