Contentment is not disgraced, knowledge is not lost.
Wang Yangming's life experience can be said to be a constant ups and downs, suffering a lot. Because he offended the eunuchs by speaking out, he was beaten by the court, imprisoned, and degraded, and later jealous because of his high merits, and even framed for rebellion.
If ordinary people experience this, they have long lost hope in life, but Wang Yangming is "enjoying it". It is precisely because of this optimistic and positive mood that he has been able to live safely in the miasmatic dragon field for two years.
Today's scientific research shows that optimism and positivity are good for health. If a person is happy, then his body can secrete a hormone to quickly improve his state; On the contrary, if the person is sad and depressed, then his or her own state will deteriorate.
While in Ganzhou, Wang Yangming's disciple Chen Jiuchuan fell ill.
At that time, he said to Chen Jiuchuan: "It is indeed difficult to face this kind of thing correctly, what do you feel?" ”
Chen Jiuchuan said: "This aspect of the effort is indeed difficult. ”
Wang Yangming replied: "Always maintaining a happy mood is kung fu."
Wang Yangming believes that staying happy is not a talent, but an ability.
This ability can be acquired through one's own wisdom and practice. It was through his own wisdom that Wang Yangming maintained a happy state of mind in adversity, so that he could survive in the land of poisonous miasma, and he cultivated himself and studied and advanced both morality and deeds, and finally realized the Tao in the dragon field and founded the study of heart.
1
To be happy is to live in the moment
Wang Yangming once said: "Only to have this heart is to learn." What is the benefit of thinking about the past and the future? Reassuring ears. ”
As long as you can always maintain your own mind, you will always be aware of the existence of the mind, and this is learning. What is the point of thinking that the past has passed and the future has not yet happened? Such cranky thinking will only make you lose your Qingming essence in vain.
If one wants to be happy, one must have the wisdom to live in the moment.
Someone once asked Matsu how to practice, and Matsu replied, "Hunger comes to eat, sleepy comes to sleep." ”
The man said strangely, "Other people do the same, do they work as hard as you?" ”
Matsu replied: "No, they think about sleeping when they eat, and they want to eat when they sleep." And I, eating is eating, sleeping is sleeping, so we are different. ”
Wang Yangming once made a poem with this allusion:
Hunger comes to eat and tired to sleep, only this practice Xuan Gengxuan.
It is said that he does not believe in the world, but he looks for immortals from outside.
Simply understood is to learn to live in the moment, focus on what is in front of us, and not be cranky.
People who focus on the present do not account for the gains and losses of the past, let alone worry about what has not yet happened. Their hearts are peaceful and clear, so they live happily.
Psychologists have proven that if a person can focus on something, then his body and mind will be in an extremely harmonious stability, and it is very easy to trigger a sense of transcendent and soothing joy!
In this day and age, information is exploding, but we don't feel so happy. It is because everyone is no longer focused on doing something, but is seduced by the mess of online information, attracted by the endless entertainment methods, which has largely distracted people.
Therefore, we must strive to get rid of "mind wandering", whether it is work or life, we maintain an ability to "grasp the present and focus on the present", so that we will be happy from the heart.
2
Only by breaking the self-attachment can we be happy
When Wang Yangming was in the Dragon Field, he once built a sarcophagus. Just because he feels that in the process of enlightenment, he can never forget himself and let go of life and death.
So he swore that as if he had died, there would be nothing to fear!
Wang Yangming sat quietly in the sarcophagus to cultivate, immersed himself in the Tao, and finally one day, he understood the principle of "knowing by qualities".
In fact, the biggest obstacle in life is yourself, if you can't break the "self-attachment", then it will be difficult for people to get true happiness!
We feel pain because of our failures. The so-called failure is that things do not develop as "I" think, and in the end, things do not achieve the results expected by "I", so "I" will suffer.
Wang Yangming said: "The so-called search for happiness is a process of constantly letting go of oneself. ”
Su Shi wrote in "Former Chibi Fu":
"But the breeze on the river, and the bright moon in the mountains, are the sound of the ears, the colors of the eyes, the inexhaustible use, the endless hidden of the Creator, and the place where I and the Son."
When Su Shi faced the major changes in his life, he was troubled, he chose to forget himself, return to nature, and integrate his limited life with nature, in exchange for the freedom and happiness of life.
Therefore, true happiness is selflessness, a realm of integration with all things, unrestrained, and free.
3
A little less desire to be happy
Wang Yangming once said: "My generation works hard, only seeking to decrease day by day, not to increase day by day." To reduce human desire is to restore a point of heavenly reason, how brisk and free, how simple! ”
The effort is decreasing, not increasing, the so-called reduction is to remove the faintness of material desire; Exhaust human desires, and the essence of conscience is restored.
The ancient sages were telling us that excessive desire is the source of all suffering, and if we base our happiness on the satisfaction of desire, once the desire is not satisfied, then the happiness will disappear.
However, human desires are endless, and if this is satisfied, other desires will emerge, and we will sink into the sea and cannot extricate ourselves.
The Tao Te Ching also says: "Contentment is not disgraced, knowledge is not lost."
People can't have too many desires, they must know how to stop in moderation.
Wang Yangming once gave students examples that in ancient times, Zhang Liang, Dong Zhongshu, Zhuge Liang, Han Yu, etc. were indifferent to fame and fortune after achieving outstanding achievements.
It is precisely because they have very few desires that they can focus on their careers and eventually achieve extraordinary results.
By restraining your desires, you can reduce the distractions in your heart, calm your mind in a real sense, get rid of the sea of desires, and do more valuable and meaningful things, so that you can get true happiness.