Chapter 34 4. God is man

Zichan said: "The way of heaven is far away, and the way of humanity is far away. It is beyond reach. How do you know it?" What is "the way of heaven is far away, but the way of humanity is near"?That is, things in the world are close at hand, and God is far away.The laws, laws, changes, and mysteries of nature are far away from us, and have nothing to do with them (not within reach).So, how can you know the way of man from the way of heaven, and human affairs from the phenomenon of heaven (how do you know it)?As for why Pi Rong's prediction is so accurate, Zichan said: This man just talks too much, of course there will always be something that happens to be right, but how can he know the way of heaven? 13

Hehe, he didn't believe it at all. Zichan didn't believe in Pilong, nor did he believe in the nagging of other gods.In the second year, there was a flood in the state of Zheng, and the people of the country reported that there were dragons fighting in the pool outside the city gate and demanding sacrifices.Zichan said, when we fight, the dragon does not watch.So dragons fight, why should we watch?We have nothing to ask from the dragon, and the dragon has nothing to ask from me.The pool originally belonged to the dragon.They fight in their own territory, just let it go! 14 However, in the previous year's fire, Zichan was sacrificed.He worshiped Xuanming, the god of water, and Huilu, the god of fire, and moved away the God Lord and the giant tortoise in the Taimiao, and later built a temple of earth. Why?

Peace of mind. People's hearts are important.The flames of the four countries are all on fire, and it is inevitable that people will be panicked.At this time, instead of discussing the existence of ghosts and gods, first use them to comfort people's hearts, which is equivalent to the current "psychotherapy".But more importantly, be pragmatic.In fact, the work that Zichan did at that time was mainly to control the situation and rebuild after the disaster, including sending Furen (treasurer administrators) and Kuren (Hyogo administrators) to guard the warehouse, Sima (military judge) and Sikou (criminal judge) Carry out fire fighting.Zichan also asked people to record the burned houses, reduce taxes for the victims of the disaster, and distribute them materials for building houses.At the same time, he immediately dispatched diplomats to inform the countries of the disaster, and ordered the market to stop trading for three days during the national mourning day.

All of these show a pragmatic spirit and humanistic care.That's what's more important.If Chen Guo doesn't put out the fire and Xu Guo doesn't care about the people, public opinion thinks that they will perish sooner or later. 15 Is God more important than man? People matter.Don't forget that Zhouren's core idea and mainstream concept is "people-oriented". 16 Therefore, God is man. Is that right? yes. The ghost world and worship system of the Chinese were different before and after the Eastern Han Dynasty.During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Buddhism was introduced to China, and Taoism quietly emerged, and China had two more objects of worship, namely Buddha and Immortals.Buddha was originally a human being.It's just that when one realizes the supreme and correct enlightenment, one realizes oneself first, then realizes others, and finally realizes the perfection of enlightenment, and then changes from a human being to a Buddha, which is called "becoming a Buddha on the ground".Immortals were originally human beings.It's just that after taking some kind of elixir, or having some kind of spell, you can ride the clouds and ride the fog, and live forever, so you can change from a human to a fairy, which is called "becoming a fairy in the flesh".Moreover, those who become immortals can also bring seven aunts and eight aunts and cats and dogs, saying "one person attains the Tao, chickens and dogs ascend to heaven".

In short, Buddhas and immortals are both human beings.These two words are also next to single person. So, what about before the Eastern Han Dynasty? Before the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were mainly three kinds of objects of sacrifice and worship: gods, gods (read it as it is), and ghosts.The gods of heaven belong to the sky, such as the gods of wind, rain, and sun.Earth is only on the ground, such as mountain gods, river gods, and land gods.Human ghosts are dead people.People die as ghosts.The ancestors and martyrs are all ghosts.Calling it a ghost is neither pejorative nor profane. So, are the gods and the earth human beings or gods?

people.However, there are great merits, great contributions, and great achievements in human society or the nation.These merits and contributions include five indicators: legislating for the people, dying in the line of duty, establishing the country through labor, resisting natural disasters, and quelling disasters.As long as a person meets one of these items, he will not be a ghost but a god after death. Such as Houtu and Houji. Houtu and Houji are the most important gods of the Chinese nation.Houtu is the land god.His altar is called Society.Hou Ji is the God of Valley.His altar is called Ji.The combination of society and Ji is called Sheji.The shrine and the ancestral temple are the most important buildings in a country, and even synonymous with state power.

However, the god of society and the god of Ji were originally human beings.Ji God is two people, one is Zhu, the son of Emperor Yan, and the other is Qi, the ancestor of Zhou people.Their contribution is the development of agriculture, so they are the gods of valleys.The god of the society is Julong, the son of Gonggong, who once served as the Minister of Land and Resources (Houtu) of the Yellow Emperor, so he is the god of land. 17 In fact, even the highest god, God, is the same.For example, the God of merchants is their ancestor Di Ku; the God of Chu people is their ancestor Zhu Rong.It's just that the merchant's is called God, and the Chu people's is called Shanghuang, which is the Eastern Emperor Taiyi in "Nine Songs".

Obviously, in the world of ghosts and gods of our nation, there is no god of creation, only "God of Entrepreneurship".The family has a great cause and a great contribution, and this is a great blessing and a great destiny.However, merit, contribution, and deeds must be large enough.If it is not big enough, it is still a ghost.The death of a great person is a "big ghost", and the death of a celebrity is a "famous ghost". Since ghosts and gods are originally humans, the world of ghosts and gods is the same as human society, with tribes and countries, and they correspond to heaven and man.Different tribes and countries have different gods and ghosts.If you are not in the same family, you will not worship the gods of the same family, which is called "Gods do not worship non-human beings, and people do not worship non-clan members". 18 That is to say, if you have something to do, you must face your own ghosts and gods if you want to divination or sacrifice.Otherwise, God will not accept it.

Similarly, since the world of God is the world of man, then the soul of God is the heart of man, the wish of God is the wish of man, the dream of God is the dream of man, and the love of God is the love of man. Such as mountain ghosts. 13.See "Zuo Zhuan Eighteen Years of Zhao Gong" for the language. 14.See "Zuo Zhuan Twenty Years of Zhao Gong" for details. 15.See "Zuo Zhuan·Eighteen Years of Zhao Gong" for details. 16.Please refer to the third volume "Founders" of "Yi Zhongtian's Chinese History". 17.Please refer to "Mandarin · Luyu Part 1".The state of Lu is the country with the most complete preservation of Zhou rituals, and the Lu people's statement is reliable.

18.For the language, see "Zuo Zhuan·Xi Gong Ten Years".