When Kung-wan Hsien saw the Master of the Left, he was startled, and said, "What sort of man is this? How is it he has but one foot? Is it from Heaven? Or from Man?"
Then he added, "It must be from Heaven, and not from Man. Heaven's making of this man caused him to have but one foot. In the person of man, each foot has its marrow. By this I know that his peculiarity is from Heaven, and not from Man.
"A pheasant of the marshes has to take ten steps to pick up a mouthful of food, and thirty steps to get a drink, but it does not seek to be nourished in a coop. Though its spirit would there enjoy a royal abundance, it does not think such confinement good."
IMAGE: Rembrandt, Beggar with a Wooden Leg (c. 1630)
No comments:
Post a Comment