When I heard about "Cai Gen Tan" when I was a child, I naively thought it was a recipe, and I could become a chef by learning from it. When I grew up a little, the Chinese teacher mentioned it in class, and only then did I know that "Cai Gen Tan" is a collection of life mottos, but I also seem to understand the content in the book, and I know half of it.
With the passage of time, the growth of experience, and occasionally a sentence in "Cai Gen Tan" appeared in front of me, and I slowly understood: Oh, it turns out that life is this truth.
Open the "Vegetable Root Tan" again and taste it carefully, and find that there is a different feeling. If you think about it in reverse thinking, you will understand the state of human nature. The author of the whole book uses 360 concise sentences, beautiful language, and neat forms of battle, or from the front or from the side to warn us how to cultivate ourselves and how to behave in the world, so that life will be happy and happy.
Below I have selected a few classic sentences to explain to you:
"Vegetable Root Tan"
Spoiled and not alarmed, idly watching the flowers blossom and fall before the court, to stay unintentional, and to follow the clouds outside the sky.
Things are uncertain, and you never know what will happen in the next moment.
You may be suppressed and ignored when the current emperor reigns, but after the next emperor takes the throne, he may promote you, appreciate you, and reuse you. You may soar to the sky in the next moment, or you may fall into the abyss. It may be that this decade of singing and dancing will rise to peace and prosperity, but in the next decade, wars will be raging and wives and children will be scattered.
The author of this book, Hong Yingming, has a deep understanding.
Hong Yingming
Hong Yingming, the year of birth and death is unknown, and the deeds of his life are unknown. According to the current historical research, it can only be known that he probably lived around the Wanli Calendar and was a reclusive Taoist. Among the spiritual texts he left to future generations, in addition to the Cai Gen Tan, there is also the "Miracle of the Immortal Buddha".
You can probably know that when he was young, like countless enthusiastic young people, he was enthusiastic about career and fame and fortune. "Young Mu, Colorful, Late-dwelling Zen Silence".
At that time, Emperor Shenzong was on the throne, and the ming dynasty building was already in danger because of the toss of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty. Internally, there were constant disputes in the cabinet, eunuchs in charge, and the abolition of the imperial program; externally, the Jurchen clan rose up, frequently harassed the border passes, and the frontier people did not live.
The curse laid by the Jiajing Emperor was revealed during the Wanli Emperor. Wan Li was still very thoughtful, and wanted to make every effort to remedy it, but to no avail. Social contradictions are accumulating deeper and deeper, more and more people are resisting, and more and more people of insight are rising up.
In the face of this increasingly severe situation, Hong Yingming felt very deeply. Perhaps he was one of the many people of insight at that time. They are full of pride and ambition to change this situation, but they are defeated by the harsh reality. They have hearts, but they can't do anything about it.
Since the world is immutable, why not take it lightly?
Fame and fortune are all floating clouds, only by indifferent to the name of merit, to achieve displeasure, to lose no worries, and then to adhere to what they like, life will be open-minded and cheerful.
Wanli Emperor
The fish passed away, and the birds flew in the wind, but they did not know that there was a wind.
People will always automatically ignore the things that are easy to get and feel that they deserve it. Wait until the day when it is suddenly lost, and then realize its preciousness. Mr. Hong Yingming has a particularly thorough view of this era.
High-level rulers fight openly and secretly for their own selfish desires, regardless of the lives and deaths of the common people, and often work hard to hurt the people's wealth and accumulate resentment and resentment. They think that they are on top, that they have the power to kill sentient beings, and that they are proud of themselves. In particular, the eunuchs at that time were overbearing and domineering, doing whatever they wanted, treating the lives of the people as grass, and looting the people's fat at will, which made the people at that time miserable.
As a man, we must not forget our roots, and as a ruler, we must not forget the mass base. It is understandable that it has thoroughly angered the people, forced them to a dead end, and revolted and rebelled.
Water can carry boats, the fluidity and buoyancy of water can ensure the safety and progress of boats; water can also overturn boats, and the water in strong winds and waves can easily submerge the boat. This is also the inevitable cycle of history.
Hong Yingming wants to wake up future rulers through the lessons of this era, and the will of the people is the ultimate law of development of history.
History is like this, and so are we. Don't forget the existence of air and the existence of trees just because you can breathe; don't forget the nurturing grace of your parents because of your own achievements; don't feel justified by a kind act or help from others.
Man, always be in awe and be grateful. Only in this way will life be smoother and happier.
The hard life of the people
Do not blame people for their minor transgressions, do not send people selfish, and do not think of old evils.
There is a clear Buddhist idea in this sentence. It is a good admonition of self-discipline and self-reflection.
A gentleman, a virtuous and cultured person, does not randomly comment on or expose the shortcomings of others, or likes to mention the past that others cannot look back on.
In this world, people are not perfect, and those who have shortcomings and flaws are called people, so we must treat the people around us with a tolerant heart, and do not always think about their faults, in order to be considered a righteous gentleman.
Plus, everyone has privacy. They have the right to choose whether or not to keep this privacy secret, which is their own exclusive space. So, don't just ask about things that others don't want to say for your own curiosity.
If others secretly tell you their most private things, don't spread other people's private things for the sake of showing off and vanity. The most intimate thing that others can tell you is unconditional trust in you. If you wantonly publicize, you will only lose the virtue of friends and be human.
People must learn to be tolerant and generous. In this way, your life will be smoother, and your character will be appreciated by people and respected by others.
Take a step forward and take a step back.
For yourself, you must be a "step higher", and for others, you must be a "step back".
This is a good warning. But to be honest, I think there are very few people who really understand this sentence and put it into action very well. Because it's so hard.
Just like the Datong society, this sentence can only be an ideal realm. If everyone can do this, there will be less strife and more peace in the world, and true unity will be achieved.
"One step higher" I think there are two explanations:
The first is not only to constantly self-examine and self-examination, but also to standardize ourselves with high requirements, so that things will be done to the extreme. Self-discipline will largely determine the success of things. Only by "one step higher" will things be done to the extreme.
The second is to stand tall and see far. If you only look at the eyes and the eyes of the rats, then you can only be trapped in the current environment for a lifetime, be a frog at the bottom of the well, you can only see the sky the size of the wellhead, you can't see the sea and sky outside, and you can't make progress. If you stand on the top of a high mountain, you can "see the mountains and small mountains", broaden your horizons, and discover the diversity of the world.
People must stand tall and not be bound by their own limitations in order to progress and succeed.
Like Xu Xiake, who has been climbing over mountains and mountains all his life, seeing all the great rivers and mountains of the motherland, and "standing tall" can he write "Xu Xiake's Travels"; like the sage Confucius, who has read a lot of books, learned five cars, is full of economy, and "stands tall" in knowledge, he can have the current Confucianism; like Mr. Wang Yangming, who has experienced all kinds of hardships, painstakingly studied, and ideologically "stood tall", he can realize the "Yangming Mind Study".
No matter what form it is, as long as you stand tall, you can look far.
Similarly, I think there are two interpretations of "taking a step back":
First, the requirements for others should not be as high as for themselves, and they should always maintain tolerance and understanding. If you treat others harshly, not only do they feel the pressure, things may not be done well, and they are more difficult. The requirement for others to "take a step back" gives them room for improvement.
Second, when dealing with people and things, do not press forward step by step, but take a step back and leave room. As the saying goes, take a step back, the sea and the sky, this not only refers to tolerance, but also means that both sides need some distance. Only if there is a buffer distance between each other will things have more room to turn around. This is most evident in terms of emotion.
Like family, friendship, and love, people tend to get closer and closer involuntarily. Wait until you stick to it face to face, only to find some small flaws that cannot be ignored by the other party, find that you can't tolerate it, and eventually break down emotionally. It's often hard for people to control themselves to keep their distance, so remember: take a step back and distance will produce beauty.
Read "Vegetable Root Tan"
These are the few sentences I feel deeply and my own interpretation, which often measure my actions like a ruler. Although it is difficult to do, it is still necessary to try to match them.
Some people say that "Cai Gen Tan" is a reading after the age of 35, and I think this understanding is a bit one-sided. Can't you taste it before you turn 35?
In fact, each period of their own views on this book will have different views, because their own ideas and thinking are different at different times. Every time you read the same sentence, you may have different feelings.
I think that before the age of 35, you can learn the rules of doing things in books and set your mind on the direction; after the age of 35, you can learn the way of life in books, optimism and open-mindedness.
The book "Cai Gen Tan" condenses the author's lifelong experience and thoughts. He put aside the prosperity of the floating world and saw the most basic and inner essence. Condense these essential essences into 360 warning words. This is not only an introspection of himself, but also an inspiration for the contemporary, for everyone now, and it is still very valuable to read carefully now.
The reason why it can become a classic and have a far-reaching impact is because it can withstand the test of time and the thousands of tempers of society, and it is more immortal. If you understand "Cai Gen Tan", you will understand the various forms of human nature.
Our future generations can often read and think, which is the greatest feedback for this book.
Of course, the author is not perfect, he also has blind spots that cannot be seen because of the limitations of the times, and there are also remarks in books that look inappropriate from the modern perspective.
Because of the limitations of the times, he could not see that with the development of time, the changes in society slowly emerged some new things. Therefore, for this book, we can not accept it completely, but we must take our own thinking, accept it critically, and become the "Cai Gen Tan" of the new era, which is the sublimation of this book.