Mr. Qian Mu: What if you read books and still have a bad life?

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Is reading really related to being human? What if you read books and still can't be a good person and live a bad life? The answers to these questions may sometimes seem obvious or even natural, but on closer examination, it is difficult to have a direct answer. Mr. Qian Mu's thinking can serve as an entry point.

1

The Analects should still be read by everyone

I think the Analects should also be a book that everyone must read today. If I want to find a film that is more important than the Analects, can be used to understand Chinese culture, and is readable by everyone, I think it is not easy. Only the Analects, according to the conditions I have just described, from the Han Dynasty to the time when we shouted and knocked down Confucius, were required for everyone to read, and it has been two thousand years since there was not a single reader in China who did not read the Analects. If we want to understand some Chinese culture, I think we should at least look at the Analects.

Since you want to read the Analects, you have to read Mencius. The best person to talk about Confucius is Mencius, and the Chinese after the Song Dynasty are often called Confucius. Before the Tang Dynasty, it was only called Zhou and Kong, not Kong and Meng, which cannot be said to be a great progress for Chinese descendants. Speaking of Zhou Kong, it is important to pay attention to politics. To say Kong Meng, is to pay attention to academics and education. At least from the Song Dynasty to the present, the general Chinese have taken Confucius and Mengmeng, so we should read the Analects and read Mencius.

"On" and "Meng" are two books that I now cite for everyone to read, after reading the "Analects" and not understanding, and then reading "Mencius", it is easy to help us understand Confucius.

2

From casual good to inquiry into the questions of the times

Not a day since I was seven years old has not read. I'm ninety-three years old, I couldn't see it ten years ago, but I still want to hear it every day.

To put it simply, I have only read books all my life, and gradually evolved to answer the questions of the general era outside the time, never deliberately studying the so-called specialized studies of a certain type of modern people, such as history and literature. This is the outline of my life's study, and it is also my personal opinion.

3

Seven books to read regardless of occupation

The first reading of the Analects, followed by Mencius, then Lao Tzu, then Zhuangzi, the fifth Six Ancestral Tantras, the sixth Records of Recent Thoughts, and the seventh Records of Transmission. The essence of cultivation in the Chinese tradition has been exhausted. And these seven books can be read no matter what profession you do and how busy your life is.

But I'm talking about amateur reading, so you don't have to seek full understanding. To know: even if you are a university, he will not understand when he reads; not to mention that we are amateur readers; it is equivalent to looking at the scenery outside the window, or sitting in the bus ferry to enjoy the surrounding scenery, as you are happy to see anything, not necessarily all the exterior view, and no one can see it all.

4

Eight-character tip: cultivate interest and improve the realm

We do not want, and it is unlikely, that everyone will become scholars. By this, I mean that after we leave school, regardless of occupation, no matter what circumstances, we read, which is a kind of amateur reading. This kind of reading is always one of the things that people should do in the big circle of life. Necessary, but free. How should this kind of reading be read? Here are two greatest ideals and common goals:

The first is to cultivate interest. Life should be happy and interesting, which needs to be cultivated with hard work. There are even many people in society who are afraid of being a person, he feels that life is boring, tired of life, and even feels pain. For example, when we are teachers, some people feel that being a teacher is a last resort, just to make a living, just boring and dull, living next to each other. But you know; this is not something that the teacher can't do, it's just that he has lost the interest of life. Now I would like to ask: How can we reverse this heart and make him feel that life is still meaningful and valuable? This requires first cultivating his interest in life. And this kind of kung fu to cultivate the interest of life is like good reading.

The second is to improve the realm. The so-called realms, such as this lecture hall, are located in the village of Tiaojingling, where the terrain is both high and wide, with the mountains facing the sea. At this moment, the sky is clear, and the sea is back to the sails, or the seagulls are three or five, flying above the blue waves. If you open the window and look at the distance, you will feel that what is exposed in front of you is a beautiful realm, which is pleasant. Even if the sun is hidden, the rain is obscure, the fog is foggy, there is still a good scene. If it is said that the scenery is good, the knowledge is also obtained from the realm. If you change the realm, this kind of scenery will not be available. There is a realm for living, and there is a realm for life. These two realms are not the same. It is not true that those who live in high-rise mansions must have a high and good life realm, but those who live in huts in burrows do not. Maybe living in a high-rise house, his living realm is good, but his life realm is not good. Maybe living in the Hut of the Dark Room, his living realm is not good, but his life realm is good. We must know that there is no such thing as a realm of life. This layer, perhaps for young people, is not easy to understand for a while, and it is necessary to realize this when they are old, have more experience, and read more. Don't we always like to live a comfortable and happy life? When he knows that life has a good high realm, he will be more interesting and feel comfortable as a person. If we want to be able to reach this level, we should learn to be human. To learn to be a human being, you have to read.

5

Reading and being human

Why can you learn to be a high-level person by reading? Because in the book can meet a lot of people, these people have a high realm of life, deep interest in life, good to be your example, although there are currently more than three hundred thousand people in Hong Kong, but all of us may not be able to be high, life interest may not be deep. We are all ordinary people. But the people you meet in the book are different, they are chosen from millions of people, and they have stood the test of time and are preserved to this day.

Like Confucius, 2,600 years ago, how many Confucius can there be in China? Another example is Jesus, who is also two thousand years old. He was like Shakyamuni, Muhammad and others. Why do we worship them? It is because of their behavior. Of course, there are many things in history, and they have been remembered by future generations because they are unique. There is never a horse ticket in the world, becoming a millionaire and passing on to future generations. Even if you become a great president or emperor, there are not many people who can pass on the memories and make people yearn. Haven't there been many emperors in Chinese dynasties? But most of them are not remembered, but only have a name in history. Where is there a book to remember people's names? Being an emperor is also worthless, the rest is known. The Chinese and Horse tickets are inherently insignificant, and they want to study abroad and get a degree, so what is the value and significance? When being a person of knowledge, there should be something important about it.

If we sincerely want to be a person, "cultivate interest, improve the realm", only if we can continue to read every day in our spare time and persevere, then the long ten years and twenty years, the short or three years and five years, we can cultivate the interest in life and improve the realm of life. That is the greatest happiness and the highest enjoyment of life.

This article originates from: Beijing News Book Review Weekly WeChat public account

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