He looked at them in blank amazement.—­“What is this you are telling me?” said he.  “I am only old Shang Ch’iu K’ai the peasant.  I heard that you, Sir, by your magic could make the poor rich.  I wanted to be rich, so I came to you.  I believed in you absolutely, and in all your disciples said; and so my mind was made one; I forgot my body; I saw nothing of cliffs or fire or water.  But now you say you were decieving me, my soul returns to its perplexity, and my eyes and ears to their sight and hearing.  What terrible dangers I have escaped!  My limbs freeze with horror to think of them.”

Tsai Wo, continues Liehtse, told this story to Confucius.—­“Is this so strange to you?” said the latter.  “The man of perfect faith can move heaven and earth, and fly to the six cardinal points without hindrance.  His powers are not confined to walking in perilous places and passing through water and fire.  If Shang Ch’iu K’ai, whose motive was greed and whose belief was false, found no obstacle in external things, how much more certainly will it be so when the motive is pure and both parties sincere?”

I will finish it with what is really another of Liehtse’s stories,—­also dealing with a man who walked through fire uninjured, unconscious of it because of the one-pointedness of his mind.

The incident came to the ears of Marquis Wen of Wei, who spoke to Tsu Hsia, a disciple of Confucius, about it.—­“From what I have heard the Master say,” said Tsu Hsia, “the man who achieves harmony with Tao enters into close relations with outer objects, and none of them has power to harm or hinder him.”—­“Why, my friend,” said the Marquis, “cannot you do all these marvels?”—­“I have not yet succeeded,” said Tsu Hsia, “in cleansing my heart from impurities and discarding brainmind wisdom.”—­“And why,” said the Marquis, “cannot the Master himself” (Confucius, of course) “perform such feats?”—­“The Master,” said Tsu Hsia, “is able to perform them; but he is also able to refrain from performing them."—­which, again, he was.  Here is another example: 

Hui Yang went to visit Prince K’ang of Sung.  The prince, however, stamped his foot, rasped his throat, and said angrily:—­ “The things I like are courage and strength.  I am not fond of your good and virtuous people.  What can a stranger like you have to teach me?”

“I have a secret,” said Hui Yang, “whereby my opponent, however brave or strong, can be prevented from harming me either by thrust or blow.  Would not Your Highness care to know that secret?”

“Capital!” said the Prince; “that is certainly something I should like to hear about.”

“True,” said Hui yang, “when you render his stabs or blows ineffectual, you cover your opponent with shame.  But my secret will make him, however brave or strong, afraid to stab or strike at all.”

 “Better still,” said the Prince; “let me hear about it.”

“It is all very well for him to be afraid to do it.” said Hui Yang; “but that does not imply he has no will to do it.  Now, my secret would deprive him even of the will.”