Now actually reading the book, I see the preface has made an attempt to recontextualize parts of the translation, in a way that seems odd to me. This section is prefaced by a philosophy that "everything is meaningless and of no value." Nihilism. In that light, this quote takes on a very different character:
The general philosophy (above) came first, and was followed by the farming practice.
Quote from: p13Instead of offering a hundred explanations, would not practicing this philosophy by the best way?
The general philosophy (above) came first, and was followed by the farming practice.
Quote from: p13My method of "do-nothing" farming began with this thought.