PureInsight | June 13, 2005
[PureInsight.org] During the Tang Dynasty, a man named Kong Zhen passed the imperial examination to become an official. One day on his way back home, it was raining and he took shelter under the eaves of a house. It rained for a long time and got heavier and heavier. When it was time for lunch, a servant came out from the house and invited him to come inside. He accepted the invitation. Inside the house, the owner of the house, an elderly man, came out to welcome him in a humble manner. They then went on to enjoy a feast. The food was so fine that Kong Zhen thought that it rivaled the food served in the royal court.
When it was time for him to leave, Kong Zhen thanked the owner and asked if he could borrow an umbrella from him. The elderly man said, "I live in seclusion. I never pay attention to what happens outside. I never go out whether it is winter or summer. Therefore, I do not have an umbrella." Then he asked his servant to borrow an umbrella from the neighbor for Kong Zhen.
There is a Chinese saying, "A minor recluse hides in the mountains. A major recluse hides in the middle of a town." When he went home, Kong Zhen told people, "I have met a major recluse."
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2005/5/30/32538.html
