366 Readings From Taoism & Confucianism by Weyer Robert Van De

Author:Weyer, Robert Van De
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JAICO PUBLISHING HOUSE
Published: 2013-10-28T16:00:00+00:00

The right way of stealing

Kuo was very rich, and Hsiang was very poor. So Hsiang went to see Kuo, to ask how to become rich. Kuo said to him: 'I am rich because I am good at stealing. Within a year of being a thief I was comfortable; within two years I was affluent; and within three years I was a benefactor of the whole neighbourhood.'

So Hsiang decided to become a thief. He climbed over walls, broke into houses, and stole anything he could. But he was soon caught, and everything was taken from him. He thought Kuo had deceived him, and so he went to him to express his anger.

'In what way have you been stealing?' Kuo asked. Hsiang told him. Kuo said: 'Alas, you have not followed the true way of stealing. I rob heaven and earth. In the rainy season I steal rain, and irrigate my fields. I steal birds from the trees with my bow and arrow, and fish from the lakes with my fishing net. I steal silk from the silk worm to make clothes. In fact I spend every waking hour stealing, and that is how I have become rich. And heaven and earth never punish me for my thefts.'

So Hsiang took up stealing in the same way; and he too became a benefactor.

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