The highest model of our life should ultimately be the moderate life advocated by Zisi, which is the most sound ideal life discovered by the Chinese. Li Mi'an beautifully expressed this ideal of life in his "Banban Song": If you see through half of life, half of it will be of infinite use. Half of the time is spent in leisure; half of the world is wide. Half Guo, half country house, half mountain and half water pastoral. Half farming, half reading, half studying, half scholar, half married to the people. The utensils are half elegant and half coarse, the courtyard is half luxurious and half practical; the quilt is half plain and half light and fresh, and the food is half rich and half frugal. The child servant is half capable and half clumsy, the wife and children are half simple and half virtuous. The mood is half Buddha and half god; the surname is half hidden and half revealed. Return half to heaven and earth, and give half to the world. Half thinking about future generations and Cangtian, half thinking about how Yama will meet. It’s good to be drunk half-way through the wine; it’s good to have flowers half-way through blooming. The half-sail is fanned to avoid turning one's face, and the horse is stabilized with half-rein. Half of them are interesting, but half of them are tired of entanglement. A hundred years of bitterness and joy are half the same, and only half of them will be advantageous. The golden mean is the right and impartial approach that is always feasible. From an ethical perspective, golden mean is an ethical principle and a principled constraint on people's thoughts and emotions. From a practical social perspective, Doctrine of the Mean is a way of interaction between people, which is embodied in practical activities in various daily affairs. It is precisely because of this ubiquitous permeability and universality that the Doctrine of the Mean has such a profound impact on our lives and has become the guiding principle of social, political, economic, and cultural life.
The so-called golden mean is a set of theories and methods advocated by Confucius and elaborated by Zisi to improve people's basic moral quality and achieve peace and harmony. This theory and method of improving people's basic moral quality to achieve peace and harmony includes its theme, theoretical basis, specific content, main principles, testing standards, methods of knowing and doing, important approaches, etc. These contents are concentratedly reflected in the thirty-three chapters of "The Doctrine of the Mean". A brief description is as follows. 1. Theme idea The theme idea of ??the golden mean is to educate people to consciously carry out self-cultivation, self-supervision, self-education, and self-improvement, so as to cultivate themselves into an ideal personality and achieve the most goodness, most benevolence, most sincerity, the most Tao, the most virtue, and the most saintliness. , an ideal figure who combines the external and internal principles, and truly creates a realm of "peace and harmony" in which "the heaven and earth are in harmony with each other and all things are nurtured". This theme is mainly reflected in the first chapter of "The Doctrine of the Mean". "Destiny is called nature, spontaneity is called Tao, and cultivating the Tao is called teaching." The words concisely and comprehensively reveal that the core of the theme of the golden mean is self-education. "Destiny calls nature" means that human nature is good. "Fruitality is the way" means that the way for people to educate themselves is to do things according to people's good nature. "Cultivation is called teaching" means that self-education means practicing cultivation according to humane principles. "The Tao cannot be separated for a moment, but it is not the Tao. Therefore, a gentleman should be careful about what he does not see, and be afraid of what he does not hear. Do not see something that is too far away, and do not show something that is too small. Therefore, a gentleman should be careful about what he does not know. "Self-education runs through one's life, and people cannot do without self-education for a moment. To implement self-education throughout the entire process of life, you need a strong spirit of self-discipline and self-supervision. This spirit is called caution and independence. In other words, when you are alone, others cannot see your behavior or hear your words, and you can also carefully conduct inner self-reflection, self-discipline, and self-monitoring. "The happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy are not yet expressed, but when they are expressed, they are all in harmony." It reveals the goals of self-education, self-discipline, and self-supervision. "Medium is the foundation of the world; harmony is the foundation of the world." It pointed out the great significance of the goal of self-education. "Going to the center, the heaven is in place, and all things are nurtured." It extols the immeasurable merits after achieving the ideal goal of self-education, that is, the effect of possessing the most benevolent, most kind, most sincere, most Taoist, most virtuous, and most holy character. Neutralization is the realization of self-worth, and neutralization is the embodiment of social value. Linjiang Li Liwu of the Song Dynasty also gave a very high evaluation of the Doctrine when he analyzed the first chapter of "The Doctrine of the Mean" in his book "The Doctrine of the Mean". He said: "The virtue of the mean is great, but its meaning is small. The first chapter uses Xing, Ming, Dao, and Jiao to clarify the meaning of the mean; it uses caution, fear, and independence to clarify the way to hold on to the middle; it uses neutrality to clarify the body and use. Consistency; education through position, the ultimate merit of benevolence and sincerity." Zhu Xi also spoke highly of this chapter. He said in "The Doctrine of the Mean": "Chapter 1 on the right." Zisi stated the meaning of what he said: firstly, the origin of the Tao comes from heaven and cannot be changed; its substance is prepared by oneself and cannot be separated; secondly, it is maintained The key to self-examination is to say that the Holy Spirit is at its peak. This is what Yang calls the essence of a piece of work. "Of course, it is impossible for them to point out clearly as we do today that the theme of the Golden mean is self-cultivation, self-education, self-discipline, self-supervision, and self-improvement, in order to cultivate oneself into an ideal personality and achieve perfection. An ideal figure who is most sincere, most benevolent, most Taoist, most virtuous, most holy, and harmonious with the external and internal principles, and creates a realm of "peace and harmony" in which "the heaven and earth are in harmony with each other and all things are nurtured". 2. Theoretical basis The theoretical basis of the golden mean is the unity of nature and man. Usually people talk about the unity of nature and man mainly from a philosophical point of view. Most of them start from Mencius' "He who exhausts his heart knows his nature; if he knows his nature, he knows the nature" ("Exerting his Heart"), but ignores it. The golden mean of the unity of nature and man ignores the true meaning of the unity of nature and man. The true meaning of the unity of nature and man is to unite in the utmost sincerity and perfection, to achieve "neutralization, the status of heaven, and the development of all things", and "Only sincerity in the world can fulfill its nature."
If you can fulfill its nature, you can fulfill the nature of man; if you can fulfill the nature of man, you can fulfill the nature of things; if you can fulfill the nature of things, you can praise the transformation and nurture of heaven and earth; if you can praise the transformation and nurture of heaven and earth, you can participate with heaven and earth." The realm of "integration with heaven and earth" is the unity of heaven and man. This is the true meaning of the unity of heaven and man. Therefore, "The Doctrine of the Mean" begins with "the destiny is called nature, the way is called Tao, and the cultivation of Tao is called teaching." "And finally "'It is carried by heaven, silent and odorless. 'That's it." This is the highest state that a saint can reach. This is the unity of nature and man in the true sense. Heaven is a kind and beautiful heaven where nature and man are one, and people are like a kind and beautiful heaven where nature and man are one. Such kind and beautiful people, the unity of nature and man is the ideal state of people's conscious cultivation to benefit mankind and nature like the beautiful and kind nature. The unity of nature and man in the golden mean is manifested in the following aspects: (1) The relationship between heaven and man. The way of humanity is the way of heaven, and the way of humanity is the pursuit of sincerity. This is the way of enlightening people, and the way of enlightening people, which means that the way of humanity is consistent with the way of heaven. Sincerity is the way of man. A sincere person achieves success without trying hard, achieves without thinking, and calmly hits the right path. This is also a sage. Those who are sincere are those who choose the good but are stubborn. Zheng Xuan said: "It is the nature of those who speak sincerely, and those who are sincere are those who learn to be sincere." "Kong Yingda said: "This sutra shows the way of sincerity, which is the nature of heaven. Then people should learn the nature of sincerity. It is the sincerity of God who is tired and does not do anything. It is achieved without thinking. If it is the nature of heaven, life and death follow the four seasons. This is the way of heaven. Sincerity is the way of man, and it is the way of man to be sincere. If you don't learn, you won't get it, so it's the way of people. The sincere person achieves the goal without exerting effort, achieves without thinking, and calmly takes the middle path. He is also a sage. This is what I said above about sincerity being the way of heaven. Only saints can do this, that is, they do not encourage themselves but do good by themselves, they do not think about it but achieve good by themselves, they are free to follow the Tao by themselves, and their nature of saints is in harmony with the way of heaven and nature, so they are called saints. A person who is sincere is one who chooses the good but is stubborn. Again, the person who is sincere is the way of man. It is said that one develops such sincerity through learning, which is called a wise man. Choosing good deeds, sticking to them firmly, and doing them endlessly will lead to sincerity. "According to the explanations of Zheng Xuan and Kong Yingda, the unity of heaven and humanity in the Doctrine of the Golden Mean is divided into two types: one is the unity of heaven and man of the sage, and the other is the unity of heaven and man of the sage. The unity of nature and man of the sage is the instinctive nature The unity of man and nature. The unity of nature and man is achieved through learning. It should be said that there is also the unity of nature and man among mortals. "The Doctrine of the Mean" says: "You may know it when you are born, or you may learn it." Knowing it when you are trapped, and knowing it are the same thing. Either you do it safely, you do it for the benefit, or you do it reluctantly, and the success is the same. "It can be said that those who know it from birth and practice it with ease are sages, those who know it through learning and practice it with advantage are sages, and those who know it and do it reluctantly are ordinary people. Whether it is a sage, a sage or a mortal, all The state of unity between nature and man can be achieved by being sincere and good, but it cannot be achieved by being ignorant and ignorant. (2) The purpose of integrating nature and human nature is to unify nature and human nature. 1. Nature is the most kind, most sincere, most benevolent, and most true, and human nature should also be the most kind, most sincere, most benevolent, and most true. Only when heaven and man are united can we create the outline of the world, establish the foundation of the world, understand the principles of heaven and earth transforming and nurturing all things, and achieve the golden mean of the unity of reason and emotion. The unity of nature and man is also reflected in the unity of reason and emotion. People's joys, anger, sorrows and joys are the natural attributes of human beings and the expression of emotions. In order to pursue the most sincere, most kind, most benevolent and most true humanity that is one with heaven and nature. , so emotions need to be restrained and restricted, so "The Doctrine of the Mean" says: "The joys, anger, sorrows and joys are not expressed in the middle, but when they are expressed, they are all in harmony." Only by "neutralizing" can the unity of nature and man be achieved (" The unity of heaven and man, the unity of ghosts and gods, and the cultivation of all things."). (4) The unity of ghosts and gods and saints. The unity of heaven and man in the Doctrine of the Mean also includes the unity of ghosts, gods and saints. Chapter 29 of "The Doctrine of the Mean": "Therefore, the way of the gentleman, Based on the body, conquer the common people; examine the three kings without being wrong; build the heaven and earth without contradicting them; question the ghosts and gods without doubt, and know the heaven; wait for the saints for a hundred generations without being confused, and know the people. Therefore, when a gentleman acts in the world, he becomes the way of the world, when he acts in the world, he becomes the law of the world, and when he speaks in the world, he becomes the principle of the world. "If you cross-examine ghosts and gods, there will be no doubt, even if you understand heaven; when saints come out a hundred generations later, there will be no doubt, even if you know people. It illustrates the doctrine of the golden mean. In the unity of heaven and man, heaven includes ghosts and gods, and humans include saints. In the true sense, the unity of heaven and man includes the unity of saints. Ghosts and gods are the general term for heaven, earth and ancestors. Therefore, the ancient concept of heaven also includes the elements of dead people (ancestors). The word "tian" itself means the person standing under the sky with the blue sky above his head. (5) The unity of nature and man in the Doctrine of the Mean also includes the unity of the outside and the inside. Chapter 25 of "The Doctrine of the Mean" reveals the unity of the outside and the inside. And Tao means self-Tao. Sincerity is the beginning and end of things; dishonesty is nothing. Therefore, a gentleman’s sincerity is valuable. Sincerity is not something that is self-contained, it is something that is formed in its place. To achieve oneself is benevolence; to achieve things is to know. The virtue of nature. The way of combining the outside and the inside. Therefore, it is appropriate to take measures at this time. "The way of combining the outside and the inside means that the outside and the inside are unified, and the outside and the inside are combined with nature and sincerity. Therefore, the doctrine of the golden mean is the unity of nature and man, and is also unified with sincerity. This unity of the outside and the inside can also be regarded as moral consciousness and moral behavior. The unity of oneself and things, or the unity of knowledge and action. Therefore, Yang Quanhua's "Summary of the Doctrine of the Mean" of the Qing Dynasty said: "The whole book of "The Doctrine of the Mean" is based on the sentence 'The road is not far away from others'. , the speaker must trace his origins to Tiantian, "Dai Ji." The Confucius said in "The Rites and Luck Chapter": "As a human being, the virtues of heaven and earth are the intersection of yin and yang, the meeting of ghosts and gods, and the elegance of the five elements."
’ He also said: ‘Human is the heart of heaven and earth, the end of the five elements, and is born from food, taste, sound, and color. ’ Zisi Mingdao said that most of those who said that heaven and earth must be unified and ghosts and gods must be included to establish this meaning. The destiny of heaven is called nature, which is the virtue of heaven and earth. The destiny characters should be combined and delicate. ‘Benevolent people are also’, that is, the heart of heaven and earth. Joy, anger, sorrow, and joy are the ends of the Five Elements, and the word "Shen Du" especially shows the key point of abstaining from sexual desires to fulfill one's physical form and fulfill one's nature. The whole book is centered on the two characters "human": "Benevolence is the way of human beings" and "Sincerity is the way of human beings". It is said that "everyone should eat and drink", it is said that "govern others by others", it is said that "you cannot ignore others", it is said that "you should treat others before you act", it is said that "you can wait for a saint for a hundred generations without being confused and know others", each paragraph mentions "people" 'The words are all used to illustrate the purpose of 'the road is not far away from people'. The beginning of the book starts with "Heaven" and the end ends with "Heaven". There are many words about heaven and the way of heaven. Talking about knowing people is talking about knowing heaven, talking about the way of people is talking about the way of heaven. They all illustrate the purpose of the unity of heaven and man. Ghosts and gods are virtues, and they also serve to illustrate the true meaning of the unity of heaven and man. Those who are worthy of heaven are saints, those who are vast and vast are saints, but there is no such thing as Tao, and there is no such thing as saints. Just wait for others and then act. Saints are also holy than humans. Who is this person? Lord and minister, father and son, husband and wife, brothers and sisters, friends. Therefore, one should be kind to others. The reason why people can be benevolent is that they are sincere. Xing is human nature, Tao is human, and the teacher teaches how to be human. Mencius said: "The reason why human beings are different from animals is that the common people get rid of them, but the gentlemen keep them." ’ Zi thought the way was clear, so he saved people. Because it is not far away from people, the eyes are called Yong, and it is said that it is inseparable. It starts from Shen Du, the Counselor of Jitian, and only fully understands the original appearance of people, without adding any harm to the world. Zisi used the famous book of Zhongyong, "Mediocre words should be used with caution when practicing mediocre virtues." The word "yong" is not far away from the road and is the highlight of the chapter, which is the purpose of the whole book. ” 3. Specific content The specific content of the Golden Mean mainly includes the Five Great Ways, the Three Great Virtues, the Nine Classics, etc. (1) The Five Great Ways The Five Great Ways mainly use the Golden Mean to regulate five types of interpersonal relationships. These five basic Interpersonal relationships are the interactions between monarch and minister, father and son, husband and wife, brothers and friends. The relationship between monarch and minister is regarded as the relationship between superior and subordinate. These five types of interpersonal relationships are the universal interpersonal relationships in the world. Chapter 12 of "The Doctrine of the Mean" discusses the interpersonal relationships between husband and wife in detail. The relationship between husband and wife is raised to a very high status. The article says: "A gentleman hides when he meets someone." The stupidity of a couple can be traced to knowledge; even if it is so extreme, even a sage will not know something. The unfaithfulness of a husband and wife can only be carried out; when it reaches its extreme, even a sage will be unable to do so in his old age. The way of a gentleman begins with the husband and wife, and when it reaches its extreme, it can be seen in heaven and earth. "Chapter 13 discusses the ways of father and son, monarch and minister, brothers, and friends. Looking at these two chapters, the five ways of reaching are complete. The five ways of reaching are the five types of interpersonal relationships that are common in the world. By correctly handling these five types of interpersonal relationships, To achieve the ideal state of peace and harmony, just as "Li Yun" said: "Therefore, the sage who regards the world as one family and China as one person is not intentional. He must know his feelings, understand his meaning, and understand his benefits. , reach the problem, and then be able to do it. What is favor? Joy, anger, sadness, fear, love, and desire, these seven can be mastered without learning. What is human righteousness? Father's kindness, son's filial piety, good brother, younger brother, husband's righteousness, wife's obedience, long-term benefit, young obedience, monarch's benevolence, minister's loyalty, these ten are called human righteousness. Maintaining trust and cultivating harmony is called benefit to others; fighting and killing each other is called harm to others. Therefore, the reason why the sage governs people's seven emotions, cultivates the ten righteousnesses, maintains trust and harmony, and is willing to give in and fight for others. How can he govern it by abandoning etiquette? " (2) What do the three virtues rely on to regulate these interpersonal relationships? It relies on people's inner character and wisdom, so there are three virtues. The three virtues are wisdom, benevolence, and courage. Wisdom, benevolence, and courage are universally accepted in the world. Morality is used to regulate the relationship between superiors and subordinates, fathers and sons, husbands and wives, brothers and friends. How can wisdom, benevolence and courage be cultivated and strengthened by the moral consciousness of honesty and kindness? Therefore, Chapter 20 of "The Doctrine of the Mean". Zhang clarified: “There are five ways to achieve perfection in the world, so those who practice them are three. Said: King and minister, father and son, husband and wife, brother and sister, friends. The fifth one is the Dao of the world. Knowledge, benevolence, and courage are the three virtues in the world, so those who practice them are the same. Either you know it when you are born, you know it when you learn it, or you know it when you are trapped. It is the same as knowing it. Either you do it safely, you do it when you are trapped, or you do it reluctantly, and the success is the same. Confucius said: 'To be eager to learn is close to knowledge, to practice is close to benevolence, and to know shame is close to courage. If you know these three, you will know how to cultivate yourself; if you know how to cultivate yourself, you will know how to govern people; if you know how to govern people, you will know how to govern the world. '" (3) The Nine Classics are the nine specific tasks used by the Doctrine of the Mean to govern the world and achieve peace and harmony. These nine tasks are: cultivate oneself, respect sages, love relatives, respect ministers, and sympathize with ministers, Care for the people, encourage all kinds of craftsmen, treat guests from far away, and appease the princes. If you cultivate yourself, you can achieve a beautiful personality; respect others and you will not be confused; love your relatives and there will be no resentment between uncles and brothers; respect ministers. If you manage government affairs, you will not be confused; if you show sympathy to the ministers, the scholars will try their best to repay them; if you care for the common people, they will be encouraged; if you encourage all kinds of craftsmen, the wealth will be sufficient; if you treat guests from far away favorably, the people from all over the world will obey. To appease the princes, the world will respect you. To do these nine tasks well, you must fully embody Zhongyong’s beautiful personality with sincerity, benevolence, and kindness. Adjusting these nine kinds of interpersonal relationships is an important guarantee for the world to achieve the ideal of peace and harmony. It is the inheritance and development of the ideal of peace and harmony that "the nine ethnic groups are in harmony, the common people are harmonious, the common people are enlightened, and all nations are harmonious" and "the way of a university lies in clear virtue, closeness to the people, and the pursuit of perfection."
4． Main Principles There are three main principles of the Golden Mean: first, be cautious in practicing alone, second, be loyal and tolerant, and third, be sincere and do your best. and are discussed separately below. (1) Be cautious in self-cultivation. This principle requires people to persist in self-education, self-supervision, and self-discipline in the process of self-cultivation. This principle is put forward in the first chapter of "The Doctrine of the Mean". The article goes: "The Tao cannot be separated even for a moment, but it is not the Tao. Therefore, a gentleman should be cautious about what he does not see, and be afraid of what he does not hear. Do not see what is hidden, and do not reveal what is insignificant. Therefore, a gentleman should be cautious. It is unique. "People must strictly and consciously cultivate themselves, especially when they are alone, they should carefully conduct self-reflection, self-discipline, self-education, and self-supervision. Even in places where others cannot hear what you are saying, you are very cautious and do not say anything that goes against morality; in places where others cannot see what you are doing, you should always abide by the golden mean and be most sincere, most benevolent, most kind, and most holy. We must adhere to the principle of careful self-cultivation. Adhering to this principle will bring endless joy, endless uses, and endless achievements. Therefore, Chapter 33 of "The Doctrine of the Mean" says: "The way of a gentleman is simple but not tiring, concise and written, gentle and reasonable. Knowing the distance and the near, knowing the origin of the wind, and knowing the appearance of the subtle can lead to virtue." "Poetry" says: "Although it is latent, it is still clear." Therefore, a gentleman does not feel guilty when he introspects, and he has no evil in his ambition. The only thing that cannot be seen in a gentleman is "The Poem" says: "The appearance is there." The room is worthy of the leakage of the house. 'So the gentleman is respectful without saying anything.' "Poetry" says: "There is no word in the speech, and there is controversy in the time." Therefore, the gentleman is not rewarded but the people persuade him, and he is not angry but powerful. "Poetry" says: "If you don't show your virtue, you will be punished." Therefore, the gentleman will be respectful and the world will be peaceful. "Sound and color are the only means of transforming the people." "Poetry" says: "Virtue is as good as hair." The first principle requires people to empathize with each other, understand each other, care for each other, not harm each other, be loyal and tolerant, act with consideration and benevolence, and act in parallel without conflict. This principle can be found in chapters 13 and 30 of "The Doctrine of the Mean" respectively. "The Master said: 'The way is not far away from people. People who are far away from people for the way cannot be the way.' "Poetry" says: Cut off the Ke and cut the Ke, but it is not far away. Hold the Ke to cut the Ke, look at it with a glance, It is still far away. Therefore, a gentleman treats others as he is, and does not go far if he is loyal and forgiving. If you do not want to do it to yourself, do not do it to others." This idea originated from Confucius, and Zeng Zi summarized it and passed it down to the world. "The Analects of Confucius. "Li Ren" records that Confucius warned Zeng Zi: "My way is consistent." Other students asked Zeng Shen what this meant. Zeng Shen said: "The Master's way is only loyalty and forgiveness." Loyalty and forgiveness are the principles of benevolence. To say that the core of Confucius' thought is the principle of loyalty and forgiveness means that the core of Confucius' thought is to be benevolent and to practice benevolence. Confucius said that forgiveness means "don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you." "A benevolent person, if you want to establish yourself, you can help others; if you want to reach others, you can reach others. Being able to draw examples from those who are close to you can be said to be the way to be benevolent." The so-called "being able to draw examples from those who are close to you" means comparing one's heart to one's heart, which is the concrete implementation of the way of loyalty and forgiveness. The way of loyalty and forgiveness is called "the way of justice" in "The Great Learning". "Great Learning" says: "What is evil to those above, don't do it to those below. What is evil to the bottom, do not do it in order. What is evil to the back, do not do it in the past. What is evil to the right, do not do it to the left. What is evil is not to be done to the left. Don't give to others who are on the left. This is the way of loyalty and forgiveness. Whether it is the way of loyalty and forgiveness or the way of being strict, its essence is kindness and fraternity, which requires people to do "I don't want others to do anything to me, and I also want nothing to be done to others" ("The Analects of Confucius. Gongye Chang") 》). "The Doctrine of the Mean" inherits and develops Confucius's doctrine of loyalty and forgiveness and "The Great Learning"'s doctrine of discipline. He further proposed "treating others with people", requiring people to love others with the same heart that loves themselves, blame themselves with the same heart that blames others, and use their sincerity, loyalty and forgiveness to inspire, influence and shape people. As long as we adhere to the principle of loyalty and forgiveness, people will live in peace and harmony with each other, and they will reach a state of mind in which they act in their own place, do not get involved without being content, do not complain about heaven above, and do not blame others below. Therefore, "The Doctrine of the Mean" says: "A gentleman acts according to his position and does not want to be outside of it. When he is rich, he acts like a rich man. When he is poor, he acts like a poor person. When he is a barbarian, he acts like a barbarian. When he is in trouble, he acts in adversity." A gentleman is not content with anything. When he is in a superior position, he does not help his superiors. When he is in a subordinate position, he does not seek help from others. He has no resentment when he is above and does not blame others. People take risks to gain good fortune. Confucius said: "There is a gentleman who misses the target and seeks for his own body." (3) The principle of being sincere and doing one's best is an important principle in practicing the golden mean. "Only sincerity in the world can fulfill its nature. If you can fulfill its nature, you can fulfill the nature of human beings; if you can fulfill the nature of human beings, you can fulfill the nature of things; if you can fulfill the nature of things, you can praise the transformation and education of heaven and earth; you can If you praise the transformation and upbringing of heaven and earth, you can participate in it. "Only by adhering to the principle of sincerity can we give full play to our kind nature. If you can give full play to your own good nature, you can influence others and bring out the good nature of others; if you can give full play to the good nature of all people, you can give full play to the good nature of all things; if you can give full play to the good nature of all things, you can participate in the transformation and nurturing of all things. Then one reaches the realm of the most benevolent and the most benevolent; when one reaches the realm of the most benevolent and the most benevolent, he can be ranked as three together with heaven and earth. This is the ideal state achieved by adhering to the principle of sincerity and dedication. Once you reach this ideal state, you will find your true position in the universe. In addition to the above three main principles, the Doctrine of the Mean also includes the principles of trusting friends, being close to relatives, sincerity, and understanding kindness. I won’t discuss them one by one here.