The best way to win a fight is not to fight. Most of the time you can win a fight with wisdom, and that is better than physically beating someone. Instead of aggression, use patience and endurance to succeed. Great success always comes from many small efforts.
Long ago, there lived a farmer who had a small farm. He had two sons. The eldest son was named De-Xin (德信) and the younger son was named De-Yi (德義). He worked hard to make the farm a success so that when he died, he could leave it to his two sons. The farmer's wife died when the children were young, and the farmer was often busy. Without a wife to mother his children, the farmer did not notice that his eldest son, De-Xin, often bullied his younger brother. The younger son, De-Yi, never complained to his hard-working father, and so life went on. The children grew up and De-Xin took a wife. The farmer thought everything was fine.
One day, the father became very ill. He knew he would soon die. He gathered his sons together and said to them, "I want to give this farm to both of you. Share it equally and help each other to make it successful. I hope it makes you as happy as it makes me." With these words, the father quietly passed away.
The sons divided the land equally and began to establish their own farms. Although they shared the land, they still cooperated by helping each other with the more difficult tasks.
However, soon after the father's death, De-Xin and his wife decided that they had not received enough land. After all, De-Yi was single and did not need as much land as they did. She began to pressure her husband to ask for more land from his brother.
De-Xin went to see De-Yi and demanded more land. Since De-Xin was much larger and more powerful, all De-Yi could do was accept in angry silence.
But De-Xin was still not satisfied. Seeing how easy it was to get more land from his brother, he asked for more land. Again, De-Yi could only agree to his brother's demands. Still, De-Xin and his wife were not satisfied. Finally, they asked De-Yi to leave and give them all the land.
De-Yi asked for help from his relatives and friends and begged them to mediate the conflict. None of them would help. They knew that it was unfair for De-Yi to be thrown out of his land, but they were afraid because they knew De-Xin's fierce temper.
Alone, De-Yi decided to stand up for what he thought was right. Despite his brother's wishes to leave, he decided to stay. For this challenge, De-Xin beat him badly. De-Yi was forced to leave his home and become a traveling beggar.
One day, while traveling in the Jiu Lian Mountain (九連山) area of Fujian Province (福建省), he saw several Shaolin monks on an expedition to buy food in town. He knew that the Shaolin monks were good at kung fu and thought that if he learned kung fu, he could defeat De-Xin and regain the land that was rightfully his.
He decided to follow the monks to their temple and ask them to take him on as a kung fu student. When they arrived, De-Yi asked to meet the abbot.
De-Yi told the abbot his sad story and asked to be taught kung fu so he could reclaim his land.
The abbot looked at him and said nothing. De-Yi found the abbot's silent silence both disturbing and calming at the same time. The abbot said nothing for what could have been an eternity or several minutes. De-Yi could not say anything. Finally, the abbot spoke.
“De-Yi. If you are willing to endure the harsh training, you are accepted as a disciple here.” De-Yi bowed to the abbot in deep appreciation.
Early the next morning, De-Yi was called to the backyard. The abbot was standing in front of a young willow tree, holding a calf. He said to De-Yi, "Before you learn any kung fu, you must first develop your strength. Every morning and every evening, you must hold this calf and jump over this willow tree fifty times."
De-Yi replied, "Yes sir. It is a simple task and I will do it every day."
Every morning and every evening, De-Yi holds the calf and jumps over the willow tree fifty times.
Days passed, weeks passed, months passed, years passed. The calf turned into a cow and the little willow tree grew, and yet every morning and every evening De-Yi dutifully held the cow and jumped over the tree fifty times.
One day, he asked to see the abbot. "Dear master, every morning and every evening I held the cow and jumped over the willow tree fifty times. I have been doing this duty for three years. Do you think I am strong enough to train kung fu?"
The abbot looked at him and the cow and smiled. "De-Yi," he said, "you have completed your kung fu training. Your power is enough to regain the land you lost. Take this cow home and use it to cultivate your land."
De-Yi was confused. "I haven't learned any martial arts," he said. "What will I do if my brother comes to fight me for my land again?"
The abbot laughed, "Don't worry, De-Yi. If your brother comes to fight you again, take the cow and run towards him. There will be no fight."
De-Yi bowed to the abbot, took the cow, and left the Shaolin Temple. Perhaps the abbot was joking with him, but years of training had strengthened not only his body but also his spirit and patience. He accepted the abbot's wishes and returned home to cultivate his land.
Shortly after his return, De-Yi was walking to the rice field with the cow when he saw his brother De-Xin running towards him and shouting angrily. De-Xin heard about his younger brother's return and decided to beat him up and teach him an unforgettable lesson. After this defeat, he thought De-Yi would never dare to come back again. De-Yi saw the evil on De-Xin's face and panicked for a moment, but remembered the abbot's words. He picked up the cow and ran towards his brother.
De-Xin stopped. He couldn't believe the power his brother had. He turned around and ran away. He never bothered his brother again.
Source: Dr. Yang, excerpt from The Dao in Action: Inspired Tales for Life by Jwing-Ming.