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[Traditional Culture] Confucius's Viewpoint on "Praying"
(Clearwisdom.net) Wang Sungu was one of Confucius's disciples in the Kingdom of Wei. Even
though he was a high ranking government official, Wang still called Confucius
his teacher. One day Wang asked Confucius a question, "There is an old
saying, 'It's smarter to please the God Au than to please the God Zao.' What do
you think?" The God Au is located in the southwestern corner of a house. It is the most
prestigious location for people to worship, but there is no specific god in that
location. The God Zao is a specific god but with a lower position. Wang intended
to point out that, through Wang's efforts, Confucius could get a timely
government post but that Confucius could end up nowhere if he waited for a
direct appointment by the emperor. Confucius told Wang seriously, "Anyone who acts against the will of the
gods ends up nowhere, no matter how diligently he prays." Confucius added, "A disciplined person would follow decent rules. He
would not flatter the God Au, nor would he flatter the God Zao." Confucius was once seriously ill. A disciple, Zi Lu, took care of Confucius
for over a month without ever leaving his side. Zi Lu was very worried because
Confucius began to lose weight and showed no signs of getting better. He felt
that he could only pray to the gods since no one else would be able to save his
teacher's life. Therefore, Zi Lu asked Confucius's permission to pray for him. Confucius
asked him, "Is there a law that patients can get well by praying to the
gods?" Zi Lu responded, "Yes, 'I pray to the gods for you' was quoted in the
ancient book of wisdom Zhou Li." Confucius then said, "Then you
don't need to pray for me since I have prayed for myself for a long time." Seeing Zi Lu astonished, Confucius added, "A real prayer must come out
of a pure heart and comply with the principles of heaven. In other words, one
must respect and obey the principles of heaven without breaking them. That's why
I said that I had prayed for a long time." The next day, Confucius miraculously recovered from his illness.
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