Chapter 25 Chapter Five Xiang Yu Entrustment

The five colors are blinding; the five tones are deaf; the five flavors are refreshing.Galloping and hunting makes people crazy; hard-to-find goods make people hinder.It is because the sage is the stomach and not the eyes, so go and take this. ——Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching Chapter Twelve" In terms of life and survival, there are not many real needs of human beings. However, due to the acquired desires are endless, and excessive pursuit of these desires without restraint, in the end, not only the desires are not satisfied, but endless anxiety and anxiety are generated. Pain, even loss of self This chapter of Lao Tzu warns us of the danger of mixed desires.

There are no more than five colors (red, yellow, blue, white, and black, five primary colors), but if they change too much, they are enough to dazzle us.There are no more than five sounds (gong, shang, jiao, yu, zheng), but it is enough to make people's hearing dull.There are no more than five tastes (sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty), but if they change a lot, it will also make us feel bad, and the original taste of food will be lost instead.Hunting is a sport, but indulging in the pursuit of birds and beasts will delay business and cause confusion.Rare treasures are precious things, but if they are too poor, they will damage their conduct and bad virtue, and their reputation will be ruined.Therefore, the saints who experience the great "Tao" only want to fill their stomachs, not for sensual enjoyment, get rid of ambition and desire, and only want to return to simplicity.

Material civilization pursues endless progress and development, and the spiritual emptiness is compensated by the enjoyment of it. The more the senses are stimulated, the more material is needed, the more spiritually empty, and the vicious circle will never end. Great promises and great constructions are likely to bring great dangers and great destruction, and those in the leadership have to be careful.