譲って損なく 奪って益なし
嘉永五年、二宮尊徳翁は湯ぶねのふちに腰かけて、こう言われた。「湯ぶねの湯のように、これを手で自分のほうへ掻き寄せれば、湯はこっちのほうへ来るようだけれども、みんな向こうの方へ流れ帰ってしまう。これを向こうの方へ押してみれば、湯はむこうの方へ行くようだけれども、やはりこっちの方へ流れて帰る。」
少し押せば少し帰り、強く押せば強く帰る。これが天理なのだ。仁と言ったり義といったりするのは、向うへ押すときの名前であって、手前に掻き寄せれば不仁になり不義になるのだから気を付けなければならない。（ 中 略 ）
・・・だから私は常々、奪うに益なく譲るに益あり、譲るに益あり奪うに益なし。これが天理だと説いている。
No loss in giving to others
No gain by taking from others
Mr. Sontoku Ninomiya's teachings still important today
In 1853, Sontoku Ninomiya sat on the edge of a hot spring bath and said, "If you stir the water toward you with your hand, like the hot water in a bathtub, the water seems to come this way, but it all flows back that way. If you push it toward you with your hand, the hot water seems to come this way, but it all flows back the other way. If you push it to the other side, the hot water seems to go to the other side, but it flows back to us.
If you push a little, it comes back a little; if you push hard, it comes back hard. This is the principle of Heaven. The words "benevolence" and "righteousness" are names for pushing in the opposite direction, but if you push in the opposite direction, you will become miserly and unrighteous. (omitted) ...
Therefore, I have always taught that there is no profit in taking, but there is profit in giving, and there is no profit in giving and taking. This is the truth of Heaven.
