“
At the Gorge of Lu, the great waterfall plunges for thousands of feet, its spray
visible for miles. In the churning waters below, no living creature can be seen.
One day, K'ung Fu-tse was standing at a distance from the pool’s edge, when he saw
an old man being tossed about in the turbulent water. He called to his disciples
and together they ran to rescue the victim. But by the time they reached the
water, the old man had come out onto the bank and was walking along,
singing to himself. K'ung Fu-tse hurried up to him. ‘You would have to be a
Ghost to survive that,’ he said, ‘but you seem to be a man, instead. What
secret power do you have?’ ‘Nothing special,’ the old man replied. ‘I
began to learn while young, and grew up practicing it. Now I am certain
of success. I go down with the water and come up with water. I follow
It and forget myself. I survive because I don’t struggle against the
water’s superior power. That’s all.
”
”