The waiting in the midst of waiting at ease

     Sun Tzu's Art of War states, "For those skilled in warfare, the first priority is to ensure they are not defeated by the enemy; only then can they seize the opportunity to defeat the enemy." I've discussed how to achieve this in previous articles, such as turning war into a career and skillfully utilizing the relationship between seeking help from others and relying on oneself. However, besides these factors, another crucial element is mindset.

    In Mr. Shan Tianfang's storytelling of "The Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties," there's a classic scene where Qin Qiong fights Shi Danai in the arena of Beiping. Upon meeting, they immediately began fighting. Shi Danai, relying on his youthful vigor, frequently attacked Qin Qiong, while Qin Qiong adopted a defensive stance, fighting steadily and surely. After more than twenty rounds, Qin Qiong had seen through Shi Danai's moves, so he switched from defense to offense and subdued his opponent within a few moves.

    Qin Qiong's victory relied on both his exceptional skill and his excellent mental fortitude. Qin Qiong's strategy of initially adopting a defensive posture and then switching to offense is known in the Thirty-Six Stratagems as "waiting at ease for the enemy to tire." This strategy means that "on the battlefield, one doesn't necessarily rely solely on offensive tactics. The key is to seize the initiative, wait for the opportune moment, remain unchanged amidst change, and actively maneuver the enemy to create opportunities, preventing them from maneuvering you and instead leading them by the nose." Here, "waiting" in "waiting at ease for the enemy to tire" refers to waiting, but not passively; rather, it means actively creating opportunities. Waiting for what? Waiting for an opportunity to eliminate the enemy. On the battlefield, fighting fiercely and facing frequent attacks from the opponent, we not only refrain from counterattacking but also wait while defending, waiting for the right moment to strike. This waiting is easier said than done. To achieve this, one needs not only exceptional skills but also extremely strong psychological qualities. It requires remaining unchanged amidst change, creating opportunities to achieve victory while waiting.

    Speaking of mindset, I recently read an article in the newspaper titled "Cleansing the Heart," excerpted below:

    "Looking at the people rushing around me, some are busy making money, some are busy pursuing power, some are busy with emotional joys and sorrows. Everyone seems busy, and thus, people fall into the pits they've dug for themselves. Although there are many complaints, no one thinks of stopping, let alone giving up. No matter how bitter or tiring, people still choose to forge ahead. How much do we truly need in life? A friend, after experiencing great ups and downs, told me that a bowl of rice, a room, and a book are enough. Before that, he became a millionaire overnight, living in a mansion and driving a BMW. But also overnight, he went from a millionaire to having nothing. Due to a failed company investment, everything returned to square one. After losing everything, he was very calm. He thoroughly enjoyed the simplicity of life and the tranquility of his mind." "When rushing around, learn to stop; when busy chasing

    , think about letting go —I think this is the simplest way to cleanse the heart." Stopping and letting go are easier said than done. For a pursuer, a person in a hurry, stopping and letting go is tantamount to giving up. But little do they know that only by truly stopping and letting go can your heart return to its true nature, and only by truly stopping and letting go can you perhaps truly obtain what you desire. Sometimes I think that when Qin Qiong was learning martial arts, if he had only focused on becoming a martial arts master, if his mind had been filled with utilitarian thoughts from the beginning, he probably wouldn't have achieved what he did. The "

    waiting" in "waiting at ease for the enemy to tire" is interpreted as waiting, not just waiting for an opportunity, but also a kind of mental training. Qin Qiong truly learned his skills because he returned his heart to its true nature. It was because he had a good mental fortitude that he was able to use the "waiting at ease for the enemy to tire" strategy to defeat his opponent in the Beiping arena. Qin Qiong truly achieved the ability to remain unchanged in the face of all changes on the battlefield, waiting for the right opportunity to strike and find the best chance to defeat his opponent.

    Above, we have described the meaning of "waiting" in "waiting at ease for the enemy to tire" and how to truly achieve this. Let's look at a real-life example to see how the principle of "waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out" applies in real life.

    Speaking of waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out, a friend of mine who listens to storytelling once told me a story:

    "That year, I was in my third year of junior high school. Because of my listening to storytelling, many classmates complained to our homeroom teacher that it was affecting their studies. The homeroom teacher talked to me, and I initially wanted to fight back strongly, but in the end, under pressure, I had to agree to the teacher's request that I would never listen to storytelling again and affect their studies. Then one day, something happened that changed everything. Because I had a performance the next day, I brought the storytelling script to school and found my homeroom teacher during the first self-study period in the afternoon, asking to go outside to memorize the script. The teacher agreed. Shortly after I left the classroom, the teacher also left." Just as we left the classroom, the students started talking and laughing again. I glanced at the teacher and then turned to leave. Then I overheard a conversation between the teacher and students: "You said that people listening to storytelling was affecting your studies, and now they've left so as not to disturb you. But what have you all been doing?" This worked perfectly. From then on, no one complained to the teacher about listening to storytelling anymore, and I could listen to it openly.

    This is a short story, a very ordinary event from my friend's three years of junior high school, but behind this most ordinary event lies a certain wisdom about life. He once said this to me:

    "You know I've loved storytelling since I was a child. When I was in elementary school, I listened to it for five hours every day. But in middle school, that suddenly dropped to zero hours. For someone like me who couldn't live without storytelling, this was pure torture. I endured this for two years. Sometimes I felt like I was going crazy, but I never showed it. I tried to calm myself down and not worry about immediate gains or losses. Why? Because I was waiting for the right opportunity to fulfill my desire to listen to storytelling. I've been in this class for three years. Actually, back in the second year of middle school, I already saw through the rampant cheating. The so-called self-study periods were more like tea parties without tea or fruit. This time, they complained to the teacher that my listening to storytelling was affecting their studies. The teacher talked to me then, and I told them about my experiences over the past two years..." I told the teacher what I had seen and heard, hoping to refute his words, but the teacher didn't believe me at all. Finally, under pressure, I outwardly agreed to the teacher's request. However, this agreement was merely a superficial compromise; I was actually waiting for an opportunity. That day's self-study period was precisely a golden opportunity. The reason I applied to go out and memorize storytelling was to create an opportunity for them to have a tea party. Unexpectedly, these people fell for it. If I had told the teacher what I had seen before, he certainly wouldn't have believed me, but now the facts were there, leaving him no choice but to believe. From then on, the teacher would no longer believe their claim that my listening to storytelling was affecting their studies. And I could openly do what I wanted to do.”

    This is my friend's story. Sometimes, a confrontation between one person and a group is not worthwhile; in most people's eyes, there is no chance of winning. But if we calm our minds and let our hearts return to peace, and don't worry about immediate gains or losses… Then observe your opponent with eyes that see through everything, and skillfully use the strategy of waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out. Actively wait for the right opportunity and create a chance to fight. When the opportunity truly arrives, wouldn't it be better to take advantage of the enemy's weaknesses and let them bring about their own destruction?