#长文创作激励计划#
There is always a strange phenomenon in society, those who know often do not speak, and those who do not know talk endlessly. Why is that? If you understand the true meaning of the word "know", you will understand that the humility of a wise person is not just about upbringing, but also about understanding the Tao and the Tao. Chapter 56 of the Tao Te Ching talks about the Great Dao Xuantong, and if you understand the origin of the word "Xuantong", you will understand the truth that "silence is golden".
Ignorant and ignorant.
Plug it and close its door; Frustrate its sharpness, resolve its disputes, and its light, with its dust, is called "Xuantong".
Therefore, it is not allowed to kiss, and it is not allowed to be sparse; You can't get it, you can't get it; Unobtainable and expensive, unobtainable and cheap. Therefore, it is expensive in the world.
In this chapter, Lao Tzu mainly talks about the method of cultivating virtue. "Virtue" is the use of "Tao", and those who cultivate virtue must first cultivate the Tao. Those who have attained the Tao should cultivate themselves by virtue. So, how can we cultivate virtue before attaining the "Tao"? Lao Tzu talked about an important method - Xuantong. What does it look like to be a "Xuantong"? Where is the gap between us and it? Let's read it together.
1. The wise and the ignorant
There are always some people around us who keep talking and can't stop talking as soon as they open the conversation. If you are an old man, it is understandable to be lonely and lonely. The key is that many young people are like this, especially middle-aged people, who always feel that they have been warm and cold in this half of their lives, and their gains and losses have to be passed on. I don't know, Lao Tzu has long said: "Those who know do not speak, and those who speak do not know." ”
It is to say that he who knows does not speak, and he who speaks does not know. At first glance, it sounds a bit like a tongue twister, but in fact, Lao Tzu is telling us what a true enlightened person looks like.
The word "know" that we often say is not simple. "Dao" is the meaning of understanding and knowing, in fact, it is also the "Dao" that Lao Tzu said, and the word "know" is put in front of it, which has two meanings: for those who have not attained the Tao, knowing is knowing what the meaning of "knowing" is; For those who have truly attained the Tao, the meaning of "knowing" is even heavier, it means knowing what the "Tao" is.
What is "speech"? For the vast majority of people, "speech" means to speak; For leaders, especially the people of the Lao Tzu era, "words" are government decrees and systems. Lao Tzu's original intention was to exhort the people not to issue decrees at will, but to rest with the people. Lao Tzu once said that "many words are poor", a country and an enterprise are about to perish if they keep issuing decrees and rules. Because what the people need is space to grow, and the draconian government will only disrupt the social order.
For us, Lao Tzu is warning us not to pretend to understand as soon as we know nothing, because being open-mouthed will only bring trouble to ourselves; A truly enlightened person does not have to prove his ingenuity by chatter. Therefore, the more people who know the "Tao", the less they will say the "Tao" casually; The more virtuous a person is, the less likely he is to speak of "virtue".
Second, the law of cultivating virtue is the same as the avenue
Why don't those who know easily say "virtue"? Knowing the method of cultivating virtue, you will understand.
(1) There is no harm in stopping desires
To cultivate virtue, we must first have a pure heart, and the result of a pure heart is a lack of desire. The less desire, the less restraint there will be, and the more relaxed the person will be. As we read in chapter 12, lust is human nature, and abstinence is against human nature, but abstinence can protect oneself.
So Lao Tzu said: "Plug it and close its door." ”
As we read in chapter 52, Dui refers to the five senses of "ears, nose, mouth, eyes, and mouth". Why do you want to plug your facial features? Of course, the "plug" mentioned by Lao Tzu does not really want us to block our five senses, but to cut off the channel between our inner and external areas. In this way, external temptations cannot deceive our minds. No matter how strong the willpower is, there will always be a time when you are coerced by temptation; And once you get caught in it, it's hard to extricate yourself. Therefore, Lao Tzu asked us to take precautions, plug the holes of lust, close the door of lust, stop thinking and stop desires, so as not to be disturbed by disasters.
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(2) Harmony with light and dust
In addition to stopping desires, those who cultivate virtue must also learn to "hide". It's not about seclusion, it's about hiding the light. Lao Tzu never talked about escapism, but encouraged us to take the initiative to join the WTO, conform to the "Tao", and practice "virtue".
Lao Tzu said: "Frustrate its sharpness, resolve its disputes, and its light, and its dust." ”
We have read this paragraph in Chapter 4, why are Lao Tzu and contemporary society advocating "being with light and dust"? Let's take a taste.
What is "frustration"? This is to say, too sharp and easy to break. If something is too sharp, it will inevitably be thin, and the pointed point is easy to break, such as branches, sharp knives, and so on. If the sharp points are smoothed out, the risk of breaking is greatly reduced.
What is "resolving disputes"? Everyone has a self-interested and exclusive heart, always feels that what they say is right, and insists on their own views and opinions; But others think the same way, and if they cling to their own opinions, they will cause chaos. At this time, it is necessary to have someone come out to mediate, balance, and persuade everyone to look at the problem from the overall situation and look at the problem comprehensively, so as to avoid one-sidedness and limitations of individuals.
What is "and its light"? This is to say, yin and yang are in harmony. In the previous article, we deeply interpreted the word "and" in several places that appeared in the Tao Te Ching, and the meaning of "and" is to knead, and to harmonize. We can see light everywhere in our lives, the places with light are bright, the places with backlights are dim, one bright and one dark, one yin and one yang, and they are mutually reinforcing. The harmony of yin and yang is a complete world.
What is "the same dust"? This is to say, Mu Tongchen. No matter whether the virtuous person is high or the virtuous person is low, they will be contaminated with the same dust, no one can achieve "everyone is drunk and I am sober", and no one can really "transcend the mundane world" to live, even if the reclusive person cannot completely cut off the connection with the world.
Therefore, the more excellent the person, the more virtuous the person, on the contrary, he must not show his edge, take the initiative to dispel the troubles, contain the glory, and mix with the world. This is the "Tao" in the mortal world, and if we follow the "Tao", we are cultivating virtue.
(3) Avenue Xuantong
It can be seen that Lao Tzu is talking about the method of cultivating virtue, and the ultimate goal of cultivating virtue is the same avenue. What is "Xuantong"? It is to realize the "Tao" and reach the realm of mystery. What is the realm of "mystical harmony"? It is the true "Tao" buried deep in all things, the same as things, and there is no trace to be found.
Therefore, the great virtue is not exposed, not that it is not exposed, but that we cannot see it. For example, we always look at businessmen with colored glasses, thinking that businessmen are not virtuous enough, but they are not. The bigger the businessman, the more important he is to virtue. In ancient times, there were many entrepreneurs. They do not compete with others for small profits, but the road to business is getting wider and wider.
Third, the person of virtue is based on cheapness
Lao Tzu's method of cultivating virtue is not to ask us to do anything deliberately, as long as we follow the "Tao" and do it, we will naturally know what to do and what not to do. The so-called "virtue" is the use of "Tao", and if you deliberately cultivate virtue, it will violate the original intention of "Tao". Therefore, we see that the more virtuous people are, the more approachable and informal they are, and all virtues are naturally revealed, rather than metaphysical deliberate actions.
(1) People, profit-seeking alliances
There is a strange phenomenon that we always do not like to be close to people who are virtuous. Even if they are approachable, even if they are affectionate like a distant relative, but they just can't get along, why is that?
Because people with great virtue are "selfless" and "indisputable", they always give people the impression of being unsociable. Because everyone in the world is born for profit, and there is a person who does not pursue profit, and he cannot be mixed in the same circle. And circles are an indispensable way of interacting with people in our society.
The picture comes from the Internet, invaded and deleted
For example, there is a courier company, and it is inevitable that all broken packages are missing from the contents inside; But in fact, the reason for the "shortage" is well known to everyone. In the eyes of Lide people, all the items in the package belong to the buyer, and people even bought the courier service, not only do we not protect the integrity of the goods, but also take the things inside, and do not ask if they are regarded as theft? That's the big deal. How could he be in the same league as the other couriers? But if he doesn't take it, he won't be able to get along with other couriers, and if he can't enter a circle, he will be excluded and eventually leave the company.
Therefore, Lao Tzu said: "Therefore, you can't kiss, you can't get and alienate; You can't get it, you can't get it. ”
Whoever is enlightened and virtuous is so virtuous that he cannot be too close to other people, nor can he be too alienated; Some couriers had planned to woo this colleague, but found that they couldn't win over at all, and they were "selfless" and had already put themselves down; Of course, people will not take the initiative to harm them, this is the person of virtue.
(2) Expensive and cheap
Most of us want to be "expensive", and hate "cheap", as if the word "cheap", if it is not used to refer to selling cute, it is a servile face. But when I saw that others relied on sycophants and "cheap" to rise step by step, I began to sour again.
Lao Tzu said: "It is expensive if you can't get it, and it's cheap if you can't get it." Therefore, it is expensive in the world. ”
Just as the beautiful and the unbeautiful, the good and the bad, the expensive and the cheap are also relative. In fact, we misunderstood the word "cheap". In the Tao Te Ching, "cheap" is a very powerful skill, because one of the characteristics of water is "cheap".
"Cheap" means low, isn't the vast majority of us in this position? But low water is inseparable from everyone. Just like those who are so-called noble, it is precisely because of us in the lower position that they can show their position. For example, the prime minister is "cheap" to the emperor, but the prime minister is "expensive" to the officials, so don't be entangled in the noble.
A truly virtuous person will not be swayed by the noble and the lowly, so the world respects him.
In fact, in the eyes of Lao Tzu, the best virtue is to "frustrate its sharpness, resolve its disputes, and its light, and its dust", to be with all beings, not hypocrisy, not deliberate, to do things for others with a "selfless" heart, and not to impose on others with their own "knowledge"; If you don't take secular recognition as the goal of your own moral cultivation, and don't fight for the pros and cons, you can belittle yourself and benefit others, and such a person will truly achieve "Xuantong". Those who know the "Tao" transcend the worldly and intolerance, and treat all people and things with sincerity, and we can understand why the enlightened people are silent and the ignorant people talk endlessly.
Translations
A wise man does not impose decrees on the people, and those who impose decrees are not wise men.
Plug the hole of lust and close the door of lust; Do not show the edge, dissolve the troubles, contain the glory, and mix with the world, this is the realm of the mysteries.
In this way, there is no distinction between relatives, no separation, no benefit, and no harm; No distinction between expensive, no distinction between cheap,. Therefore, it is respected by all people in the world.