When a person has height in his heart, his state of mind must be light and transcendent. The story of an old man Wei who did not argue even in the face of sudden humiliation is told in “Sitting in the Flowers and Zhiguo”, and his approach can be enthusiastically praised by both ancient and modern people.
Old Mr. Wei heals the sick as well as the heart
The father of Wei Lian Visiting of Changzhou was charitable and skilled in the art of Medicine. He would treat anyone who asked him to treat them, no matter how poor or rich they were, without asking for anything in return. For those who were very poor, he would donate money and medicine. If people from the countryside came to the city to see him, he would let them drink some porridge and eat some cakes beforehand. Only after they finished eating did he start to check their pulse.
Some people thought he did this to be virtuous and do good deeds. Mr. Wei said, “Most of the villagers’ blood vessels are disordered because they have traveled a long way and they are hungry and sleepy. I let them eat first and rest a little so that the blood can be settled. Where am I trying to be virtuous and do good? It’s just a way to show my medical skills!” Every Time he performed good deeds, he used these pretexts as excuses.
Not playing in the circle of right and wrong
Once, a Family asked Mr. Wei to come out to see a doctor. After the consultation, the family lost ten taels of silver. The patient’s son suspected that Old Mr. Wei had stolen it, but did not dare to question him in person, so he was taught to take a pillar of incense and kneel in front of the old man’s door. When old Mr. Wei saw him like this, he said strangely, “What are you doing?” The patient’s son then talked about the lost silver.
The old gentleman invited him to the secret room and said, “It is indeed true. I wanted to take it for the time being to meet an urgent need, and I planned to return it quietly tomorrow when I return to the clinic. Since you are asking about it today, you can take it back right away. But please don’t tell anyone outside!” So he gave him ten taels of silver.
When the patient’s son came out with the money, people sighed in unison, “People’s hearts are unpredictable, to such an extent!” At that time, the words of slander against Mr. Wei were heard in great numbers. The old gentleman listened and did not care, and did not take the insult to him to heart.
The truth came out. He was insulted and did not defend himself to save his Life.
Soon after, the patient was cured. One day, when the father and son were cleaning the bed tent, they suddenly found the silver under the mattress pad, and were shocked and regretted, “Oh my! We have framed Mr. Wei. We should immediately return the money to him in front of everyone, we can no longer let the old man suffer injustice!”
So father and son came together to the door of the old gentleman’s house, still holding the incense in their hands and kneeling in front of the door. When the old man saw them, he smiled and said, “What is it today?” The father and son said in shame: “The silver was not lost, but we were wrong to blame you. Today we came to return the silver to you. I am ignorant, so I will let you scold me!”
The old gentleman smiled, picked them up, and said, “What does it matter? Don’t take it to heart!” The patient’s son then asked him why he was willing to be humiliated rather than defend himself.
The gentleman smiled and said, “Your father and I are relatives, and I have always known him to be thrifty and frugal with his money. He was sick at that time, and I heard that if he lost ten taels of silver, his condition would worsen, and he might even fall ill. So I would rather bear the stigma, so that your father knows that the lost property has been found, will turn his grief into joy, and will naturally recover from his illness!
Hearing this, the father and son knelt down again and the father said, “Thank you, sir, for your kindness, for saving my life even though you have tarnished your own reputation. I would like to be a dog and horse in the next life to repay you for your great kindness!” The old gentleman invited the father and son to his Home, hosted a wine reception, and finally dispersed with great pleasure.
The day the truth came out, the people realized that the previous criticism was wrong. The old gentleman endured the injustice in order to save people’s lives!
After that, Mr. Wei continued to be blessed, and his son, Mr. Lian visited the high school and became a provincial governor, in charge of the judicial, penal and prison supervision at the provincial level. On his eightieth birthday, Mr. Wei also received several grants from The Emperor, and his grandchildren were also very distinguished. At that time, people said, “Heaven rewards good people, and indeed there is no mistake!
The great Tang monk said a saying, “Right and wrong are liberated by not arguing.” It means that when one does not turn around in the circle of right and wrong and does not argue for one’s own momentary right and wrong, one can be relieved from various troublesome situations when one can jump out of the whirlpool of right and wrong. Guan Hanqing of the Yuan Dynasty also had a saying, “The virtuous is he, the foolish is I. What is the point of fighting?” The spiritual insights of these sages are really healing!
(The matter is based on the next volume of “Sitting Flowers and Zhi Guo”, Volume 1, “Defiled and Not Defended”)
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