There once was a stonecutter who was dissatisfied with himself and his position in life.
One day, he passed a wealthy merchant's house, and through the open gateway, saw many fine possessions and important visitors. "How powerful that merchant must be!" thought the stonecutter. He became very envious, and wished that he could be like the merchant. Then he would no longer have to live the life of a mere stonecutter.
To his suprise, he suddenly became the merchant, enjoying more luxuries and power than he had ever dreamed of, envied and detested by those less wealthy than himself. But soon a high official passed by, carried in a sedan chair, accompanied by attendants, and escorted by soldiers beating gongs. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to bow before this procession. "How powerful that official is!" he thought. "i wish that i could be a high official!"
Then he became the high official, carried everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair, feared and hated by the people all around, who had to bow down before him as he passed. It was a hot summers day, and the official felt very uncomfortable in the sticky sedan chair. He looked up at the sun. It shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his presence. "How powerful the sun is!" he thought. "I wish i could be the sun!"
Then he became the sun, shining fiercely down on everyone, scorching the fields, cursed by the farmers and labourers. But a huge black cloud moved between him and the earth, so that his light could no longer shine on everything below. "How powerful that storm cloud is!" he thought. "I wish i could be a cloud!"
Then he became a cloud, flooding the fields and villages, shouted at by everyone. But soon soon he found he was being pushed away by some great force, and realised that it was the wind. "How powerful the wind is!" he thought "I wish i could be the wind!"
Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off the roofs of houses, uprooting trees, hated and feared by all below him. But after a while he ran up against something that would not move, no matter how forceful he blew against it - a huge towering stone. "How powerful that stone is!" he thought. "I wish i could be that stone!"
Then he became the stone, more powerful than anything else on earth. But as he stood there, he heard the sound of a hammer pounding a chisel into the solid rock, and felt himself being changed. "What can be more powerful than i the stone?" he thought. He looked down and saw far below him the figure of a stonecutter.
Originally posted by rwingettLieh Tse left his home in Cheng and journeyed to the kingdom of Wei. While walking down a dusty road, he saw the remains of a skull lying by the wayside. Leih Tse saw that it was the skull of a human that was over a hundred years old. He picked up the bone, brushed the dirt off it, and looked at it for a while. Finally, he put the skull down, sighed, and said to his student who was standing nearby, "in this world, only you and i understand life and death." Turning to the skull he said "Are you unfortunate to be dead and are we fortunate to be alive? Maybe it is you who are fortunate and we who are unfortunate!"
You'll get pie in the sky when you die (that's a lie).
Leih Tse then said to his student, "many people sweat and toil and feel satisfied that they have accomplished many things. However, in the end we are not all that different from this pollished piece of bone. In a hundred years, everyone we know will be just a pile of bones. What is there to gain in life, and what is there to lose in death?"
The ancients knew that life cannot go on for ever, and death is not the end of everything. Therefore, they are not excited by the event of life nor depressed by the occurence of death. Birth and death are part of the natural cycle of things. Only those who can see through the illusion of life and death can be renewed with heaven and earth and age with the sun, moon, and stars.
Leih Tse
Originally posted by rwingettWhere have you been? I thought you died. Have you been following the great debate between the possessed soul of Fred Phelps and Dr. Scribbles? I truly empathize with your debate experience. It takes an incredible amount of energy to be possessed by such thoughts as Fred Phelps.
You'll get pie in the sky when you die (that's a lie).
Originally posted by kirksey957I'm in the process of moving. Haven't had a lot of time for debates lately. Maybe in a few weeks I'll be back in stride.
Where have you been? I thought you died. Have you been following the great debate between the possessed soul of Fred Phelps and Dr. Scribbles? I truly empathize with your debate experience. It takes an incredible amount of energy to be possessed by such thoughts as Fred Phelps.
Originally posted by rwingettLieh Tse left his home in Cheng and journeyed to the kingdom of Wei. While walking down a dusty road, he saw the remains of a skull lying by the wayside. Leih Tse saw that it was the skull of a human that was over a hundred years old. He picked up the bone, brushed the dirt off it, and looked at it for a while. Finally, he put the skull down, sighed, and said to his student who was standing nearby, "in this world, only you and i understand life and death." Turning to the skull he said "Are you unfortunate to be dead and are we fortunate to be alive? Maybe it is you who are fortunate and we who are unfortunate!"
You'll get pie in the sky when you die (that's a lie).
Leih Tse then said to his student, "many people sweat and toil and feel satisfied that they have accomplished many things. However, in the end we are not all that different from this pollished piece of bone. In a hundred years, everyone we know will be just a pile of bones. What is there to gain in life, and what is there to lose in death?"
The ancients knew that life cannot go on for ever, and death is not the end of everything. Therefore, they are not excited by the event of life nor depressed by the occurence of death. Birth and death are part of the natural cycle of things. Only those who can see through the illusion of life and death can be renewed with heaven and earth and age with the sun, moon, and stars.
Leih Tse
Originally posted by huckleberryhoundYou are repeating yourself.
Lieh Tse left his home in Cheng and journeyed to the kingdom of Wei. While walking down a dusty road, he saw the remains of a skull lying by the wayside. Leih Tse saw that it was the skull of a human that was over a hundred years old. He picked up the bone, brushed the dirt off it, and looked at it for a while. Finally, he put the skull down, sighed ...[text shortened]... can be renewed with heaven and earth and age with the sun, moon, and stars.
Leih Tse
Originally posted by cnrmadWhy do Christian fundamentalists all seem to have an awful grasp of grammar and/or the English language?
Read the bible All will be judged and all will face GOD toanswer for their sins. Hope you can find him in this world before he finds you in the next one!!!
Originally posted by NordlysI just think it's strange that the writings of a Chinese philosopher would spurr him to attack me with his pious mumbo jumbo.
It's God-inspired grammar and spelling. It's incomprehensible for non-believers, but if you pent and repent, it will all become clear to you.