Confucius in Nazareth of Galilee

 Confucius in Nazareth of Galilee

When Confucius came to Nazareth – on the sabbath day – he was drawn to the synagogue, where he asked to read. And he took the book called Qoheleth, and he opened it and found the place where it was written, “I applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven, an unhappy business that God has given the sons of men to be busy with. And after I had seen everything that is done under the sun, I realized that all is vanity and a striving after wind.”
     And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and he said to them, “By ‘wind,’ the Preacher means 屁.”* The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him and many of the mouths began to protest. And K’ung-tzu added, “You see. Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your speaking.” And passing through the midst of them he went on his way.

06.05.16

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* Or, pi – “fart.” The various Mandarin words for excrement are not as commonly used as expletives as in the West. Shit is after all useful for fertilizer. A fart has no value whatever.