(Excerpt from book Discourse On Chuang Tzu / Chapter 20 The Mountain Trees)
Master Tzu Sang-hu said, “Lin Hui threw away his jade disc worth a thousand measures of gold, strapped his newborn baby on his back and hurried off. Someone asked him, ‘Have you considered your circumstance in terms of money? Surely a newborn baby isn’t worth much money! Or, have you given any thought about the trouble upon you? A newborn baby is a great deal of trouble! Why then throw away a jade disc worth a thousand measures of gold and hurry off with a newborn baby on your back? ’ ”
Lin Hui gave the answer as follows, “The union between myself and the jade disc was a relationship based on gains, but the union between myself and the newborn baby is a relationship based on heaven’s attributes. Those who form a union based on benefits, when pressed by impoverishment, misfortune, calamity and harm will cast each other aside; but those whose union is of heaven’s attributes, when pressed by impoverishment, misfortune, calamity and harm, will cline to one another. To cling to each other and to cast each other aside are far removed indeed!”
子桑雽曰：“子独不闻假人之亡与？林回弃千金之璧，负赤子而趋。或曰：‘为其布与？赤子之布寡矣；为其累与？赤子之累多矣。弃千金之璧，负赤子而趋，何也？’林回曰：‘彼以利合，此以天属也。’夫以利合者，迫穷祸患害相弃也。以天属者，迫穷祸患害相收也。夫相收之与相弃亦远矣。且君子之交淡若水，小人之交甘若醴；君子淡以亲，小人甘以绝。彼无故以合者，则无故以离。
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