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Being Devoted to Spiritual Pursuits Even in Poverty By Qing Yan (Clearwisdom.net) Mr. Yuan Xian was a disciple of Confucius. He was
respected for living contentedly as a poor scholar and leading a simple,
virtuous life. His thatched house had a door made of tree branches and straw and
a leaky roof that often left the inside of the house wet. Despite this, Yuan
Xian did not experience it as hardship; he devoted himself to studying
Confucianism and lived happily. One day Zi Gong, another disciple of Confucius, went to visit Yuan Xian. Zi
Gong wore ostentatious clothes and rode in a carriage pulled by an expensive
horse. Since the alley leading to Yuan Xian's house was too narrow for the
carriage, Zi Gong had to walk to Yuan Xian's door. Yuan Xian opened the door. He
was wearing a bark hat and had a walking stick in his hand. Seeing Yuan Xian's
poor, pathetic appearance, Zi Gong teased him, "Hey! Are you ill or
what?" Yuan Xian replied, "As far as I know, living without money is
called poverty, whereas learning the Tao without carrying it out is called
illness. Therefore I am poor but not ill." Zi Gong felt ashamed of himself
after hearing that. Yan Hui was also a disciple of Confucius. He lived simply on one dish of food
and a gourd of drink, and he lived in a shabby place. No one could bear hardship
like he could. He devoted his life to spiritual pursuits, and he was content
with his life. Confucius praised him as a person of great virtue. As a matter of fact, in China's divine culture, be it Buddhism, Confucianism,
Taoism, etc., "attaining the Tao" is considered the utmost goal of
human life. One is respected for living peacefully in poverty, being steadfast
in spirituality, and taking pursuing and attaining the Tao as the grandest joy.
Actually there is no direct relation between being poor and attaining the Tao.
Being able to let go of wealth or poverty--so closely tied to one's sense of
self-worth--is used to describe the idea that pursuing the Tao stays firm
regardless of any worldly interests or temptations. March 20, 2007 Posting date: 3/31/2007 |