Water is pure when clear, and there are no fish; a person is discerning when alert, and there are no disciples.
Life is impermanent; there will be joy and sorrow, ease and hardship, good fortune and misfortune—a mixture of happiness and sadness. Only after tasting bitterness do we truly appreciate the sweetness; only through hardship do we discover the beauty of strength. When overwhelmed, change your environment and breathe; when confused, shift your perspective. When there's no path, turn back; the road is beneath your feet, any direction is possible. As long as you don't rush, don't give up, and don't dwell on worries, life will surely turn for the better, like a willow in a favorable breeze.
Some roads must be traveled alone. Those companions who accompany you through the rainy season and through the years eventually part ways at some crossroads. Amidst the bustling world, we wander alone, the jade vine brushing against our robes, the azure clouds dampening broken promises. Mountains and water can forget each other, and day and month have no connection. In the end, there's only the solitary joy of a single life, the gentle flow of a single stream.
Happiness is like drinking cold water—you know if it's cold or warm. Your happiness isn't measured by others' eyes, but by your own heart. People can live truthfully, but not too seriously. Water becomes stagnant when it's too pure, and people lose their followers when they become too critical. Perfectionists' greatest sorrow is living unrealistically. Reality is the truest reality. In the real world, there are joys, sorrows, separations, bitterness, and sweetness.
There's a kind of meeting that hasn't been face-to-face, yet feels like a long-lost reunion; a kind of affection that hasn't been confessed, but has permeated your bones. Some emotions, some loves, some pursuits; preserving a touch of hazy elegance—isn't that the most perfect ending and lingering memory? To understand you, no direct confession is needed; the resonance of souls is the best; to understand me, no need for a meeting, but a mutual attraction and preservation in the depths of our souls is the most beautiful.
