【Original】
Rich and noble, from the morals, such as the flowers in the mountains and forests, are self-soothing and multiplying; those who come from merit, such as the flowers in the pots and sills, will migrate and abolish; if those who gain power, such as the flowers in the bowl, their roots are not planted, and their wilting can be immediately waited for.
【Translation】
A person's glory, wealth, and fame, if cultivated by virtue of moral cultivation, are like flowers in a mountain forest, growing freely and eventually spreading throughout the mountain. If you come from a meritorious career, it is like a flower in a garden or a pot, which is destroyed by transplantation and movement. If it is taken by force by the power in one's own hands, it is like a flower inserted in a vase, because its roots are not rooted in the soil, and it will wither and wither before long.
【Life Insight】
Each of us aspires to glory, wealth and fame, but who knows that glory, wealth and fame are divided into three levels?
The Cai Gen Tan compares glory and fame to flowers, and according to the means of their acquisition and the results obtained, they are distinguished into three kinds: mountain flowers, garden flowers, and flowers in vases. Mountain flowers, relying on the nourishment of nature, grow naturally, the longer and more vigorous, the longer and more luxuriant, and eventually spread all over the mountains, never decaying. The flowers in the garden, transplanted into the garden to make it happy, moved out of the garden to make it fail. Therefore, sometimes it is not possible to prosper for a long time. The flowers in the vase, which are planted in the water, will soon wither and wither.
We crave glory, wealth and fame, and naturally hope that they will grow like mountain flowers and never decay. "Cai Gen Tan" tells us how to gain a reputation as rich as a mountain flower.
The riches of the flowers in the vase are snatched by the power of the hand. For example, those corrupt officials, once they have grasped power, do not want to do practical things for others, but only want to use power for personal gain. Believing in the absurd logic of "power is not used, expired and invalid", he seized every opportunity to frantically collect money, and finally sent himself to prison, ending up with a ruined family.
The glory and wealth of the flowers in the garden are obtained through their own hard work and meritorious achievements. However, although it is necessary to gain wealth and fame, it is also necessary to cultivate virtue to match it. Otherwise, even if you win wealth and fame, it will not last long. It is necessary for those businessmen who have become rich overnight, have no culture, do not pay attention to moral cultivation, and have money to be ruthless and extravagant. The wealth of this merchant cannot break the curse of "three generations of wealth". Many of them lose their family property when they are rich in the second, third, and even rich generations.
Only by continuously improving moral cultivation and making more contributions to society will the rich and noble reputation obtained will grow more and more like the mountain flower, grow longer and more prosperous, and multiply continuously. As Zeng Guofan said, "We can only rely on the two things of entering morality and cultivating karma." The wealth and reputation obtained through the cultivation of virtue are the longest, and only then can future generations be blessed.
This chapter is profoundly educational and enlightening for us.
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