"Xunzi": Not tempted by reputation, not afraid of slander

In the Xunzi Non-Twelve Sons, it is said that "a gentleman is ashamed not to cultivate, not to be ashamed to see impurity; to be ashamed not to believe, not to be ashamed to see faith; to be ashamed not to be ashamed is not to be used." It is not to be tempted by reputation, not to be afraid of slander, to walk in a straight line, to be upright, and not to be inclined to things. "The gist of it is to say: A gentleman regards his poor cultivation as a disgrace, and is not ashamed of being slandered; he is ashamed of his dishonesty and distrusted; he is ashamed of his lack of talent and virtue, and he is not ashamed of not being reused. Not tempted by praise, not feared by slander. Act in accordance with morality, reform yourself with integrity and selflessness, and not be shaken by external objects.

Xun Zi (荀子), courtesy name, was a great thinker of the late Warring States period, who, along with sages such as Lao Tzu and Confucius, was listed as the main founder of Chinese civilization. His collection of works, Xunzi, is a collection of 32 extant works. Among them, the sixth part, "Non-Twelve Sons", systematically summarizes the doctrines of the Warring States, and "not tempted by reputation, not afraid of slander" in the article is a sobering saying on the cultivation of gentlemen.

This view of honor and disgrace has a long history, such as the Warring States thinker Song Ju, who was repeatedly discussed in "Xunzi", "The world's reputation is not dissuaded, and the world's non-judgment is not discouraged." Mencius honored him as "Sir", and Zhuangzi honored him as "Song Rongzi" and praised his cultivation of "seeing insults and not being humiliated". Song Ju looks down on the world's honor and disgrace, and will not be complacent or depressed by the judgment of the outside world, because he can recognize the difference between himself and foreign objects and distinguish the boundaries of honor and disgrace. This is the state of mind that should be faced with discredit, which has also been inherited and developed by Xunzi. He believes that the intrinsic transcendence of subjective moral personality is the fundamental value of external evaluation. This enlightens people to follow the right path, be strict with themselves, have an opinion in their hearts, uphold a normal mind, distinguish between right and wrong, not be subject to any discredit, and attain a peaceful and fair realm, so as to smoothly realize the established ideals.

Confucius, who was known as the "Most Holy Ancestor", was repeatedly slandered during his lifetime, and Zigong criticized the slanderers and killed themselves in the sun and the moon, but Confucius, who "does not know but is not ashamed", never cared about the false accusations that were made out of nothing. Until the Ming Dynasty, some people were indignant about Confucius and asked Wang Yangming for advice. Wang Yangming replied: "Slander is foreign, and even saints are inevitable. If a person is indeed a sage, even if others slander him, it will not do him any harm. Like a floating cloud covering the sun, how can it damage the sun's brilliance? So Mencius said, 'There is the destruction of perfection, and the reputation of not being afraid.' This statement is Wang Yangming's personal experience.

Since Wang Yangming put down the "Rebellion of King Ning", with his meritorious deeds and reputation getting bigger and bigger, more and more attacks and slanders have been made. However, Wang Yangming did not argue when he encountered slander, his mood was frank, he handled it calmly, and he still practiced the way of the Inner Saint and the Outer King with sincerity. He knows that the destruction of reputation is the norm of the world, and it is just a matter of refining the heart through things, without having to seek clarification, the turbid is self-turbid, and the pure is self-purifying. The key lies in how to cultivate one's own kung fu, and with the deepening of one's long-term achievements, gossip will also be self-defeating. Wang Yangming's mental wisdom can be described as a deep interpretation of "not tempted by reputation, not afraid of slander".

Praise tests people's sobriety, and slander tests people's strength. If you are happy and angry when you hear the reputation, you will be like a puppet who has been manipulated, and you will become a slave to external evaluation. When the destruction of honor and disgrace comes, people should not only be unmoved, but should also take this as an opportunity to reflect on themselves, temper their will, and enhance their abilities. The heart is not fully utilized, and it is often bound by fame and fortune such as reputation. Only by transcending the self and reaching the state of clarity of the mind can we gain insight into the laws of things. Treat problems in this way, and the path of life will become wider and wider.

Praise has two sides, and the right treatment can inspire enthusiasm, and vice versa, it becomes a burden that hinders progress. Moreover, "those who are exaggerated in name lose", praise is accepted too much, and it is easy to make people forget. The greater the achievements, the more you need to examine and reflect on yourself, remember that "born in trouble, died in comfort", and use your mind to do things to create tangible results. Lu Xun wrote in his essay "Scolding and Killing" that "killing" can put people to death, that is, touting makes people lose themselves in intoxication. "Not tempted by reputation, not afraid of slander" is a good medicine to avoid scolding and killing, and to remain sober.

"Not tempted by reputation, not afraid of slander" is intrinsically connected with the cultural tradition of humility as virtue and reality as the basis. Han Yu's famous work "Original Destruction" explores the causes of slander, lamenting that "things are repaired and slandered, and morality is destroyed." As the saying goes, "Reputation is all over the world, and so is slander." This is especially true for officers starting a business. On the one hand, we should earnestly listen to all kinds of opinions, try our best to absorb reasonable parts, change them if they have them, and encourage those who do not; on the other hand, we should be more determined, never be intimidated by criticism, and not be confused by "killing", so that we can "return our strength after thousands of hardships and hardships, and let the winds of the east, west, south, and north winds" do our own work in a down-to-earth manner.

"Not tempted by reputation, not afraid of slander" is a kind of pampered, self-effacing and self-reliant attitude of life, and from a deep level, it is a pragmatic and self-improvement way of thinking, which is of great significance to personal growth.

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