Xunzi is really a Confucian master, the first article is to learn and persuade to learn, and the second article is to learn self-cultivation
Self-cultivation is not only a process of learning, Xunzi also teaches us how to look at people, what is a good person and what is a bad person.
Knowing talents is a talented person.
When we see a good deed, we must seriously examine ourselves whether there is such a deed; when we see a bad deed, we must seriously examine ourselves; if we have a good virtue in ourselves, we must unswervingly cherish it; and if we have a bad deed, we must hate ourselves as if we would be harmed because of it.
Therefore, the person who points out my shortcomings and criticizes me is my teacher, the person who affirms me and praises me appropriately is my friend, and the person who flatters me is the thief who harms me.
Therefore, a gentleman should respect his teacher, be close to his friends, and hate those thieves who flatter him. The pursuit of good virtues is never satisfied, and it is possible to be vigilant when admonished, even if you don't want to improve?
The villain, on the other hand, acts recklessly but hates others to criticize him, is extremely incompetent but expects others to say that he is virtuous, and he is vicious and acts like a beast, but hates others for saying that he is harming him.
Is it possible for them to be close to those who flatter them, to alienate those who speak out and persuade them to correct their mistakes, to ridicule themselves for correcting their mistakes, and to harm themselves with their extreme loyalty?
The Book of Songs says: "It is really very sad to absorb and slander indiscriminately." The plan was to do good deeds, but it turned out to be violated, and the original plan was not good, but they followed it one by one. "That's the villain.
Self-cultivation is very comprehensive, you must maintain your health, your thoughts must be pure, you must have a good reputation, and you must have the principle of living in the world. Xunzi is handed over to us.
The law that makes people invincible and good is: if you use the conditioning of blood and qi to maintain your body, then your life span will be second only to Peng Zu, and if you use good deeds to clean your body, then your reputation can be comparable to that of Yao and Yu
It is suitable for both the good times of the manifestation and the embarrassing situations, all of which are based on the law and faithfulness.
Whenever the flesh, will, wisdom, and thought are used, the observance of the law of propriety leads to success, and the failure to follow propriety leads to error and confusion, and the act of slackening and laziness.
When eating, dressing, living and moving, the behavior that follows propriety will be harmonious and appropriate, and if it is not observed, it will break taboos and become ill.
People's appearance, attitude, advance and retreat, walking, follow etiquette and righteousness, they are gentle and amiable, and if they do not follow etiquette, they appear arrogant, stubborn, desolate, and rude.
Therefore, people cannot survive without courtesy, and if they do things without courtesy, things cannot be done, and the country cannot be peaceful without courtesy. The Book of Songs says: "The etiquette is completely in accordance with the law, and every word and smile is completely appropriate." That's what happened.
Guiding others with good deeds is called teaching, using good deeds to conform to others, guiding others with bad words and deeds is called flattery, and using bad words and deeds to echo others is called sycophancy.
If you think that it is right and what is wrong, it is called wise, and if you think it is wrong and what is wrong, it is called stupid. Slandering the good with speech is called slander, and using speech to frame good people is called abuse.
To think that is right and to be wrong is to be upright. Stealing property is called stealing, concealing one's own behavior is called deception, opening one's mouth is called vanity, hesitating whether to pursue progress or giving up is called impermanence, and treachery in order to keep interests is called a thief.
Hearing more things is called broad, hearing less things is called shallow, seeing more is called being well-informed, and seeing less is called being lonely and unheard. It is difficult to make progress and it is called slack, and what has been learned is often forgotten and it is called omission.
There are few things but they are in order, which is called governance and management, and there are many things that are chaotic and disorganized.
The method of health preservation, Xunzi has also been handed over to us,
The method of regulating the flesh and cultivating the mind is to calm and obey the strong flesh; to assimilate the deep and unclear with frank and easy methods; to assist the brave and perverse with the way of grooming; to control the fast-talking with the combination of movement and stillness; to enlighten the narrow-minded with magnanimity; to improve the lowly, sluggish, and greedy for small profits; to reform the vulgar and careless, to reform the vulgar and careless, to reform him with good teachers and friends; to the sluggish, frivolous, For those who are dull, simple, dignified, and restrained, they are reconciled with ceremonial music, and enlightened with deep consideration.
The most direct way to regulate the blood and qi and cultivate the mind is to follow etiquette and righteousness, and it is more important to get the guidance of a good teacher, and there is nothing more wonderful than concentration and consistency.
This is the so-called method of regulating the blood and qi and cultivating the mind. The way of being a man is also said, a true master is not afraid of anything.
If you are determined to buy well, you can be proud of the rich, and if you value morality, you can despise the princes and nobles; if you look at yourself in your heart, you will feel that the foreign wealth is slight.
It is said in an ancient book: "A gentleman dominates external things, and a villain is dominated by external things." That's exactly what I said. Do what is physically tired but feel comfortable in the heart, do what is of little interest but are of great significance, and serve a tyrant who violates etiquette rather than serve a poor monarch and govern the country according to etiquette.
Therefore, a good farmer does not stop farming because of floods or droughts, a good businessman does not stop trading because he has lost money, and a person with ambition and knowledge does not neglect morality because of poverty.
A person who is respectful in appearance, loyal in heart, courteous and benevolent, and who travels all over the world, even if he is trapped in a remote area, no one does not respect him;
Arrogant and stubborn on the outside, sinister and cunning on the inside, abusing the doctrines of prudence and Mo Zhai, and having a dirty disposition, such a person travels all over the world, even if he is noble, and no one does not despise him; when he encounters hard work, he escapes from things that are profitable and enjoyable, and when he encounters things that are profitable and enjoyable, he flatters them with flattery, and snatches them quickly without humility, and he is wicked and disloyal, and he is despised but not kind.
Why don't people who read books offend the bad people in society?
Be cautious when walking, not for fear of getting bogged down, walk with your head down for fear of colliding with something, and look at others and lower your head first, not because you are afraid of them.
In doing so, scholars only want to cultivate their own body and mind alone, and do not want to offend worldly people.
Self-cultivation must be unremitting, and there must be no deviation.
Maxima can run thousands of miles in one day, and bad horses can run for ten days. However, if we have to exhaust the endless road with our limited strength, and we have to catch up endlessly, then even if the bad horse breaks its bones and hamstrings, it will not be able to catch up with the thousands of miles in its lifetime! If there is an end point, then although the journey of a thousand miles is very far away, it is only a matter of speed, slowness, early and late, so why can't we reach the destination?
I don't know whether those who walk on the path use their limited strength to pursue the infinite goal? Or do they also have a certain scope and limit? The investigation and analysis of those propositions such as "hard whiteness," "similarities and differences," and "thick or not," is not ignorance, but the reason why a gentleman does not debate them is because he has some restraint.
Those strange behaviors are not difficult to do, but the gentleman does not do them because of moderation. That's why scholars say, "When others stop and wait for me, I try to catch up, so whether it's slow or fast, sooner or later, why can't we reach our destination together?"
Therefore, as long as we keep walking step by step, even a lame soft-shelled turtle can walk thousands of miles; the soil can be piled up without end, and the hills can be piled up; even the Yangtze River and the Yellow River will dry up if the water source is blocked and ditches are opened; even the Yangtze River and the Yellow River will be dried up; even six horse-drawn carts will not be able to reach their destination. As for the qualifications of people, even if they are very different, will they be as different as a lame soft-shelled turtle and six thousand-mile horses?
However, there is no other reason why a lame soft-shelled turtle can reach its destination, but a six-thousand-mile cart cannot, except that some of them do it and some of them don't! Even if the distance is very close, if you don't go, you can't reach it; although the thing is small, you can't finish it if you don't do it.
Those who have nothing to do, they can't be better than others.
How can we not go astray, we must abide by the etiquette law.
He who keeps the testimonies and does it with all his might is a scholar, a gentleman who is determined and does it himself, and a saint who is quick in thought and wise and never exhaustible.
If people don't have etiquette, they will be at a loss, and if they have etiquette and don't know its meaning, they will be nervous, and they will follow etiquette and understand things well, and grasp its specific rules accurately, and then they will be gentle and amiable.
Etiquette is used to correct one's own behavior, and the teacher is used to explain etiquette correctly.
Without etiquette, how can we straighten out our bodies and minds? Without a teacher, how can we know that etiquette is correct? Doing what is prescribed by etiquette is what is prescribed by the etiquette, this is the temperament accustomed to doing what is required by etiquette; and what the teacher says is this, this is the reason obeying the teacher. The temperament is accustomed to obeying the rites and obeying the teacher intellectually, this is the saint.
Therefore, to violate the law of etiquette is to ignore the law, and to violate the teacher is to ignore the teacher. Not following the teacher's teachings, violating etiquette, and liking self-righteousness, this is like using a blind person to distinguish colors, and a deaf person to distinguish sounds, and nothing good can be done except to talk nonsense.
Therefore, learning is learning the etiquette, and the teacher should lead by example, and he should feel at ease to do so. The Book of Songs says: "Unconsciously, conform to the laws of the Emperor of Heaven." "That's the case.
Young people, what traps should be paid attention to, to become a good gentleman, the most important thing is to achieve the victory of etiquette over personal feelings, and the victory of justice over personal desires.
If he is good at learning and being modest and quick, then no one can surpass him, and such a man can be called a gentleman.
If he is a sinister boy who is lazy and fearful, who has no shame and is greedy for food and drink, he is called a bad boy, and if he is debauched and violent, disobedient to the elders, and sinister and harmful, he is called a dangerous boy, and even if such a person is tortured and killed, he will not be pity.
Respect the elderly, and then the young and the middle-aged will be attached, do not insult those who are in a difficult situation, so that those who are sensible will come together, and do good deeds in secret, and give favors without trying to reciprocate, so that both the virtuous and the unvirtuous will return to you, and if a person has these three good virtues, even if he has a great fault, I am afraid that God will not let him come to a great disaster.
A gentleman's pursuit of profit is not careful, he can avoid evil earlier, avoid shame in fear and anxiety, and he is brave in his pursuit of morality.
Even in poverty, a gentleman's ambition is great, even in wealth and wealth, his physical appearance is very respectful, even if he lives a comfortable life, his spirit is not lazy or lazy, even if he is tired and tired, his appearance is still dignified, and when he is angry, he does not punish people excessively, and when he is happy, he does not reward people excessively.
Although a gentleman is poor, his ambition is great, because he respects benevolence, although he is rich, his countenance is humble, because he does not act as a pretension, although he is comfortable, his spirit is not lazy, because he is clear and reasonable, although his body is tired, his appearance is still dignified, because he loves etiquette and pays attention to etiquette, and when he is angry and happy, he does not overdo rewards and punishments, because etiquette triumphs over selfishness.
The Book of Shang says: "Do not have any preferences, but follow the right path of the ancient holy kings, and do not be biased, but follow the right path of the ancient holy kings." ”
It is said that a gentleman can overcome personal desires with justice and justice.
To sum it up:
When we see goodness, we must save ourselves by cultivating it, and when we see it badly, we must reflect on ourselves.
Therefore, if a person is rude, he will not be born, if he is rude, he will not succeed, and if the country is rude, he will be restless.
Hear more and say Bo, less hear and say shallow. It is more often said to be idle, and less often to be ugly. It is difficult to enter, and it is easy to forget and leak. Less is said to be ruled, more is chaotic.
All the techniques of controlling qi and cultivating the heart, do not follow the courtesy, do not have to get a teacher, and do not have a good god. The husband is said to be the art of curing qi and nourishing the heart.
Therefore, good farmers do not plough for the sake of water and drought, good men do not read and do not go to the market, and scholars and gentlemen do not neglect the way for poverty.
However, the husband wants to cultivate his body alone, and does not offend the world's people.
Although the road is long, it cannot be done, and although the thing is small, it cannot be impossible. He is also a person who has a lot of time, and his entry and exit are not far away.
If you do the law well, you will be a scholar, you will be a gentleman, you will be inexhaustible, and you will be a saint.
The person who is a celebrant is also upright, and the teacher is also a teacher, so he is also a courtesy.
The gentleman's pursuit of profit is also slight, its far-reaching harm is also early, its avoidance of humiliation is also afraid, and its reasoning is also brave.
The gentleman is poor and ambitious, rich and respectful, Anyan is not lazy in blood, tired but not withered, angry but not happy.
A gentleman is poor and ambitious, and he is also long, rich and courteous, and kills; An Yan is not fading in his flesh and spirit, and he is also reasonable; he is tired but his appearance is not withered, and he is also a good friend; he is angry but does not take away and does not like to give, and it is the law that wins over selfishness.
A gentleman can overcome his selfish desires with righteousness.