The Practice of Equanimity from Talks of Vegetable Roots 雁渡寒潭

I’ve been exploring a classic book called Talks of Vegetable Roots (菜根譚, Caigentan) from the Ming Dynasty. Although it was written long ago, it still has so much to teach us today. It felt as if this wisdom had been quietly waiting for me to discover it.

One verse, in particular, really speaks to me. I first heard it when I was a teenager. The image of geese flying over a cold lake has stayed with me ever since. Whenever life feels a bit tough, I think of that verse—it brings me peace.

Geese flying around a still lake; their reflections are visible. Photo from Shutterstock

「風來疏竹，

風過而竹不留聲；

雁渡寒潭，

雁去而潭不留影。

故君子事來而心始現，

事去而心隨空。」

The wind blows through the bamboo grove.

When the wind stops, the grove becomes quiet again.

Geese fly over a frozen lake.

When they are gone, their reflections disappear from the water.

In the same way, when something happens, a virtuous person’s mind moves to respond.

But when it is over, the mind becomes calm again, returning to its natural state.

In the verse, the wind and flying geese represent all the thoughts and feelings that pop into our minds. The good news? We don’t have to hold onto them—they will pass on their own!

I’ve learned that these thoughts can create pathways in our brains, shaping how we think over time. Even though it might feel like our thinking habits are set in stone, we can change them if we start paying attention.

We can practice noticing our thoughts and feelings when they come. We can imagine our minds as a bamboo forest, where thoughts pass through like wind—then fade, leaving the forest quiet again. Or we can picture our minds as a frozen lake, where thoughts are like geese flying overhead—their reflections appear and then disappear.

Our minds can notice whatever comes—and gently let it go.