TA的每日心情 | 擦汗
2022-7-12 09:44 |
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本帖最后由 弹钢琴 于 2022-4-17 10:47 编辑
ON ONE OF PU SONGLING'S STRANGE TALES
Mr. Liu doesn't merit a reincarnation as a human being, considering his negative attitude and approach to life during the three "life sentences", in each of which he was born a particular animal.
Every living thing on earth serves a purpose. That means each and every incarnation in samsara, be it as a plant, an animal, or an ordinary mortal, has its unique goodness that will somehow benefit the existence beneath Heaven and above Hell. Thus, if you came into the world as a human being, be a deserving human being; if you were reincarnated as a dog, well, just be a deserving dog. What's wrong with being an animal? Liu's relentless disdain for any non-human form reflects his innate arrogance and selfishness manifest in his very first human life, which was duly condemned by King Yan (Yan Wang, the King of Hell) for its sheer debauchery. During his three animal lives, Liu did nothing laudable as what he was then to redeem his previous dissolute life. He refused to be just himself; the only thing he wanted was to put on a human skin.
In Chinese culture from ancient times to the present, filial piety takes precedence over all other virtues. People are expected to be devoted to their parents and care for them until they have departed this life. That's what filial duties are all about, so are in the world of animals. How was a foal or a puppy able to grow up if not for its mother's milk, protection, and breeding? Shortly after Mr. Liu was born into a stable, he groped for his horse mother's teats; the first moment he knew that he had become a dog, he was receiving the bitch's suckling and licking by turns. But Liu never gave a damn about this tender loving care. Instead, he seems to have been feeling ashamed and deprived all the while, and sure enough, he didn't do anything to requite maternal love. So what can be expected from Liu when he was once again reincarnated as a human being?
Aside from the last role as a solitary snake in the grass, Mr. Liu was afforded not only a home and a loving mother, but also a kind owner. He repaid that kindness, however, by going on a fast so as to cut short his life as a horse and by biting a chunk of flesh off his owner's leg as a dog. Loyalty is another virtue the Chinese people is endowed with, and it's very interesting to see Pu Songling reincarnate his protagonist as these two animals renowned everywhere for their everlasting allegiance: dogs and horses will develop a true intimacy with their owners. Quite the contrary, however, Liu betrayed and left them without so much as an ounce of gratitude.
Thus, for his being unfilial, disloyal, and disdainful of non-human lives during the three life sentences, Mr. Liu is no doubt unworthy of another reincarnation as a member of the human race. Of course, it would be presumptuous of me to pass judgement on King Yan's final verdict, but I can still have a take on Pu's story: if every living thing in samsara believed in Liu's stratagem, the universe of the living would be in complete chaos. "Everything on the boat serves a purpose", as the saying goes, then what would become of this boat if many of that "everything" now ceased to serve? |
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发表于 2022-4-16 10:56:23
