One student asked his wise teacher, what is more important for a person: is it outer or inner beauty? In response to that the teacher asked his student:
– Tell me, if you needed to buy a house, but you only had enough money for a beautiful outside, but a comfortless house, or a poor house, but warm and reliable. What would you choose?
– I would rather choose a simple outside but convenient inside house.
– But what if a vain person was buying a house, proud of his position, but not having enough resource to buy a beautiful and cosy house?- asked the teacher again.
– Surely, he would prefer the outer beauty of the house, – answered the student.
– I think you are right, – said the teacher and added: – but regardless of your choice, each of you would understand that you are missing beauty or comfort and would seek for it.
– So it means that outer and inner beauty is essentially equivalent and valuable only in harmony? – asked Zhao Zeng.
– You can say that, – answered the teacher smiling, – but I thought foremost that when possessing a half, you always need to seek for a whole, not losing what you already have. Because a half will always be only a half, despite of how great it would be.