A gentleman's journey is quiet to cultivate one's morality, and frugal to cultivate one's morality. If you are not indifferent (indifferent), you will have no ambition, and if you are not quiet, you will be far away. You must study quietly before you can study. If you don't learn, you can't be versatile, and if you don't want to learn, you can't succeed. Slow can't have vitality, and risk can't have sex. Time goes by, meaning goes by, and then becomes withered, not meeting the world, and staying in a poor house sadly. What will happen?
We talk about this in response to some mother's initiatives, such as the collocation of meat and vegetables, composition and ancient prose. But there is a basic principle that the ancient Chinese we speak cannot be separated from the students' textbooks. For pragmatism, for practicality. We have to repeat a point: reading, analyzing and writing are one thing, not three. Talking about ancient Chinese seems to be talking about analysis, but in fact it is also talking about composition. You should learn from the ancients and draw the most abundant nutrition from ancient Chinese. Don't simply think that talking about ancient prose is "Chun Xue". We just appreciate ancient Chinese, which has nothing to do with the composition that "Chin Beauty" likes. It's not like this, it's the same thing. I don't understand the "Chun Xue" of "Chin Beauty", but it is not the real "Chun Xue". Similarly, people who don't know about Chun Xue are not real people.
Now let's start with the first sentence: a gentleman's journey. Many of us have read this work and recited it. We may have memorized this work for more than ten or twenty years. What is a gentleman? This is a big problem. In the past classics, the word gentleman was often used, for example, it appeared many times in the Analects of Confucius:
"A gentleman is not as good as Zhou, and a villain is not as good as Zhou."
Confucius said: a gentleman is not a tool. A Confucius said, "He is also filial, but there are very few people who easily offend others." It is not easy to make mistakes, but it is not easy to make mistakes. Gentleman's business is based on inheritance and Taoism. Filial piety is also the foundation of benevolence.
Lu Aigong asked, "Who is a studious disciple?" Confucius said to him, "Those who have Yan Hui are eager to learn, but they give up. Unfortunately, I died short-lived and died today. " Confucius said, "A gentleman doesn't want to eat enough, and he doesn't want peace. If he is sensitive to things and careful about what he says, he will know the right way and become honest. "
Confucius said, "In the world, a gentleman has nothing to lose, and there is no Mo Ye, which is a comparison of righteousness.
There are many more, so I won't mention them one by one. From these words in the Analects of Confucius, we can understand that "a gentleman can't compare with others, and a villain can't compare with others." To put it simply, gentlemen are treated equally, no matter whether you are old or young; Men and women, as long as they are along the way, can be accomplices and can be together. This is a gentleman's practice. The villains do it differently. He cannot be treated equally. He wants to compare. Is it good for me? Is it good for me?
Let's look at the second sentence again: Confucius said, "A gentleman is not suitable for the world, and there is no comparison between Mo Ye and righteousness. Gentlemen mix in society, and there is no hard and fast rule that this can be done and that cannot be done. Everything he did was based on righteousness. This is what we simply say, "righteousness", which we have said many times before, is "righteousness" or "fitness" or "fitness". There is a story in The Analects of Confucius: The husband and wife are your neighbors, quarreling, the door is open, and you hear it, but you don't persuade them, which shows that you are heartless and unjust. However, you rest at home, your home is in Xidan, you hear neighbors quarreling there in Dongdan, and you take a taxi to persuade them, then you are in trouble. This is the meaning of righteousness and propriety. So, we learned this passage. Generally speaking, a gentleman can mix well in society. But many people misinterpret it, think it is exquisite and flattering, and call it a gentleman. This is wrong again.
Let's learn this sentence again. Confucius said, "A gentleman does not have enough to eat, but he is restless. If he is sensitive and cautious, he will have proper channels and be honest. It can be said that he is also studious. " Simply put, it is the spiritual and material life level of a gentleman. Be sensitive to things and be careful what you say, and you are right. In Laozi's view, the same principle is called "the stomach of a saint, not its purpose". Eat, drink and live, don't overdo it, be simple, because eating, drinking and living is not a gentleman's goal, but a gentleman's goal is "just right".
Let's not talk about "sensitivity and caution" here. Let's learn this sentence again: "A Confucius said that he is also filial to his younger brother, but few people like to make mistakes;" It's not easy to make mistakes, but it's not easy to make mistakes. Gentleman's business is based on inheritance and Taoism. Filial piety is also the foundation of benevolence. "This is the first paragraph in The Analects of Confucius that mentions a gentleman." A gentleman's business is based on inheritance, and Tao is born. "What a gentleman pursues is inheritance, and the inheritance is there and the Tao is in it. When we talked about modesty, we talked about a concept. What is style? What is a photo? What is utilization? The "gentleman" here is the body, and the following "gentlemen are incomparable" and "gentlemen are not weapons" are all the appearance or uses of gentlemen, so I won't go into details here. In the Book of Changes, we are also familiar with the saying that "a gentleman strives for self-improvement", and so on. The topic of gentleman can be said a lot from the perspective of expansion. We quote the Analects of Confucius now to make people feel that the extension of the word gentleman is too wide, and we have only touched on it a little. So what is the "foundation" of a gentleman? What is the right way? Let's put this question aside for a while.
Speaking of it now, it is necessary to break a point: gentleness, then gentleness. Nowadays, we often think that people with handsome faces, suits and gentle words are gentlemen. This is not a gentleman's foundation. To put it bluntly, what is a gentleman? Wear a suit and tie, speak politely, and never be called a gentleman in a cage. Gentleman is synonymous with hero. So what is a real hero? You don't call yourself a hero just because you beat someone black and blue. Just because you occupy 25/3 acres of land does not make you a hero. In the eyes of the ancients, the real great hero is not the one who conquers others, but the one who conquers himself.
I talked about "Humble Room Inscription" the other day and talked about being humiliated. Only by being truly indifferent can we be ambitious. Why are you indifferent? Beat yourself. So we can understand now. The ancients talked about self-cultivation, keeping the family in order, and governing the country. If you don't cultivate yourself, you can't overcome yourself and become a gentleman. How can I become a hero who manages the country and the world? Similarly, a person can be a hero who can rule the country and level the world, and a gentleman who can defeat himself! This is one thing, not two things. For example, it may be easy for everyone to understand: Emperor Taizong, as we all know, is a generation of kings. A gentleman also has his own selfishness and interests. One day, he was playing with a bird when Wei Zhi came over. Emperor Taizong was afraid of Wei Zhi, so he hid the bird in his clothes. Wei Zhi knew, but he didn't find it. He talked with Don for a long time on purpose, and the bird was strangled. Back in the palace, Emperor Taizong was so angry that he didn't smash the jar and smashed the pot, saying that he would kill the old fairy. The queen knew the reason, bathed and changed clothes, and congratulated Emperor Taizong. It is your luck to say that you have such a good courtier, and it is the luck of Datang. Emperor Taizong immediately woke up. This is to defeat yourself, and in an instant, this is the great hero.
Let's look at history. Those founding kings are very capable of defeating themselves. Of course, these are just our examples. These people are far from the Confucian standards. These people, in the eyes of enlightened people, are nothing. Just like this, there is a culture in China called hermit culture.
Kong Ming was a hermit before he came out of the mountain. What they compare is not wealth, but the ability of internal cultivation, or the ability to overcome themselves. When we were studying in Zhuangzi, we learned that some emperors didn't want to be emperors and wanted to invite these people out of the mountain. Hearing this, these people all feel that their ears are polluted. This is what we say from the heroic side. We may have heard a word in the past, called "inner saints and outer kings". What does "inner saint" mean? Simply put, it is inner strength. "Waiwang" means for external use. In layman's terms, you can go as far as your heart is. How strong your heart is, how strong your bones are.
Self-cultivation is inner holiness. Put your family in order and rule the country and the world, just for external use.
Therefore, let's now understand that "a gentleman's business should put reason first" and "Tao is the right way". It is easy to understand what is "Ben" and what is "the right way". It is easy to understand what a gentleman is. In short, a gentleman is not an embroidered pillow. A gentleman is a great hero who conquers his own heart. Therefore, when we talk about the "humble room inscription", we have been emphasizing a point. Many people think that retiring from mountains and rivers is the author's last resort, which is wrong. Let's think about it. Yesterday, he was in Gaotang, but today he was banished to Jianghu. How many people in today's society don't commit suicide by jumping off a building? Today, we can also say, "If you don't leave me here, you have to leave me here." In that society, the lifelong pursuit of most scholars is to contribute to the court and honor their ancestors. If you are demoted, it is equivalent to being sentenced to political life and economic death. A scholar is nothing but an official. Think about it, there are people who can send their feelings to mountains and rivers. What kind of strong heart is needed?
Say the word "ok" first. As soon as I studied, I forgot the word "line". Sometimes, I ask you, how do you listen? Everyone said with one voice, listen well and the teacher spoke well. I don't like to hear this. Why not listen? What you gain in your mind only shows what your mind is filled with. However, "yes" will do. Good words, truth and powerful words can never be said 10 thousand times or 100 million times. There is only one "line" to achieve something. Only when it is done, this is the meaning of "doing".
Just now we talked about a sentence in The Analects of Confucius. Now it's interesting to look at it again: a gentleman doesn't think about food and peace. If he is sensitive to things, he will be cautious, and if he is sensitive to things, he will be righteous. What is sensitivity? Is to act boldly and watch your mouth. Don't be like me, just talk and do nothing here every day. So, let's look at the words of the Book of Changes now. "Heaven holds the key, and a gentleman strives for self-improvement". Makes more sense. A gentleman's journey, like the operation of the universe, will never stop, always pursue, forever strong. Zhuangzi's talk about "a gentleman's trip" is like "marching into the three armed forces", just like a person's courage to rush into the camp of the three armed forces. It is called "diligence and courage" in Buddhism. We also quoted the Analects of Confucius just now. What is this "line"? Don't be angry, don't be angry. If you are not angry, it is the inner saint; Don't make the same mistake again. This is too bold. What do you mean, you can't pass? It is repentance, and sincere repentance is the only way. We parents can't do it. We are angry with the child today, angry with the child, and we must repent afterwards, but that's not what we mean. Not brave, not diligent, and not into the three armed forces. I regret today. Maybe the next time something goes wrong, the little doormat at home is still a doormat, so parents are not big heroes, let alone little heroes. This is what we call a "gentleman's journey".