20, Shoko Takokata

A wise man of the Wei State, surnamed Tian Mingfang, known as Tian Zifang, that is, Tian Xianshengfang, was summoned to the palace to talk with Wei Wenhou.

In his early years, Marquis Wen established the Wei state, repaired water conservancy, assisted in farming, carried out reforms, plundered territory from abroad, and dominated for a while. Now that I am old, I have the time to talk to people about philosophy. Tian Zifang mentioned Mr. Xigong many times during the conversation and expressed his appreciation to him.

Wen Hou said, "That Mr. Xigong is your teacher, right?"

Zifang said, "No. He's my fellow countryman. I appreciate his ability to speak well and speak many times. ”

Wenhou said: "Then you have no teacher?"

Zifang said, "There is a teacher." ”

Wenhou said, "Who is your teacher?"

Zifang said: "My teacher's family lives within the east city wall, so his surname is Dongguo, his name is Shun, and he is called Dongguo Shunzi." ”

Wen Hou said: "Mr. Tian, you have never mentioned him and praised him. Why is that?"

Zifang said: "He is a real person, and he looks like a fairy. He has an easy-going attitude, submissive to the world, but also sticks to righteousness. His eyes are clear, he sees through the world, but he embraces all things. When he met an unreasonable person, he gave him serious enlightenment and dispelled evil thoughts. I accompany you in the palace every day, and what qualifications do I have to mention him and praise him!"

After Tian Zifang said goodbye, Wei Wenhou's heart was so empty that he panicked, he had a feeling of abandonment, he was bored for a long time, and he didn't want to speak. The ministers who were standing and waiting next to him tried to relieve his boredom, but they still could not arouse his interest. He called them by name, so that they could hear clearly, and then sighed and said, "Farther and farther!" It's going farther and farther! Those gentlemen with perfect morals have left me behind and gone farther and farther! When I was young, I read the scriptures of the sages and learned the deeds of righteousness, and I believe that was the highest peak. Now that I am old, I have heard that there is another kind of people in the world, such as Tian Zifang's teacher, Dongguo Shunzi, who practice a different set of morality, and that is really perfect. They are real people. I was so disappointed that I couldn't move, my mouth was locked and I couldn't speak. What I read and what I learned. The clay dummy can't be real! Only one thing is true, when the Wei State was established, I put shackles on myself, locked it up, and couldn't break free, this is true!"

A cultivator and virtuous man in Chu State, surnamed Wen Mingxue, has the identity of an earl, and is respectfully called Wen Boxuezi, that is, Mr. Wen Earl Xue, who went north to Qi State, passed through Lu State, and stayed in a hotel. The servant of the pavilion reported that a gentleman of Lu asked to see him. Wen Bo Xuezi said, "Don't let him in. I understand very well those Confucian gentlemen of the Central Plains, because they talk about etiquette and righteousness, but they do not understand the common feelings of people, and they scratch their boots. Go out and tell him that I don't want to see a guest. ”

Wen Boxuezi finished his errands in Qi State, and on the way back, he stayed at this hotel in Lu State, and the gentleman came to see him again. Wen Bo Yukiko thought: "I have asked to see him continuously, obviously I am relieved to help me." Then he commanded the servant to bring the guests in.

Wen Bo Xuezi went to the living room to meet the guests, and went back to the house and sighed. The next day the gentleman came again. When Wen Bo Xuezi saw the guest, he sighed again when he returned to the house, and the servant with him asked, "Uncle has seen that guest again, and he always sighs when he comes back, why is it?"

Wen Boxuezi said: "I told you a long time ago: Those Confucian gentlemen of the Central Plains School talk about etiquette and righteousness, but they don't understand the common feelings of people. The one who saw me these two days was very polite. He walked around the living room, acting as if he were acting. Forward, he goes around half a circle, which is the so-called compliance. Stepping back, he stepped in a straight line, which is called a conjunction. When he speaks, he speaks softly, leaning and swaying, and his upper body seems to turn into a rhythm, which is the so-called dragon. Sit quietly, hold your chest and abdomen straight, your arms on your knees, and your eyes level with majesty, which is the so-called tiger. It was also quite interesting to listen to his righteousness. When he criticized me, he was tearful and devoted to filial piety, as if he were my son. When he was teaching me, he pretended to be serious, as if he were my father. Entertain such a guest, and you can not sigh! ”

Confucius also went to see Wen Boxuezi. After the two finished greetings, they no longer talked about socializing, let alone discussed problems, but looked at each other, occasionally nodding and smiling. Confucius's bodyguard, Zhong Zilu, was puzzled, and when he came out of the hotel, he said, "My teacher, didn't you say that you wanted to visit Wen Bo Xuezi for a long time?" Now that I've seen him, why don't you discuss it with him?"

Confucius said: "A person like him who cultivates morality has long been transcendent and holy. What he wants to tell you, he doesn't need words at all, just touch you with his eyes, and you will understand. This is the case with the so-called eyewitnesses. ”

Yan Hui had a sad face and a problem in his heart, so he came to consult Confucius. He said, "Teacher, you are my role model. You go, I'll follow. You run, I'll follow. You ride a horse, and I ride a horse. If you hurry up and go away, I will stare at you, and I will not be able to keep up with you. ”

Confucius asked, "Hui, what do you mean?"

Yan Hui said: "You go, I follow, which means that if you speak, I will speak." You run, I run, which means that you speak, I follow the speech. You ride a horse, I follow a horse, which means you preach, I preach. If you are quick to get rid of the dust, I will stare at you and I will not be able to keep up with you, which means that you can be trusted by others without having to talk too much, you can retain the general favor without having to be friendly to each other, and you don't have to hold real power to gain the support of everyone, and I don't know what to do. That's what it means. ”

Confucius sighed disapprovingly and said, "It's not okay if you don't figure it out." Death is of course sad, but when people are still alive, their ambitions have long been depressed, and their hearts die first, then it is really sad. Summon up the courage, close the gap, and continue to catch up, without stopping.

You look up at the sun, out of the East China Sea, into the West Mountain, running non-stop. All things in the world follow the example of the sun, each running on a journey of change, how can it ever stop. Human beings standing upright under the sun, looking into the distance, stepping on the earth, waiting for the sun to illuminate before they can engage in labor and attain achievements. Man is waiting, waiting for the sun to come out and appear, waiting for the sun to enter and disappear.

Birth is nothing but a special appearance, and death is nothing but a special concealment. All things are waiting to be born, to be revealed, to be hidden when people die.

For example, since the combination of yin and yang and the creation of an embryo, I have not been able to die if I want to, I have to live, wait for the future to die, that is, to wait for a special hiding. In the waiting situation, I follow the principle of survival of living things, and I travel day and night, not knowing where the end is. I was born unaware of the embryo, and I could not have predicted what happened after birth. Walking, running, riding, and fast horses are all arranged by fate, and I am only ordered to hurry every day. ”

Confucius also said: "We have been walking side by side, arm in arm, and it would be very sad if we were really separated." In the journey of change, I am afraid that you are still stranded in the same place where I once rested. In that place, as you said, I was trusted by others, left a general favor, and won the support of the people, figuratively to hurry up and go away. Ah, it was the past, it was all in a hurry, and you took history as a reality, and you never forgot it, and you wanted to explore there. It's like getting late, the mule and horse markets are gone, the horse dealers are empty, and you run to buy horses. I will forget you in the past; Forget about me in the past. We forget each other's past, say goodbye to history, we should be happy, why bother with sad faces. The old self has been forgotten by you, and the new self is still by your side, how can you not keep up. Let's grasp the reality with a new look. ”

Confucius visited Lao Dan and couldn't wait. When I stepped into the room, I found that Lao Dan had just washed his hair, and his long wet hair was covered with water, standing in front of the window to dry. Look at the still appearance, not moving, the soul has detached from the body and wandered away, leaving a shell, not like a living person. Confucius hurriedly avoided and retreated outside to wait. I didn't go in until I heard a noise in the room.

Confucius said, "Am I dazzled? Or can you see it clearly, is it really like that? Just now, Mr. was stiff and stubborn, standing still, like a dead tree, as if he had passed away from the world and was living alone in another mysterious realm. ”

Lao Dan said: "I have wandered in the original state of the universe. ”

Confucius said, "What are you talking about?"

Lao Dan said: "The original state of the universe cannot be explained clearly by theory, and it is impossible to explain it clearly with words. Since the truth cannot be fully understood, let's try to give you a glimpse of the impression. The chaos is divided into two, with heaven above and earth below. The breath of pure yin rises from the ground cold, and the breath of pure yang descends from the sky hotly. The combination of yin and yang creates all things. Everything evolves, showing order, that is, regularity, and it seems that there is someone behind the scenes, but he never appears on stage. This thing dies out, and the other thing grows. This thing has prevailed, and the other has declined. This thing is hidden, and the other thing is revealed. The track of the sun was quietly modified, and the appearance of the moon gradually changed.

All of the above events happen every day, and it seems that someone is secretly serving, but he never asks for credit.

Everything Where does birth come from? From organic molecules. Where does everything go back to death? Go back to the organic. It can be seen that the cycle of life and death is endless, and the beginning is the end, so there is no absolute starting point; The end is the beginning, so there is no absolute end. Universe Except for him, he who never appears, who never remembers merits, who is qualified to be the master! Who is he? He is the Word. ”

Confucius said, "Please ask about the Tao." ”

Lao Dan said: "Attaining the Tao through cultivation is the most beautiful and the most happy." When the spirit enters the realm of beauty and happiness, it is the most human. ”

Confucius said, "I want to know how to cultivate the Tao." ”

"Herbivores are not afraid to migrate, as long as there is a large area of grassland, they can survive anywhere." Aquatic animals are not afraid to migrate and can survive anywhere as long as there is a large area of water. Move here and there, move here and there, just change the quantity, and adapt to the environment very quickly. As long as they enjoy the normality of water and grass, those animals will not be happy and angry. It can be seen that lower animals are also content with normalcy. Heaven and earth are yin, and the two qi cause all things. From the point of view of Qi Wu, all things have the same root, and the root is in the two qi of yin and yang. This is the commonality of all life.

Cultivating the path to seek the roots, identifying with all life, and realizing that all things are not only the same root, but also the same body, then we can see that there is a big self above the small self, which is the life of the universe, and that is the normal state. Lower animals can live in peace, let alone people. From the height of the greater self, my limbs and carcass, five organs and bones are equivalent to dirt and dirt. Life and death are always the same as day and night, why bother with joy, anger, sorrow, and joy in the chest. As for the gains and losses, the blessings and misfortunes are even less important, so why bother to rejoice and mourn and pray for blessings. The riches and glory that belong to me are washed away by me, like washing away a body of sludge, because I realize that the body is worth more than sludge. As an individual life, my value is manifested in the life of the universe, so I dare say that I am precious. The so-called supreme beauty, that is, the most beautiful, is here. Yes, my life will be deformed, but it will not be lost. Besides, my life will never end, and there is nothing to worry about. The so-called ultimate happiness, that is, the most happiness, is here. The state of spiritual beauty and bliss, other cultivators have experienced. ”

Confucius said: "If a gentleman's moral character is so noble, he still has to use the truth to adjust his thinking, and he must not forget his words and reason, and directly attain the Tao." From this point of view, if the ancient people and gentlemen wanted to attain the Tao, they would inevitably have to adjust their thinking.

Lao Dan said, "That's not true. The spring water gushes up, and it is naturally formed without artificial chiseling, which is an example. The supreme being is different from ordinary gentlemen in that he is not isolated by external objects, so he does not need to adjust his thoughts, and he can naturally attain enlightenment. The sky is high, the natural height is high, does it need to be adjusted? The ground is thick, the natural thickness is thick, does it need to be adjusted? The sun and the moon are bright, and the light of nature needs to be adjusted?"

Confucius said goodbye and said to Yan Hui: "I am a little flying insect, bored in the rice wine urn to cultivate the Tao!" If it weren't for Mr. Old Dan to open the lid of the urn, how would I know that there is heaven and earth outside the urn!"

Zhuangzi traveled to the country of Lu and met the king. The king patiently listened to Zhuangzi's talk about Wuwei, and reacted coldly, saying: "The mainland advocates civilization, cultivates a large number of Confucian scholars, teaches poetry and books, and practices etiquette and righteousness. Mr. adheres to the doctrine of non-action, which is not in line with our national conditions, so there are few people who give lectures. ”

Zhuangzi said: "There are very few Confucian scholars in the Lu Kingdom. ”

The king said, "The city is full of Confucian robes, long robes with wide sleeves, round hats and square boots." You've seen it all in the streets and alleys, isn't that too little?"

Zhuangzi said: "I also heard in Xia Zhuang Zhou that Confucian scholars dressed very unusually. The sky is round, and the hat is also made in a cylindrical shape, and it is worn on the head to indicate that the heavens are known. Place, the boots are also made in the shape of a square boat, and stepping on the foot indicates the knowledge of geography. Confucian temperament is often slow, so they have to wear a jade □ on their chests [the word "decision" is replaced by "king" for "冫"], and the jade ring knocks on a defect, indicating that there is a decisive ability to do things. However, in the following opinion, gentlemen who adhere to Confucianism may not all wear Confucian clothes. On the other hand, people who wear Confucian clothes may not all understand Confucianism. Your Majesty thinks that I have made a mistake, and it is not unreasonable to issue an order to the whole country: Anyone who does not abide by Confucianism and dares to wear Confucian clothes shall be sentenced to death. ”

The king immediately issued a decree to the whole country. At the end of the five-day period, all Confucian scholars in urban and rural areas across the country changed their clothes and did not dare to wear Confucian clothes anymore. But there was a grown man who preferred to wear a new Confucian robe, apparently in a hurry, and stood outside the palace without fear. The city of fake Confucians came to watch, and no one knew him.

The king summoned the gentleman to ask questions about politics and asked a series of questions. The men's answers are all in line with Confucianism, and the head is the Tao.

Zhuangzi said: "The civilization of Lu is nothing but a Confucian." Is it much?"

Baili Xi is the doctor of Yu State, and the country is broken and exiled to Qin State and became a slave. Qin Mugong instructed him to raise cattle, and he devoted himself to raising cattle. Other slaves dreamed of being promoted and making a fortune, but they couldn't, so the cattle he raised were fat and strong. Qin Mugong knew that he was of noble character, and promoted him from the cowshed to the imperial court as a prime minister, forgetting that he was once a slave and that his status was only worth five sheepskins. This is the story of the Spring and Autumn Period.

Earlier, in the era of Emperor Yao, the world was peaceful. There was a farmer in Lishan, named Shun, who belonged to the Youyu clan. Shun's parents were tyrannical and his younger brother was bad, and they framed him and almost killed him many times. However, he was still filial to his parents, loved his younger brother, sought satisfaction from grievances, and did not take his life and death to heart. Emperor Yao knew that he was of noble moral character and was deeply moved, and promoted him to be his successor, who was later Emperor Shun.

Song Yuanjun recruited painters and prepared to draw a map of the Song Kingdom. On the day of registration, artists from all over the world rushed to the scene. Song Yuanjun went to the scene to personally receive him, bowed his hands, greeted them one by one, and expressed his humility to the corporal. In fact, this is a face-to-face inspection, which is equivalent to an interview. Tomorrow there will be a written test, merit-based admission, and formal employment.

When Song Yuanjun saluted, the painters were flattered, and they bowed down in a panic to answer, and then stood upright. There are quite a few painters who itch their skills, lick the pen and adjust the ink, and they can't wait for it. Song Yuanjun saw it in his eyes and knew in his heart: at least half of them are painters, and if they are not qualified, they must be scraped off!

At this time, there was a late painter, with a face full of arrogance, swaggering forward, too lazy to bow down to answer, and not standing upright, and the most surprising thing was that he dared to leave the venue early and go back to the guest house.

Song Yuanjun motioned to the ministers behind him and called to investigate.

Xiao Chen went and came back to report: "That guy went back to the room, stripped into a half-naked, sat on the kang recliningly, and spread his legs into a figure, which was really arrogant." ”

Song Yuanjun said: "Admit it, this is a real painter!"

King Wen of Zhou went on an outing, came to Zang Village by the Wei River, and met an old man fishing for fish. I watched it for a long time, but I didn't catch anything. King Wen found that the fishing line was not tied to the hook, so it was no wonder that there was nothing to catch. While others have a rod and catch a fish, the old man fishes without fishing and still holds a rod every day.

King Wen sent a secret visit and knew that the old man was a virtuous hermit, and he had the skill to govern the country, and talents were rare. I wanted to ask him to come out to take charge of the administration, but I was afraid that the minister would be unhappy and the elders would not be at ease. If we make a stop, we can't bear to see that the people don't have an umbrella on their heads. King Wen thought about this all night, sat down in the morning and told the officials above the doctor's level: "Last night the widow dreamed of a Lang official with a black face, a beard, riding a horse with flowers and scarlet hooves, and he came to me to convey the order: Delegate your administrative work to the old man of Zang Village, and the people will be saved!" The officer did not specify whose order it was. ”

The officials were frightened and said, "It's your ancestor's order!"

King Wen said, "Then let's make a divination." ”

The officials said: "You follow the orders of your ancestors, you follow it, no problem, why bother divination." ”

In this way, King Wen of Zhou welcomed the old man of Zang Village into the palace and asked him to take charge of the administration. Since then, good policies have been carried out to the end, bad policies have all been abolished, and the political situation has changed. After three years, King Wen went down to inspect the work and found that the situation had changed drastically. Second, the leaders at all levels can now attribute their prominence to their subordinates. Third, substandard measuring instruments and weighing instruments are not allowed to enter the country, disrupting the order of trade. King Wen believed that when the gangs collapsed, the officials would be able to work with one mind; When the chief is humble, his subordinates are willing to work diligently; The fact that the substandard measuring instruments and weighing instruments did not dare to enter the country showed that the Qing Dynasty outside the country was willing to go to the Zhou Dynasty government, and King Wen was very satisfied.

King Wen was ready to rebel and overthrow the Shang Dynasty, so he further humbled the corporal and worshiped the old man of Zang Village as the master. The apprenticeship ceremony was solemn, the old man of Zang Village sat in the north and faced south, and King Wen sat in the south and faced north, and the positions of the monarch and the minister were exchanged. After paying his respects, King Wen asked: "Can the political system spread all over the world?"

The old man in Zang Village pretended to be deaf, did not answer whether he was okay or not, and at the same time lightly offered to resign. That night, the newly worshiped master ran away and never showed up again. Six hundred years later, Confucius told the story of the old man in Zang Village. Student Yan Hui asked, "Why did King Wen have a false dream?" He's not so good, is he?"

Confucius felt nervous, as if he was afraid that the spirit of heaven would hear it, and said with a straight face, "Shut up! Don't take it out and talk about it! King Wen is perfect, is it your turn to say cool words! He did that, cheaply, for a while. ”

Zheng Guo's Mr. Lie Yukou not only cultivated the art of wind immortals, but also shot a good arrow. A day of travel in the mountains, the road met a hermit and a faint person. The two exchanged pleasantries, talked for a while, and then Lie Yukou performed a series of arrows for the faint people. He drew an arrow from the quiver at his waist, wound it, drew the bow, and asked the man to place a cup of water on his left arm and shoot it at a tree in the distance. The first arrow has not yet reached the target, and the second arrow has been fired. The second arrow has not yet reached the target, and the third arrow has already been fired. An arrow followed an arrow, flying towards the tree like a bead, dizzying. Shoot the arrow, and the action is continuous. The front arrow has just left the string, and the back arrow has been wound. He stood still like a stone statue. A pot of arrows was shot quickly, and the arrows hit the target, while a glass of water on the left arm did not splash a drop.

He said, "This is a bow and an arrow and a heart to shoot, not a bow and an arrow and a heart to shoot." Try it, I'll accompany you to climb the mountain, step on the cliff, walk to the edge of the deep stream, play without a bow, without arrows, without a heart, can you do it?"

So he climbed the mountain, stepped on the precipice, walked to the edge of the hundred-zhang deep stream, turned around, retreated in broken steps, separated his legs, moved his heels to the edge of the edge, stood in a riding posture, and bowed to the royal court, saying please, please, please.

Lie Yukou didn't dare to go up, and bowed his head and knelt down. From the forehead to the heels, the whole body was scared and sweating, and he hurriedly said, let's go, let's go.

He said: "Zhiren has a full connotation, you can fly into the blue sky and have a bird's-eye view, you can go into the Yellow Spring and dive into the Yellow Spring, you can be free everywhere, and your expression will not change in the face of danger." Please play without a bow, no arrow, no heart, and you will be dazzled. Hit the target? Far from it!"

Mr. Shouwu, a hermit of the Chu State, became acquainted with Mr. Sun Shuao, a famous politician who was forced into the wilderness. Shouwu said: "Sir, your experience is too dramatic, three times you served as the commander of the state of Chu, in charge of the administration, and three times you were forced to go into the wilderness, like a common people. When you were in office, you had a simple style and never showed off. It's unrestricted. Your connotation is full and your face is carefree. At first I was suspicious of you, but now I see that you look so good, and it reflects the feeling of well-being. What do you think about your three ups and downs?"

Sun Shuao said: "What is so great about me. In my opinion, wealth is coming, and it cannot be pushed away; Wealth is going to go, and you can't pull it. If it is said that wealth is gained, and wealth is lost, then I think that gain and loss have nothing to do with me. Since it has nothing to do with me, it is very natural to not like it when you gain it and not worry about it when you lose it. That's it, what's so great about me. What's more, I can't figure out whether Fugui came for Ling Yin's official position or for me in the first place. If you come for Ling Yin's official position, then wealth and nobility have nothing to do with me. If you come for me as a person, then it is not worth showing off when you become Ling Yin. Since then, the contemptible people have been busy walking around and looking around, not thinking about trivial matters that have nothing to do with me. Three people are praised, three people laugh, I don't care. ”

Many years later, Confucius heard the story of Sun Shuao and commented: "There was a real person in ancient times, the wise man said that he could not convince him, the beautiful woman could not charm him, and the robbers could not fight him, even if the three emperors and five emperors were still in power, they could not climb him as a friend." The problem of life and death is big enough, but it still can't touch his heart and affect his behavior, not to mention the small problem of wealth and poverty! Such a real man, whose soul wanders freely, flies over mountains without colliding, dives into deep waters without drowning, lives in humility without being tired, spreads between heaven and earth, and helps others and enriches himself. ”

In the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a mortal kingdom, which was very small. The monarch of the country was invited to visit the state of Chu. The king of Chu received Fan Jun and held a banquet to entertain him. During the banquet, the foreign minister of Chu talked about the international situation, expressed deep concern for the safety of the country, and repeatedly used the word "ruined" to imply that the king of Chu would throw himself into the arms of the king of Chu as soon as possible. Fan Jun saw through the ambition of the king of Chu and did not dare to protest. The state of Chu is the southern overlord under Zhou Tianzi and cannot be provoked.

When the foreign minister of Chu used the term "ruined country" for the third time, Fan Jun interjected: "The future destruction of a foreign country cannot deprive the mainland of its present existence. Allow me to repeat: the future destruction of any kingdom cannot deprive the continent of its present existence. According to this backwards, the current existence of the state of Chu cannot guarantee the future existence of your country. From this point of view, the kingdom of Fan has not yet perished, and the state of Chu will no longer exist in the future. ”