The refined art of enjoying bonsai and ornamental stones: only by taking gains and losses lightly can you taste happiness
[Reflections of a Bonsai Enthusiast]
Text | Xiamen, Fujian @Zhou Yingzhi
If others do not respect me, it is because I lack ability; if I do not respect others, it is because I lack virtue; if others do not accept me, it is because I lack competence; if I do not accept others, it is because I lack magnanimity; if others do not help me, it is because I have achieved nothing; if I do not help others, it is because I lack kindness. If in all things you do not treat others according to their own hearts, but rather embrace and help others with your own virtue, you will surely win the hearts of all under heaven and can achieve a great victorious position.
A person's maturity is not about age, but about mindset; the maturity of the heart is not about how many things one has encountered, but about one's attitude toward those things. We live in groups: look at others' mistakes, then think about your own faults; look at others' wrongs, then forgive others' difficulties. The more indifferent the heart, the less harm there is; the broader the heart, the more happiness there is. All things in the world come down to a single thought: if there is something in the heart, everything feels heavy; if there is nothing in the heart, everything feels light. Only by letting go of greed and taking gains and losses lightly can you taste happiness.
Stone appreciation is a refined pastime, and even more so a field of learning!
Stone appreciation is a refined pastime, and even more so a field of learning. Stone appreciation may seem like a simple thing, yet it contains far too much that is not simple. Learn to appreciate stones, and you can learn to live simply.
Learn to appreciate stones, learn to calm the mind and conduct yourself in the world
In this era of rampant materialism, many people are always restless and impetuous, often fond of splitting hairs, and thus frequently run into walls. Stone appreciation can help people attain peace of mind; when you take all things lightly, you will be broad-minded and composed, and you will have learned detachment. Detachment is not the absence of desire, but a clearer and more definite sense of one's own aspirations.
What belongs to me, I will not yield; what does not belong to me, I will not covet. It is a sentiment in life, an attitude of steadfastly keeping to life's rightful place, and a persistence in living life with ease. Detachment means holding fast to what one has gained, cherishing one's own happiness, and comprehending the true meaning of life. Only when you have learned detachment will you be simple and happy.
Learn to appreciate stones, learn to be as low-key as a stone
Among all things in the world, perhaps none is more low-key than stone. Whether as large as a mountain or as small as an egg, whether as high as a peak or as low as a valley, it is always at peace with its surroundings, silent, and uncontentious with the world. Whether climbed upon, appreciated, trodden upon, or enshrined... it remains unmoved by favor or disgrace, calm and composed.
Perhaps we cannot and need not be completely like stone, low to the dust, but we cannot fail to learn from stone's low-key spirit and character. For life requires a low profile, and in dealing with people and the world, one cannot do without it even more. The ancients said: "The low ground becomes the sea; the low person becomes king." All things in the world arise from lowliness and are completed through lowliness; low is the origin and beginning of high, and high is the transformation and unfolding of low. Keeping a low profile in life is precisely a philosophy that ultimately reaches heights and surely achieves greatness. Only those who thoroughly understand this philosophy are people of great wisdom and possess great worth.
Learn to appreciate stones, learn to be as humble and open-minded as a stone
Stone is hard, yet by no means is it always sternly fortified and sharply aggressive, rejecting all things a thousand miles away. Rather, it deeply understands the way of humility and openness and perceives the principle that tolerance brings greatness. They are either transparent or porous, either hidden or concealed, either absorbing or receiving, either laying foundations or bearing loads.
Learn to appreciate stones, and you can learn to live peacefully with this world; you will understand how to embrace all things encountered in life and draw from them nourishment and knowledge, thereby constantly enriching and strengthening yourself, making life have fewer twists and turns and more ease!
Learn to appreciate stones, learn to elevate the quality of life
As a carrier of culture, strangely shaped stones are in fact more a kind of attitude toward life. Stone appreciation not only brings physical health, but also brings spiritual enjoyment and an elevation of temperament.
One stone, one world; one stone, one universe. Learn to appreciate stones, and you can learn to attain a high-quality content of life, and it also makes the goals pursued in life and toward living clearer. Learn to appreciate stones, and you will gradually discover that many exquisite details and beauties in life already exist; learn to appreciate stones, and you open up a renewed understanding of life's details; learn to appreciate stones, and you learn to rediscover the beauty of life!
Bonsai friends@MujuziRecommending my new work as follows:
I went home to rest today, my hands got itchy, so I made a small bamboo-and-stone composition; my skill is limited, so I welcome guidance from all teachers and friends.
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