The heart is like a lotus flower without water, and like the sun and the moon do not dwell in the sky.
Author: Insight Yimo
Su Shi practiced Buddhism in his later years, and when he was dying, his friends advised him to think hard about the Western Elysium in his heart, so that his soul could ascend to the Pure Land.
But he replied: Strength is bad.
Meaning: the harder you push, the easier it is to backfire.
This is Su Shi's last sentence, and it is also his ultimate understanding of life.
Those who insist on it cannot be forced.
Whether you talk or do things, too hard will only bring disaster.
Know how to go with the flow, advance and retreat, in order to live life freely and calmly.
01
Don't push too hard, just stop
Chinese painting pays attention to white space.
Between the mountains and rivers, there is always a blank space that attracts people's imagination.
If you fill the picture completely, the whole painting will look lifeless.
When the water is full, it will overflow, and if the moon is full, it will be lost, and if everything is too much, it will definitely be the opposite.
Whether it's talking and doing, work and entertainment, if you work too hard, you can't achieve a degree of progress and retreat, and a degree of trade-offs, it is easy to get into trouble.
In the eighth year of Yuanfeng, Empress Dowager Gao came to the dynasty. Su Shi was reactivated, from a degraded official, promoted three ranks in a row within a few months.
Empress Dowager Gao favored Su Shi and regarded him as the future Zaifu.
In just a few years, he was promoted to Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites and a scholar of the Garontuge University, only one step away from the prime minister.
Entering the cabinet is the ultimate ideal of many readers.
However, Su Shi gave up at this time and took the initiative to request an external transfer to Hangzhou.
Su Shi's promotion was too fast, causing people to blush, and has become a thorn in the eyes of many people.
Coupled with the evil between the two parties in Shuluo, he knew that if he went further, he would inevitably be doomed.
He said: Although there are many fires rising up, there is no one to bravely retreat from the rapids.
After taking charge of Hangzhou, he opened six wells, connected West Lake, built Su Causeway, stored grain for disaster prevention, and established Anle Fang, and achieved remarkable political achievements.
With his wife and children on the side, the family was reunited and spent the best time of his life.
Take a step back and let the three points shine.
Only by knowing the proportions and knowing the advance and retreat can a person avoid disasters and be at ease.
After Liu Bang established the Han Dynasty, he divided the world's meritorious ministers.
Zhang Liang was revered as the "Emperor Master", and in the richest Qi land, he had 30,000 fiefdoms and ranked first among hundreds of officials.
Zhang Liang, however, refused to accept it, and chose to leave barren land and eat ten thousand households.
Later, he took the initiative to ask the immortals, did not participate in the affairs of the imperial court, did not hold the official position of the imperial court, and was completely an idle Taoist.
Liu Bang later slaughtered the meritorious figures, and there were not one of the ten meritorious heroes who followed him in the past.
Only Zhang Lianggong retired perfectly, and even his son could safely inherit the title.
The Tao Te Ching says: Contentment is not disgraced, knowledge is not lost.
Enter when it's time to enter, and retreat when it's time to retreat. Show when it's time to show, hide when it's time to hide.
Everything should have a degree, blindly moving forward hard, not knowing the advance or retreat, is the way to take trouble.
Knowing how to stop and know how to be content is the top wisdom in life.
02
Don't push too hard, know how to let go
After Su Shi was demoted to Huizhou, he settled in Jiayou Temple.
Because he was in a bad mood, he often went to the mountain Songfeng Pavilion to rest and relieve his inner boredom.
One day, he walked to the Songfeng Pavilion and suddenly felt his legs were sore and tired.
I really want to find a place to lie down and rest, but when I look up, the Songfeng Pavilion is so high, how can I climb up to rest?
He suddenly thought: Why can't we rest here? Why do you have to go to the pavilion to rest.
His heart suddenly relaxed, and he said, "Like a fish on a hook, suddenly liberated." ”
It's like a fish hanging on a hook, suddenly liberated.
Master Hongyi said: Let go of one thought, and take everything calmly.
Many times, the reason why we live tired is because the attachment is too heavy and the attachment is too deep.
I could have swam freely in the rivers and seas, but for a little bit of food, I lost my fame and fortune, a trace of greed, and suffered from iron hooks piercing my jaws.
Learn to let go, let go of fame and fortune, let go of attachment, in order to gain freedom in life.
Yang Shen of the Ming Dynasty, twenty-three-year-old champion, a young genius with a promising future.
He himself is full of ambition, thinking that he will definitely become a national supplicant in the future.
However, during the Great Ceremonial Incident, Yang Shen angered the emperor and was sent to Yunnan.
The career came to an abrupt end, and the genius boy withdrew from the court.
He was depressed in his heart, hoping that one day he could return to the court again, assist the council, and fulfill his ambitions.
But Jiajing reigned six times amnesty, and he was not among them.
Again and again hope is ignited, and again and again dashed.
Life is difficult, the career path is hopeless, and if you change to someone else, you will definitely collapse long ago.
But he smiled calmly, let go of his obsession, turned around and shook hands with fate.
He threw himself into the vast history of the scriptures, wrote more than 30 years, and wrote more than 400 books, and no one in the entire Ming Dynasty could stand out.
He said: Sadness of the ages, a conversation and laughter.
Short is fame and fortune, long is life.
If you see it clearly, you will look lightly, and if you understand it, you will look down.
The heart is like a lotus flower without water, and like the sun and the moon do not dwell in the sky.
Let go of obsessions and let go of oneself, so that a person can be full and calm in this impermanent world, comfortable and calm.
03
Don't push too hard and go with the flow
Su Shi once crossed the sea, from Prison Mountain to Huaishang.
On the way, there were strong winds and waves, and the people on the boat couldn't help shaking, and they all got seasick and vomited.
But only Su Shi was as usual.
Others were puzzled, so they asked him if he had any strange skills.
Su Shi said that he did not have his own magic, but just went with the flow, let his body rise and fall with the wind and waves, "do not fight with it, but listen to what he does."
This is the method of boating, and it is also the wisdom of life.
Life is like a boat, there are always winds and waves on the road, some people fight hard, and some people rise and fall with the boat.
The harder you fight, the more bumpy life will be.
Peace of mind, peace of mind, peace of mind, life is peaceful and unharmed.
In his later years, Su Shi was demoted to Hainan.
Hainan is a miasma, and it has not been civilized, nine dead in its life, and it has been a Jedi who has degraded officials since ancient times.
Many people have to prepare their coffins before arriving in Hainan.
But Su Shi accepted it calmly, he felt that Hainan had not been civilized, and this was not an opportunity to preach.
Where can the ideal of governing oneself and the people not be practiced?
He made medicines, dug wells, and farmed, bringing new technologies to the uncivilized Hainan.
Caolu copied books, taught and educated people, so that Hainan became the first scholar in history.
He turned a journey of disparaging into a miracle in Chinese cultural history.
Huangzhou, Huizhou, Danzhou, Su Shi spent most of his life on the road of degrading.
Others felt that fate was unfair and made his life upside down.
But he said, "This peace of mind is my hometown."
He is like a seed that never fights against fate, and wherever fate leaves him, he takes root and sprouts and blossoms.
Lin Qingxuan said:
Life has moments of ups and downs, as well as ordinary and ordinary moments. The important thing is not what kind of moment you face, but whether you can be happy or not.
Can rejoice, salty has a salty taste; Can be free, light and light taste.
Between the salty and light, the place is calm, spring green and autumn red, all happy.
It is allowed to go well and it is also allowed to backfire.
Calm your mind and accept life in its entirety.
As you like, as you like, as you like, everything is the best arrangement.
▽
When they were young, everyone was full of ambition and longed to create a perfect life through their own strength.
But fate is impermanent, and creation is delicate.
Nine times out of ten, the things of life cannot be satisfactory.
Manpower is sometimes exhausted, do not force it, should look down and look down, should let go.
Only by accepting the impermanence and shortcomings of fate can we keep the sobriety and restraint in our hearts.
Life is for experience, not for perfection.
Shake hands with yourself and make peace, and hurry for a hundred years to be in peace.
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