It is better to preserve the innate simplicity of one’s nature and eschew sophistication, thereby leave a spirit of uprightness in the world.
Likewise, it is better to turn one’s back on luxurious living and take delight in the plain and pristine, and thereby leave a fine name to the world.
宁守浑噩而黜聪明，留些正气还天地；宁谢纷华而甘淡泊，遗个清名在乾坤。
Notes
Reject cunning, Uphold integrity
While society often praises “cleverness” (e.g., eloquence, scheming, opportunism), Caigen Tan(Tending the roots of wisdom) warns: Unrestrained cleverness, divorced from virtue, becomes a blade that wounds the soul.
Resist temptation, Secure a pure legacy
Material luxury and high status breed spiritual loss — maintaining appearances may force moral compromise, reducing one to desire’s slave. “Embracing simplicity” is not austerity but conscious detachment from excess.
The Essence of Choice
This passage from Cai Gen Tan (Tending the roots of wisdom) advocates a counter-cultural value system: Rejecting worldly “success” to pursue spiritual liberation and wholeness.
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