There is a French proverb: Caution is the firstborn of wisdom.
Emperor Taizong of Tang and Changsun Wuji were friends with Bu Yi and were the brothers of Empress Changsun, so Emperor Taizong trusted him very much.
Emperor Taizong of Tang wanted to make Changsun Wuji the prime minister several times, but Empress Changsun resolutely blocked it, believing that the more favored the emperor's relatives and relatives of the state were, the more cautious they should be.
She used the example of Han Gao Zulu as a warning to persuade her brother not to covet the glory and wealth in front of her and cause great disaster.
Empress Eldest Sun's cautious approach was her wisdom to settle down and establish her life, and eventually won the respect of Emperor Taizong and won the reputation of "Empress Dowager of the Ages".
Fang Xiaoru said: "People who hold on to their own deeds often succeed in prudence and lose in indulgence." ”
Prudence pays special attention to three aspects: cautious speech, cautious deeds, and cautious independence.
Be careful
Ancient Cloud:
"The room of many doors is full of wind, and the life of many words is a disaster."
Words are noisy, light is annoying, heavy is to lose life.
Yang Xiu's death was because he did not understand prudent words and provoked the disaster of killing himself.
People who can't control their mouths expose the shortcomings of a person's lack of cultivation and good performance.
Xie Jin, a famous minister of the Ming Dynasty, was talented and intelligent, and his poems, articles, calligraphy, and cursive writing were all exquisite, and he was known as one of the three talents of the Ming Dynasty.
In his infancy, his mother taught him to read, and at the age of 5, he never forgot, at the age of 10, he wrote poems and articles, and his literary talent was remarkable, and he was 18 years old in high school, and he was deeply appreciated by Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang once said to Xie Jin: You and I are moral monarchs and courtiers, and kindness is like father and son, and you should know everything.
Xie Jin really knew everything and said everything, and his mouth did not cover tens of thousands of words, angering the courtiers.
Zhu Yuanzhang summoned Xie Jin's father and said something: If the great instrument is late, if Erzi returns, Yi Lingjin, in the next ten years, it will not be too late.
Zhu Yuanzhang thought that he was extremely talented and lacked cultivation, and punished him for thinking behind closed doors, and a punishment was ten years.
Only because Xie Jinkou did not choose words, at the age of 21, the great future was ruined by life.
Zhu Di ascended the throne, Xie Jin was reactivated, and Zhu Di began to appreciate him:
"The world cannot be without me for a day, and I cannot be relieved for a day."
However, Xie Jin did not think about repentance, and the good times did not last long, because he did not choose his words many times, which provoked the prince to be framed.
Under zhu di's dali temple prison, Jinyi wei, at the behest of Zhu Di, drunk him with wine and buried him alive in the snow.
Xie Jin has a satirical link:
Reeds on the walls, light-headed and shallow roots;
Bamboo shoots in the mountains, thick and hollow with a thick skin at the tip of the mouth.
It has become a portrayal of himself, just as it is called: sickness enters from the mouth, evil comes out of the mouth, and words are careful to avoid disaster.
Hu Juren of the Ming Dynasty said in the "Yi Xiang Banknote":
"The mouth is the door of evil, and the tongue is the knife of the body."
Keep your mouth shut and hide your tongue, and you will be imprisoned everywhere. ”
If you just blindly talk quickly, do not think twice, and do not care about your speech, you can only hurt others and harm yourself.
Language is to express ideas, before speaking, we must consider whether the words are appropriate, whether the time is ripe, and prudent speech is the basis for self-cultivation to obey the mandate of heaven.
Speaking cautiously is a kind of cultivation and the basic quality of handling things.
Proceed with caution
There is a German proverb:
"If you don't act cautiously, no amount of wisdom will help."
People, especially when they are proud, are prone to forget their form, tend to become imprudent, and cause irreparable mistakes.
And acting cautiously is always a safe haven in life.
Before Cao Cao's departure, there was a cloth friend who was a Runan, named Wang Qi.
The two of them admired each other, Cao Cao loved his foresight, and Wang Hao praised Cao Cao for his ability to rule the world.
When Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu's mother died, the scene was extremely grand, and others were envious.
Cao Cao secretly said to Wang Hao:
"The world will be in chaos, and those who are in chaos will be the two of them."
If you want to help the world, and ask for the lives of the people, do not first curse these two sons, and mess up the present. ”
Wang Hao said, "As Qing Qing said, who will save the world?" ”
The two looked at each other and smiled, which can be described as confidants.
Later, Cao Cao held great power, ranking above ten thousand people under one person, twice asked Wang Hao to come out as an official, and the luxurious car drove to the door of the house, wang Hao thanked him and lived a reclusive life.
Wang Hao died at the age of 64 at Wuling, and Cao Cao was so sad that he posthumously honored him as a sage.
The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms praises Wang Qi: "Qi, for people to be quiet on the outside and bright inside." ”
Wang Hao's inner ming is a cautious attitude, he is not because he knows Cao Cao too well, he can resist the temptation of fame and fortune, because of the cautious action, he can get the result of a good death.
As the saying in the "Chronicle of History": "The past is uncertain, and then there are great troubles." ”
The most important wisdom of a person is to know what he really wants, what kind of life, and what kind of life is more suitable for him.
In the face of temptation, do not be moved, act cautiously, and look at the long term, in order to go long.
As the saying goes: "If you are prudent in your deeds, you can strengthen your ambitions, and if you are careful in your words, you can worship your virtue."
Think twice about everything, the road of life will not be biased, once the brain is hot, the decisions made are often regrettable.
Prudence
Etiquette. The Middle Way records:
"A gentleman is wary of what he does not see, and fearful of what he does not hear.
Mo sees hidden, Mo is microscopic, so the gentleman is cautious and independent. ”
This is the initial account of prudence and independence, to the effect that the so-called gentleman, in places where no one sees, can also be careful in his own behavior and deeds.
In Lin Zexu's home, a plaque of "Prudent Independence" hangs high, encouraging himself and warning his children and grandchildren.
Where no one sees, a person exposes the most authentic self.
Some people do whatever they want because they have no supervision; some people do not cheat in the darkroom, and some people can discipline themselves with no one.
Sima Guang was determined to complete a general mission, but he was busy with official duties, and it was inevitable to find excuses to be lazy.
In order to avoid his own snooze, he deliberately made a log pillow, as long as he turned over, the rolling of the pillow would wake him up, which was called "police pillow" by posterity.
Later, Sima Guang was diligent in completing the Zizhi Tongjian, which was the result of prudent independence.
Zeng Guofan can be regarded as a practitioner of "not vainly seeking, then peace of mind, not vain, then body security", he benefited from prudent independence, and achieved a lifetime of fame.
Zeng Guofan's will says:
Caution is peace of mind.
The way of self-cultivation is not difficult to cultivate the heart, and the difficulty of cultivating the heart is also cautious and independent.
If you can be cautious and independent, you will not feel guilty, and you can be a ghost of the heavens.
No one is ashamed of anything, then the heavenly king is calm, this heart is always fast and broad, it is the first way of self-improvement in life, the first way to find happiness, and the first task of keeping oneself.
In the absence of supervision, give yourself some scale, in terms of the big principle, do not exceed the rules, do not deceive.
Small to the constraints on self-behavior, such as: stay up late, read more, exercise more.
It seems to be a small thing, but in fact, people who can really achieve self-discipline for a long time are truly self-disciplined.
Not to do anything for the sake of posing for a show, not to show for vanity to anyone, to expect praise, but to awaken from the heart.
A prudent person is a self-discipline with a reverent heart and a kind of respect for the self.
Master Hongyi once said, "The heart should be bitter, the intention should be happy, the temperament should be grand, and the words and actions should be careful." ”
In life, we will encounter all kinds of things, and some things seem to be accidental, but they are actually the result of the refraction of our words and deeds.
Be cautious in words, deeds, and independence, give yourself more constraints on your words, actions, and thoughts, and constantly improve yourself in caution.
There is no one who does not have grievances in life, strive to do a good job of themselves, everything is the best arrangement.
The word "caution" that holds the heart is a sign of maturity and a great wisdom to settle down.