In the 6th century BC, there was a renowned philosopher in Chinese history known as Lao Tzu. He was often referred to as Laozi and held in high regard for his simple and humble way of life. Remarkably, his wisdom continues to hold value to this day. Each of Lao Tzu’s words carries profound meaning that prompts us to reflect. Among his teachings, there is a particular story that goes like this
“One day, news of Lao Tzu’s wisdom spread to the ears of the emperor at that time. The king, not believing the rumors to be true, was very eager to meet Lao Tzu. After a few attempts, the king sent his servants to invite Lao Tzu, but Lao Tzu was busy and couldn’t come. In the end, the king had to personally go to meet him to seek answers for himself.
“When he visited Lao Tzu’s house, the king looked around and only saw a humble thatched cottage with an elderly man in simple attire tending to a vegetable garde.
– The king approached and asked, “Are you Lao Tzu?”
– Lao Tzu greeted him and replied gently, “Yes, I am. How may I assist you?”
– The king deliberately posed a challenging question, saying, “I’ve heard you’re a person of extraordinary wisdom, but I find you quite ordinary and unremarkable. How can I know if you are truly extraordinary?”
– After hearing this, Lao Tzu smiled and replied, “Ordinary people cannot see the extraordinary”.
– The king, satisfied with the response, remarked, “You appear like a common farmer yet carry the demeanor of a nobleman. I am a king, but I have never possessed the tranquility you do. I yearn for that, but my mind is always restless with worries and thoughts. Please, tell me how to attain a mind as serene as yours?”
– Lao Tzu responded, “Very well, I will show you, but first, come to my house early tomorrow morning before the sun rises”. After saying this, Lao Tzu fell silent and resumed his work. Throughout that night, the king couldn’t sleep due to his curiosity about what Lao Tzu would say.
The following morning, the king arrived at Lao Tzu’s house as promised, just before sunrise, and found him watering the plants.
– Lao Tzu looked towards the king and said:“ Now, please water all the remaining plants without any assistance. Use this watering can to water the 30 plants here. Starting from here and going to the end of the row, you must water each plant one by one. Remember, while watering, you must maintain absolute silence and not engage in any other actions, nor let any thoughts enter your mind. Focus solely on watering the plants. If any thoughts come to your mind, stop and restart from the beginning”. After finishing his instructions, Lao Tzu went inside the house to have tea. The king felt a bit surprised because he thought, ‘this task may appear simple and can be accomplished within a few minutes, so one might wonder what there is to learn from it?’.
The king lifted the watering can and started watering the first plant, but by the time he reached the second plant, he began to think, ‘In the palace garden, someone else always takes care of this. I’ve never watered plants like this before.’ Right then, he remembered Lao Tzu’s words, ‘If any thoughts come to your mind, stop and restart from the beginning’. The king was very honest because he knew that honesty would help him learn Lao Tzu’s profound wisdom.
The king returned to rewater the first plant, and by the time he reached the second plant, he maintained his focus. However, when he got to the third plant, he began thinking, ‘I’ve overcome my previous thoughts’. At this point, he began to contemplate ‘ruling the kingdom’. Once again, his mind wandered, and the king felt somewhat embarrassed, but this time, he was determined. He patiently restarted from the first plant, and he made it past the fifth plant, but by the time he reached the sixth, it appeared slightly more wilted than the previous ones. He began to reflect on ‘devastating battles, trampled fields, numerous lives lost, with blood staining the land. Now, the enemy is still relentlessly plotting to invade the kingdom’, and he started worrying about the nation’s safety.
At that moment, he recognized that he was thinking, and his mind started to become chaotic, requiring him to water the plant again. Therefore, he engaged in an internal mental struggle, reminding himself not to think just before watering the first plant. As he progressed further, the king began to feel discomfort because he found himself ‘thinking more than ever’. By noon, the king still hadn’t completed the task, repeatedly starting over. At this point, he was exhausted, perspiring profusely, yet he was determined to persevere.
When evening arrived, he couldn’t even finish watering up to the 30th plant. In the end, he had to accept his failure because he couldn’t overcome his own thoughts. The king was exhausted, and he sat down, glancing over to see Lao Tzu still standing at the door, attentively observing his actions.
– Seeing this, Lao Tzu gently approached the king and said, “I am delighted by your honesty. Therefore, I will now share the secret, and I hope you will listen carefully”.
– Lao Tzu said, “Once the mind becomes empty, true strength emerges from within. Even ordinary tasks can bring you inner peace and boundless wisdom”.
– The king, intrigued, asked, “How can this happen? How can one attain a state of non-thinking while doing anything? In my mind, thoughts are incessant; they keep occurring on their own, and I can’t make them stoBecause the more I try to force it, the more it thinks”.
– Lao Tzu emphasized, “You cannot complete this simple task because you cannot focus on it. The reason for your inability to focus is that your mind has never trained in the power of concentration, much like a child who has never practiced writing. Because you haven’t trained to control your mind, whenever you need to concentrate on something, you lose your calm, become anxious, and easily get distracted. You have been defeated by the thoughts you create”.
The king understood the profound statement and took a valuable lesson for himself: ‘if you want to develop something, you must fully concentrate, not think about other things. This not only helps your mind become calm and clear, not agitated but also reaches the power of the mind’s inner feeling, awakening an infinite source of wisdom’.
By TVVN Press
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