"Book of Changes·Gu": "Xiang said: 'There is wind at the foot of the mountain, Gu, a gentleman should inspire the people and cultivate virtue'".
"Invigorating the people and cultivating morality" is interpreted differently in different versions.
One way to say it is: it refers to helping people and cultivating one's own virtue.
The other is: educating the people and cultivating virtues.
I don’t want to ask whether it is “internal cultivation” or “external wisdom.” In short, if you want to “be virtuous in the world”, you must first “be virtuous in the world” yourself.
"Virtue": "What you get from others externally, you get it internally from yourself." Zhu Junsheng, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, said: "What you get from others externally is the virtue of kindness; Virtue." It can be seen that "virtue" has internal and external aspects, which are internal to oneself and external to others. Internally, cultivating one's character and self-improvement, this is the "virtue of morality"; externally, being influenced by the moral power of others, thinking about others when seeing the best, or using moral power to influence others, turning spring breeze into rain, this is the "virtue of kindness".
Those who are teachers should perfect themselves with "virtue of morality" and bestow "virtue of kindness" on their students.
Read these "four words" every day and remind yourself that "nurturing virtue comes first, benefiting virtue comes later". Only by cultivating "internal virtue" can you achieve "external virtue".
Attachment: Five Essays
People are valued and business is fundamental. The key to serving the foundation is to serve the "five foundations": the world is people-oriented, people are based on virtue, virtue is based on goodness, goodness is based on sincerity, and sincerity is based on truth. "Five books" are the foundation of life.
The world is people-oriented.
The "world" of "the world is people-oriented" is the "world" of the world, and it is the "world" of the world for people. The key to "serving the foundation" lies in "serving people". "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals: Filial Piety": "The so-called essence is not about cultivating and planting, but serving people." Starting from human nature and people-oriented, we always regard people as the object of research, and care about human survival, human value, and human life. Dignity, human education, and human family and social organization. The core of management and governance is people, and the subjects and objects of management are people.
Only people are valuable. "Shuowen Jiezi": "Human beings are the most noble in nature of heaven and earth." Mencius proposed: "The people are the most noble, the country is second, and the king is the least." ("Mencius") Xunzi vividly compared the people and the king to The relationship between water and boats: "The king is the boat; the man is the water. The water carries the boat, and the water overturns the boat." ("Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Huangfu Gui Zhuan") Jia Yi of the Western Han Dynasty further stated: "The people are all based on their basic principles. Ye. The country is the foundation, the king is the foundation, and the officials are the foundation. "From ancient times to the present, anyone who is an enemy of the people will surely perish sooner or later.
Peace the people and love people. Confucius started from the thought of "a benevolent person loves others" and required rulers to "spend money sparingly and love others so that the people can take advantage of the times" and implement benevolent government. Mozi was saddened by the "three major troubles of the people" - "the hungry cannot eat, the cold cannot wear clothes, and the tired cannot rest". He hoped that those who govern the country can "share the cause with the people" and "free from labor", and then proposed The idea of ??"universal love". Tang Zhen, a thinker in the early Qing Dynasty, advised those in power: "A king should love his people as much as his heart loves his body." ("Qianshu Mingjian")
Protect and prosper the people. Confucius took "enriching the people" as the premise of benevolent government and believed that "if the people are enough, which ruler is enough?" ("The Analects of Confucius·Yan Yuan") Mencius advocated "controlling the people's property" and making the people "happy" Guanzi said: "If you have enough food and clothing, you will know the honor and disgrace." ("Mencius: King Hui of Liang") "It is difficult to govern", "If the people have more than enough, they will make concessions, and if they don't have enough, they will fight; if they make concessions, etiquette and righteousness will arise, but if they fight, riots will arise." ("Huainanzi·Qi Su Xun") "Rite and righteousness will arise from abundance", and "theft will arise from poverty." , "the people are prosperous and the country is safe", "the people are poor and the country is in chaos". ("Book of the Later Han Dynasty") These discussions embody the idea that "policy is to make the people rich" ("Shuoyuan Zhengli").
People are based on virtue
Virtue is the foundation of people, the foundation of politics, and the foundation of the country. "Those who are virtuous will gain." ("Book of Rites and Music")
The spirit of emphasizing virtue. A person without virtue cannot stand in the world, and virtue is the first step in self-cultivation. "Those who are not morally strong cannot lead the people." ("Warring States Policy") "A rich house, a rich body with virtue, a broad mind and a fat body." ("Book of Rites·University") "Every line of conduct is led by virtue." ( "Shishuoxinyu") is the "capital" of virtue, and virtue is the "handsomeness" of talent. "The Book of Songs, Daya, and the People": "We are born to care for the people, and there are things and rules; when the people follow the Yi, it is good to be virtuous." ("The Book of Songs")
Cultivation of one's character with virtue. Ancient Chinese sages particularly emphasized self-cultivation and moral practice, emphasizing that moral cultivation and self-cultivation are the prerequisites for governing people's hearts and governing society morally. As far as the progressive relationship of "cultivating one's moral character, managing one's family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world" is concerned, it includes four levels: "cultivation" belongs to personal ethics, the level of private morality; "organizing one's family" belongs to family ethics, family ethics; and "governing the country" belongs to Social ethics, the level of public morality; "Pingtianxia" means that all living beings in the world can live in peace, which belongs to the ultimate ethics, that is, "Dade". Among them, the foundation is self-cultivation, mind-cultivation and self-cultivation.
Transform people with virtue. Virtue has the effect of influencing others and cultivating their sentiments. The key to promoting "virtue" is for politicians to correct others first. "If his body is upright, he will not do what he is told; if his body is not upright, he will not obey even though he is told." ("The Analects of Confucius, Zi Lu") "A politician is upright. When the commander-in-chief is upright, who dares to be unrighteous?" ("The Analects of Confucius, Yan Yuan") ) "If you are good at etiquette, the people will not dare to be disrespectful; if you are good at righteousness, no people will dare to be disobedient; if you are good at trust, no people will dare to be unkind." ("The Analects of Confucius·Zilu")
With virtue Governing the country. “A gentleman cultivates virtue by inspiring the people.
" ("Yi·Gu·Xiang") To govern a country with virtue, we must first "rul the officials with virtue." "The key to government lies in getting people." "The prosperity and decline of the world depends on the system of officials." , failure of virtue leads to chaos. "("Book of Zhou") Officials "If they are not virtuous in office, the disaster will be severe; if they are incompetent in office, the disaster will be great." Those who are virtuous and talented are good at governing; those who are virtuous but not talented are difficult to govern; those who are talented are difficult to govern. Those without virtue are in chaos. “Those who gain virtue will prosper, and those who lose virtue will perish. "("New Book: Prenatal Education")
Virtue is based on kindness
In virtue, kindness is based on good intentions and good deeds. "Goodness", the most fundamental issue in ethics, is virtue. The highest state of being kind to others. "Guangyun·Yun": "Goodness is great. "It is extended to treat others with a generous and kind attitude, which is the beauty of adulthood. "A gentleman is most likely to be kind to others. "("Mencius Sun Chou") The highest virtue of a gentleman is to do good deeds together with others. Goodness has the supreme status in Mencius' thought. Goodness is not only the highest standard pursued by a gentleman, but also the basis for distinguishing good people from bad people.< /p>
Being altruistic and gregarious is the moral pursuit of ancient and modern Chinese thinkers: "The king is a gregarious person. Liang Qichao said: "Who is a man of public morality?" The reason why the crowd is a group and the reason why the country is a country is based on this virtue. Human beings are also gregarious animals. "("Selected Works of Liang Qichao") Human beings are social animals that cannot live in isolation without social groups, so they should "be gregarious" and "benefit the group" and love the group as a common cause.
Be kind to your neighbors. Confucianism is very Emphasizing the importance of being kind to neighboring countries, advocating not to do to others what you do not want others to do to you; proposing that "being kind and kind to neighbors is a national treasure"; emphasizing making friends and keeping your word; advocating the use of etiquette, and harmony is precious. Confucius advocated that "virtue is not alone, but there must be neighbors" and believed that as long as we pay attention to morality in the relationship between neighbors, the relationship will be smooth.
Confucius said: "If you approach it with kindness, you will have good relationships with others." Respect; filial piety and kindness, then loyalty; doing good deeds but failing to teach them, then persuading. "("The Analects of Confucius·Wei Zheng") Respect, filial piety, kindness, etc. are the specific connotations of goodness. We should make people aware of these goodness and encourage them to do so. Otherwise, "virtue will not be cultivated, learning will not be taught, and righteousness will not be learned. , I am worried that I can't change my bad behavior. " ("The Analects of Confucius·Shuer")
Accumulation of good deeds leads to virtue. Goodness is a process from quantitative change to qualitative change. "If good is not accumulated, it is not enough to become famous; if evil is not accumulated, it is not enough to destroy the body." "("Book of Changes·Ci Xia") "Xunzi·Encouragement to Learning": "The accumulation of soil forms a mountain, and wind and rain stir up it; the accumulation of water forms a abyss, and dragons emerge; the accumulation of good deeds becomes virtue, and the gods are satisfied with themselves, and the holy heart is prepared. "Noble moral character requires long-term accumulation of "goodness". Therefore, "Don't do good deeds because they are small, and don't do evil deeds because they are small." We must "see the spirit in the details."
Goodness is based on sincerity
"Sincerity" is the most important thing in all kindness, character, and personality, and the most important thing in life is truth and no deception. "The Doctrine of the Mean" says: "Sincerity means truth and no falsehood." Zhu Xi said: "Sincerity means truth without falsehood." " ("Annotations to the Four Books: Notes on the Doctrine of the Mean") During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Wang Fuzhi sometimes directly interpreted "sincerity" as "real existence" to explain the reality of the material world. He said: "Sincerity means real existence. There is a beginning and there is an end. What is true is that it is common in the world. There are eyes to see it and ears to hear it. "("Shangshu Yinyi·Shuo Mingshang")
Be true to your word. The most basic meaning of letter is sincerity, that is, words and deeds are consistent and the appearance is consistent. "Lu Shi Chun Qiu" has the chapter "Gui Xin", He regards trustworthiness as the basis for a person's life and life, and advocates that honesty is the most precious thing in life. "If the monarch and his ministers don't trust them, the people will slander them and the country will not be upheld. If the officials don't trust them, the young people will not be afraid of their superiors, and the nobles and the humble will look down on each other. If they don't trust rewards and punishments, the people will easily break the law." Don't make orders; if you don't trust your friends, you will be separated and resentful, and you won't be able to get close to each other; if you don't trust your craftsmen, your tools will be counterfeit, and the paint will be unfaithful. "
The way of heaven is only sincerity. "Sincerity" is the way of heaven, and the fundamental attribute of heaven is "sincerity." Traditional Chinese culture regards "sincerity" as the highest moral category in nature and human society. Mencius said: "The sincere person , is the way of heaven; thinking sincerely is the way of man. "To seek sincerity, you must think hard, think hard to choose the good, and encourage hard to be stubborn. Sincerity leads to gold and stone.
The foundation of humanity. "The Book of Rites: The Doctrine of the Mean" says: "Sincerity leads to the success of others. Tao. "Behavior that is in line with the Tao and laws is the so-called "sincerity" state. Zhou Dunyi of the Northern Song Dynasty regarded sincerity as human nature. He said in "Tongshu": "Sincerity is the foundation of a saint. "Reflexively and sincerely, there is no greater joy." "("Mencius: Devotion to the Heart") Reflecting on yourself, you have reached the state of sincerity, which is the greatest happiness. "Sincerity" should be regarded as the way of cultivation and the eternal pursuit of life.
The foundation of political affairs. "The Great Learning" extends the doctrine of "sincerity" in "The Doctrine of the Mean", which takes "sincerity" as the basis for governing the country, regulating the family, cultivating one's character, and uprightness of mind. "("Xunzi·Bugou") An honest person will gain the Tao, and will get many help; a dishonest person will lose the Tao, and will get little help. We must be sincere to our work, our career, and our country.
Sincerity Truth is the basis
Truth, innocence, authenticity, truth. Sincerity has its own way, and seeking the truth will lead to truth.
p>Fa Tian values ??truth. Some ancient Chinese thinkers regarded "truth" as the essence of Tao and the ultimate in self-cultivation, and advocated advocating nature and returning to simplicity. "Rituals are what the world does; truth is what we do. It is naturally not easy to receive it from heaven. Therefore, the sage values ??truth and is not bound by the vulgar.
Fools, on the other hand, cannot follow heaven and show compassion to others; they do not know how to value the truth, and they accept changes in the world because of their wealth, so they are not enough. "
The most sincere. "Zhuangzi Fisherman" has a definition of "truth": "The true is the most sincere." "That is to say, "truth" is a kind of pure and sincere spiritual state. It is a state that can be achieved on the basis of long-term sincerity and sincerity. To achieve this state, one must be honest and not deceive, and dare to tell the truth. In words, do not flatter others or engage in falsehood; adhere to integrity, do not follow the world and follow the crowd; treat others with sincerity, do not be pretentious or duplicitous.
"Zhuangzi, the Great Master": "The true way is not to follow the trend of others. It’s fake and natural. "Han Shu·Tang Yusun Biography" says: "The true one is the way of nature." "Taoism has always advocated advocating nature, returning to nature, and advocating learning the pure and simple way of nature. This spiritual yearning of "returning to nature" should arouse people in the era of materialization to engage in human affairs with a worldly mentality, find their true self, and turn indifference into Tranquility, honesty, simplicity, and transcendence are the moral pursuits.
Laozi regards "Tao" as the highest category of his philosophical system, and Zhuangzi also believes that "identity with Tao" is the highest pursuit of life. Authenticity is the natural state of human beings, while falsehoods and falsehoods are caused by people's desire for fame and gain. It advocates preserving heaven and discarding human beings, and returning to the highest entity of the universe - "Tao". There is virtue in truth, goodness in truth, sincerity in truth, and truth in truth. Have faith. We must adhere to the "true self", cultivate the "true self", and abandon the false self, false self, and false self. The great truth is the beauty. A person is a person who is consistent with Tao and transcends external things.
There is an internal logic between the "five principles", which are closely connected and progressive. The "five principles" are the foundation of one's life and should be adhered to in life. "Five principles", practice the "five principles", value people, cultivate virtue, do good, be honest, and value truth. For the Tao.