[The Epoch Times, Mawrth 16, 2024]In 335 BC, Alexander the Great, aged 21, united all of Greece. He came to Athens, where his teacher Aristotle once lived. There is the sublime Acropolis, the majestic Parthenon, and prophets and sages such as Socrates and Pythagoras, and it is a place that Alexander has always longed for.
Alexander was handsome and majestic, and everyone who saw him bowed to him.
On this day Alexander was walking in the streets of Athens and saw a man in ragged clothes sitting with his back against a large barrel and one arm on the ground. His beard and hair were all white, and his face was covered with dust, like a beggar. Alexander walked up to him, but he still sat, indifferent. Alexander asked politely: “Can I do something for you?” This man raised his right hand like a beggar and made a gesture that seemed to push Alexander away and said: “Yes. Please stand aside, you Block my sunlight.”
The people around him laughed at this humble and ignorant beggar, didn’t he know that standing before him was a man like a god of war, Alexander the Great who was to lead his army across Europe and Asia, to conquer Persia, and fight to the end of sea and sky? But Alexander was silent. He turned around, reflected for a moment and said: “If I were not Alexander, I would definitely be Diogenes.”
The beggar’s name was Diogenes. He was a student of Socrates and the founder of the Cynic school in ancient Greece. The big barrel he leans against is where he lives every day. The reason why his school of thought is called “cynicism” is because he advocates “living like a dog.” This advocacy has been misunderstood by contemporary people, and many intellectuals who claim to be cynics live like “licking dogs.”
Alexander’s words are simple and profound: “If I cannot conquer the world, then I, like Diogenes, will not let others conquer me.”
Diogenes’ thinking can be easily explained through the words of Mencius, that is, “wealth and honor cannot be lewd, poverty and depression cannot be removed, and strength cannot bend.” And the reason he was able to do this was because he was able to abandon all desires. Luxurious mansions, delicious food, bright clothes, angry horses, cheers from thousands of people, and great fame were all meaningless to him. When people are lost in material desires, they lose their own nature. From this point of view, Diogenes’ philosophy is somewhat similar to Lao Tzu’s philosophy of abandoning wisdom and being wise, embracing simplicity and thinking less. Only then can people return to their true nature.
From the point of view of Taoists or Diogenes, not many people in this world really live, and they are all wrapped up in desires. Diogenes once walked around the city holding a lantern and said, “I am looking for a truly honest person.” Others laughed at him for being mad, and he laughed at other people’s hypocrisy.
This story is told to show that everyone in this world has his own ambition. Some people pursue earthly glitz, while others pursue transcendental purity. In Buddhism, there are many prominent monks and great sages who are princes and prime ministers. For example, before Sakyamuni became Buddha, he was the prince of the Kapilavastu Kingdom in India. Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, was the prince of Xiangzhi Kingdom in India. An Shigao was a prince of Anshi (ancient Persia). ) The Prince of the Kingdom and the great translator Kumarajiva was the son of the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Kucha. These people gave up their glory and wealth to try to release purity and destruction.
Alexander was wise, Although he could not abandon his worldly achievements and his fame, he could understand Diogenes’ condition. But now the vast majority of people cannot even reach the level of Alexander the Great. They also did not understand why Xu You, who “longed for Qingyun”, immediately ran to the river to wash his ears after Yao heard that he wanted to give him the Zen position.
Many people are talking about what will happen if Falun Gong takes power in the future. Falun Gong is a Buddhist practice, and what practitioners are after is not worldly wealth, but wisdom and eternal happiness on the other side. This is the reason why the CCP cannot defeat this cultivation group no matter how much killing, torture, or the temptation of fame, wealth and lust is used, because the CCP’s methods are all secular, and the field of Falun practitioners Gong beyond the secular.
On the other hand, Falun Gong practitioners must follow Master Li Hongzhi’s teachings to be socially responsible people, that is, to fulfill their obligations as citizens. In the company’s work, in family life, in social interaction, and in school study, we must shoulder our responsibilities seriously and responsibly and play our roles well. There are different jobs in the world. As long as they are not illegal, criminal or morally corrupt, Falun Gong practitioners can do them and will do their best to do them well. This is also a requirement of the legal principles of Falun Gong. But their hearts are not tied down by these worldly positions or roles.
Doing good things in the world with a worldly mind is an extremely difficult cultivation process, and people who have not studied the works of Falun Gong and practiced it personally cannot understand it. But at least you should understand the literal meaning. Falun Gong practitioners also need to study, work, and start a family. These worldly lives are not the ends in themselves, but they are the conditions for Falun Gong practitioners to realize and u realized. This kind of life is a life that depends on circumstances. Whether you are rich or poor, good or bad, you can handle it with a normal mind, and you can be yourself and be kind to others in all circumstances. This is also a Falun Gong Requirement for practitioners. ◇
Editor in charge: Ren Zhen
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