One day it occurred to a certain emperor that if he only knew the answers to three questions, he would never stray in any matter.

What is the best time to do each thing? Who are the most important people to work with? What is the most important thing to do at all times?

The emperor issued a decree throughout his kingdom announcing that whoever could answer the questions would receive a great reward. Many who read the decree made their way to the palace at once, each person with a different answer.

In reply to the first question, one person advised that the emperor make up a thorough time schedule, consecrating every hour, day, month, and year for certain tasks and then follow the schedule to the letter. Only then could he hope to do every task at the right time.

Another person replied that it was impossible to plan in advance and that the emperor should put all vain amusements aside and remain attentive to everything in order to know what to do at what time.

Someone else insisted that, by himself, the emperor could never hope to have all the foresight and competence necessary to decide when to do each and every task and what he really needed was to set up a Council of the Wise and then to act according to their advice.

Someone else said that certain matters required immediate decision and could not wait for consultation, but if he wanted to know in advance what was going to happen he should consult magicians and soothsayers.

The responses to the second question also lacked accord.

One person said that the emperor needed to place all his trust in administrators, another urged reliance on priests and monks, while others recommended physicians. Still others put their faith in warriors.

The third question drew a similar variety of answers. Some said science was the most important pursuit. Others insisted on religion. Yet others claimed the most important thing was military skill.

The emperor was not pleased with any of the answers, and no reward was given.

After several nights of reflection, the emperor resolved to visit a hermit who lived up on the mountain and was said to be an enlightened man. The emperor wished to find the hermit to ask him the three questions, though he knew the hermit never left the mountains and was known to receive only the poor, refusing to have anything to do with persons of wealth or power. So the emperor disguised himself as a simple peasant and ordered his attendants to wait for him at the foot of the mountain while he climbed the slope alone to seek the hermit.

Reaching the holy man's dwelling place, the emperor found the hermit digging a garden in front of his hut. When the hermit saw the stranger, he nodded his head in greeting and continued to dig. The labor was obviously hard on him. He was an old man, and each time he thrust his spade into the ground to turn the earth, he heaved heavily.

The emperor approached him and said, "I have come here to ask your help with three questions: When is the best time to do each thing? Who are the most important people to work with? What is the most important thing to do at all times?"

The hermit listened attentively but only patted the emperor on the shoulder and continued digging. The emperor said, "You must be tired. Here, let me give you a hand with that." The hermit thanked him, handed the emperor the spade, and then sat down on the ground to rest.

After he had dug two rows, the emperor stopped and turned to the hermit and repeated his three questions. The hermit still did not answer, but instead stood up and pointed to the spade and said, "Why don't you rest now? I can take over again." But the emperor continued to dig. One hour passed, then two. Finally the sun began to set behind the mountain. The emperor put down the spade and said to the hermit, "I came here to ask if you could answer my three questions. But if you can't give me any answer, please let me know so that I can get on may way home."

The hermit lifted his head and asked the emperor, "Do you hear someone running over there?" The emperor turned his head. They both saw a man with a long white beard emerge from the woods. He ran wildly, pressing his hands against a bloody wound in his stomach. The man ran toward the emperor before falling unconscious to the ground, where he lay groaning. Opening the man's clothing, the emperor and hermit saw that the man had received a deep gash. The emperor cleaned the wound thoroughly and then used his own shirt to bandage it, but the blood completely soaked it within minutes. He rinsed the shirt out and bandaged the wound a second time and continued to do so until the flow of blood had stopped.

At last the wounded man regained consciousness and asked for a drink of water. The emperor ran down to the stream and brought back a jug of fresh water. Meanwhile, the sun had disappeared and the night air had begun to turn cold. The hermit gave the emperor a hand in carrying the man into the hut where they laid him down on the hermit's bed. The man closed his eyes and lay quietly. The emperor was worn out from the long day of climbing the mountain and digging the garden. Leaning against the doorway, he fell asleep. When he rose, the sun had already risen over the mountain. For a moment he forgot where he was and what he had come here for. He looked over to the bed and saw the wounded man also looking around him in confusion. When he saw the emperor, he stared at him intently and then said in a faint whisper, "Please forgive me."

"But what have you done that I should forgive you?" the emperor asked.

"You do not know me, your majesty, but I know you. I was your sworn enemy, and I had vowed to take vengeance on you, for during the last war you killed my brother and seized my property. When I learned that you were coming alone to the mountain to meet the hermit, I resolved to surprise you on your way back to kill you. But after waiting a long time there was still no sign of you, and so I left my ambush in order to seek you out. But instead of finding you, I came across your attendants, who recognized me, giving me this wound. Luckily, I escaped and ran here. If I hadn't met you I would surely be dead by now. I had intended to kill you, but instead you saved my life! I am ashamed and grateful beyond words. If I live, I vow to be your servant for the rest of my life, and I will bid my children and grandchildren to do the same. Please grant me your forgiveness."

The emperor was overjoyed to see that he was so easily reconciled with a former enemy. He not only forgave the man but promised to return all the man's property and to send his own physician and servants to wait on the man until he was completely healed. After ordering his attendants to take the man home, the emperor returned to see the hermit. Before returning to the palace the emperor wanted to repeat his three questions one last time. He found the hermit sowing seeds in the earth they had dug the day before.

The hermit stood up and looked at the emperor. "But your questions have already been answered."

"How's that?" the emperor asked, puzzled.

"Yesterday, if you had not taken pity on my age and given me a hand with digging these beds, you would have been attacked by that man on your way home. Then you would have deeply regretted not staying with me. Therefore the most important time was the time you were digging in the beds, the most important person was myself, and the most important pursuit was to help me. Later, when the wounded man ran up here, the most important time was the time you spent dressing his wound, for if you had not cared for him he would have died and you would have lost the chance to be reconciled with him. Likewise, he was the most important person, and the most important pursuit was taking care of his wound. Remember that there is only one important time and is Now. The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion. The most important person is always the person with whom you are, who is right before you, for who knows if you will have dealings with any other person in the future. The most important pursuit is making that person, the one standing at you side, happy, for that alone is the pursuit of life.

 一天有个圣人告诉一个皇帝说，如果他知道三个问题的答案，从此他将不再迷惑。

“何时是作每一件事情的最佳时刻？谁是最重要的合作者？无论何时，最重要的事情是什么？”

皇帝向全国颁布了一道法令，称提供正确答案的人将得到丰厚的奖励。许多人一得到消息就即刻前往皇宫，每人都有不同的答案。

针对第一个问题，有人建议：制作一个详尽的时间表，给每小时、每天、每月、每年都规定好任务，并严格执行。只有这样才能在最佳时刻完成每一项任务。

另一个人提出：预先准确计划是不可能的，皇帝应该戒除空虚的休闲娱乐活动，专注于每一件事情来确定何时应该完成什么事情。

也有人主张自己的论点：仅靠皇帝一个人的远见和精力来决定何时完成每一项任务是不现实的，皇帝应该建立智囊团来辅佐他的事务。

还有人说：处理问题需要快速决策，根本来不及磋商，但如果皇帝想要预知即将发生的事情，他应该咨询术士和占卜师。

针对第二个问题，依然众说纷纭。

一个人说皇帝应该完全信任他的大臣们，另一个人力劝皇帝倚靠牧师和僧侣，还有人推荐医生。当然，也有尚武的人认为应该信任军队。

第三个问题也引出了各种各样的答案。有人说科技最重要，有人说宗教最重要，还有人坚持军事力量最重要。

皇帝对这些答案并不满意，也没有给予奖励。

经过几天深思，皇帝决定去拜访一位居住在深山的隐士，据说这是一位智者。尽管这位智者从不离开深山，只接待穷人，并拒绝结交权贵，皇帝仍然希望能找到他并向他求教。因此皇帝假扮成农民独自爬山寻找智者，而命仆人们在山脚下等候。

当皇帝到达智者的住处时，智者正在棚屋前的花园里耕作。他看到陌生人时没有停下手里的活，只是对皇帝点头致意。这是一位老人，农活显然是艰苦的，他每锄地一次，都带着沉重的呼吸。

皇帝靠近他说：“我此行是向你请教三个问题：何时是作每一件事情的最佳时刻？谁是最重要的合作者？无论何时，最重要的事情是什么？”

智者专心倾听，之后拍拍皇帝的肩膀便继续干活了。皇帝说：“你一定累了，我来帮你吧。”智者道谢并给他铁锹，然后坐在旁边休息了。

锄了两行之后，皇帝又向智者提出了那三个问题。智者还是没有回答，站起来说：“你怎么不休息一下？我能把这些活干完。”但皇帝没有停下来。时间一分一秒地过去了，直至太阳西垂。皇帝放下铁锹，对智者说：“我来是为了向你求教。但如果你不能帮助我就告诉我，我好尽快赶路回家去。”

智者抬起头问：“你有没有听到有人正在跑过来？”皇帝顺着智者指的方向望去。一个留着长长的白胡子的人从树林里跑出来。他趔趄地跑着，双手按着腹部的伤口。他径直向皇帝跑来，但终于不省人事跌倒了。皇帝和智者解开伤者的衣服，发现他身受重伤。皇帝彻底清洗了他的伤口并用自己的衬衫包扎，但一会儿便被鲜血浸透了。他反复清洗衬衫反复包扎，直到伤口止住血。

伤者终于恢复了神智，他要求喝水。皇帝从溪边取回一壶水，此时太阳完全沉入地平线，夜色弥漫，渐渐冷了下来。智者和皇帝合力将伤者抬入棚屋，放在在智者的床上休息。伤者安静地入睡了。皇帝经过一天的爬山和沉重的劳作，衣衫已经褴褛，并且累坏了，他靠在门口，也睡着了。醒来时太阳已经高悬。片刻之后他记起了此行的目的。他发现床上的人困惑地看着他。伤者凝视着皇帝，然后发出一声虚弱的低语：“请饶恕我。”

“但你作了什么事情，要我饶恕你呢？”皇帝问道。

“你不认识我，陛下，但我却认识你。我是你的死敌，在最近一次战争中你杀死了我的兄弟，抢走了我的财产，因此我发誓要向你复仇。当我得知你只身寻找智者时，我决定在你返回时伏击你。但等了很久也不见你下山，所以我离开埋伏的部队，前来搜寻你的下落。但我却碰到了你的仆人们，他们将我打成重伤。幸运的是，我逃脱并来到这里。如果没有遇见你我肯定已经死了。我原本想要杀你，而你却救了我的命！我对你的羞愧和感激无以言表。如果我能活下来，此生我将作你忠实的仆人，并吩咐我的后代也忠于你。请赐予我宽恕吧。”

皇帝一阵狂喜，轻易就化解了一个仇敌。他不仅宽恕了这个人，还承诺归还他的全部财产，并派遣自己的医生和仆人前去照料他直到他康复为止。给仆人们吩咐妥当之后，皇帝又回来见智者。回皇宫之前他想最后一次请教智者。此时智者正在昨天锄过的土地上播种。

智者站起身来看着皇帝，“但是你的问题已经有答案了。”

“是什么？”皇帝问道，一脸困惑。

“昨天，如果你没有怜悯我的年龄帮我锄地的话，你将会被伏击。然后你就会后悔没有待在我这里。所以最重要的时间是你帮我锄地的时间，最重要的人是我，最重要的事情是帮助我。

之后，当伤者跑上山来，最重要的时间是你包扎他伤口的时候，因为如果你没有照料他，他可能已经死了，并且你无法和他和解。同样，他也是最重要的人，最重要的事情就是照料他。

记住，只有一个最重要的时刻，那就是现在，只有现在的时光是我们可以支配的。最重要的人是你身边的人，正在你眼前的人，因为没人知道你将来会和什么人打交道。最重要的事情是使你身边的人——那些与你同一战线的人——快乐，因为孤独正是生命的追求。”