During the era of Confucius more than 2,500 years ago, the position of a master or a teacher was highly regarded as a person of virtue and wisdom. In addition to impart his wisdom to help solving all types of problems, he must also be able to pass on the sacred knowledge of Truth to others. So when he said, When three persons are walking together, there must be one who can be his master, who is the one that he is referring to? This master or teacher that Confucius was referring to is not any ordinary human being. When a Saint such as Confucius spoke, he knew exactly what he was saying as these statements were documented and compiled by his disciples into collection of his seminal teachings. Why did Confucius refer to only three persons and not more or less? There must be some deep meanings that he was trying to convey indirectly. He used the word must meaning he was very sure that amongst these three people, there must be one who can be our master. What if all these three people are lunatics or criminals? Can anyone of them fit to be our master? This was said more than 2,500 years ago where nobody could just simply walk around the street and ask anyone to be his master or teacher. If we look carefully into the mirror, we see two tiny reflections of own selves in our eyes. These two persons are little people and in Chinese, little people are called xiao ren which actually means people who are unscrupulous and unrighteous moral character. Devious or treacherous people are also known as xiao ren and also refer to a lay mortal being, a person whose existence carries little significance to the world. In that context, let us look and ponder for a moment why are our eyes considered as xiao ren? We often hear the saying of see no evil. Why do people say that? This is where most sins begin to start. The two eyes are the channels through which most temptations begin to take hold in our heart. Buddha referred to the two eyes as thieves, the thieves who could steal away the treasures inside our temple of God. We often get upset or angry by what we see and these two eyes can also deprive us from our basic goodness. The very reason that the two thieves steal is because the master of the house is still asleep. Who is this master that is still asleep? He is the master that Confucius refers to as his master! Look again carefully into the mirror; we can locate this third person on our face. This third person in the center between the two little persons is the big person and this big person is in the form of a Chinese character ren which means human. Ren comprised of two lines, one line on the left and the other line on the right and these two lines flow nicely along our cheeks beside our nose and join in between the eyes. At this joining point is the point of The Mystical Door which is also known as The Divine Eye or The Third Eye or The Dot. In Chinese big person is called da ren meaning superior person of magnanimity, nobility and righteousness. These three persons exist together when we are alive. When we are dead, these three persons are gone. It is like when a doctor sees a patient in coma, the first reaction is to shine a torch into the irises of the patient and see if the reflections of the two little persons are still there. If they are gone, it means that the big person inside is gone as well. Confucius tells us that out of these three persons, one can be his master and which one? The answer is obvious, the noble and the righteous one in the center. The Mystical Door is the root of our inner conscience and the True Self and is the point of utter goodness. It is our inner master and we should act and follow in accordance with its guidance. Our conscience is pure and before we do or say something, we should contemplate carefully with our conscience. By constantly referring to our inner master, we will be able to change our ways and overcome our shortcomings. It is important to nurture the strength of our inner master and let this master be the guide of our way of being and life. With regards to See no evil, do no evil, speak no evil and listen to no evil, my Heavenly Teacher JiGong said, Use your discerning eyes to know clearly the True and the False and your swift hands to build merits and foster virtues. Apply your light and speedy feet to step through the roads of the world. And your supple mind to manage the affairs of Tao. Let not your tidy and clean mouth pass on bad words and your clear and calm ears listen to gossip. Author: T.A Chew |
