Analects 113: In doing so, helping others is helping oneself

#颜读论语 #

Zi Gong Said: "If there is a bo to the people and can help the people, how can it be?" Can it be described as benevolent? Zi Yue: "What is Yu Ren!" Will it be holy? Yao Shunqi is sick! He who is benevolent has wanted to stand up and establish people, and he has wanted to reach people. To be able to get close to the example, it can be said that the party of benevolence has also been. ”

Yesterday we talked about the middle way, which is actually the manifestation of the wise. A person who truly has great wisdom must be a person with the virtue of moderation. China's rapid rise around the world within a few decades has become increasingly important in the international political arena and is inseparable from a moderate foreign policy.

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence - mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence - are themselves the way of neutrality and moderation.

This is true between countries, and it is also true between people, so that we can live in peace, especially between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, between team members, and between parents and children. Think about it, don't you? The middle way is definitely the greatest wisdom in dealing with one's own relationship with others.

Therefore, the middle way is not a good old man without a position. On the contrary, it is a clear stand of mutual respect, consideration, and tolerance, which is the great wisdom of benevolent thought.

So is benevolence charity? What is the specific connotation? How can ordinary people be considered benevolent? Let's look at Yongye's last article.

Zigong is a particularly economic and politically minded figure, with great ambitions and practical actions. Politics is very cattle, business is even more cattle.

One day, he arrogantly asked the teacher a question, saying that if the teacher can "give generously to the people and help the people", that is, if I can widely distribute the wealth and materials to the toiling masses and help as many people as possible, "can it be described as benevolent?" "Is it the benevolence you say?"

The teacher was very relieved to hear this, and said to Zigong with a smile, "What a matter for Yu Ren!" Will it be holy? Yao Shunqi is sick!" If you do this, it is not only benevolence, then it must be a saint who can do it, even a saint like Yao Shun is difficult to do?

What does that mean? This act of charity by Zigong is benevolent, but it must be prerequisite. One is to have a heart, and the other is to be powerful. It is necessary to have the idea of benevolence, but also to have boundless economic strength.

The scattering of wealth to others is endless; the human heart is unpredictable, and the desire is boundless. How much to give to read your good? No matter how rich a person is, it is limited to scatter his wealth to help others, and he cannot do bosch to the public.

Take eating, for example, a bottomless pit. It is still difficult for us to raise a family, do you want to raise thousands of people and tens of thousands of people to try? How much money is not enough.

China's greatest contribution to human society in recent decades has been to solve the problem of eating and dressing 1.4 billion people. This is not something that the state has exchanged for the scattering of wealth and charity, but the result of relying on the masses' self-reliance and hard struggle.

Therefore, the benevolence of charity that Zigong said could not be done, nor was it advocated by Confucius. In Confucius's view, this kind of behavior of completely selflessness and selflessness, which has no benefit to others, will not last. Since it cannot be sustained and virtuous, it cannot be generalized and become an example for all people to pursue benevolence.

So as ordinary people, people who have no power and no money are not worthy of benevolence? Next, Confucius said something that stirred up deafness.

"He who is benevolent has wanted to stand up and establish people, and he has reached and reached people." To be able to get close to the example, it can be said that the party of benevolence has also been. Confucius said that true benevolence is not so complicated, it is nothing more than that.

"If you want to stand up and establish people", if you have a clear ambition, you will share and influence like-minded people and go to the light together; "people who have wanted to reach and reach", with the method of self-achievement, will achieve others; "can be close to the example, it can be said that the party of benevolence has also been", can look at yourself to think of others, push yourself and others, is the way to obtain benevolence.

Confucius's idea of benevolence is based on the premise of self-goodness, and is a self-centered and self-strengthening as the starting point. Everything can be empathized, pushing oneself and others, feeling empathy, and doing what you want to others, this is the way of benevolence.

I am happy myself, and I want to make others happy; I want to grow up myself, and I want others to grow; I want to develop with others; I understand, and I want more people to understand; I laugh and I want to see others laughing; I am comfortable, and I want others to be as comfortable. This is the righteous man.

Of course, the charity mentioned by Zigong is also benevolence, but benevolence is not just scattering wealth and scattered things; charity is not just material help. Buddhism has the saying of three almsgiving and seven almsgiving, and the three almsgiving have Dharma almsgiving, financial almsgiving, and fearless almsgiving, which also include two major aspects of material and spiritual almsgiving.

No amount of generosity is just an enumeration that Confucius can get close to. Being able to get close to each other is the tao of benevolence and righteousness. Now it has become an idiom that has been passed down for thousands of years. Unfortunately, very few people have truly realized the Tao and done it.

What a great idea to be able to start from oneself and push oneself and others in everything! If everyone can do it, the world will be the same, which is also the ideal country in Confucius's heart.

Confucius's idea of benevolence and righteousness is not selfless, but is based on a particularly realistic and selfish foundation, which is very realistic and feasible, in line with human nature, and can be implemented at the level of the whole society and for the entire public.

Everyone can get close to each other, understand each other, tolerate each other, help each other, grow together, develop together, and prosper together. People who live in such a collective, in a kingdom, are angels of happiness and harmony.

To be able to get close to each other is to have someone else in the heart and be willing to share everything. Have you learned? This is the general policy of handling one's own relationship with others, and it is also one of the essences of traditional Chinese culture.

At this point, Yong also finished speaking. The next section begins with the study described in the seventh part.