I’m going to tell you a Chinese story. […] Do you know that “Tomb Sweeping Day”? (Yes, we know.) Is it called “Ching Ming Festival?” (Yes.) […] In the old time, there was a king. Before he became king, he had been chased by opponents who are after his life. […] There were days they didn’t have enough food to eat, no place to sleep, etc. […] One day they were so hungry that they were completely powerless. Everyone just lay there, not able to move. Prince Chong’er also lay there. He rested his head on the lap of a loyal minister, using it as a pillow and fell asleep. […]
Suddenly Jie Zitui brought a bowl of very hot, steaming hot meat broth for him to eat. Prince Chong’er, after eating the meat broth, felt much better and regained his vitality. Feeling that it was very tasty, he asked him, “Where did you get such nice meat?” Pointing to his leg, Jie Zetui said, “It’s from my leg. I cut a piece for my lord to eat. Because I’ve heard that a filial son would sacrifice his body when serving his parents. A faithful minister, being loyal to the lord, should sacrifice his body. Today, seeing my lord starving without anything to eat, I am obliged to cut a piece of meat from my leg to feed my lord.” […] After Prince Chong’er heard that, he felt very, very touched and shed tears. He told Jie Zitui, “When will I ever be able to repay your favor?”
Then, after the prince and his officials had succeeded, and were returning to their homeland, they took a boat on the Yellow River. […] Many people who had followed Prince Chong’er for a long time all got their rewards. Some got such and such official positions, some got wealth, and still some got lands. A whole bunch of people were granted high positions, royal titles, and official titles. Except Jie Zutui, who got nothing. He resigned from his official position and returned home, doing what he should do. It was very hard because he was poor. He relied on repairing others’ broken shoes to earn a living to provide for his old mother.
He (Jie Zitui) had a neighbor who was named Xie Zhang. Xie Zhang saw that Jie Zitui did not receive any credit or reward; he felt very indignant. Therefore, one day, when he went out and saw an announcement by Duke Wen of Jin, saying: “Anyone who has rendered meritorious service to the king and has not received a reward should let the court know quickly.” Seeing this announcement, he went back and told Jie Zitui. Jie Zitui just smiled and didn’t say anything; he did not answer him. Then Jie’s mother, after hearing their conversation, also told Jie Zitui, “You’ve rendered service to the king for 19 years, which was hard work, and you cut a piece of flesh from your own leg to feed the king. Why not go and tell the court to get some favors or rewards? It’s better than suffering and living in poverty here.”
Jie Zitui then told her, “The late King, Duke Xian of Jin, had nine sons. However, among them, only our lord, Chong’er, is the most wise and virtuous. Duke Hui and Duke Huai were not virtuous, and so Heaven deposed them and gave the country to our lord,” meaning Chong’er. “Those followers, unaware of Heaven’s Will,” – meaning those former subordinates of Chong’er – “They were unaware of Heaven’s Will, and dared to claim the credit for themselves. Therefore, I would feel ashamed to be together with them. It’s so embarrassing. Therefore, I’d rather lead a life of poverty, instead of going there to mingle with them, claiming any credit for myself.” Was it correct for Jie Zitui to say this at this moment? (Yes.) Who said “yes”? Is it correct? (Yes.) Why are there just a couple of you, what about the others? No comment?
Speak one by one. Boys first. (He felt it was the arrangement of Creation.) “Everything is God’s arrangement.” How about the girls? (Not joining the corrupt.) Only one person should speak, loudly. (Not joining the corrupt people.) I said only one person. (Not following the corrupt.) (Not joining the corrupt.) “Follow people into the mud,” what does it mean? You used such advanced language, how can I understand? I might not even understand plain language, not to mention such advanced Chinese. So, “follow into the mud (corruption).” What mud? (Not doing bad things together with them.) (Not doing bad things together with them.) What bad things? (Not wanting to be corrupted.) Not wanting to be corrupted. Is it the “mud (corruption)” that you meant just now? Does it mean that? (Yes, it's the same.) Repeat again that advanced Chinese phrase to me. (Joining the corrupt.) Joining the corrupt. Oh. One would be contaminated if staying together in the same muddy river. (Yes.) Ah… How would I know such advanced Chinese? Thank you. “Joining corrupt people,” means he didn’t like to mingle with those corrupt people, is it so? (Yes.) Mingle with those fond of fame and fortune? (Yes.) OK. That was one of the reasons. Yes. The other reason was that he thought, whatever a person receives is a gift from Heaven. (Yes.) It is not by our own merit that we are able to help. Right? (Yes.)
Like Shakyamuni Buddha… In His time, many disciples also helped Him. It’s not because of the help of disciples that He became a Buddha. Right? (Yes.) He achieved Buddhahood naturally. (Yes.) Neither was it because those teachers spent much effort teaching Him, that He became a Buddha. No. (No.) It only helped a little. It’s a kind of tool. He became a Buddha naturally. If He couldn’t become a Buddha, even the teachers could not help Him. Right? (Yes.) Therefore, many people followed the Buddha to learn. Even Devadatta also followed the Buddha. But because his heart was evil, even though he also followed the same Teacher, he didn’t get anything at all. Instead, he fell into the evil path. (Yes.) Therefore, spiritual practice must depend on ourselves; the teacher can only point the way. If we don’t walk the path, but simply stand on the sidelines, keep standing there, it doesn’t matter how hard the teacher pushes us, if we don’t go, we can’t reach our goal.
Alright. So the concept of Jie Zitui, when he said that, it was very correct. Because his concept was correct, so he resigned and went home, and led an ordinary life. Not just ordinary, but poor life. Then, hearing Jie Zitui talking about his aspiration, his mother told her son, “If you, my son, can be a wise man, can’t I be a wise mother? So, if you decide not to accept favors from the court, you and I should go and find a remote mountain forest and hide there, instead of living here in the city, mingling with others.” So, Jie Zitui took his mother on his back, and went elsewhere, finding a place in the mountain, built a thatched cottage, and lived there in seclusion. No one in the neighborhood knew where they went, except Xie Zhang.
Xie Zhang saw the two of them, mother and son, escape and hide themselves. He was very angry, feeling that it was very unfair. So he wrote a letter, an anonymous letter, went to the king’s gate at midnight, and left the letter there. This was what he wrote: “When the Dragon lost his power…” Is this the way to say it? “Losing power” means when he had no political power. (Yes. Right.) “When the Dragon lost his power, a group of snakes followed him, wandering around the world. One time, the Dragon had nothing to eat, and a snake cut the flesh from his own leg for the Dragon to eat.” Ah, so the snakes also had legs. Only now do I know that snakes in China are different from those elsewhere in the world.
“Today, the Dragon has regained power and ascended the throne. The group of snakes that followed him before all have received awards and favors, except the snake who cut his leg for the Dragon to eat. No one cares to ask his name.” Meaning he had been forgotten. Who told him to grow a leg on his body, making him different from the other snakes? So that people can remember him better. If he were the same as the other snakes, others wouldn’t recognize him. Not to mention that he grew a leg there, making himself different from the other snakes. Who told him to have such a weird look?
The King, Duke Wen of Jin, after reading the letter, was shocked, and then remembered, suddenly remembered Jie Zitui. He told his subordinates to quickly go look for him. But it was too late. Jie Zitui had already left home. Xie Zhang, the neighbor, was summoned and he told Duke Wen of Jin, “The letter was not written by Jie Zitui, but by me. Because Jie Zitui did not like to receive awards, he took his mother and went into the mountains. Both of them are in hiding.”
Hearing this, Duke Wen of Jin sighed regretfully. Immediately, he personally led some subordinates and personally went to “San Di Men,” to look for Jie Zitui. When they arrived there, all they could see were high mountains and deep rivers, and very dense forest. They didn’t see any humans; they only heard the chirping of bird(-people) and saw wild animal(-people) running here and there. They found no trace of Jie Zitui. Some farmers who were working in their fields there told them, “Quite some time ago, we saw a man, of certain age and certain look, carrying an old lady, passing by here. They medi… rested there.” “Meditated.” Old habits die hard. They just took a rest, a nd I said “meditated.” “They sat there for a rest, drank some river water and then left. We don’t know where they went. Likely they had gone into that mountain.”
Duke Wen of Jin sighed and said, “It’s all my fault to have forgotten such a sage. That’s why he was in this situation. Now he’s nowhere to be found. But I heard that Jie Zitui is a very filial son. If we set fire to the forest now, in order to protect his mother, Zitui will definitely carry his mother out.” When he carries her out, then they would be able to find him, meaning like that. He had a good intention. After some consideration, he ordered people to set fire to the forest. Because the forest was very big, the fire burned for three days and nights, and did not go out.
However, Jie Zitui and his mother refused to come out. Two of them hugged each other and died in front of the stone cave. So pitiful. After they found the remains of the mother and son, Duke Wen of Jin saw it and shed tears. He told his subordinates to bury them at the foot of the mountain and build a small temple. Then the mountain was renamed “Mt. Jie,” the “Jie” of Jie Zitui. Meaning to commemorate this loyal minister.
Photo Caption: “This Exquisite Beauty in the Wild, Takes the Keen Eyes to Discover”
