Bit by Bit - Chapter 4, Part 23

Trey Smith

The region of Ching-shih in Sung is fine for growing catalpas, cypresses, and mulberries. But those that are more than one or two arm-lengths around are cut down for people who want monkey perches; those that are three or four spans around are cut down for the ridgepoles of tall roofs;", and those that are seven or eight spans are cut down for the families of nobles or rich merchants who want side boards for coffins. So they never get to live out the years Heaven gave them, but are cut down in mid-journey by axes. This is the danger of being usable. In the Chieh sacrifice," oxen with white foreheads, pigs with turned-up snouts, and men with piles cannot be offered to the river. This is something all the shamans know, and hence they consider them inauspicious creatures. But the Holy Man for the same reason considers them highly auspicious.
~ Burton Watson translation ~

Carrying on with the same theme of the two previous entries, when we parade around what we possess, others often want to take it for themselves.  A robber looks to take from those who have, not from those who have not.  So, it's best not to have a lot and to not flaunt what we DO have.

To view the Index page for this series, go here.