One of the big differences in faith between the East and the West is that the West is more accustomed to putting God in mind, and the West is more populous; the Easterners are more accustomed to putting God in front of them as a beacon or ideal for life.
In the latter, the distance between man and God is inevitably farther, and people are more of a kind of admiration and reverence for gods and saints.
If the divine figure changes from "in front" to "in the heart", there will be some unexpected changes; at least, it will be more comfortable and less restrained. Take Confucius, for example.
As a master of all generations, Confucius has always been placed in the front, becoming the object of worship for later learning, becoming a beacon in the heart and an idol that can only be worshipped. It's solemn, but it's really not very kind.
However, Confucius was really a kind person. Whether it is between the lines of the Analects or the character paintings of the "Records of History", a kind and humorous image is vividly presented.
For example, his height is "nine feet six inches", which is converted to today's height, which catches up with Yao Ming. Even if there is an error in the ancient records, it is still a big man, at least one meter nine, right? The big man among the big men is not the image of a weak master. Since Confucius paid attention to the six arts (etiquette, music, archery, imperial, book, and counting), archery, driving and other kung fu, there must be some; the body is not lost, the height is so tall, it is not a problem to play a sword. Moreover, in the era of wars and chaos, people travel around the world, trapped, lost, and fierce, without Jackie Chan's fist and foot kung fu, it is unlikely that they will go far.
If Confucius were alone, he must have been a chivalrous man carrying a sword. It's just that he is famous and protected by students, and he doesn't have the opportunity to show his fists and feet.
From the perspective of personality, Kong Shengsheng is not only a virtuous saint, but also a lovely real person. For example, because of the matter of the beautiful woman Nanzi, the student Zilu blamed him, and he actually swore to heaven: "Give what you don't, heaven is tired of it!" Heaven forbid! (If I don't do it right, God will hate me!) Heaven must have forsaken me! ”）
Officer, pay attention to two points. First, it's the student questioning the teacher. Think about it, throughout the ages, how many students under the umbrella of traditional scholar-doctor philosophy have dared to question the teacher?
This kind of thing is common in the West, and Freud trained a few famous students and eventually became the staunchest anti-Freud theory. But in Eastern culture, these are lacking.
Zilu dared to ask this question, indicating that Confucius was a very democratic teacher who respected students very much. The more he does this, the more you respect and admire him. Teachers who like violent pressure will, after a few years, only spurn the students.
Second, and even more peculiarly, when the student questioned, the teacher's face was so red that he could not prove his innocence, but could only swear to heaven. It can be seen that Confucius teachers attach great importance to the students' doubts, are helpless, and are also eager to maintain their own image.
Confucius was also a man who was very good at self-deprecation. This is somewhat different from the image of the "Master of All Worlds" in front of us.
Confucius went to Zheng Guo, and his disciples were separated, standing alone at the east gate of chengguo. As soon as the students found it, they almost posted a notice about the search. The student Zigong found a clue, and someone told him that there was a person in the East Gate, how he looked, "a dog who was tired like a lost family"—a tired face, like a dog without a home. Later, when the master and disciple met, Zigong truthfully told Confucius the description of the man - the words zigong were also a tendon, and this "dog that lost his family" could be said to the person concerned? It's so faceless.
Confucius listened, smiled awkwardly but politely, and said, "It doesn't matter how that man describes my appearance." It is appropriate to say that it is like a dog that has lost its family! ”
How many people can get to this belly? The prime minister's belly can hold the boat, and Confucius's stomach can hold several prime ministers.
The eternal mystery is: Why did Zigong tell Confucius the truth about the "dog that lost his family"? Does it count as a disgusting teacher in person? I don't think so. Mainly or the relationship between teachers and students is harmonious, Zigong on the one hand probably wants to test the teacher, to see how the wise teacher answers this kind of tricky question, take the opportunity to learn a little; on the other hand, teachers and students travel around the world, the journey is difficult, eat the last meal, and there is no mobile phone to play and see, and then do not joke with each other to find some fun, what is the difference between life and salted fish?
So Confucius was a lovely man, a lovely teacher, not old-fashioned and dogmatic. But since he was offered to the front, became a target, became a faith, became a statue, the situation has changed a little. Cuteness turns to awe, humor becomes solemnity, and reality becomes distance.
It is good to have a sense of distance, and without distance, there is no solemnity. Saints need solemnity. But from then on, it is not easy for him to enter your heart, and he can only provide. This is a big trouble, because Confucius was originally very easy to enter people's hearts and influence human nature. The Analects is the "chicken soup for the soul" of the Weibo body.
Separated by only a layer of paper, the key is how to puncture.
A few days ago, I visited Mr. Chen Yongqing of CCTV, and one of his words made me feel enlightened: I want to "be friends with Confucius."
What is a teacher? You had better bow your head, be respectful, the atmosphere does not dare to come out, only dare to worship, do not dare to question. But in the eyes of Zigong and Zilu, it is clear that Confucius is not only a teacher, but also a friend. If he wasn't a friend, would Zilu dare to question his affair with Nanzi? Does Zigong dare to repeat something like "dog that lost its family"? They and Confucius were not only friends, but also real friends who mattered, not false friends of wine and meat.
Fake friends will not "face to face", only compliments; nor will they objectively relay the evaluations of others to you, either adding oil and vinegar or slightly embellishing, so as not to embarrass you too much. If you think about it, in this society, the friends who occasionally tell the big truth and embarrass you at the time are true friends who can stand the test of time— although not necessarily good friends.
It is easy to be a teacher, to be knowledgeable and cultivated is enough; it is difficult to be a friend, because the "teacher" can be one-way, for example, we can learn Confucius in one direction through the Analects, and "friend" must be two-way, a kind of spiritual communication. From this point of view, Zigong, Zilu and Confucius can be described as both teachers and friends.
The Qing Dynasty Zeng Guofan is different, he is a typical "Take Confucius as a teacher", and it seems that he only dares to take Confucius as a teacher, and does not dare to be friends with Confucius. One example is that, according to historical legend, he did not dare to take a nap.
Why don't you dare take a nap? Because Confucius once criticized a student Zaiyu. Zaiyu slept in the daytime and was bumped into by Confucius, so he said a call, which looked very severe: "Rotten wood cannot be carved, and the wall of dung and soil cannot be carved." Then he added that I had observed man and believed his deeds by listening to him; now I see not only what he says, but also what he does. This is the allusion to "Zaiyu Day Sleep".
Whether Confucius criticized Zaiyu or pitied Zaiyu is debatable. For example, Nan Huaijin believes that Confucius means that Zaiyu's body is relatively poor, so he needs to take a nap and rest; once the wood is decayed inside, it is useless to carve well on the outside, so people must first do a good job of the body, the body is the capital of the revolution. It was probably Confucius who reminded Zaiyu of the problem of his body, and Zaiyu did not pay attention to it, and Confucius complained. Confucius did not forbid napping.
But Zeng Guofan did not dare to think so. The old gentleman has said, can we not listen? Insist on not taking a nap. Zeng Guofan, this man, lived a boring life. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, the three major goals of the scholar have been achieved, and only he and Wang Yangming of the Ming Dynasty have achieved. Strict requirements for themselves, from the perspective of outsiders, are not vivid, even dull. But then he seemed to find a workaround, take a nap after dinner, and then get up and stay up late.
Zeng Guofan respected The Sage of Kong in front, and of course he also paid homage to him in his heart. We ordinary people want to be friends with Confucius even more, and when we encounter difficulties, setbacks, and depression, it is also a pleasant thing to let Confucius jump out in our hearts and give ourselves staff officers and suggestions.
Gao Jinguo, a senior editor with a high online name, is the author of 26 books such as "Good Parents Raise Good Children - 35 Educational Thinking Lessons for Parents", "Interesting Chinese History for Children (12 volumes)", "Stories of Teenagers Reading History (3 volumes)", "Life is a Practice", "The Layer of Window Paper of the Tang Dynasty", "Those Things in the State of Qi" and so on.