Master Hongyi said that to take the goodness of people, you should follow their traces, and you don't need to delve into their heartsThis quote tells us that when evaluating others, we should focus on seeing their actions and performances without being overly concerned about what they really think in their hearts. It is true that the human heart is complex and profound, and we cannot fully understand the minds of others, so overguessing about the minds of others can cause problems in relationships.
For example, let's say we meet a colleague at work who appears to be hardworking, proactive, and friendly to his colleagues. Although we can't know exactly what he was thinking, these observable signs of behavior are enough to give us a certain amount of trust and affection for him. We can choose to trust his good intentions and build a good relationship with him to achieve the goals of the work together.
In addition, the pursuit of revealing the true thoughts of others can lead to misunderstandings and suspicions. For example, a friend once behaved happily at a party and interacted well with everyone. However, I over-speculated on his inner feelings, thinking that he was just putting on a smile to hide his inner pain. Eventually, I learned that he was genuinely happy, but my suspicions had led to suspicion and unnecessary worry.
Therefore, Venerable Hongyi's saying that "to take the good from others, should be based on their deeds, and there is no need to delve into their hearts", which leads us to pay more attention to capturing the actual actions and attitudes of others, and fully understand their intentions expressed through their actions, so as to establish more trusting and harmonious interpersonal relationships.