禪林寶訓 2.12

2.12

When the Venerable Lingyuan Qing resided at Taiping in Shuzhou, he observed that Foyan's governance of the community was thorough and meticulous, seldom failing in any affair. He therefore asked him about the essentials. Foyan said: "In managing affairs, it is better to err on the side of leniency than urgency; better to err on the side of brevity than scrutiny. If one is too urgent, it cannot be remedied; if one is too scrutinizing, there will be room for nothing. One should maintain the middle path and treat things with patience and moderation. This should serve as the method for presiding over the community and conducting affairs."' (*Shiyi*).