Philosophical Sayings About Worldly Matter (VIII)

Profound wisdom and ability are the inner qualities of a person who possesses them. A person lacking in these qualities but trying to impress people that he is in possession of them is not to be taken seriously. Bamboo with its hollow interior can

never support a building.

(This is a translation of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu’s philosophical sayings about worldly matters originally written in Chinese.)

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Below is not an official translation, just for reference.

Anyone who has great ambition, talents, and the ability to make a contribution to society must have a substantial inner world, deep moral cultivation, and profound knowledge. Some people seem to be very knowledgeable, boastful, and charismatic on the surface, but they are empty in their hearts and pale in their souls. Such people can never succeed. People who look good on the outside but who are inferior on the inside can't achieve greatness, after all. This is just like a hollow bamboo: it has a high and green appearance, but in fact, it is thin and hollow, so it cannot be used as a pillar; because it will break when encountering waves and break when encountering power. So how can it be used as a mainstay?