How did the ancient sages temper man's desires?

The ancient sages formulated a ritual system to nourish human nature, temper people's desires, and seek advantage and avoid harm. If you indulge your desires to the fullest, you will be dangerous, even destroyed. Only by keeping manners, controlling desires, and diluting the enjoyment of material life such as food, clothing, housing, and transportation can we make fewer mistakes and avoid going astray and ruining ourselves. Let's take a look at how the ancients tempered their desires.

Etiquette to prevent chaos leads to pushing and shoving

During the Western Zhou Dynasty, Queen Jiang of King Xuan of Zhou, the daughter of The Marquis of Qi, was virtuous and virtuous, and did not speak or do anything indecent.

One day, when King Xuan of Zhou was not sleeping early, Jiang Hou took off his official clothes, took off his headdress and other things, put on the clothes of sinners, and knelt outside. Let Fu Mu go and tell King Xuan, saying, "The adulterous heart of a concubine has disrespected the king, and the king's lustfulness and forgetting virtue is the beginning of chaos, and this chaos has arisen because of me, and ask the king to surrender to me." King Xuanwang of Zhou was a very rational man and said, "It is the widow's immorality, this is my fault, not your fault." "King Xuan of Zhou has since been in the early dynasty, diligent in government affairs, benefiting the people, and making the country prosperous, and is known in history as the king of Western Zhou.

Jiang Hou Weiyi had virtue, and shou li led to push and shove, so that King Xuan repented. As the saying goes: The king has a virtuous concubine, the country is prosperous, the harem is stable; the family has a virtuous wife, the husband is filial piety, and the family is happy; the subject has a virtuous servant, does not forget his roots, does not lose his way; people have good friends, increase wisdom and wisdom, and take fewer detours.

Enter the same resignation, to honor the king

Ban Jieyu (48 BC – 2 AD) was an unknown western Han dynasty female scholar with an unknown name and an annoying building (present-day Shuocheng District, Shanxi). Ban Shi was a descendant of Yin Ziwen of the Chu State and the daughter of Ban Quan, a lieutenant of the Yue Cavalry School. The Eastern Han Dynasty historian Ban Gu (author of the Book of Han) and Ban Zhaohe, the author of the Female Commandment, were both descendants of Ban Jieyu's family.

Ban Jie was beautiful, virtuous and courteous, and was deeply favored by Emperor Cheng. Once, Emperor Cheng specially built a luxurious dragon and invited Ban Jieyu to ride the dragon dragon together. Ban Jieyu advised Emperor Cheng: "In history, the kings of the sages are all famous courtiers, if I travel with you in the same car, is it similar to the behavior of Xia, Shang, and the last lords of the Three Dynasties, Xia Jie, Shang, and Zhou You, and the concubines cannot do such a kind of back-and-forth, lustful and immoral things, and should take this as a warning." ”

Emperor Hancheng saw that Ban Jieyu had a point and left. The empress dowager praised Ban Jieyu and said, "In the past, there was Fan Ji, and now there is Ban Jieyu." The empress dowager compared Ban Jieyu to Fan Ji of King Chuzhuang. Fan Ji was the concubine of King Zhuang of Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period, Fan Ji saw King Zhuang swimming in the fields and hunting, indulging in wine, Fan Ji did not eat wild meat, combed her hair on the moon to advise King Chu Zhuang, and helped King Chu Zhuang become one of the five hegemons of Spring and Autumn. However, Emperor Hancheng became infatuated with Zhao Feiyan's sisters and eventually died, with no one inheriting the throne.

Ban Jieyu cultivated herself and cleanly, and acted with courtesy and etiquette, while Emperor Hancheng indulged his desires and ruined himself.

"Tianbao Testament" contains: After Emperor Tang Ming created the "Neon Dress Feather Song", he trained the palace women and let them sing and dance, which was used for entertainment but neglected the government, resulting in the Anshi Rebellion. Shi Zai Chen Hou lord and his courtiers often drank and had fun in the backyard, allowing the concubines and guests to sing "Yushu Backyard Flowers". They indulge their desires in singing and dancing, play with things and lose their minds, so that the government is lax and the country is destroyed.

Lao Tzu wrote in the Tao Te Ching: "There is no greater sin than desire, no greater evil than dissatisfaction, and no greater blame than desire." Therefore, contentment is always sufficient. ”

There is no greater sin in the world than indulgence of desires, no greatest calamity than incomprehension, and no greatest transgression than insatiable greed. Therefore, knowing what is the end of desire can be satisfied forever.

The thousand gold knighthood can not be seen by the beauty

In Chinese history, there is an allusion to the "princes of beacon play", and King Zhou You smiled at the Bomei people, and lit the beacon fire several times to tease the princes of the world and destroy the country. There is a beautiful person here, no matter the king's reward, his father and brothers do not look at the king.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, a concubine of Zheng Guo, Zheng Xiao (a concubine who was married with her), married her wife to the Chu State. One day, King Chu Cheng ascended to a high platform to look down on the harem, and the concubines and palace ladies of the harem all competed to look up to King Chu Cheng, hoping to attract his attention. Only Zheng Xiao did not look at King Chu Cheng, and still walked forward slowly.

King Chu Cheng was very surprised to see that Zheng Xuan was different from everyone else, and said loudly: "Beauty who is walking, please look at me." Zheng Xiao did not look up. King Cheng said, "Beauty, look at me, and I will make you a lady." Zheng Xiao still didn't look up at him. King Cheng then said, "Beauty, if you look up at me, I will give you a thousand gold and crown your father's brother and brother." Zheng Xiao still calmly walked his own path, still not looking up at chengwang.

King Cheng felt that this beauty was different, so he walked down from the high platform and asked her: "Madam, in the harem is a high position; knighthood, you can get a good official." As long as you look at me, you can get it all, why don't you do it? ”

Zheng Xiao replied, "Concubines have heard that women should have a proper and obedient appearance. Today, the king stands on a high platform, and the concubines go to see it, which is against etiquette. The concubines did not look up, and the king seduced the concubines with the honorific title of lady and the official Houlu. If for the sake of honor and officialdom, the concubines go to see it, it is coveting the interests of wealth and forgetting the principle of being a person. If a concubine forgets the righteous gifts of being a man, what will she use to serve the king in the future? ”

Zheng Xiao did not seek fame and fortune, but instead received a reward from King Cheng of Chu, who immediately made her a lady.