Men Chow: I do not want to join
their ranks, to be sure. But my mind keeps
revolving on this question.
Fu Hsiang: Such puzzlement is
like a fever, Men Chow.
Men Chow: In what way?
Fu Hsiang: You know that when a
man has fever, he struggles and his temperature
rises. Just before his fever breaks, his anguish
is at its height and he rolls about and pours
sweat. The body expels the negative chi20 as heat. This
crisis is followed by cooling and calm as the
body restores its natural order.In a similar
way, when we take the medicine of philosophy to
expel ignorance from our minds, we are at first
confused. Out anguish grows as our familiar ideas
fall away one by one. Soon we are in crisis. But
when we finally arrive at the understanding
provided by philosophy, then our crisis ends. Our
minds become cool and collected and we revert to
our original nature.
Men Chow: I think I must have
reached my crisis already. I am so confused in my
mind.
30
|
