The sacrificial vessels and the stump in the ditch are very differently treated as regards honour and dishonour; equally, as far as destruction of the wood's original nature is concerned.

Excerpt

An old tree is cut down to make sacrificial vessels, which are then ornamented with colour. The stump remains in a ditch. The sacrificial vessels and the stump in the ditch are very differently treated as regards honour and dishonour; equally, as far as destruction of the wood's original nature is concerned.

Source Chuang Tzu, chapter 12, §16 · 📖 Read the full passage

✨ To meditate on today

According to Chuang Tzu, trying to perfect beings artificially makes them lose what they truly are: each one must be able to remain faithful to his simple nature. Today, give up wanting to change someone around you, and appreciate them as they are, with their own way of being.

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