Looking around, there was no one there.(四顧無人)
Chinese people believe in a special
connection between the human body and the universe. Through specific Taoist
practices, some people can undergo special transformations of their body and
mind.
If someone is fortunate enough to succeed
in these practices, they can achieve immortality.
Chinese people also believe that, alongside
the world we perceive, there are two other worlds. One is inhabited by the dead
and is called the underworld. The other is inhabited by those who have achieved
immortality and is called the Celestial Realm.
These three worlds do not interfere with
each other, but they sometimes connect. The operating rules of these three
worlds are very similar, and each has a central government that rewards and
punishes its people for good and evil.
A royal history book from the Song dynasty
contains an ancient Chinese fantasy story.
Near Dongting Lake in Hunan Province lived
a middle-aged fisherman. His wife had died of illness and he lived alone in a
small house.
One early morning, as he was heading out to
fish, he heard a young child crying on the lakeshore.
Following the sound along the riverbank, he
saw a little girl, aged about three, sitting on the bank and crying after
walking about ten metres.
The fisherman asked the little girl,
'Where are your parents? Why are you crying
alone on the bank?"
The little girl cried even louder when she
saw a strange man approaching her.
The fisherman looked around, but he could
see no one on the riverbank. Worried that she would be in danger if he left
her, he stayed with her for several hours.
After a while, as no one came looking for
the girl, the fisherman took her home and cared for her.
Over the next few weeks, he tried various
methods to find her parents, but to no avail. Several weeks later, he
officially adopted her.
Time flew by and ten years passed. The
little girl had entered puberty. She was extremely beautiful and looked quite
different from the other villagers.
One day, the fisherman and the girl were
sitting in their courtyard when a handsome young man suddenly appeared before
them. Seeing the boy, the girl turned to the fisherman and said,
'My real name is Du Lanxiang. I live in the
Celestial Realm. I was punished for making a mistake, and my punishment was to
live in this world for a few years.
Now my sentence is over, I'm going back.
I'm very grateful for your care these past few years. I will come back to visit
you when I have the chance.'
After saying this, the girl and the boy
disappeared from the fisherman's sight.
Du Lanxiang later returned to visit the
fisherman several times. Perhaps because Du Lanxiang had given him some food
from the Celestial Realm, he seemed to stop ageing. Not only did his face not
age, it grew younger and younger. Years later, the elderly fisherman retired
and left the village. Before leaving, he told his friends, "The girl I
adopted taught me some spiritual practices. I also want to become immortal. I
will never return to this village. I am going to live in seclusion in the
mountains and devote myself to cultivation. I intend to achieve this through
Taoist practices."
This idiom literally means 'looking around,
I saw no one'.
Dear friend, what are your thoughts or feelings
after hearing this story?
Where do you think people go after death?
Do you believe in another dimension of the universe that we cannot see?
I hope this story gives you some new
insights.
四顧無人(Looking around, there was no one
there.)
中國人相信人體跟宇宙之間有一種特殊的關聯性，有些人可以通過一些特殊的道教的修練方式來讓自已的身體與心靈發生特殊的轉化。
若一個有福氣的人這種修練方式並且成功之後，這個人就可以達到長生不老的境界。
中國人也相信除了我們感知到的世界之外，還有兩個世界，其中一個世界中住著那些已經死去的人，這個世界叫做陰間。另外一個世界中住著那些達到長生不老的境界的人，這個世界叫做天界。
這三個世界互不干擾但有時候會相連接，這三個世界中的運作規則很類似，三個世界中都有中央政府在管理並且針對其人民的善與惡進行獎勵與懲罰。
中國的宋代的一本皇家的歷史書中記載了一個中國古代的奇幻故事。
湖南省的洞庭湖附近住著一個中年漁夫，他的妻子因為生病過世了，他一個人住在一間小房子裡。
有一天的凌晨，這個漁夫要出門捕魚時他聽到湖岸旁傳來了幼童的哭泣聲。
漁夫順著這個聲音沿著河岸尋找，走了十幾公尺後他看到一個大概三歲左右的小女孩正坐在岸邊哭泣。
漁夫對那個小女孩說。
妳的父親或母親呢?妳為何一個人在岸邊哭泣呢?
那個小女孩看到一個陌生的男子接近自己，她哭得更大聲了。
漁夫環顧四周都沒有看到有任何人在岸邊，他擔心如果自己離開這個小女孩，那麼這個小女孩會發生危險，所以他陪著小女孩在岸邊等了好幾個小時。
幾個小時之後，那個漁夫看到沒有人來找這個小女孩，他只好把這個小女孩帶回自己的家中照顧。
漁夫在接下來的好幾個禮拜中嘗試了好幾種方法想要找到那的小女孩的雙親，但卻一直找不到，幾個禮拜後，漁夫就是正式收養了這個小女孩。
時間過得很快，十年過去了，那個小女孩已經進入青春期，這個小女孩的長相非常的漂亮，小女孩的長相跟漁夫所住的那個村莊中的人們的長相有很大的差異。
有一天，漁夫跟那個女孩坐在家的院子中，突然有一個長相很清秀的男孩子出現在他們的面前，女孩一看到那個男孩後就轉頭對漁夫說。
我真實的名字叫做杜蘭香，我是生活在天界的人。我因為犯了錯所以被處罰，處罰我的方式就是來到你們活著的這個世界住幾年。
我的刑期已經滿了，我要回去天界了，我很感謝你這幾年照顧我，我有機會會回來這個世界看你。
說完這話後，那個女孩子就跟那個男孩子一起消失在漁夫的眼前。
杜蘭香後來又回來探訪了漁夫好幾次，可能是因為杜蘭香給那個漁夫吃了一些天界上的食物，所以那個漁夫的年齡好像突然定格，那個漁夫的面容不但沒有衰老反而還愈來愈年輕。
幾年之後，那個年紀已經進入老年的漁夫退休之後就離開他所住的那個村莊，臨走之前，他對那些住在這座村莊的朋友說。
我收養的那個女孩子告訴了我一些修行的方法。也想要成為一個長生不老的人，我不會再回到這個村莊了，再回到這個村莊了，我要去隱居在山上修行，我想要通過道家的修行方式讓自己實現我的目標。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是環顧四周都沒有看到有任何人。
親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有怎樣的感受或有怎樣的想法呢。
你認為人死後會去哪裡嗎?你是否相信宇宙中存在另外一個我們看不到的維度的世界呢?
我希望這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為太平廣記-女仙七-杜蘭香
https://ctext.org/taiping-guangji/62/dulanxiang/zh