An Unmanned Ship


Empty boat


Imagine you were alone, piloting a boat in the rapids. Suddenly, there is a violent impact from behind, almost putting you off course and into the rocks. Most people would lash out in anger at the pilot of the other ship. But if when you look back and see that it was an empty ship that had been blown in by the wind, the anger in most people’s hearts tends to disappear immediately, with a knowing smile, as if nothing had happened. Why do people act differently towards an empty ship?

Zen means that you have no internal or external chaos, you are merely Still. Through meditation, you will not be affected by the environment. If you are satisfied and content then you need not search outwardly. You will be unaffected by the situation, and free from emotional control. Thus you attain the realm of doing nothing, being free and plentiful.

“If a man crosses a river
and an empty boat collides with his own skiff,
Even if he is a bad-tempered man
He will not become very angry.
But if he sees another man in the boat,
He will shout at him to steer clear.
If the shout is not heard, he will shout again, and yet again, and begin cursing.
All because someone is in the boat.
Yet if the boat were empty,
He would not be shouting, and would not be angry.
If you can act as if every boat is empty
Crossing the river of the world,
No one will oppose you,
No one will seek to harm you.”

― Chuang-Tzu

Empty boat
The image is from MyLifeYoga

一条无人驾驶的船

如若你一个人,独自驾驶一条船,在激流中奋勇向前。突然,从背后传来一阵猛烈的撞击,几乎让自己偏离航道,遇上危险,那是另一艘船撞上了自己。人们常常会将满腔怒火,脱口而出,将心中的怒火狂风暴雨一样倾斜出来。可是,回头一看,原来撞击自己的是一艘空船,是一艘被风吹来的独木舟。这时,人们心中的怒火往往立即烟消云散,会心地一笑,就像什么事都没有发生过一样。为什么人们会对同一艘船,采取两种不同的态度?

内不乱为禅,外不乱为定。不受环境影响,就是禅定。内圣外王的功夫,同样是内心圆满自足,不向外求,外在不受环境影响,不受情绪控制,则就会自然无为,自由富足。
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