Comportment of the Benevolent
by Master Lee Feng San Shifu
Translated by Sophia Lui
Edited by Ric Meyers
Now we are going explore what it means by the comportment of a benevolent person. The “comportment of the benevolent”, means performing acts of benevolence for others. A saying goes: “The benevolent are invincible.” Why? Because, in their interactions with others, they display a kindness and friendliness born from an underlying emotion of love.
Lin Zexu, a politician, philosopher and poet during the Qing Dynasty, once listed ten conditions in life that are the least beneficial to one’s being. The first one is: “If we do not exercise filial piety to our parents, it is useless to believe in God.”
Mencius has also mentioned: “Those who respect others will always be respected in return.” In other words, if we do not love people, it is useless to love God. These sayings want to tell us that we should not pursue the aspect of religion that is vague and elusive. Rather, we should ponder on the meaning of benevolence and respect, and put them into practice.
We should examine our interactions with people, to see whether we have shown compassion and love towards them. This is our real challenge towards becoming a full human being — not challenges like climbing Mount Everest, deep sea diving, hang gliding, or bungee jumping. Such thrill-seeking activities can endanger our lives, but also do not make us any better in our relationships with others.
The ancients say: “The benevolent find happiness in the mountains, and the wise, near the waters.” It refers to a joy that one feels when one is in communion with nature. Nevertheless, how many people really feel joy when they are up in the mountains or near the waters? Often people go to the waters because they have had enough of the mountains; while others go to the mountains because they cannot stand crowds. Then they finally return to the crowd because they cannot bear being alone. This kind of escapist mentality is indeed unfortunate!
True cultivation means learning to get along well with others. It means going to the mountains because we love the mountains, and to the waters because we love the waters. In this way, wherever we are, we are one with the present moment, instead of trying to escape from it. Only thus can we become real adventurers, and comport ourselves like a truly benevolent person.
“Reflect on benevolence, show respect, be kind and love deeply.” — Lee Feng San Shifu