Text | Laugh at Shi Yunyan
Edit | Laugh at Shi Yunyan
Under the vast starry sky, an old man in a long robe walked slowly with a cane in his hand.
He is Liezi, a famous thinker and writer in ancient China.
Liezi lived in the middle of the Warring States period, was a hermit who spoke little, he did not seek power, did not ask about the world, lived alone in his hometown, and devoted himself to studying.
Although we know very little about his life, the intellectual wealth left by Liezi has accumulated into a seminal classic - "Liezi".
01
Liezi was born in Zhengguo Putian during the Warring States Period, which is now Zhengzhou, Henan, he worshipped many people as teachers, learned Xi Taoist thoughts, and lived in seclusion in Zheng Guo for 40 years, not seeking fame and fortune, and concentrating on cultivation.
Later generations honored him as "Chong Xuan Zhenren".
Liezi wrote 20 books in his lifetime, and the total number of words he wrote exceeded 100,000.
According to Zhuangzi's description in "Wandering Away", Liezi "walked against the wind and was good", and seemed to have practiced an outstanding light skill.
However, since Zhuangzi's books often fictionalize many fictional characters, such as "Anonymous" and "Tiangen", some people suspect that Liezi is also a "dummy" invented by Zhuangzi.
However, Liezi is mentioned in documents such as "Warring States Policy", "Corpse", and "Lü's Spring and Autumn", so he should be a real character.
The idea advocated by Liezi is found in the book Liezi, where he first proposed the idea that there are four stages in the creation of the universe.
Many of the theories in Liezi predate similar Western views, and he pioneered a pre-Qin prose style that integrated allegory and philosophy.
02
In fact, Liezi was born in a poor family, and at the age of 40, almost no one in Zheng Guo knew about his existence, until the great famine in Zheng State, Liezi was forced to leave his hometown and take refuge in Weiguo, and the disciples implored Liezi to teach the testament, and Liezi left the famous "Yellow Emperor Chapter".
Although this text is obscure, it has sparked countless interpretations and discussions for later generations.
Liezi did not directly elaborate his thoughts, but quoted the remarks of the ancient Yellow Emperor to express the core point: the cycle of replacement of all things in heaven and earth originates from a fundamental law of immortality and immortality.
Liezi's profound philosophical thinking summed up the Taoist cosmology of "the Tao gives birth to one, one life to two, two to three, and three to all things"; he also absorbed Huang Lao's doctrine of "if it exists, it is not diligent" to describe the operation of the Tao; and even said that the root of heaven and earth is close to the righteousness of the hexagram.
We have to marvel at the fact that Liezi's thoughts realized the natural way of heaven and earth earlier than Laozi and Zhuangzi.
In fact, Liezi was not born to know, he had a very bumpy journey of seeking enlightenment.
Liezi showed extraordinary talents when he was a teenager, but the learning process was not smooth, and he met his favorite teacher after several tosses.
At the age of 20, Liezi worshipped Guan Yinzi as his teacher and learned the thought of Xi soldiers; at the age Xi of 30, he switched to Huqiuzi and studied Huang Lao Taoism; at the age of 40, Liezi learned the five elements of yin and yang from the old Shang family Xi and did not realize the mysteries of metaphysics from Zhibo Gaozi until he was old.
Liezi studied hard for decades before he gradually became enlightened, and finally was able to "walk against the wind and be good", which is amazing.
He took Taoist thought to a whole new level.
However, his profound knowledge did not make Liezi empty for a lifetime, on the contrary, he never took the initiative to preach in Zheng Guo, only lived in seclusion in the mountains, and lived a very simple and unwanted life.
In the face of the pleas of his disciples, Liezi smiled and said, "Those who are good to me can do nothing, and those who I am evil, people can do nothing." ”
A simple sentence shows the pursuit of Liezi's life, not to seek fame, not to fight for profit, not to fight with the world, to be indifferent to Mingzhi, and to reach the highest state of life.
03
Liezi's thought can indeed be said to have originated from Taoist thought in ancient times, especially the understanding of Tao in the culture of the Yellow Emperor.
Liezi first quoted a passage from the Book of the Yellow Emperor: "The god of grain is immortal, it is called Xuanqi." The gate of Xuanqi is the root of heaven and earth. If it exists, it is not used diligently. ”
This passage introduces an important concept called "Xuanjiao", which refers to the root of all things in heaven and earth, and can also be said to be the mother body of the universe.
This is very similar to the description of "Tao" in the Tao Te Ching, which believes that everything in the world is derived from the same root.
However, Liezi was worried that his disciples would not be able to understand this abstract concept, so he further explained the "Xuanqi": "Therefore, those who live things do not give birth, and those who transform things do not transform." Self-generation, self-color, self-intelligence, self-reliance, self-consumption. ”
This means that the Xuan Mu itself does not really "begot" or "transform" all things, it does not undergo changes in birth and death, but exists forever.
Our description of its "biochemistry" and "shape" is just a metaphor, and "Xuanqi" transcends everything and cannot be described in words.
This description negates the creation myth of early China and emphasizes the natural attributes of the Tao, which coincides with modern scientific concepts.
After saying this passage, Liezi asked a key question: "If the visible is born invisible, then the heavens and the earth will be born in peace?"
In other words, since all tangible existence comes from the invisible, how did the universe and heaven and earth come into being? This embodies Liezi's ideological attitude of going to the bottom of things.
In this regard, Liezi gave his own answer: the generation of heaven and earth can be divided into four stages: Taiyi, Taichu, Taishi, and Taisu.
In the beginning, the innate qi is formed, in the beginning, the qi condenses and takes shape, and when the taisu is too primitive, the body is transformed into a mass substance.
These four stages are similar to the modern cosmological theory, the primordial "one qi" is similar to the "singularity", the primordial qi condensation and formation is equivalent to the "expansion of matter", and the taisu is the process of the formation of various elements.
It can be said that this passage of Liezi's exposition foreshadowed many scientific discoveries and theories in later generations, and he expounded a coherent sequence of universe generation from abstract to concrete, from point to surface, reflecting the profundity and openness of Taoist thought.
In particular, it emphasizes that all things in heaven and earth are born of the "Tao" and denies various creation myths, which fully demonstrates the objectivity of Taoist thought and respect for the laws of nature.
This open-mindedness and courage to explore the unknown made ancient Taoist thought transcend the historical conditions of the time and still inspire people today.
04
Liezi is not only an important inheritor of Taoist thought, but also a pre-Qin scholar who has written extensively and has unique ideas.
Many of his ideas of the universe were ahead of their time and had a profound impact on later generations.
The uniqueness of Liezi's thinking lies in the fact that he places his mind in the context of the infinite universe, and is not limited to the mundane.
This allowed him to maintain a very steady openness and detachment, providing lasting wisdom to draw on.
Liezi's book "Liezi" records his unique thoughts on life.
In terms of ideological content, the most prominent thing is that he skillfully implanted the abstract cosmic viewpoint into the specific topic of life, not only starting from the overall situation of heaven and earth, examining the part of life on earth, but also using the original universe to explain the root of life, using the laws of the universe to explain the inevitability of life changes, and using the way of the universe to reveal the proper state of life.
In this way, the concept of life is based on a solid foundation of cosmology, which ensures the height and breadth of perspective, and also enables his mind to be detached from the mundane and become one with the Tao.
In terms of ideological attitude, Liezi's description of the Tao is extremely calm and rational, without any image attachment or attribute assumptions, and the indescribable outspokenness cannot be described.
This objective attitude frees his mind from subjective limitations.
Because of this, Liezi's thought still shines with wisdom, and the flow of time and space has not weakened the truth in it, but has made it more and more in line with modern science and provides lasting reference.
Liezi pioneered the Taoist thought to the peak, and had a major improvement and transcendence of Laozhuang.
He described the Tao as the core of the Taoist worldview, the Tao as a natural law that does not live or die, and repeats itself, not only before it was at that time, but also far before the modern philosophy of science in the West.
"I am just standing on the commanding heights of the universe, observing the truth of all things in heaven and earth, and everyone can think about the mysteries of this world from their own perspective. ”
"Life is a path to wisdom, I choose to explore it alone, but you can choose a different way, don't be fooled by superficial fame and fortune, keep a clear heart, listen to your inner voice, it will lead you to find your own direction. ”
"This world is full of unknowns and possibilities, don't be limited by the scenery in front of you, look into the distance, expand your horizons, the world is vast, we all have to strive to become people who dare to think and explore the unknown, which requires courage and perseverance, but you will gain endless gains in the process. ”
In the search for truth, it is important to have a humble scientific attitude and be ready to accept new discoveries and theories, rather than clinging to old ways of thinking.
Perhaps, only in this way can human beings continue to advance the process of scientific development and gradually unravel the mystery of nature.