A clear, rainless sky can suddenly change into one dominated by thunder and lightning. A sky full of blustery wind and pelting rain can suddenly change into a scene of charming moonlight.
Can the movements of nature ever cease even for a moment? Can even one iota of the essence of the universe ever be blocked up? The nature of man is also like this.
霁日青天，倏变为迅雷震电，疾风怒雨，倏转为朗月晴空，气机何尝一毫凝滞？太虚何尝一毫障塞？人之心体亦当如是。
Notes
This passage from Cai Gen Tan (Tending the roots of wisdom) uses nature’s ever-shifting moods as a metaphor to reveal change as the eternal constant of heaven, earth, and the human heart. It advocates embodying nature’s essence: maintaining fluid lucidity, remaining unbound by fixed states or emotions, shattering rigidity and obsession to preserve clarity and resilience amid flux.
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