Hearing the news that a man known as The Old Guy existed, Confucius went to see him. When he
met Lao Tzu he could feel that here was a man of great understanding, great intellectual integrity,
great logical acumen, a genius. He could feel that something was there, but he couldn’t catch hold
of it. Vaguely, mysteriously, there was something; this man was no ordinary man although he looked
absolutely ordinary. Something was hidden; he was carrying a treasure.
Confucius asked, ”What do you say about morality? What do you say about how to cultivate good
character?” – because he was a moralist and he thought that if you cultivate a good character that
is the highest attainment.
Lao Tzu laughed loudly, and said, ”If you are immoral, only then the question of morality arises. And
if you don’t have any character, only then you think about character. A man of character is absolutely
oblivious of the fact that anything like character exists. A man of morality does not know what the
word ‘moral’ means. So don’t be foolish! And don’t try to cultivate. Just be natural.”
And the man had such tremendous energy that Confucius started trembling. He couldn’t stand him.
He escaped. He became afraid – as one becomes afraid near an abyss. When he came back to
his disciples, who were waiting outside under a tree, the disciples could not believe it. This man had
been going to emperors, the greatest emperors, and they had never seen any nervousness in him.
And he was trembling, and cold perspiration was coming, pouring out from all over his body. They
couldn’t believe it – what had happened? What had this man Lao Tzu done to their teacher? They
asked him and he said, ”Wait a little. Let me collect myself. This man is dangerous.”
And about Lao Tzu he said to his disciples: ”I have heard about great animals like elephants, and I
know how they walk. And I have heard about hidden animals in the sea, and I know how they swim.
And I have heard about great birds who fly thousands of miles away from the earth, and I know
how they fly. But this man is a dragon. Nobody knows how he walks. Nobody knows how he lives.
Nobody knows how he flies. Never go near him – he is like an abyss. He is like a death.”
And that is the definition of a Master: a Master is like death. If you come near him, too close, you
will feel afraid, a trembling will take over. You will be possessed by an unknown fear, as if you are
going to die. It is said that Confucius never came again to see this old man.