The path of heavenly principles is wide. Once you set your foot on this path, it takes only a bit of hard thinking for you to become fully enlightened.
The path of human desire is narrow. Once you venture onto it you will see nothing but brambles and mud.
天理路上甚宽，稍游心胸中便觉广大宏朗；人欲路上甚窄，才寄迹眼前俱荆棘泥土。
Notes
Cosmic principles: Path of expansive freedom
Cosmic principles embody openness and symbiosis, align with natural harmony, liberating the spirit.
Selfish desires: Path of constricting suffering
Selfish desires are rooted in isolation and exploitation, breed mental confinement and existential dead ends.
Choice determines reality
Width of path and clarity of mind hinge on daily choices:
- Follow cosmic principles >> Soul’s freedom, life’s smooth journey;
- Indulge selfish desires >> Soul’s prison, life’s treacherous terrain.
The divide lies not in abstraction, but in concrete actions.
Ultimate Insight:
The passage from Tending the roots of wisdom( also known as Vegetable Roots Discourses) warns that:
Heaven’s law opens vistas before us;
Human craving forges chains within us.
To walk in light or stumble in darkness—the choice is always yours.
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