It means: to establish the mind of birth and rebirth for the world, to point out a road for the common people to follow, to inherit the knowledge that Confucius and Mencius and other previous saints did not pass on, and to create a foundation of eternal peace for future generations of the world. .
The famous saying of "Establish a heart for the heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, carry forward the unique knowledge for the saints, and create peace for all generations" comes from Zhang Hengqu, a great scholar of the Northern Song Dynasty, also known as Zhang Zai (1020-1077) "Four Sentences on Hengqu". His famous sayings were called "Four Sentences in Hengqu" by the contemporary philosopher Feng Youlan. Because of their simplicity and grand meaning, they have been praised throughout the ages.
The following is an in-depth interpretation of "establishing a mind for heaven and earth, establishing a destiny for the living and the people, inheriting the unique knowledge for the past saints, and creating peace for all generations":
1. Establish a mind for heaven and earth.
Heaven and earth have no intention, but what is the source of the endless life and death between heaven and earth and the creation and transformation of all things? Buddhism believes that every individual life has its own Tathagatagarbha, which contains the seeds of good and evil in the past life to form karma and control the destiny of the next life. It is the will of heaven and earth.
So Cheng Mingdao said: "Heaven and earth have no mind, with living things as the center." He also said: "Heaven and earth have no mind to form." Because heaven and earth generate and transform all things, it is just the natural flow of the virtue of life, and it is not intentional to create such a thing. A big world. Therefore, it is "unintentional" and "transformation".
Having no mind but having a mind (taking living things as the mind) is a person's intimate understanding of the virtues of the creation of heaven and earth. Through people's understanding and guidance, the heart of creation and transformation of all things in heaven and earth is revealed.
2. Establish a destiny for the livelihood of the people.
Fate has two levels: rational life and qi life. The life on these two levels cannot be harmed, cannot be discarded, and must be established. The way of "settling one's life" taught by Confucian sages is precisely for the sake of livelihood. With this Tao, "people use it daily but don't know it", but it can be understood subtly. With the facilities of ethics, politics and religion, the people's lives have a basis to follow, and they can protect their lives and live a stable life. This is "establishing a life for the people." .
3. Continuing the unique learning for the Holy Spirit.
For thousands of years, the Confucian sage's learning has been unable to continue the academic lineage of Pre-Qin Confucianism since the Han Dynasty, the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Neither the light of life nor the wisdom of philosophy can be revealed. Especially during the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, the cultural life of the Chinese people shrank and degenerated extremely. Until the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty, there was no decent teacher in the world. The so-called "study of Jue Dao" is not an exaggeration.
It was not until the emergence of Neo-Confucianism that the metaphysical wisdom of Pre-Qin Confucianism was resurrected, allowing the study of the Way of Nature (mind, nature, principles) and the teaching of inner sage and virtue to shine again in the world. The leadership of thought has been taken back from Buddhism, and Confucius' status has naturally reappeared. This step of "carrying on the unique learning for the Holy Spirit" is unique in the history of human culture.
It is a pity that since the Manchu and Qing dynasties, scholars have been base-minded and have criticized Neo-Confucianism. This is truly a great pity for academic ignorance.
4. Create peace for all generations.
Confucianism believes that "the inner sage is the essence, and the outer king represents the function." Those with great functions can usher in a peaceful and prosperous age. And not just for a moment, but for thousands of years to create peace. The word "Taiping", like "Taihe", is the most profound and solemn concept in Confucian scholarship.
However, although Confucianism has great aspirations to create peace for all ages, and can also talk about the benevolent and kingly way of the world for the public at the level of "Tao", in terms of the system, it only achieves "governing the Tao" and fails to do so. Create a "political path".
Today’s democratic political system is on a peaceful track at the political level. Coupled with science, it can better meet the requirements of “creating things to achieve services” and “utilizing welfare”. Combining democratic science with Confucian etiquette and music education and the concepts of "peace and harmony" will indeed create a boundless beauty for the human world.
Extended information:
The word "sage" of "carrying on the unique learning to the saints" is not just about Confucius and Mencius. It started from Yao and Shun, and started from the three generations of Chinese civilization. The essence of civilization of three generations is deposited in the Six Classics, and Confucianism has always consciously inherited the classics of Chinese civilization represented by the Six Classics.
So, "carrying on the unique learning for the saints" can be understood as the need to continue, inherit, revive and carry forward the mainstream tradition of Chinese culture from Yao, Shun, Zhou and Confucius to the future, so the "learning" here , represents not only the development of Confucian culture, but a mainstream tradition in the development of the entire Chinese civilization since our Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, which is to strive to revive Chinese culture, and even the entire human civilization.
I inherit the achievements of my ancestors who overcame thorns and thorns, and I build the foundation for my descendants to build a peaceful and prosperous age. Countless pasts and futures all converge into one focus - me now. I know everything I know about what I know, and I know what I don’t know. In the long river of history, on the Tai Chi diagram composed of the past and the future, there is only me, fluttering and independent, emerging and ascending to immortality.
Confucian scholars are so open-minded and ambitious.