Master Sheng Yen was born in a time ravaged by wars, when his village often saw troops engaged in battles, and shelling that might accidentally hit them. With life full of dangers and uncertainties, the Master as a child particularly cherished his school days.
In the sixth episode, Baokang got first in class and was awarded a prize—free text books for the following semester. While he was celebrating this achievement, he had to be challenged by the ruthless fact that his family could no longer afford his tuition fees for school. Feeling sad and upset, Baokang suddenly remembered when he once saw how a crab in the river had voluntarily lost its claw to seek survival, thus realizing the philosophy that life involves both advances and retreats, and therefore requires us to know how to make the right choice by giving up something.