about the gold fish story

Dear Leechard

the story of goldfish is interesting, it is like a résumé, but there are some points where i dont understand.

「離開自己的平面，只需要花費一秒鐘呢。」 >>>

do you mean to go from one level of thinking to another level is simply a change within a split second? like a monk buddist who 'kok ng', suddenly understand the teaching? But I find the phrase weird because it is too logical and sensible (because of the word 平面), whereas the whole story of goldfish is a personification of the animal to approach the question by a less logical and more emotional way for easier understanding. It contradicts the 'style'.

「當然知道。雖然我明知道那故事是騙局，但是，
為了你的緣故，我還是願意嘗試的。」
「甚麼？這樣神聖的經典，你敢說是騙局？真是
浪費資源，我還把你放在書房裡，讓你親近書香呢！
早知如此，放你進廚房去還好些！」

the word '騙局' is confusing. do you want to say that the old monk lied? or the lesson behind the story is a lie? if it is the prior i think the paragraph confuses the readers; if it is the latter then the question is not explained.


as for the idea of sacrificing an arm or a life... it is confusing too. Is it about how MUCH one sacrifices in order to prove that he is determined to learn how to ''gain level''? We might have to sacrifice a lot.. but at the end we have to keep our lives? But on the otherhand, why does one have to prove his determination then? to prove it to whom? why wouldnt the old monk believe the determination without a prove?

sc


dear sc
thanks for your advice. the point of logical term is very good. however, please read the following explaining article to get the meaning behind it.

one need not to prove anything to anyone, the arm is a waste of material, and you are right too. And the point is, as mentioned
in the story, life is to use, not to waste. if any one knows how to use his life, he is useful.

As for the split second, that is true. One could change his mind in a split second. And that is out of logic's way. Once you are tuned into the right direction,
you can hear the beautiful music coming from the radio, or the universe.

When one is prepared to "use" his life, when one is determined to do some very pratical things, when one is not considering the emptiness of
vanity, one need to have some determination. Once the determination is made, may be it need only one second, but the momentum behind it is a long term effort.
and the split second is also a metaphor. the point is tuning, not timing.

leechard