"Growing Honesty in the Garden of Learning"

Growing Honesty in the Garden of Learning In ancient China, there lived a wise emperor who was growing old and needed to choose his successor. Rather than selecting one of his own children, he decided to find a child who would be most deserving . He gathered all the children from his kingdom and gave each of them a seed. He said, “Grow this seed for one year. At the end of the year, return with your plant. I will judge based on what you bring, and the one with the best plant will become the next emperor.” One of the children, named Ping, was excited. He took the seed home and carefully planted it. He watered it daily and ensured it received sunlight. Weeks passed, but nothing grew. He tried new soil, a different pot, and more water. Still, nothing. A year later, all the children returned to the palace with beautiful plants — tall, colorful, and fragrant. But Ping stood in the corner with his empty ...