Retreating a step

Retreat one step and the sea is wide and the sky is empty. So says a Chinese saying. It simply means by giving in to someone's demand or admitting defeat, we still have many other things to gain.

Many instances of quarrel between two parties persist because either side refuses to give in. Each of them wants to be the winner. If both parties think of the above saying, one of them will let the other side win and the quarrel ends just like that.

In Buddhism one gains more merit in giving than receiving. If one is willing to render help to others, he will cultivate good karma. Letting others win does not render you a loser. In fact you gain in the sense that you help to settle one tight situation which will yield no result if nothing is done to untangle the mess.

Let us all retreat a step so that peace prevails in situations where one side must give in.