Chapter 16 Four, the way of standing

The biggest difference between Lao Tzu's thought and Confucianism is that Confucianism is people-centered, and it is a standard humanism that always seeks a way out for people, a correct path of development.Taoism is not human-centered, and believes that being human-centered is too narrow and too subjective.For example, let me ask you, why are apples red?Because it wants me to arouse my appetite; why is the pig fat?It wants to provide me with nourishment.This is the standard human-centered answer.In fact, an apple never grows red to attract you to eat it; nor does a pig grow fat because it wants to be eaten by you.Everything in the universe has its intrinsic value, and it can exist because it is supported by the "Tao".Lao Tzu is completely opposed to the anthropocentric way of thinking.He advocated letting nature take its course and avoiding man-made effects as much as possible, because the more man-made things are, the more troubles there will be.As far as human beings are concerned, Lao Tzu opposes egocentrism and advocates "knowledge is enlightenment" and "self-knowledge enlightenment", reminding us of the importance of awakening wisdom.

If you don't see yourself, you will be clear; if you don't be self-righteous, you will show; if you don't cut yourself, you will be meritorious; if you don't be arrogant, you will be able to grow; ("Lao Tzu Twenty-Two Chapters") Don't limit yourself to what you see, so you can see clearly; don't think yourself right, so the truth is revealed; don't boast about yourself, so you can get credit; don't rely on yourself, so you can lead; just because you don't compete with others, there is no one in the world can compete with him. Laozi's four consecutive "no"s are against self-centeredness, and he must resolve self-attachment.The first sentence is "I don't see it, so I understand it", if you use what you see as the standard for everything, then you can't understand it.Why did Western philosophy start to climax after "Plato's Dialogues"?Because it is a "dialogue record", I have a different opinion from you, let's have a dialogue; after the dialogue, you tell me what you see from different angles, so that I can see this side of things and see the other side of things , so that it is comprehensive.We all have this kind of life experience. People in different industries, different ages, and different classes see things differently. Only after comparing the two sides can we discover the truth.Therefore, in the Greek era, the word "truth" meant discovery. People are usually covered by their own subjective opinions. Only when they don't always think that what they see is correct can they discover the truth.

The second sentence "not self-righteous, so Zhang" has a similar meaning. "Not self-righteous", don't always think that you are right. If you always think that you are right, you will not be able to reveal the real situation. Both "Ming" and "Zhang" represent the ability to see clearly and let the truth stand out.We often say that you should not be so subjective, you have to get out of your own position to be objective; but in fact, no matter how objective you are, you still have a certain position and a certain point of view.Lao Tzu just reminded us that you should not go too extreme and be too limited in what you think and see.Lao Tzu likes to use the word "Ming" very much, "He who knows himself is clear". I often translate "Ming" into "Qi Ming". Only when the eyes of the mind are opened can enlightenment be achieved.From Zhuangzi's words, looking at all things from the "Tao", there is no distinction between high and low in all things. This is called enlightenment.When I look at anything, don't say this is expensive or that is cheap;Understanding or not is more important than whether you like it or not. You haven't even figured out the truth. It's just subjective wishful thinking if you say you like this or not.

Next, Laozi said that a person should "not cut himself down", and don't boast about himself everywhere.This reminds me of Yan Yuan, a student of Confucius. Confucius once asked him, what is your ambition?Yan Yuan said: "May there be no good deeds and no hard work." I hope to do this: not to boast of my own merits, and not to push the hard work to others. "No cutting goodness" means not boasting of one's own merits.This shows that Confucianism and Taoism have many similarities in self-cultivation.If you don’t brag about your strengths, you are the only one who deserves credit; obviously you did something, but you have to know that no one person can do everything, or even if you accomplish one thing, it’s not up to you alone You need the cooperation of various conditions and others to help you; for example, in a democratic election in modern society, you win, but how many people are behind you to help you, how can it be done by you alone?

The fourth sentence, you can lead others without relying on yourself.If you say that this group relies on me alone, as long as I am here, there will be no problem; but when you actually do it, others will not obey your leadership, and think you are too arrogant. Since you have the ability, do it alone up.In today's era, everyone has their own opinions. If you can't replace leadership with service and lead others with humility, the consequences will be unimaginable if others make a slight move or are unwilling to cooperate. So although these four sentences are simple, they are not easy to do.Confucius also said similar words, "Zijue four: no intention, no need, no solidity, no self." There are four things that a gentleman must get rid of, that is, not to speculate arbitrarily, not to insist on his own opinions, not to be stubborn and rigid, and not to be self-absorbed. swell.Also try to resolve "self-attachment" and know how to respect and understand others.Taoism is more open, not only respecting others, but also respecting everything in the universe.

The last sentence is very interesting, "The husband is the only one who does not fight, so the world cannot compete with him." What does "undisputed" stand for?It means that I don't need to be better than others on every point, because everyone has their own advantages and specialties in a certain point, so there is no need to fight.If I have expertise in a certain field, when it is my turn to be on stage or to do something, I will do it naturally.If I fight for everything, I am afraid that both sides will lose in the end. Others may not be willing to admit your strengths.For example, I sometimes joke that I have never lost a game of Go, why?Because I never play Go.You think it's funny to hear it, a bit like Ah Q, but in Lao Tzu's thinking, this kind of thinking is understandable.How much ability do you have alone?You participate in the Olympics and get gold medals, but don't forget that there are hundreds of sports in the Olympics, and you are only better than others in this area.And even if you can beat others, you should not fight, and use "not to fight" as the principle of life. When you have to fight, others will naturally respect your expertise.

"He who knows others is wise, and he who knows himself is wise." This is a well-known saying in China.This sentence comes from "Lao Zi". Appreciating a wise, knowing those out.Those who overcome others are powerful, and those who overcome themselves are strong.Those who are content are rich, and those who are strong have ambitions.Those who do not lose their places live long, those who die without dying live long. ("Laozi Thirty-Three Chapters") Those who understand others are smart, and those who understand themselves are enlightened; those who are better than others are powerful, and those who are better than themselves are strong; those who know how to be satisfied are rich, and those who persevere are ambitious; those who do not leave the base will last long; Longevity is what disappears.

"Knowing people" refers to knowing the ways of the world and understanding others when interacting with them.A person who understands others shows that he is very smart, but more importantly, he must understand himself and do introspection, so that he can observe "people and self" as a whole and break the veil.Otherwise, if you only understand others but not yourself, you will put the cart before the horse. "Ming" here refers to "enlightenment", which is not ordinary intelligence, but the enlightenment that leads to the realm of enlightenment after resolving self-attachment.Once a person is enlightened, his vision and heart will be completely different.How to understand yourself?You have to calm down, "to the extreme of emptiness, and to keep quiet", and you can understand yourself only after being quiet. This is the clear method of Lao Tzu's self-cultivation.

"He who overcomes others is powerful, and he who overcomes himself is strong." Being stronger than others shows that you are very powerful, but you are strong only when you overcome yourself.Because the real strong are those who can make their own decisions.If a person cannot overcome himself and is his own master, he can only overcome others, and that is only superficial.Wang Yangming said, "It's easy to get rid of the thieves in the mountains, but it's hard to get rid of the thieves in your heart." It's easy to get rid of the thieves on the mountain, why?Give me an army and train them well, and I can drive away the bandits; but it is not easy to get rid of the bandits in my heart, because the bandits in my heart involve people's desires, thoughts, and prejudices, and it is difficult to get rid of them.How to overcome yourself?Turn "do what I want" upside down, I don't do what I want to do, which means that I have a good grasp of self-control, so that I can beat myself.Otherwise, if you just follow your own desires, you will easily become a slave to your own desires.

"Satisfied people get rich", there is a similar saying in the West: "The best way to get rich is to reduce desires."Rich and poor are relative.For example, now you ask me if I have money?I said it depends on who I compare with, compared with the richest man in the world, what is my little money, I am so poor.But I don't feel that I am lacking, but I am very satisfied, because it has nothing to do with me if others have money.This is just like what Zhuangzi said, "Wrens nest in the deep forest, but only one branch; moles drink rivers, but their stomachs are full", a bird nests in the forest, it only needs one branch; Water, all that is needed is a full stomach.As long as people know how to be satisfied, they are rich.

As for "Forcible people have ambitions", this was my motto when I was young.To live in the world, one must have ambitions. Aspirations refer to things that have not yet been achieved, and one must go all out. "Strength" has two meanings, one is diligence, which means working hard; the other is reluctance, which means forcing yourself to do it.For example, when I am on vacation and want to rest, I force myself to study for two more days; tonight I am tired and want to sleep, and I still force myself to study for ten minutes more.Only by constantly forcing yourself to do it in this way and persisting in doing it, will you have more experience in reading than others.No one's success or gain is not obtained through self-force.Like Jordan in the United States playing basketball, he practiced shooting every day when he was young, and stipulated that he must shoot 500 shots before he could stop and rest.If there is no self-reluctance, people will show inertia, standing is worse than sitting, and sitting is worse than lying down.There is no shortcut to true ambition except by force. In the last two sentences, "one who does not lose his place lasts for a long time", "place" refers to nature and endowment, that is, only by keeping "virtue" can it last.We know that moving around is hard work, such as changing jobs or moving frequently, or running around for meetings.Therefore, don't leave your position easily, do everything according to your ability, and don't create a feeling of instability. "The longevity of those who die without dying" has two meanings. The first is that after a person dies, his spirit and demeanor remain for future generations to admire and emulate. Such a person is really long-lived, otherwise he will live to be more than a hundred years old. , dead or nothing.The second is to return to the "Tao" body, that is, never disappear.If a person fails to realize the "Tao", "the body will die like a lamp goes out", because only the "Tao" really exists forever, and no matter how long our life lasts, it is just a name. What is the use of a name?No one is immortal, but one must know that part of man is immortal.Everyone can die without dying, because there is Tao as the destination, which is the basic principle of Taoism.We often care about changes in the body, but if we return to the ultimate root "Tao" through the tangible life, unnecessary attachments can be resolved, because our spirit will continue to grow along with the "Tao".For example, self-knowledge, self-improvement, and then contentment, force, and not lose their place.At the end of this journey, you will be "dead but not dead", because life has returned to its original foundation. Taoism observes human desires and troubles very delicately and deeply.Laozi advocates "keeping a distance" from many things in life in order to protect oneself. "Keep a distance" is to reduce external interference, especially ear interference. Five colors make people blind; five tones make people deaf; five flavors make people happy; hunting in fields makes people mad; 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 Twelve Chapters") Five colors make people dazzled; five tones make people lose their hearing; five tastes make people unable to distinguish taste; indulging in hunting and having fun makes people crazy; rare goods make people behave badly.Therefore, the sage only seeks to fill his stomach and not to be dazzled, so he abandons the temptation of material desires and pays attention to inner satisfaction. The "five colors" mentioned in ancient times are: blue, red, yellow, white, and black.This is also the order of the five elements: green for wood, red for fire, yellow for earth, white for gold, and black for water.If you see too many of these colors, people will be dazzled.For example, modern people have long been accustomed to colorful variety shows, watching movies, watching TV, and surfing the Internet...the colorful and colorful colors are very beautiful, but in the end, the eyes can't stand it, and children in kindergartens start to wear glasses.Explain what?If you indulge your sensory desires, it will bring sequelae. The eyes are for seeing clearly, but in the end you can’t see clearly. "Five tones" refer to the five tones of Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zheng and Yu. "Five tones make people deaf", of course it does not mean that the ears are really deaf, but that if you are often under the influence of noise, you will not be able to hear clearly in the end, resulting in hearing loss.Just like the sound effects of movies produced by stereo theaters, sometimes it is really a headache.Sometimes, the purer the sound, the more profound meaning it can make people feel. The "Five Flavors" also follow the order of the five elements: sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty; acid belongs to wood, and the fruit on the tree is sour; bitter belongs to fire, and things that are burnt are bitter; sweet belongs to earth, The crops that grow out of the soil are sweet; spicy is gold, and when metal is smelted, it smells acrid; salty is water, and sea water is salty.Sometimes there are so many flavors in food that it is hard to distinguish the taste. For example, if you eat a Manchu banquet with dozens of dishes, you may not remember the taste of each dish in the end. The five colors, five tones, and five tastes represent people's sensory desires. If these desires are not restrained and indulged arbitrarily, and finally exceed the limit, it will become "seeking pleasure instead of suffering".As for hunting for fun, although the wilderness can make people's life as unrestrained as possible, but indulging in it without restraint, after a long time, it will make people frantic.For example, many students have the experience that they play too much during the holidays, and they can't control their minds just after school starts, their minds are very chaotic, and they can't settle down.As for rare items that make people behave badly, it's easy to understand.You don't hear of people snatching slippers, suitcases, toilet paper, diamonds, gold, and jewelry. Why?Rare goods are easy for thieves to have unreasonable thoughts, do illegal things, and finally be punished by society. What should a sage do when faced with these sensual desires?For the belly not for the purpose. "Mu" refers to sensory desires such as five colors, five sounds, and five tastes.The sage keeps you well fed and well-fed, but not too tempting.why?Because people cannot avoid being troubled by temptations, if there are too many temptations, people will often be unable to control; if they always run along with external things, people will go crazy in the end.The sage understands this truth, so "for the stomach, not for the eyes", "go to the other and take this", abandon the temptation of material things, let us return to the heart, and obtain inner satisfaction. This kind of thinking may not be immediately acceptable to modern people.The development of society is dazzling and produces all kinds of desires.Some people think that if there is no desire, no consumption, what would a commercial society do?The economy will not work without circulation.Besides, it is impossible for us to return to the ancient times when there were few colors and simple sounds.The development of science and technology and the progress of the times cannot be turned back, so what should you do?Only by trying to restrain and restrain one's desires, learn self-control, and not lose yourself in this society full of desires and temptations.For example, some people watch TV and surf the Internet every day, and they will feel upset in the end, because when you see something that others have but you don’t have, you will be very envious, and if you can’t get it yourself, you will be troubled.At this time, if I restrain myself a little bit, watch less, listen less, or see all kinds of enviable conditions possessed by others without being tempted, and think that others may not have what I have, then my mind will be balanced.It's like children sometimes envy other people's toys, forgetting that they have many toys at home; when we were young, we lived in the country and envied people who lived in the city, but the children in the city envied the children in the country because they could have close contact with nature .Therefore, everyone actually has a lot of things worth cherishing. The important thing is that you should be content with your own life conditions, cherish these, understand your own limitations, delineate your own efforts, and not follow the crowd, so that you will reduce a lot of unnecessary things. troubled. A person's life can be described in sixteen words: birth, old age, sickness, and death; joy, anger, sorrow, and joy; kindness, resentment, love, and hatred; sadness, joy, separation, and union.Resentment is one of them.When people get along with each other, sometimes it is inevitable that there will be complaints.You treat me badly and I complain about you, or I treat you badly and you complain about me.Both parties complain to each other and always feel that they have been wronged. This is a common situation in life. Someone asked Confucius, what do you think of repaying grievances with virtue?Confucius said, if this is not possible, we should "repay grievances with honesty"; otherwise, if "repay grievances with virtue", how can we repay virtue?If someone treats you well, you treat him well, which is called repaying virtue with kindness; if you treat him well if someone treats you badly, isn't that unfair to those who treat you kindly?Therefore, he advocated "reporting grievances directly." In Confucianism, "straightness" has two meanings, one is sincerity; the other is integrity, not distorting the emotions in the heart, treating others according to the principle of justice, and letting others receive fair treatment is to repay grievances with straightness.But Lao Tzu doesn't think so, he said: If there is a big grievance, there must be more grievances, how can you do good?It is the sage who holds the left contract and does not blame others.There is Desche, but there is no Desche.The way of heaven has no relatives, often with good people. ("Laozi Seventy-Nine Chapters") After a great enmity has been mediated, there must still be a lingering grudge; how can this be considered a proper solution?Therefore, the sage seems to keep the stub of the IOU, and does not demand repayment from people.A virtuous person is like being in charge of IOUs; a person without virtue is like being in charge of taxes.The laws of nature have no partiality, and always walk with the good. "With great grievances, there must be lingering grievances", this sentence is very profound.If there is a major enmity with others, even if the reconciliation is made, there will still be some small resentment, at least you will feel injustice, wronged, or lose face in your heart.In the previous society, there was even resentment passed down from generation to generation. Sometimes the descendants may not be able to figure out what is going on. Even after mediation, the resentment is still difficult to resolve.It would be inappropriate to say at this time, "repaying grievances with virtue, and safety can do good."Therefore, the ideal way to resolve resentment is not to have grudges with people at all. A sage interacts with others, giving money to others but not demanding debts from others, so naturally there is no complaint. "Si Qi" always lends money to others, so he is rich and happy, and is popular with people;Both are metaphors, representing completely different attitudes towards life.We must let ourselves not be blamed, and when dealing with others, we must leave room for others.Lao Tzu believes that people live in the world, there is no time to reconcile any hatred, let alone repay grievances directly, let alone repay grievances with grievances. This is the truth that "enemies should be solved rather than knotted". "Laozi Sixty-Three Chapters" directly mentions the four words "repay grievances with virtue". Doing nothing, doing nothing, tasteless.No matter how big or small, repay your complaints with virtue. What is done is doing nothing; what is engaged is doing nothing; what is tasted is insipid.No matter how big or small, respond to resentment with virtue. The first three sentences "doing nothing, doing nothing, tasteless" is the standard Laozi thought.Wang Bi’s commentary says: “Take inaction as your dwelling (dwelling means taking “inaction” as the basic principle; in the state of inaction); teaching without speaking (doing nothing to teach others); Take tranquility as the taste (a tranquil diet is better for the body); governance is the ultimate (this is the highest state for political leaders to govern the people)." And "how big or small", gain more and gain less, whether you live in a big position or in a small position, all matter. Don't worry about it.If others have resentment towards you, you should "repay the resentment with virtue" and respond to the resentment with virtue.This is Lao Tzu's attitude towards life. Why does Lao Tzu have such an idea?Because Taoist thought is a holistic view.When people live in this world, they have to look at their whole life, and don't care about temporary success or failure.When dealing with others, this person may owe you now, and maybe others will repay you in the future.If someone offends you, you take it as a kind of trial and test, thinking that others may also have pain and troubles.In fact, we live in the world, and many people have given us favors.When I was young, I was taken care of by my parents and teachers; when I entered the society, I was taken care of by my colleagues.When we take care of others, don't always think about rewards; if you don't get rewards here, maybe you can gain more there.I remember that when I was studying in the United States, I was not sure about writing a thesis in English, so I asked an American who had studied for a master’s degree in National Taiwan University to help me revise it.I wanted to pay him after the modification, but he refused.He said that when he was studying at National Taiwan University, some classmates were obliged to help him revise his thesis, so he wanted to repay it. As a result, I was lucky and the repayment came to me.At that time, I thought that if I have the opportunity to help foreign students in the future, I will do my best, which is equivalent to repaying his kindness to me to other people. If everyone can live in the world with this mentality, like a stone thrown into the water, its ripples will slowly expand outward, and in the end the whole society will be filled with an atmosphere of trust and harmony.Therefore, "repaying grievances with virtue" is a superb social ideal, not just a pure virtue cultivation, but contains profound wisdom.It looks at individual life, the human world, and social history from the holistic perspective of All-That-Is.From this perspective, each of us may be kind to others, or may have grievances against others. Only with the attitude of "repaying grievances with virtue" is very appropriate, at least in Lao Tzu's opinion. "Harmony with light and dust" comes out of "Laozi", and when I hear it, I feel that I want to adopt a more tactful and low-key way to get along with people.Read the original text first: He who knows does not speak, and he who speaks does not know.Seize it, close its door, frustrate its sharpness, untie its confusion, harmonize its light, be the same as its dust, this is called Xuantong.Therefore, if you can't get it, you can be close, if you can't get it, you will be distant; if you can't get it, you will benefit, if you can't get it, you will harm it;Therefore, it is expensive in the world. ("Laozi Fifty-Six Chapters") Those who understand do not talk about it; those who talk about do not understand; plug the exit, close the door, restrain the spirit, eliminate confusion, reconcile the light, and mix with the dirt. This is the magical state of assimilation.For such a person, people can neither get close to him nor alienate him; people can neither benefit him nor harm him; they can neither make him noble nor humble him; "Those who know don't speak, and those who speak don't know." When we were young, we read here, jokingly saying that it is best for a teacher who teaches Taoism not to speak, because if he speaks, it means that he does not know. If he knows, he will stop talking; so it is easy to teach Taoism , You don’t need to say anything when you enter the classroom, just smile with the students, and the get out of class is over.This is of course a joke. In fact, Taoism regards speaking as a convenient method, and tries to use metaphors when speaking, because it is difficult to directly explain what "Tao" is. "Seqidui, close the door", what is plugged and closed is the desire of the senses, which means that your eyes should not look too much, and your ears should not listen too much; because seeing too much and listening too much will make your heart confused. Desire increases. In "Zhuangzi · Emperor Ying", there is a fable about the death of Hundun. It says that Hundun is very kind to others. Others think he is pitiful and has no seven orifices. If they want to repay him, they will help him open them.As a result, "one hole is drilled every day, and it will die in chaos in seven days", why?More desire. "Seqidui, close the door" is the same reason. Then, restrain your spirit, eliminate the chaos, and "be in harmony with the light".We all know to reconcile the light, don't be too bright, a talented person is too bright, others will be dazzling when they see it, and they will deal with you.The same is true of being a leader. You must know that when someone comes to power, someone will step down; getting to power is a coincidence, and the conditions are ripe. Once the task is completed, you must know how to step down and let others come up.As for "same dust", mixed with dirt, most people like to be clean and don't like dirt, but sometimes when doing things in society, you should not be too high-minded; you must know that other people have some minor problems, and you also have them. As long as it is harmless, don't worry too much about it. There is a story in "Mencius" that there is a man named Chen Zhongzi in the state of Qi, who is very moral. He thinks that his elder brother has received benefits from others, so he doesn't associate with his elder brother, and moves out to live by himself.One day when he went home to visit his mother, someone gave his brother a goose.After a few days, the mother killed the goose and cooked it for him.While eating, my brother came back from the outside and said, didn't you say that it is not good to accept other people's geese, why eat it?After hearing this, he immediately ran to the door and spit out the goose meat.Mencius criticized him for "If you are a Zhongzi, you will be a worm and then do your own thing." Only by becoming an earthworm can he achieve this kind of conduct.Therefore, regardless of Confucianism or Taoism, they all believe that to survive in this world, people must respect the general norms of the world and live in harmony with the light.This is not hypocrisy, but a kind of humility, an attitude of being willing to understand the difficulties of others. Then, Lao Tzu said six words: close, distant, beneficial, harmful, noble, and humble.These six words are just opposite in pairs: if there is closeness, there will be estrangement, if there is benefit, there will be harm, and if there is honor, there will be base.What does that mean?Free from outside manipulation and influence.Mencius said: "What is valuable to Zhao Meng can be cheap to Zhao Meng."If it is easy for others to influence you and make you feel good about yourself, then it is also easy for others to make you feel bad about yourself; because the source of your values ​​is external rather than internal.But if relatives, interests, high and low are all in your own mind, you have a sense in your mind, know why you live in this world, know your current situation, how you relate to others, and have a basic understanding and confidence in yourself, then you will not be in trouble. Will be easily manipulated by others. The "others" mentioned here generally refer to the public or the media. If they say a few good things about you, you will be happy; if they criticize you a few times, you will be sad.How can this work?It should be like Zhuangzi said, "Praise the world without persuasion." If everyone in the world praises me, it will not make me more excited; on the contrary, if everyone in the world criticizes me, it will not make me more depressed.If you can prevent the thoughts of the world from influencing you, such a person has a certain level; but it is not enough. The highest level is from "emphasizing the outside and despising the inside" to "emphasizing the inside and despising the outside", and finally to "without the inside". outside". "Inner" is a kind of inspiration of wisdom, which is to understand the "Tao" after some life practice.Looking at life in the universe from the perspective of "Tao", you will find that there are no so-called gains and losses, success or failure, coming and going in life, and there is no such thing as closeness, benefit, high or low. Lao Tzu calls this state of enlightenment "Xuantong", a mysterious state of assimilation.Once you have realized the "Tao", you will no longer have "discrimination" and "comparison", and you will no longer feel that you lack anything. You are complete and complete, and you are with the "Tao".Zhuangzi said, "You travel with the Creator." "Tao" is the source of all things. If you play with it, how can life be lost? "The one who is kind to my life is the one who is kind to my death." If I can have such a life well, it can also end my life well.In this way, the sadness of life is transformed into joy, which is exactly where Taoism is brilliant. Speaking of "three treasures", I remember eating a Cantonese meal when I was a child, called "three treasures rice".Later, when I was studying, I learned that in the Ming Dynasty, there was a story about the "Three Treasures Eunuch" Zheng He's seven voyages to the West.Only after studying philosophy in college did I realize that the word "Three Treasures" comes from "Lao Tzu": I have the Three Treasures, and I will keep them.The first is compassion, the second is frugality, and the third is not daring to be the first in the world. Compassion leads to courage; frugality leads to broadness; dare not to be the first in the world, so it can become a weapon. ("Laozi Sixty-Seven Chapters") I have three magic weapons, which I have always grasped and preserved.The first is kindness; the second is thrift; the third is not daring to be ahead of the world.Because of love, you can be brave; because of thrift, you can spread; because you don't dare to be the first in the world, you can be the leader of everyone. Let me talk about "compassion" first. "Compassion" is a characteristic of motherhood, which means that a person's mentality should be loving.Lao Tzu believes that Tao produces all things, and Tao is the mother of all things, and the characteristic of mother is love.There is a proverb in the West that God cannot take care of everyone, so he gives everyone a mother.Shakespeare said: "Although a woman is weak, a mother is strong." After a woman becomes a mother, because of this love for her child, she will become very brave and strong, and she will try to solve any difficulties she encounters.There is a story about a mother in the United States who took her daughter to the supermarket to buy things. When she came out, her daughter ran ahead. Suddenly, a truck drove up and crushed her under the wheels.At the critical moment, the mother immediately ran forward to lift the front of the truck.How is it possible for a woman to lift the hood of a truck in normal circumstances?But this mother really did.The moment she saw her daughter being pulled out from under the wheel, the mother also collapsed and lay in the hospital for several months.This shows that in a split second, the courage brought by love is really unimaginably powerful.Confucius said: "He who is benevolent must have courage." A person with benevolence must have the courage to do what he should do.Lao Tzu also said: "Be kind and courageous." A loving person must be brave enough to help others. Therefore, the sage is always good at saving people, so he never abandons people; he is always good at saving things, so he never abandons things.It is called Ximing.Therefore, those who are kind are the teachers of those who are not good;Don't value your teachers, don't love their resources, even if you are deluded by your wisdom, this is called cleverness. ("Laozi Twenty-Seven Chapters") Therefore, the sage is always good at helping people, so no one is abandoned; he is always good at using things, all things that are not discarded.This is called staying enlightened.Therefore, the good man is the teacher of the bad man, and the bad man is the reference of the good man.If you don't respect your teacher and don't cherish learning from others, no matter how smart you are, you will inevitably fall into confusion.This is a subtle truth. Why is the sage good at helping people and using things so that people are not abandoned and things are not discarded?Because the sage has compassion, the sage understands the "Tao".From the perspective of "Tao", every person and everything comes from "Tao", and "Tao" makes these people and things appear, and there must be reasons and values ​​for their existence.In this sense, there is no such thing as "abandoned people" and "abandoned objects". "Abandoning" and "not abandoning" are judged by people's eyesight, like this or hate that, but people's eyesight is often one-sided and short-sighted.Therefore, we must "be enlightened", maintain a state of enlightenment, and respect and cherish everyone and everything with a compassionate mind and a tolerant attitude. Then, "Those who are good are the teachers of those who are not good; those who are not good are the resources of good people", the word "teacher" that we often say now comes from this. "Good people" are those who first understand the truth and walk in front; "unkind people" are like students and follow behind.Students learn from the teacher, and the teacher learns from the students, which means that both parties should learn from each other and respect each other.Because everyone may be a teacher here because of their strengths in one aspect, and be a resource for another because of their shortcomings.So accept both, so that you don't fall into confusion.This concept of emphasizing complementarity and relative importance is a characteristic of Laozi's thinking. In short, when we study the "Tao", we must first learn the love of the "Tao" in terms of mentality, learn to treat all people in the world with a motherly heart, and care for and care for all people regardless of good, evil, beauty, and ugliness. To form a general, equal sympathy.This is the deep meaning of Laozi's first treasure, "compassion". Lao Tzu's second treasure is "thrifty", which is aimed at material things.Many people associate Taoism with environmental protection because of this word. "Thrift" is to make people restrain and restrain their desires.For example, if a person is frugal, he can use the fixed amount of money for a while, and he can eat more meals with the fixed amount of food.If everyone is frugal, the deterioration of the natural environment will not be so fast.In fact, the problem in this world is not that there is not enough wealth, but that wealth is uneven. The so-called "the wine and meat of the wealthy family stinks, and the roads are frozen to death", the gap between the rich and the poor is too large, and it is difficult for the world to be peaceful.Lao Tzu's views on "thrift" echo his own philosophy. "Compassion" comes from "Tao", because "Tao" is the mother of all things, so "compassion" is a kind of universal care and sympathy; "thrift" is our attitude towards the world.People should try their best to be thrifty and cherish when consuming the energy and resources of this world, because everything comes from "Tao", how can it be wasted?And only "thrifty" can make everyone use the world's resources universally, so Lao Tzu said: "Thrift makes it possible to expand." "Thrift" also means restraining desires. If a person's desires emerge in endlessly, it is impossible to approach Taoism.The basic principle of Taoism is "less selfishness and few desires". A person who has too much selfishness and desires cannot be happy.Because the desire is not satisfied, it will be painful, and once it is satisfied, more desires will be born, and then it will be more painful. This is a very simple logic.Moreover, even if all desires are satisfied, can a person be happy?Will it cost too much?Lao Tzu said: Which is the closest relationship between name and body?Which is more body or goods?What is the disease of gain or death?That's why great love will cost a lot, and if you hide too much, you will perish.Be content without being humiliated, know that you will never die, and can last for a long time. （《老子·四十四章》） 名声与身体，哪一个更亲近？身体与钱财，哪一个更贵重？获得与丧失，哪一个更有害？过分爱惜必定造成极大的耗费；储存丰富必定招致惨重的损失。所以，知道满足，就不会受到羞辱；知道停止，就不会碰上危险；这样可以保持长久。 为了追求“名”“货”而劳累或伤害身体，可谓得不偿失。名声和财富是身外之物，身体对于人而言却是不可或缺，无法替代的。为了追求名利，把健康搞坏了，到最后生病进了医院，这时候谁能来帮你呢？只好自己忍受病痛的折磨了。有的人到了生命的最后阶段，恨不得拿自己的一切所有来换回多活几天，有什么用呢？如果早知道身体比名利贵重，为什么平时不多留意一下呢？至于“得与亡孰病”，“得”兼指名、货而言。出名得利，常常带来后遗症；无名无利，反而可以清净生活。这不只是“钟鼎山林，各有天性”的问题，并且还考虑到人生长远的苦与乐。 “甚爱必大费”，因为人一旦执着于所爱，就会不顾一切的付出，对人如此，对物亦然。汉武帝有“金屋藏娇”的故事，你过分喜欢一个人，要什么给什么，会耗费很大。父母对子女也是一样，过分溺爱，让他予取予求，对孩子的成长不见得好。“多藏必厚亡”，天灾人祸将使储存财物越多的人陷入更大的危机。譬如一个仓库着火，如果里面只放了些简单家具，损失还不太大，但如果里面堆满了古董字画、金银珠宝，那损失就不得了了。我有一个朋友，喜欢收藏玻璃杯，他家里有个大柜子摆满了从世界各地收集来的漂亮玻璃杯，结果碰上地震，整个柜子倒下来，几十年的收藏毁于一旦。我跟他说：“甚爱必大费，多藏必厚亡。”他听了很惊奇，想不到老子居然两千多年前就知道会有这种情况发生。老子最后说，一个人如果能区分内外，进而重内轻外，做到“知足”与“知止”，自然可以安全自在。要知道，做人做事，能够把握分寸，做到“适可而止”是最难的。而适可而止的秘诀就在于一个“俭”字，懂得收敛自己的欲望，你活在这个世界上才不会觉得匮乏。 老子的第三宝叫“不敢为天下先”，因为不敢居于天下人之先，所以能够成为众人的领袖。也就是说，在一个社会或一个团体里，你要做到谦退礼让，不与人争，能够居于人之后，才能成为真正的领袖。有人说，那会不会是故意摆姿态啊，我先让别人，最后目的仍是居于人之先？no.老子说：善为士者，不武；善战者，不怒；善胜敌者，不与；善用人者，为之下。是谓不争之德，是谓用人之力，是谓配天，古之极也。 （《老子·六十八章》） 善于担任将帅的人，不崇尚武力；善于作战的人，不轻易发怒；善于克敌制胜的人，不直接交战。善于用人的人，对人态度谦下。这叫做不与人争的操守，这叫做运用别人的力量，这叫做符合天道的规则，这是自古已有的最高理想。 前三句话和战争有关。老子说，善于担任将帅的人，不崇尚武力。崇尚武力等于是靠有多少军队、多少武器来打仗，不见得有制胜的把握。优秀的将帅带兵时要带“心”，用慈爱的心来对待部下，作战的时候别人才愿意为你效命。然后，善于作战的人也不轻易发怒。两军交战，你还没有准备好，别人知道你的弱点，故意激怒你，你去应战，结果陷于劣势。历史上很多战役都是因为自己稳不住阵脚，不到关键时刻就轻易出兵，最后造成惨败。最后，善于克敌制胜的人，根本不直接交战。《孙子兵法》的最高境界是“不战而屈人之兵”，不用武力，而是用谋略、外交去赢得胜利。因为两军作战就算打赢了，死伤也很惨重，杀敌一千，自己损失五百，到最后还是两败俱伤。 老子用了三个“不”：不武、不怒、不与。等于什么呢？收敛。不要仗着人多势众、兵强马壮，就急着跟人作战，而是要用一些间接、柔和的方法克敌制胜。接着，老子提到“用人”，一个领导人要使唤别人，自己先要言语谦虚，态度卑下；否则，你态度傲慢，高高在上，别人就算不得不听命于你，心里恐怕也不会服气，等到具体做事的时候，不见得照你的意思来做，反而误事。接着老子连说三个“是谓”，这叫做不与人争的操守，运用别人的力量，符合天道的规则。“无为而治”就是这么来的。你如果能善用每一个人的才华，让他们自由发挥，没有什么压力，在适当的岗位做适合的事，再权责划分，分层负责，那么你自己几乎不用做什么事，说不定只要说几句话，甚至什么都不用说，你任用的人就自然而然把事情做好了。这是自古已有的最高理想。 西方中世纪以后，基督教有“七大死罪”（the seven deadly sins）之说。第一宗死罪就是“骄傲”（pride）。为什么骄傲这么可怕，居然成为七大死罪之首呢？因为人一旦起了骄傲的念头，就会忘了自己是谁，最后会以为自己是神。神代表什么？神在此不是指上帝，而是一种完美的境界，以为自己抵达完美了，到了圆满之境了，但是不要忘记生、老、病、死，谁能避开呢？你一骄傲的时候，一觉得自己完美，当下就是一个堕落。人活在世界上，一定要了解，没有谁是不可或缺的，不是非有你不可，也不是非有我不可；任何事情，你不做，自有别人来做，绝不会说少了哪个人，地球就不转了。所谓“斯人不出，如苍生何”，只是一种说法罢了。在现实世界中，这个人出来，对天下就好吗？不一定；这个人离开，天下就乱了吗？maybe.所以西方宗教把骄傲称为最大的死罪，是一种非常深刻的观念。老子也说“不敢为天下先”，你跟别人相处时，要能够退让，居于别人之后。一个愈是有能力的人，愈要懂得谦卑。这样的观念，对我们来说非常具有启发性。我们不会因此而放弃自己的斗志，反而更能够尊重每一个人的生命特质。