Chen Tao is from Xupu, Poyang. When he was young, he was full of ambition and had great ambition to make contributions and become a "teacher". "There is no strong knot in lamb skin, and scholars have done everything since ancient times." He decided that he was a "scholar" who could "get things done" and was ready to do something. Moreover, he thinks highly of himself, and whatever he wants to do, he has to do something like this: "If you don't do it in the mountains, it will only insult you." In the water, it is not a lotus, but a deep pond. "But is such a person, several times jinshi exam failed. He was a little impatient, wrote his famous poem, expressed his heart, and complained: "When Zhou Li had more than enough, Baiyun fished in five streams. There is no forest in the Central Plains, which is naturally the net of royalty. " If the Great Central Plains is not without natural spirits like Kirin and Phoenix. There are also talents like Jiang Ziya who lean on the white clouds to fish straight, which laid the foundation of the Zhou Dynasty for 800 years as soon as they came out of the mountain. It's just that the imperial court didn't search it carefully. ) In this poem, he rudely compared himself to Jiang Ziya, complaining that the net used by the emperor to recruit talents was too "sparse" and missed him. He complained more than once: "If there is no Xu Shu in the world recently, who knows that Wolong came from Sang Ma? ".He compares himself to Zhuge Liang here, complaining that no one in the world recommended himself to the emperor like Xu Shu recommended Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei during the Three Kingdoms. He also bluntly said: "Gan Kun is lazy when he sees the article, and it is too lazy to become a dragon and tiger. "He thinks he's talented and has the courage to recruit Gankun, but there are too few jobs suitable for him. When he was most eager to make contributions, he even said to his friend who was an official in a vigilant tone: "It is best to recommend talented people in the wild when he is enlightened, otherwise everyone will express their condolences and regrets after his angry death, just like Qu Yuan has been treated since ancient times. "("Ming recommended a good legacy, don't teach eternal sorrow ").
Complaints were ignored and recommendations seemed to have no effect. We still have to find a way to forgive ourselves psychologically. Then he gradually understood a truth: the world is too small for him to display his talents. He feels like a giant whale, and the water in this small "river and lake" in today's world is not enough for him to wag his tail ("Jiang Hushui is shallow enough to lose the whale's tail"); It's not that he doesn't want to appear as a dragon, but that there are not enough rivers to accommodate him ("not a dragon is lazy, not a water extension"). He thought it might be smooth sailing, and further realized that the real sages are in a certain degree of advance and retreat, twists and turns, and relaxation, just like the elves like Phoenix and Kirin, who know when to fly, when to gallop, when to perch, and when to hibernate ("rare birds know Xiang and sting, sages roll and relax"). After he figured it out, he stopped trying to make progress in his official career, but "aim high and work hard" and became a hermit. He not only "roamed famous mountains", but also "called himself" three religions in cloth ".
But his seclusion is not the kind of seclusion that sees through the world of mortals and concentrates on Taoism, but only the temporary seclusion of Confucianism and waits for the opportunity. He is like the great hermit like Jiang Ziya and Zhuge Liang in his mind: cultivate one's morality to increase one's talents, and avoid the world to wait for the right moment. Be ready at any time, once the opportunity comes, we will join the WTO and do an earth-shattering thing. "Since ancient times, hermits have been nothing more than masters." He believes that since ancient times, hermits have been trying to do great things, to be "teachers of kings" and to help a generation of emperors complete their grand plans of starting businesses. He even bluntly said that he wanted to escape from the world and kill time, just like Jiang Ziya did when he was fishing in Tunxi, in order to wait for the arrival of Wang Wenshi ("How can I be a Tunxi person? A leopard should change when it needs time").
With this motivation, I can't help thinking: sometimes I hope that this depressing situation will come to me, so that I can stand out and become a "Great Sage" ("No Great Sage will come to me in nine days"); Sometimes I fantasize that I have great achievements in literary talent and martial arts, which surprises the world greatly ("Three dynasties rely on heavenly swords, and a hundred clouds ride. Can make the river clear, and the group believes in children's play "); Sometimes, I will be ashamed of my anonymity, and I will be ashamed of meeting my elders in my hometown ("My life is hazy, and I am looking for a job." The four seas are still white, and the hometown is shameless ").
It is difficult for us to know exactly how long this mentality of seeking and hiding has lasted. But what we know is that Chen Tao didn't become a Jiang Ziya or Zhuge Liang figure, doing some earth-shattering things in his imagination. On the contrary, with the growth of his seclusion, he gradually changed from Confucian seclusion to Taoist seclusion.
There is no doubt that one of the reasons why he can live in seclusion with peace of mind and sincerity is that the emperor never sent anyone to ask him to be the "teacher of the king". But in addition to this external reason, we can also find some powerful facts from his poems that can make him change his original intention and gradually become sincere.
First of all, there are some special and specific experiences of seclusion and monasticism. There was a Taoist named Qiu in Zhongyue who taught him the secret method of taking pine shadow. After taking it for thousands of days, the whole body is fragrant, the steps are light and vigorous, and the wind is born under the first step. It can avoid food and reach the standard of "earth fairy" in some aspects. Chen Tao's ancestors probably had people who practiced Taoism or cultivation, leaving some books on alchemy and monasticism, so he said, "My ancestors once handed down the book of Baoding." And with his temples graying, he is also looking forward to refining a panacea as soon as possible. Perhaps the most important thing that prompted him to become a Taoist in his experience was that he witnessed monks soaring during the day. In the poem "Watching He Zizhen Soaring in LA", he described the sight of Taoist He Zizhen soaring under Songshan Mountain during the day. The story of rising in the daytime has been recorded in history, and its authenticity is beyond doubt. But it's no accident who saw it. It is difficult for ordinary people who generally don't believe in cultivation to see such things. Let a person see others soar during the day, mostly to inspire him to become a Taoist, or to strengthen his own mind. When Zhang, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, was soaring in the daytime, his good friend Yan Zhenqing and his family saw it with their own eyes. Later, Yan Zhenqing, a famous minister who was a veteran of the Four Dynasties, also succeeded in practicing and became an immortal.
With these experiences and experiences, thinking will naturally change greatly. In the past, it was inconceivable for Chen Tao to say that "killing all the fame and fortune in the world is like running water between rocks". For practitioners, reading Confucian classics and Taoist books often is the most effective way to "kill" the hearts of ordinary people. Chen Tao also said that he "read magic classics for a long time" to improve his intelligence. With the improvement of self-cultivation, the realm embodied in poetry has also improved, which can be seen from many of his poems, so that "Tao Ge's poems are like the skills of immortals" in "Bei Meng Ci"
But living in mountainous areas for a long time has gradually caused economic difficulties. According to Chen Tao's own poems and other people's records, he doesn't seem to plow, so he can't get a penny from the land, and his family has to find another source of income for food, clothing, housing and transportation. Although Chen Tao can break through the valley for a long time, it seems that his wife and son still need to eat. Besides, Chen Tao still needs an alchemist, which needs money. In order to solve the financial problem, Chen Tao planted many oranges on the mountain. When the oranges were ripe, he asked some children in the mountains to help him take them down the mountain and sell them. According to a poem by Guan Xiu, a famous poet at that time, after selling oranges for several years in a row, Chen Tao successfully solved the problem of economic resources and consolidated the situation of self-sufficiency in life (Guan Xiu: "Ascend to heaven in one step, sing high songs in the north and south. After selling oranges for several years, Yamamoto is close and enough. " )。 In addition, dozens of kinds of medicinal materials are produced on the western hills. Chen Tao not only digs medicines for his family to eat, but also takes some medicines to the city to sell, which can also earn some income. It is really commendable that a once "ambitious and ambitious" Gao Shi can stick to the road of cultivation under such difficult circumstances.