95.A WISE MAN'S WORDS

　　Bandits had struck again in Fuyang! This time they robbed a dozen people. Then they chopped off their heads and their hands. All the people were frightened by such savagery.

　　There were floods in Xiangyang. Hundreds of houses disappeared under the water overnight. The inhabitants lost everything, and had no place to go. But they were the lucky ones, the ones who were not drowned immediately or carried off in the raging flood waters.

　　As a local official, Li Beide felt he had to do something about the tragedies that struck the people under his jurisdiction. As a kind man, he felt sorry for all those unlucky people. As a Taoist, he wondered what might be the cause behind all these disasters.

　　"If anybody would know, it would be my Teacher, the great sorcerer Lin. "When he got a chance, Li went to the Er-Xian Temple to visit his Teacher. When he got there, the sorcerer was sitting in meditation, exercising his powers.

　　When Li came in, the sorcerer welcomed him. Li asked, "Teacher, I would like to ask the cause behind all the disasters which have befallen our unhappy district of late. Bandits have come like a swarm of angry hornets. They kill and burn. Floods have destroyed the fruits of many years of hard work. Teacher, tell me why."

　　"I rarely leave this temple," said the Teacher. "I do not follow current events."　　

　　"But why should these people be subjected to these terrible occurrences?"
　　The sorcerer heaved a deep sigh. "You reap as you sow. People are selfish and cruel. They only think about their own stomachs, so they kill animals to eat their meat.

　　"The killed animals are wrathful. When much wrath accumulates, the peace of nature is disturbed, so the heaven break open and waters flood the land. Some of the animals come back in rebirth as human beings, and murder and rob as vengeance for misdeeds done unto them.

　　"There is no escaping the power of nature. People who have done wrong bring misfortune down upon themselves and upon their families. Those who go against nature bring themselves tragedy."

　　Although this story dates back hundreds of years, it is especially important for us now, at the end of the twentieth century. Florida is struck by hurricanes and tornadoes. California is shaken by earthquakes, parched by drought, and then drenched by storms. Windstorms and snowstorms destroy property and leave thousands homeless across the nation.

　　We should listen to the wisdom of the ancients and see how we fly in the face of nature. Killing, violence, drug abuse, homosexuality, unsettling music, alcoholism, lurid journalism, and promiscuity are modern people's entertainment. Is it any wonder that nature can barely tolerate us any more?

95.圣人之言

　　强盗又一次袭击了富阳县。这一回他们抢掠了数十人。他们砍掉了人们的头颅和双手。残忍的暴行使所有人心中都充满了恐惧。
　　在襄阳，四处都是洪水。成百间房屋在一夜之间便被洪水吞没。居民们一无所有，无家可归。但他们还算是幸运的，因为他们并没有被洪水淹死或被狂滔冲走。

　　身为地方长官，李备德感到应该为治下的百姓遭受如此的灾难而做些什么。作为一个善良的人，他为人们的不幸深感难过。而作为一 个道教徒，他相信在这些灾难背后一定有着深刻的原因。

　　“除了我的师傅林道长，没有人能知道其中的原由。”忙里抽暇，李备德来到了二仙观拜访他的师傅。这时他的师傅正在静坐修炼。

　　李备德走进屋子后，道长微微点头致意。李备德说道：“师傅，最近本地天灾人祸不断，请问究竟是何原由。强盗像发怒的蜂群一样洗劫村庄，他们杀人放火，无恶不作。而洪水使人们多年劳作的成果毁于一旦。师傅，请您告诉我，这一切究竟是为什么。”
　
　　“ 我很少离开这座道观，”道长说道。“世上的事情我并不知晓。”
“可是　　为什么人们会遭受如此可怕的灾难呢？”

　　道长深深地叹了一口气。“这是他们自食其果。人们总是自私自利，残酷无情。他们只顾满足自己的口腹之欲，所以他们杀害生灵，食其血肉。

　　“那些被杀害的生灵充满了怨气。当这些怨气积累起来，自然的和谐就被打破了，于是天闸崩坏，洪水泛滥。有的被害的生灵投胎为人，他们烧杀抢掠，就是为了要报复人们在他们身上所犯下的罪过。

　　“没有人能逃脱自然的掌控。谁犯下罪过，不幸就会降临到他和他的家人身上。违背自然规律的人迟早会给自己带来灾祸的。”

　　尽管这个故事已经过去了几百年，对于处于二十世纪末的我们来说，它仍然非常重要。佛罗里达遭受飓风和龙卷风的袭击。加里佛尼亚地震频频，土地干旱，而后又遭受洪水冲洗。在全国各地，狂风暴雪摧毁了人们的财产，使成千上万的人无家可归。

　　我们应该听听这位古代圣贤的话，看看我们是如何在自然面前肆虐的。当今社会上，杀戮、暴力、吸毒、同性恋、狂乱的音乐、酗酒、耸人听闻的报道以及性乱交等等，这些丑恶的东西被很多人当作是消 遣娱乐。有什么奇迹出现，能让自然再容忍我们吗？