4.2 The Master said, “Without benevolence a man Cannot for long endure adversity,Cannot for long enjoy prosperity.
4.1 The Master said, “It is benevolence that gives to a neighbourhood its beauty. One who is free to choose, yet does not prefer to dwell among the benevolence — how can he be accorded the name of wise?”
3.3 Confucius said, “A man who is not benevolent, what can he have to do with ritual? A man who is not benevolent, what can he have to do with music?
In making a sacrifice, it is important not to have an indecisive mind. Such a mind can inflict a great deal of shame on your spirit of self-sacrifice.
My brother-in-law’s grandfather Master Song Tao, a local recipient of a government stipend for bachelors of letters, was lying sick in bed one day when an officer bearing a summons and leading a white-blazed horse came to him and said, ”You are requested to be present at the examination.”
The Dao, due to its all-encompassing and formless nature, cannot be grasped through the perception of concrete forms. We learn to cultivate the Dao by emulating the sages.