Several people were walking along the north road to Han Tan early one morning when they each came in turn upon a man lying in the roadside. The first person, pausing in his
journey, said out loud, ‘That man must be drunk and sleeping it off, probably after gambling all night at the Mah Jong House I’ll wager. The scoundrel ought to know when he’s had enough and go home, rather than sleeping where it suits him!’ Continuing on his way he shouted, ‘The gutter is the best place for you.’
A second passer-by said worriedly to himself, ‘He could be dead having been bitten by a poisonous snake. There are some venomous ones in these parts I hear.’ Hurrying ahead he soon overtook the first man.
‘Poor unfortunate,’ thought a third person, a little later, ‘He
must be very ill and looks as though he doesn’t want to be
disturbed. I better let him rest where he is.’
To read the rest of this story go to The Teachings of Billionaire Yen Tzu Volume II lesson 9. The outcome is fascinating.
As wise Yen Tzu reflects on his story he suggests that...
'The scoundrel, therefore, sees a scoundrel; the drinker sees a drunk; the worrier sees problems; the saint bows to a saint. Yet all are mistaken. Where one sees what his frame of reference perceives to be a snake, another sees something dumped by a scoundrel, yet both are unaware that it is really the tail of a dangerous animal. If heaven and hell are states of consciousness we allow ourselves to occupy, then if there is hell in your mind, you won’t see heaven anywhere. If there is heaven in your mind, you can’t see hell.'
Once again yen Tzu show us how unaware and prejudiced we are and our small-minded judgment reflects back on us.
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