In essence, the ultimate goal of traditional Chinese philosophy of life is to teach people to become sages. As Mencius said, "Everyone can be Yao Shun." Mencius believed that the same human nature is good, and the difference between humans and animals is morality; the difference between ordinary people and sages lies in the level of personality cultivation.
Whether it is Mencius, who advocates sexual goodness, or Xunzi, who advocates sexual evil, in fact, they all advocate that people can become sages. Mencius said that "everyone can be Yao Shun", and Xun Zi said that "tu can be Yu", and the fundamental goal of his life is the same, but the method of realization is different. Mencius advocated the cultivation of morality with the intention of cultivating nature and advocating self-discipline; Xunzi advocated the use of ritual law to regulate human behavior and advocated other laws, but what they had in common was to cultivate a perfect personality and move towards the state of sanctification and sage. Therefore, the ancient Chinese philosophy of life, especially Confucian philosophy, is a study that emphasizes personality cultivation. By recognizing this, we can figure out why China is China and why Chinese culture is Chinese culture. The eight ways of personality cultivation are:
The first is that those who have no ambition can achieve anything. Setting great ambitions is the starting point and sail of our lives, and without ambition, nothing can be accomplished. Confucius said that he set his ambition to study etiquette at the age of 15, he said that "I have the ambition to learn", and worked hard along this ambition, and finally became a master of the Confucian school from a commoner's son, a successor to the successor of Chinese culture, and a generation of masters. The Song Dynasty philosopher Zhang Zai also said, "If people are not far from interested and absent-minded, although they have not succeeded in learning", it can be seen that the importance of determination.
The second is for oneself. What we do here is not to say that everything is for selfish gain, otherwise we will become a selfish nation. It's about what we're working for and for whom. Confucius said, "The ancient scholars are for themselves, and the scholars of today are for themselves", which means that the ancient people studied and cultivated morality in order to improve their own realm of life, and now people learn to cultivate morality for impure purposes, in order to do it for others to see. Therefore, to be for oneself is purely for self-improvement and self-improvement, not to show off anything and sell fame and reputation.
The third is prudence and independence. Man is a product of the environment, that is to say, different environments can cause different personalities, and man is also an animal that lacks self-discipline and is particularly susceptible to temptation. Especially when a person is alone, he will always make some kind of moth come out. Therefore, the ancients paid special attention to self-restraint, and the more they were alone, the more they had to be vigilant against themselves, to prevent the evil in their hearts, the "little one under the leather coat" from running out, which is called cautious independence. The Zhongyong says, "It is therefore the gentleman who is wary of what he does not see, and who is afraid of what he does not hear." Mo sees hidden, mo appears to be subtle, so the gentleman is cautious and independent." We are warned that the more no one sees and no one hears, the more we must hold our hearts well as a pure gentleman with "selfless heaven and earth in his heart." Although this is difficult, my generation should do it.
The fourth is to ask for yourself. Confucius said, "Gentlemen ask for themselves, and villains ask for others", which means that gentlemen always think about what they should do, and when they do wrong, they must first reflect on themselves, while villains are the opposite. They always take credit for their own praise over others. Seeking oneself is Chinese important humanistic spirit, which gives Chinese a realm of reflection and self-responsibility. Mencius said that "if you do something, you must not ask for yourself", if you can't do something, you must first think about whether you are doing it in place, rather than pushing the responsibility to others.
The fifth is self-reflection. Introspection is also Chinese important personality spirit, which can enhance the realm of our lives and enhance the depth of thought. The ancient Greek philosophers also said that a life without reflection is not a life of wisdom. This shows the importance of reflection and self-examination. The Confucian master ZengZi attaches great importance to the spirit of self-examination, and he advocates that we should always reflect on ourselves, called "my three provinces and my body" at all times. Because reflection can make people examine themselves more calmly and observe the world, they can make people take fewer detours and better go to the state of success.
The sixth is to change. How to deal with mistakes is a matter of principle in personality cultivation. Whether to change what is wrong or not to change it repeatedly represents the two divisions of life. It is not terrible to make mistakes, and the ancients have long had the saying that "no one has any fault, but can change, and it is very good". Confucius also said, "Don't be afraid to change if you live too much", on the contrary, "if you do not change it, it is too much", if a person repeatedly plants his head in the same place, it is not because he is stupid, but because he is unwilling to correct the reason.
The seventh is to practice. The unity of knowledge and action is an important issue in the Chinese cultivation theory, because people always like to talk and are reluctant to do it. Confucius said that "a gentleman is ashamed of his words and his deeds", and it is impossible to do great things by saying big words, and only by doing it down-to-earth can it be possible to succeed. Therefore, the gentleman advocated by Confucius is a person who "wants to be sensitive to words and sensitive to deeds". The Song Dynasty philosopher Zhu Xi believed that learning is nothing more than two things, knowledge and practice, while Wang Yangming believed that learning is actually one thing - the unity of knowledge and action. Do it right away when you know it, this is the way to success in life.
The eighth is tempering. Maxima cannot be born in the courtyard, the golden phoenix cannot fly in the chicken nest, there is no cold to the bone, and the plum blossoms are fragrant. Therefore Mencius said, "Therefore the heavens will descend upon the people of Si, and they will first suffer their minds, strain their bones and bones, starve their bodies, and increase their benefits." The Song Dynasty philosopher Zhang Zai said more clearly, taking hardships and hardships as a gift from heaven to us, it is to promote our growth and promote our success, he said, "Rich and noble, will be thick and prosperous; poor and poor, yongyu Ru Yu Chengye." If we shrink back in the face of difficulties, we may wish to think that Sima Qian suffered a palace punishment of great shame and humiliation, and was still able to stand up and complete the great work "History".