Pu Shang once said to Confucius, "What kind of a sage are you that you can say that Yen Hui excels you in straightforwardness? That in clarifying things Tuan-mu Tz'u is superior to you? That Chung Yu is more courageous than you? And that Chuan-sun Shih is more dignified than you?"
In his eagerness to get a reply Pu Shang moved to the edge of the mat and nearly fell off it. "If these things are true," he said, "Then why are these four men your disciples?"
Confucius replied, "Stay right where you are and I shall tell you. Yen Hui knows how to be straightforward, but he does not know how to be flexible. Tuan-mu Tz'u knows how to clarify things, but he does not know how to give a simple Yes or No for an answer. Chung Yu knows how to be courageous, but he does not know how to be cautious. Chuan-sun Shih knows how to be dignified, but he does not know how to be unassuming. This is why these four men are glad to study under me."
The Moslem Jalal ud-Din Rumi says, "A hand that is always open or always closed is a crippled hand. A bird that cannot open and close its wings cannot fly."In his eagerness to get a reply Pu Shang moved to the edge of the mat and nearly fell off it. "If these things are true," he said, "Then why are these four men your disciples?"
Confucius replied, "Stay right where you are and I shall tell you. Yen Hui knows how to be straightforward, but he does not know how to be flexible. Tuan-mu Tz'u knows how to clarify things, but he does not know how to give a simple Yes or No for an answer. Chung Yu knows how to be courageous, but he does not know how to be cautious. Chuan-sun Shih knows how to be dignified, but he does not know how to be unassuming. This is why these four men are glad to study under me."
Anthony de Mello
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