PureInsight | December 17, 2007
[PureInsight.org] Shishuoxinyu
was written during the period of the Southern and Northern Dynasties
(AD 420 ~ AD 581. It narrates miscellaneous anecdotes about imperial
court personnel of the Eastern Han to the Southern Dynasties. Here's
one of the stories in Shishuoxinyu: When a person by the name of Wang
Gong had just returned home from Huiji, Wang Chen, a senior of his
clan, came to visit him. When Wang Chen saw the fine bamboo mat Wang
Gong was sitting on, he was very fond of it and had greedy thoughts. He
said to Wang Gong: "You just came back from Huiji where you could get
this novel good thing. You should give me one." Wang Gong didn't say
anything at the time and they just chatted about some other things.
After Wang Chen left, Wang Gong had his family send the mat to Wang
Chen. Wang Gong had to sit on a straw mat, since he didn't have an
extra one. Later on, when Wang Chen heard about it, he was very
surprised and ashamed. He told Wang Gong: "I thought that you had an
extra mat when I asked for it."
Wang Gong said: "You don't understand me. My criteria for success in
life is not to have unnecessary things. I think that without the burden
of material things, one can have more free space in the mind and be
really happy."
We don't need many things in life. Most of us want to own many, many
things in our lives. Many people want to have many things so much that
they cannot sleep well at night and they ruin their health and their
minds suffer great pain. Some fight for them until their heads broken
and bleeding, even lose their lives. Pursuing material things is really
not a good thing. The greatest enemy in life is being unable to abandon
one's attachments.
Translated from:
http://www.xinsheng.net/xs/articles/gb/2007/12/13/42053.htm
