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There was once a man in Sung who carved a mulberry leaf out of jade for his prince. It took three years to complete, and it imitated Nature so exquisitely in its down, its glossiness, and its general configuration from tip to stem, that, if placed in a heap of real mulberry leaves, it could not be distinguished from them. This man was subsequently pensioned by the Sung State as a reward for his skill. Lieh Tzลญ, hearing of it, said: 'If it took the Creator three years to make a single leaf, there would be very few trees with leaves on them. The Sage will rely not so much on human science and skill as on the operations of Tao.'
Source Lieh Tzu, book 8, ยง3 ยท ๐ Read the full passage
โจ To meditate on today
According to Lieh Tzu, if nature took three years to make a leaf, like the artist who carved it in jade, the trees would be almost bare: to pass on a teaching, the sage relies on the strength of truth itself, not on elaborate effects. Today, when you want to convince someone, simply say what is true for you, without embellishing or trying to impress.
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