Ji Zi of the Shang Dynasty was particularly fond of Taoism. He carried a lot of money with him and travelled around to fmd a teacher of Taoism. Whenever he saw a man wearing a yellow cap, he would take him as a Taoist priest and kneel down before him to ask for instructions. One day, a sly swindler tried to get Ji Zi's bag of money. He said deceitfully: "I am a Taoist priest with the true doctrine1 of Taoism. If you'll follow me, I'll certainly teach Taoism to you." Ji Zi believed this to be true, and followed this man wholeheartedly. The swindler wanted all along to take action, but had no chance, while Ji Zi time and again urged him to teach the Taoist doctrine. One day the two of them came to a river bank. At the sight of a moored2 boat, the swindler got an idea and planned to take action. He said to Ji Zi: "Taoism is right here!" Ji Zi asked anxiously: "Where?" The swindler said: "It is at the top of the boat's mast. You will learn Taoism if you climb up to the top." Ji Zi put his bag of money under the mast, hurriedly grasped the mast and began to climb. The swindler clapped his hands and shouted below: "Up! Go further up!" When Ji Zi climbed up to the top and could go no further, he suddenly saw the light. Hugging the mast, he shouted happily: "I've learned Taoism! I've learned Taoism!" |