有四位小沙弥一同比赛看看谁的定力最好，因此约定在静房内三天三夜都不说话，谁先出声音就算输。
就这样，时间一分一秒的经过，转眼间就过了中午。到了晚上突然起了一阵风，将桌上的油灯吹熄灭了。
这时候第一位小沙弥突然开口说道：「糟糕，油灯熄灭了」
「我们不是说不可以说话吗？」第二位跟着说道。
「对啊！不可以说话，你怎么还说呢？」第三位机警说道。
此时，第四位小沙弥非常得意的说：「哈哈哈！只有我没说！」
◎我们人，总是容易看见别人脸上的灰，而不见自己满面的油污！很多人在告诫别人，指正别人的过错时，很可能自己也犯着同样的错误。
「眼睛要长在心里，观察自己。嘴巴要放在心上，评论自己。」
因此倘若事事肯放过别人，则德日宏；时时不放过自己，则学日益。
目不视人之短，耳不闻人之非，口不言人之过，庶几为君子矣！ Four young monks decided to compete to see who had the best self-control. They agreed that for three days and three nights, they would stay silent in a meditation room, and whoever spoke first would lose.
Time passed slowly, and before they knew it, it was already noon. By evening, a gust of wind blew out the oil lamp on the table.
At this moment, the first young monk suddenly said, "Oh no, the oil lamp has gone out."
"We're not supposed to talk," the second one immediately followed.
"Yeah, we're not supposed to talk. Why did you speak?" the third monk said sharply.
At this point, the fourth monk proudly declared, "Haha! I’m the only one who didn’t speak!"
◎ As humans, we often easily see the flaws in others, yet fail to notice the dirt on our own faces. Many people, while admonishing others and pointing out their mistakes, are likely committing the same errors themselves.
"Your eyes should be turned inward, to observe yourself. Your mouth should speak from the heart, to judge yourself."
Therefore, if you are willing to let others pass in every matter, your virtue will grow daily; if you constantly refuse to let yourself off, your knowledge will deepen day by day. To not see others' faults, to not hear others' wrongs, to not speak of others' mistakes—this is how one comes close to being a virtuous person!
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