Chapter Four:The Way of Humanity 30

The Founding Master said,
“It is often the case that people’s major transgressions start with minor faults. Therefore, you must occasionally examine your own conduct, and if you discover even a minor fault, do not procrastinate, but work hard to correct it. There is an animal in the south called an orangutan that is so strong and quick that humans can’t capture it by force. But they say that these animals like alcohol, so people leave a large bowl full of liquor along the roadside, so that an orangutan will see it as it walks by. At first the animal laughs at it and walks away, but then it comes back and drinks a little, then returns again to drink more, repeating this action several times until without even being aware it has drunk all the liquor. Finally it passes out drunk and people come out to capture it. The liquor that the animal initially intended only to sip is eventually completely finished, until it finally is either killed or captured alive. Human beings are just the same. If minor faults keep accumulating because they were not corrected in the beginning, people will commit major transgressions and badly ruin their future. How can one not be careful about this?”

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