a fruitful land

There was a young monk who is proud of one's 

knowledge in a monastery

                       to be considered arrogant by others


Once a senior monk was picking dirt in the garden.
I called up a young monk who was passing by there.
"Would you pour water on this hard soil?"

The young monk poured water on the soil.
But water doesn't penetrate the ground and it's on both sides.
It went away.

The senior monk picks up the hoe next to him and digs the ground.
I started breaking a lump of dirt.
And then collect the broken soil, and then I'm going to get the water again.
I told him to pour it in.

The young monk poured water back onto the broken soil.
Then the water seeps in and the broken soil...
It's starting to stick together.

Then the senior monk said,
"Now the soil is permeated with water.
This way, it sprouts, blooms, and bears fruit.
It's more like this to be broken than the firmness that a man knows himself.
Seeds are sown in the heart, flowers are blooming, and fruits are grown.

It's something you can do

The only thing that's preventing the growth of the self is...
You stick to your own ideas, you think you're the best.
I have a sense of conceit.

Pride creates selfish self.
Grow your arrogant mind into a solid wall.
It makes you lock yourself.

today's wise saying

Pride is a disease that man was born with.
Of all the creatures, the worst and the weakest is
He is both human and the most arrogant.
Michel de Montaigne/Quotes