Find Thyself

（单词翻译）

The only problem ¹⁾unconsciously assumed by all Chinese ²⁾philosophers to be of any importance is: How shall we enjoy life, and who can best enjoy life? No ³⁾perfectionism, no ⁴⁾straining after the ⁵⁾unattainable, no ⁶⁾postulating of the unknowable; but taking poor, ⁷⁾mortal human nature as it is, how shall we organize our life so that we can work peacefully, endure ⁸⁾nobly and live happily?

Who are we? That is the first question. It is a question almost impossible to answer. But we all agree that the busy self occupied in our daily activities is not quite the real self. We are quite sure we have lost something in the ⁹⁾mere¹ pursuit of living. When we watch a person running about looking for something in a field, the wise man can set a puzzle for all the ¹⁰⁾spectators to solve: what has that person lost? Some one thinks it is a watch; another thinks it is a diamond ¹¹⁾brooch; and others will ¹²⁾essay other guesses. After all the guesses have failed, the wise man who really doesn”t know what the person is seeking after, tells the company: “l’ll tell you. He has ¹³⁾lost some breath.” And no one can deny that he is right. So we often forget our true self in the pursuit of living, like a bird forgetting its own danger in pursuit of a ¹⁴⁾mantis², which again forgets its own danger in pursuit of another ¹⁵⁾prey³, as is so beautifully expressed in a ¹⁶⁾parable by Chuangtse. CE