When you have material gains to pursue, do not make hasty decisions to do so simply because of their easy accessibility.
If you do, you will stumble into a deep pit out of which you will not be able to get out.
When you seek the truth, do not make even the slightest retreat from any difficulties which the process may entail.
If you do, you will find that you are separated from the object of your quest by a thousand mountains.
欲路上事，毋乐其便而姑为染指，一染指便深入万仞；理路上事，毋惮其难而稍为退步，一退步便远隔千山。
Notes
Desire management: Beware the “Slight Indulgence” trap
Desire breeds addiction and expansion — a minor initial compromise becomes the breach that collapses all boundaries. To dabble is to erode principles; once defenses fall, surrender follows relentlessly.
Ideal pursuit: Reject the “Minor Compromise” mentality
Fear-driven retreat from hardship betrays one’s original purpose. Each withdrawal distances the goal irreversibly. Upholding duty relies on accumulating countless “unyielding steps”; the smallest concession may derail one’s entire trajectory.
The decisive “First Choice”: Life’s Butterfly Effect
Both lines from Cai Gen Tan – Tending the roots of wisdom reveal how initial actions dictate ultimate outcomes:
- A “stained finger” on desire’s path and a “retreated step” on duty’s path seem insignificant yet trigger chain reactions — diverting life’s course irreversibly.
- This contrast highlights that life’s pivotal moments lie not in grand moral crossroads, but in daily micro-choices: resisting the first taste of desire and refusing the first retreat from duty anchor one’s destiny.
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