Other people’s minds
A man called Kung became famous for his strength. The king
heard about him, and summoned him to his palace.
When the king saw Kung, he was astonished how puny
he looked. He beckoned Kung to come up to him, and he put
his hand on Kung’s arms and legs. Then he exclaimed: ‘You
have barely a muscle on your body. You must be the weakest
person in the land, not the strongest.’
Kung replied: ‘My strength lies in other people’s heads.’
The kind was perplexed, and demanded that Kung explain
himself. Kung replied: ‘My explanation lies in the very fact
that you summoned me to your palace.’ The king was even
more perplexed, and demanded a fuller explanation.
Kung said: ‘The truth is that I like to sit at home, and to
study ancient books. But in the past I was constantly disturbed
by big, strong lads, who came to my home, dragged me out-
side, and beat me. So one day I decided to go and visit Lieh
Tzu, and ask his advice. He invited me to stay with him for
a few months. During the time he sent a message back to my
town, saying that I was being trained as a wrestler, and was
now immensely strong. Then one night, when the moon was
not shining, Lieh Tzu instructed me to return home. Since
that time I have never gone out, except on dark, moonless
nights; as a result no one has ever seen me. But everyone is
terrified of me – so I can study ancient books in peace.’
Lieh Tzu
366 readings from
Taoism and Confucianism
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