Speaking of the ancient Chinese doctrine of settling down, there is a book that is very classic, but not many people seem to know. The book is called "Xie Er Xue", and the author is the famous Northern Song Dynasty Prime Minister Yan Shu.
In fact, the "Interpretation of Erxue" says that it is a book, but in fact there are not many words, so it can also be seen as a long treatise. If you are in a difficult situation, it is recommended to read this booklet carefully. Although there are some bad things in it, it seems very negative, but in general it is still very valuable.
The book begins with a very pessimistic truth: life is full of hardships. I think that anyone who has done something in the world should not be against this. So the question is, how should we face this dilemma? How do we settle down? Yan Shu put forward the sixteen-character mantra of Tibetan Feng, Hidden Wisdom, Abstinence, Self-Preservation, Truth-Seeking, Prudent Speech, Temperance, and Goodness. Let's savor them one by one.
First, the Tibetan front
Hidden Feng, these two words intuitively have a very oriental mood. Lao Tzu said: "Frustrate its sharpness, solve its discord, and its light, and its dust." "Chinese pay attention to a Taoguang and obscure in the world, and generally do not like to show the dew of the mountains." The so-called sharp edge, in fact, hides the killing machine, and this killing machine comes from having a request.
It may be a quest for fame, it may be a quest for profit, and if it is urgent and impatient, it will suddenly appear. Especially when you can't ask for it, it's easier to show your sharp edge and invite yourself to kill. Therefore, Yan Shu said, "The sharp one, erzhi Liye." "Therefore, to be introverted, not to be indisputable, but to have great wisdom."
Whatever you ask for, first of all, you must restrain that desire, and you must be able to pretend to be able to do things in your heart. Only with this mentality can we have a calm breath whenever there is a big event. Only when things are fixed can God be nourished, otherwise there will be six gods and no masters, and the spirit and spirit will easily dissipate.
Second, hidden wisdom
At first glance, Hidden Edge and Hidden Wisdom are the same thing. In fact, what the Hidden Feng is hiding is the killing machine, and being able to hide the Front can only show that a person knows that the desire to converge is aimed at the outward. Inwardly, we are particularly prone to arrogance and arrogance, thinking that we are very smart, and as a result, we are clever and mistaken by cleverness. If cleverness is not done backstage, it must end up being arrogant and self-righteous.
Yan Shu said, "Great wisdom is not deceitful, and it is obedient to heaven." Little wisdom is not virtuous, and it is also unkind. He emphasized that the technique is the lower and the loyalty is the upper, that is, we are now talking about the thick or thick way. Being too mean, if there are still some little clever, the end is imaginable. Therefore, Yan Shu said: "If you don't know his heart, it will be difficult to stop." "A person who does not know himself is very likely to end up being mistaken by the so-called cleverness.
Third, abstinence
This is a cliché, but abstinence is really important, and those with deep lust are shallow. Yan Shu said, "Desire is great and rootless, and the heart is wide and there is no hatred." That is to say, people with deep desires must eventually be pushed away by desire, like rootless duckweed, wandering around by the wind of desire.
To be a person, you must have your own center of gravity, and people with deep desires certainly have no center of gravity, because that center of gravity has been destroyed by desire. The so-called desirelessness is not to mean that we have no desire at all, but to do something and not to do something. When the line is done, when it stops, it stops.
Fourth, save yourself
Yan Shu said, "Those who are worried about their bodies are innocent, and they are righteous and long-lasting." The worried person has no guilt, but is lucky. "This person today is not easy to understand, the so-called worry, in fact, always maintain that vigilance." The Book of Shang says that "the people's hearts are in danger, the Tao's heart is small, only the essence is the only one, and it is allowed to cling to the middle", which is exactly what it means.
If one can be vigilant at all times, one can be at peace with one's body. People who encounter difficulties, the deeper they sink, the more they can't be like ants on a hot pot, running around. At this time, the most important thing to do is to stop and introspect, introspection for a long time, the method of solving the problem will naturally appear in the brain.
Fifth, be realistic
This article is very similar to what we say today to seek truth from facts, that is, everything is based on reality and not dogmatism. Yan Shu said: "Those who are far away are real, and those who are near profits are virtual." "We should be told to be far-sighted as human beings, and not to be blinded by the small profits in front of us." Yan Shu also stressed that we should not only read books, but proceed from reality in everything, which is very valuable.
Sixth, speak with caution
Needless to say, many disasters stem from a mouth, so the ancients often emphasized that "words must be defensive, and actions must be checked." Zeng Guofan said that "those who are smart and exposed are thin in virtue, and those who are too rich in words are blessed and shallow", which is the same reason. As a person, you must leave some morality for yourself, there will be losses in words, there will be no way out of blessings and misfortunes, and only people will admit themselves, so they must be cautious.
7. Temperance
That is, people have to learn to control their own feelings, which are not what we understand today, but our preferences or selfishness. For example, if an official prefers his relatives, he may bend the law for personal gain, and what we have to do is to control this situation.
Yan Shu said that abusing compassion is bad, and even abusing compassion can bring harm. When people are trapped by emotions, they will tie their hands and feet, and when things happen, they will not be open-minded and wise.
Eighth, be kind
Yan Shu said, "Luck has its cause, and blessing has its source." God bless the good, his heart is enlightened. That is to say, everything has a cause and effect, and a person usually does not plant a blessing for himself, but always thinks of the good things of pie falling from the sky, which is ignorance. Therefore, people must know how to be good, although the world is dangerous, but we must not lose that heart because of this.
People in difficult situations can compare the above eight points with themselves. Everything has a cause and effect, and we can think about it: we are in trouble because of which ones are not done well. In short, when there is nothing to do, it is still very beneficial to the body and mind to take out and read the "Interpretation of TheOlogy of Ers". The ancients talked about settling down and establishing a life, and I think that if a person does all eight of the above, he can almost settle down.