Chinese parable about the relationship between man and nature. Chinese parables and fairy tales

Once upon a time there was a woman, and she had a lover. One night their husband found them. He killed his lover and ran away. The woman immediately boiled the corpse, made a stew out of it, and fed it to the pigs. That's how it all worked out. After some time, the husband returned and was surprised to learn that the matter remained without consequences...
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Cow with cut off tongue

In Tanchangxian County, the peasant Hu Si had a cow. And she was just like a “household jewel”: to plow the field - on it, to carry luggage - again on it. And every morning Hu Si himself fed and watered her.

One day Hu Si went to feed the cow, and lo and behold, everything in the stall was upside down. I looked more closely: blood was dripping from the cow’s mouth...
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Scientist and Peasant

One peasant worked in his field all his life. One day he noticed that his crops were withering away, and carried fertilizer to the field. A scientist was walking towards him; he walked in his beautiful clothes, raising his head and not noticing anything around him - and he ran into a peasant. Smelly fertilizer poured right onto him. Both began to swear and demand compensation for damages. They argued and argued, came to nothing and went to the judge...
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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 showed no diligence in anything, and his knowledge was only superficial. He knew how to draw and play the flute, but artlessly; studied the laws, but even the scribes knew more than him...
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Why does a person need memory?

One official was appointed judge. He sat down in the hall and began to sort out the court case. The plaintiff and the accused began to present their arguments.

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

Experience the flow of freedom given to him,
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- there's 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 no longer remembers 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,
The soothsayer is called 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! - 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,
He scared the Confucian... He was “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 awaited 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 mastered the art of kidnapping long ago,
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 appearance, but a creature 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 stronger guys,
What are they chatting about without caring?
Why is God unfair...
For some it’s joy, but it’s misfortune
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 worldly things during 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 reliably hit the target!
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...

Sea of ​​Tales http://sseas7.narod.ru/monade.htm
Archive of fairy tale links

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 the one? offended by life the blacksmith 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, gave him as an apprentice famous master martial arts 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 the present martial arts, 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 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 what he had bitten 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 sadly added, “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 relations 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 good deeds. 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 came to hell old woman, carrying a man with withered legs on his 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 in front of the hut. ancient art inhalations and exhalations.

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.

The kind hermit cured the unlucky warrior, and then long years 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.

"Which 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 surfaced with a ponytail left side and with a turtle head on the right, 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 spoke to them 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.

Once upon a time there lived a poor peasant. He lived with his young son on the outskirts, and he had one horse, on which he plowed his field. This horse was magnificent - so much so that one day, when the emperor was passing by, he offered the peasant a significant sum for it. But the peasant refused to sell it. That same night the horse galloped away.

The next morning the villagers gathered around our hero and said:

Horrible! How unlucky are you! Now you have neither the horse nor the emperor's money!

The peasant answered:

Maybe it's bad, maybe it's not. I only know that my horse galloped away and I did not receive money from the emperor.

Several days passed, and one morning the magnificent White horse returned, bringing with her six other beautiful, but wild horses, each better than the other, especially if they were broken and trained.

The villagers gathered again and said:

How amazing! How lucky you are! You will soon become very rich!

The peasant replied:

Maybe it's good, maybe it's not. All I know is that my horse came back and brought six other horses with him.

Soon after the horse's return, our peasant's son fell from one of these wild horses and broke both his legs.

The villagers gathered again, and this is what they said this time:

What a grief! You yourself will never ride these horses, and now no one will be able to help you with the harvest, you will go broke, and maybe even starve.

The peasant answered:

Maybe it's bad, maybe it's not. All I know is that my son fell off his horse and broke both legs.

The next day the emperor returned to the village. Now he was leading his warriors into a fierce battle with the army of a neighboring country; he needed new soldiers, most of whom were destined to die. Nobody paid attention to our peasant’s son because of his fractures.

This time the villagers, who were overwhelmed with grief from the loss of their own sons, ran to our hero with the words:

They took pity on your son! Lucky you! It's good that he fell off his horse and broke both legs. He won't die like the rest of the boys from our village.

The peasant answered:

Maybe it's bad, maybe it's not. I only know that my son did not have to follow the emperor to this battle.

Although the story ends here, it is not difficult to imagine that the life of this peasant continued in the same way.

If we behave like the villagers in this story, we risk wasting precious energy searching for the good or something that will counteract the bad. Exactly constant search heights, the joy of achieving which brings only temporary pleasure, leads us to falls.

Let's take economics as an example.

From the book of Yehuda Berg