Chapter 6 first quarter

Welcome everyone from afar. Today is the first time for some of you to visit the humble house. In this mountain village, I live like a hermit, so I have nothing to entertain. Please forgive me. What I'm talking about is also something that happened a long time ago. I don't know if it can meet your requirements.Thirty-three years have passed since Confucius passed away. I was not a disciple of Confucius, but a handyman who served him. Therefore, I cannot answer many questions. Please forgive me. The last time you came here was early summer, and now it’s already autumn. In this cold mountain village that no one can look down on, autumn is also the most beautiful season of the year.Today, a large flock of birds that I cannot name is flying eastward over a stream not far from here.

It has been more than 30 years since I moved into this mountain village. In the first four or five years, every autumn, I could see large groups of migratory birds flying by here, but I don’t know when they disappeared. Years ago, today I suddenly saw migratory birds flying by. Autumn days are short.Please do the same as last time, ask questions freely first, and then I will talk about it. Heh——Before getting into the topic, let me take a moment to talk about the situation of Cai Guo that I have learned recently.In the past, I have talked about the suffering history of Cai State, the empty state of Cai State after the capital was moved to the prefecture, and the new city built by Chu State to accommodate the remnants of Cai State. What happened to Cai Guo.

I just said that this is what I learned recently. The "recently" is that less than ten days after I met with you last time, a merchant from the Song Dynasty led more than 20 merchants passing by this village. I learned from them The last situation of my native country Cai. At that time, a businessman took the initiative to greet me: "what country are you from?" "Cai Guo." "The State of Cai no longer exists. Last fall, it was completely destroyed by the State of Chu." Among this group of merchants, someone saw with his own eyes how the state of Cai fell in Zhoulai. He didn't know which country this person was from, but he said that he had lived in Zhoulai since his father's generation.He said to me in Cai Guo dialect with a local accent:

"After Cai Guo moved to Zhoulai, one disaster after another, one misfortune after another. However, although the country's fortunes were so difficult, it lasted for more than forty years. After Zhaohou was shot to death by a doctor in Zhoulai, he experienced another There were several generations of Marquis Cheng, Marquis Sheng, and Marquis Yuan, but the monarchs of each dynasty were sick and short-lived. In the end, Qi, the son of Marquis Yuan, came to the throne. The incense in the Guozong Temple was cut off, the country was destroyed and the family was destroyed, the people and land were looted by the Chu State, and the entire Cai State was looted. All this happened last year."

I listened to him fairly self-possessedly.When I was twenty-four years old, Cai Guo had to change his territory and move the capital to Wudi Prefecture in order to obtain the protection of Wu State, the powerful country at that time. Liu, in the autumn of last year (477 BC) after more than forty years, was completely wiped out by the old enemy Chu. I have never been to the state of Cai after the capital was moved, so I have no personal experience of the subjugation of the state.Most of my family has moved out of state, what is life like for them now? Oh, right?You also already know that Cai Guo has perished? !This is really... If people reach the point where they don't even know that their own country is destroyed, it is really hopeless.

In any case, Cai Guo no longer exists in this world, and I, who is still chatting here, have already become a veritable survivor of Cai Guo and a subjugated citizen. Nations are dying one by one.In the later period of Confucius’ visit to the countries of the Central Plains, when he lived in Wei, Cao State was destroyed by the neighboring Song State; in the second year after Confucius’ death, Chen State, which we had been caring for for four years, was finally annexed by Chu State.In contrast, Cai Guo, which is adjacent to Chen Guo, has existed for a little longer. Cai Guo moved his capital to Zhoulai and planned to rely on the protection of Wu State, but no one thought that once the crucial Wu State and Yue State fought, they would be defeated and wiped out.

Thinking about it, Cai Guo struggled to survive for more than 20 years in troubled times by relying on his own strength after the destruction of his backing Wu State. This is probably a miracle among miracles. In short, since the founding of the country, my motherland, Cai State, has been invaded by the old enemy Chu State many times in her long history, and finally it was completely wiped out. Nations are dying one by one.Confucius wanted to save the people of Cao State, Chen State, and Cai State from the misfortune of subjugation, but in troubled times, how can this ambition be realized!

In fact, social misfortune, unfortunate people are full of the world, no matter whether their motherland exists or perishes.For Confucius, he visited all the countries in the Central Plains because he wanted to do his best to save the unfortunate people, even if it was just one person.However, it is easier said than done to eradicate the misfortune in the world and save the unfortunate people!In the end, there is no other way but to rely on the power of the wise monarch (no matter what faction he is).Zilu, Zigong, and Yanhui all believed that Confucius had this idea before visiting the countries in the Central Plains.

As I said last time, before Confucius visited the countries of the Central Plains, he lived in the state of Wei twice, each time for three or four years.For the first time, he wanted to meet Jin Jun, but when he heard the news of the coup d'état in Jin State at the ferry of the Yellow River, he had to cancel the trip to Jin State.Confucius' idea of ​​trying to rely on specific powerful people has been throughout his trip to the Central Plains. In order to meet King Zhao of Chu, Confucius lived in Chen State for four years, and traveled long distances to carry the letter. Unfortunately, King Zhao died of illness and failed to do so.It was also during this period that I met Confucius and served him all my life.

This will be supplemented with regard to the situation of my motherland—Cai Guo. Now I invite you to ask questions. Just now four people asked the following four questions: "Where is the charm of Confucius?" "What is heaven?" "Have you personally heard Confucius' discussion of the Mandate of Heaven?" "What's the reason for your name?" The first three questions are related to Teacher Confucius. Let me think about how to answer them. The last question is about my name. Answer this question first. My name is "Ling Jiang" which means "old ginger" or "dried ginger", which is not very nice.But everyone calls me that, and it's common. I don't have any disgust, and I don't feel inconvenient.Of course, my parents once gave me another name, but since I was young, I have been serving Confucius and accompanying him to visit the countries of the Central Plains, so everyone gave me this name.At the beginning, I also felt awkward, and I didn't feel very happy. I got used to it and got used to it. Instead, I completely forgot the names given by my parents.I am afraid that this is also the characteristic of people who are born to die.

After visiting the countries in the Central Plains, Confucius lived in Wei for four years, and then returned to his hometown of Lu. No matter where he went, I used the name "Jiang Jiang". People in the village feel very affectionate about this title. The question "who came up with that name" was asked just now, and I want to know more than any of you. I also said last time that Confucius and his party traveled from Xincai to Chenghan and met two hermit-like farmers on the bank of a tributary of the Huai River.Later, they named these two people, one was "Jie Ni" and the other was "Chang Ju".Jieyu means "drowning person who is tortured by the hammer", and Changju means "thin and tall clay figurine". The names are very spicy and appropriate. Also, when Confucius was staying overnight in a village in the old Xi State on the banks of the Huai River, a rather crazy person sang "Fengxi! Fengxi! He Dezhi's decline!" near Confucius' dormitory.Everyone named him "Jieyu", that is, "bearer", which means that he must come to pick up the sedan chair.The name is also wonderful. Who came up with these names?Probably after something happened, it didn't take long for someone to name it, so everyone naturally shouted. The names of "Chang Ju", "Jie Ni" and "Jie Yu" must also be the name of my "Lian Jiang". The names of "Jie Ni", "Chang Ju", and "Jie Yu" have already been included in the information you have collected recently? !It's amazing. I would also like to know, who is the one who gave these names.Zilu, Zigong, and Yanhui are all very likely, and I am afraid Confucius must be one of them. Judging from his words and deeds, it is not impossible. What?There is one more person? --are you talking about me?In this way, "Ling Jiang" may be the name I gave myself, which I really didn't expect. Well, that’s enough for this question, let you Confucian researchers who are shouldering the new era, study it. Among the remaining three questions, two are about the destiny, so I will not answer them for now. Let me talk about the charm of Teacher Confucius first.I am speaking realistically, one is one, and the other is two, because this issue has never been discussed before, and I am not sure whether it can be discussed successfully this time. Last time, some of you said that among the comments you collected from Confucius, there was the sentence "Those who follow Confucius from Chen and Cai are not as good as the door", that is to say, those who followed Confucius in Chen Guo and Cai Guo suffered adversity. There is no chance of promotion and fortune.Counting from the time of wandering in the wilderness of Chencai, forty-three or four years have passed.In that year, Confucius was sixty-three years old, I was twenty-eight years old, Zilu was fifty-four years old, Zigong was thirty-two years old, and Yan Hui was thirty-three years old. We were all young at the time. Thinking about it now, although it was a long time ago, I think the youngest should be Confucius. We gathered around Confucius, who was the youngest and most energetic, as if there was a huge attraction that made us live with him in Chen Guo for four years. Cai Guo wandered around in the wilderness, like a living forum.In my opinion, there is nothing more appropriate than calling our party an active platform. When Confucius cultivated batch after batch of disciples in the Lecture Hall in the capital of the state of Lu in his later years, he must have thought of Zilu and Yan Hui who died young. bitter.However, this is also Confucius' incomparable kindness and kindness. No matter living in the state of Chen, or traveling between Chen, Cai, and Chenghan, Zilu, Zigong, Yan Hui, and I have the teacher of Confucius.In my opinion, there is no more unique and extravagant activity pulpit-style travel than this in the world. "If you hear the Tao in the morning, you can die in the evening." Confucius thought about this question seriously.If I heard that an ideal society that governs the country with morality has emerged this morning, I would be willing to die that night.The disciples of Confucius believe that the teacher is such a person, so they have no doubts about it, and they will follow the example of the teacher. When a country ruled by virtue is born, they will die and rest in peace. Now it seems that Confucius and his party are indeed different, but there was no such feeling at the time, because Confucius's words, deeds and actions did not make others feel weird. For a man to do this, his mind and body must be full of vigor and vitality.Confucius was sixty-three years old at the time, and he was very sensitive to goodness, ugliness, joy, anger, sorrow and joy.It can be said that those of us around Confucius have been nurtured by this spirit from morning till night. I have said before that Confucius’ evaluation of himself as a human being is “he is a human being who forgets to eat when he is angry, forgets worries when he is happy, and does not know that old age is coming”.We followed Confucius through hardships and a long journey, and finally arrived at Nenghan.That night, what Confucius said was really wonderful, and it became a wonderful memory of my life under the foreign starry sky that I will never forget. Many people have asked me: What do you think is the most attractive part of Confucius?Where is the most ordinary place?Every time I tremble and tremble, I don't know how to answer, because my answer can't convince everyone. I am afraid that everyone here today understands Confucius better than me, and has richer knowledge than me.Therefore, I don't have any mental burden, and I can freely tell some of my personal views. Please correct any mistakes, and please add anything that is missing. what i feel.The charm of Confucius lies in his love for human beings, his enthusiasm for the right things, and his persistent will to save unfortunate people—even one person. The banner held high by Confucius and his disciples on various occasions is: To cultivate and cultivate a group of people who can make unremitting efforts to create an ideal society that makes people live in the world with value. Confucius and his disciples are an eminent pulpit for movement, like nothing else in the world.In the fourteen years since he left the capital of the State of Lu, Confucius traveled all over the Central Plains, expounding the principles of "benevolence" and "propriety" wherever he went.This kind of journey life following Confucius is a supreme spiritual enjoyment. No matter which country's rulers and powerful people, sitting in front of Confucius, it seems that they can only listen carefully and feel their own insignificance.It's amazing!But Confucius had such a skill. I remember that Yan Hui always commented on Confucius in this way, which can be called "a speech of praise", and only Yan Hui can sincerely admire him like this. "If you look up, you will become taller, if you drill down, you will become firmer, look ahead, and suddenly stay behind. The master is good at seducing people, he is good at me, and I am polite, and I can't stop. I have exhausted my talents, and I am outstanding. Er, even if you want to follow it, you can’t help it.”——The more I look up, the more I feel tall and towering, and the harder I study, the more I feel deep, wide and solid, and I can’t chew it.It seemed to be in the front, but suddenly turned to the back.Confucius guided me earnestly, kindly, kindly and attentively, enriched my intellectual accomplishment with various classics of literature and history, and taught me real and real things with the practice of etiquette, which made it impossible for me to stop moving forward.Even though I have exhausted my knowledge, I am still standing tall in front of Confucius.I wanted to get closer to him, but I couldn't find a way. This passage fully reflects Yan Hui's pious and respectful attitude towards Confucius, but he passed away at the prime of his life at the age of 41 in the third year after returning to Lu from his travels in the Central Plains.A rare and sincere scholar died in poverty and illness. "Hey! Heaven is mourning! Heaven is mourning!" Confucius' sad words have been widely known.Confucius' sad and sentimental feelings are all melted into this emotionally intense language, from which we can get a glimpse of Confucius' disordered posture and heart.I want to cherish the meaning of the phrase "Tian Sang Yu". A few years ago, I met a young man who studied Confucius in Lu Guodu. He asserted in a strong tone that this sentence was not Confucius's.He said that no matter how much Confucius loved his disciples, he would never use such fierce words as heaven destroying me for the death of a disciple. Indeed, the phrase "Tian Sang Yu" contains an emotional part that is difficult to understand from the literal meaning. There may be some of you here today who think the same as that young man. However, I, Li Jiang, feel that it is precisely in this sentence of intense emotion that shows the disorder of Confucius that there is a real heart of Confucius. Confucius would never say "Heaven mourns for the death of other people, Zilu, or other disciples". This is his deepest condolences for Yan Hui alone. Neither can express. I would like to hear your thoughts on this issue later. When I talk about "Heaven" and "Mandate of Heaven", I will also discuss it. At that time, I hope to hear the frank opinions of friends who have collected and sorted out these words of Confucius. I often feel deeply that the five years of Confucius' later life after returning to the capital of the state of Lu were the loneliest and dullest period in his life. It was in the eleventh year of Duke Ai of Lu (484 BC) that Confucius left the state of Wei and returned to the state of Lu after an absence of thirteen or four years. At that time, he was already sixty-eight years old. When Confucius' life in the capital of Lu State began to gradually settle down, his sole heir Zhesi Li (Bo Yu), who had placed all his hopes, died of illness.Then, in the second year, Yan Hui died.In the fourth year, Zilu died in a disaster.Sorrow struck Confucius again and again, and as if to put an end to the torment of this miserable life, he set his own death in the year following Zilu's death. It goes without saying that the great cause Confucius accomplished was after returning to the State of Lu after completing 13 or 14 years of lobbying the nations.Lecture halls have been opened to train a large number of outstanding officials and scholars who shoulder the historical mission of the next generation. Taking a step back and looking at it from another angle, it can also be said that the indelible great cause of Confucius started and completed during the saddest and most lonely period of his life, that is to say, what supported Confucius was during this period. His son Bo Yu, his disciple Yan Hui and Zi Lu all died. I will find time to talk about the career Confucius engaged in in the state of Lu and his miserable end in the future.I think that Confucius suffered a series of misfortunes in his later years, which should be viewed in conjunction with the "Mandate of Heaven". Here, I want to talk about the death of Zilu, and look at the relationship between Confucius and Zilu.Confucius mourned the death of Yan Hui and said, "Hey! Heaven mourns! God mourns!" Then he must have said something about the death of his favorite disciple Zilu. exactly.Confucius had foreseen the death of Zilu.These words, which are not easily uttered, are comparable to "Tian Sang Yu", reflecting Confucius' deep love for his earliest disciple Zilu. Before and after Yan Hui's death, Zilu lived in the state of Wei, and served as the magistrate under Kong Kui, the doctor of the state of Wei, a small official like the village chief.This kind of job is suitable for the easy-going Zilu. He must live leisurely and carefree every day. something unexpected may happen any time.His lord Kong Kui was suddenly involved in the civil strife in Wei, and Kuai Kui, a powerful man in exile, seized the city and imprisoned Kong Kui in the city.Zilu received this bad news, and despite the dissuasion of his subordinates, he rushed to the city to save the Lord. He said: "He who eats his food will not avoid his troubles. My Zilu eats Kong Kui's salary, and now Kong Kui is in trouble, how can I see death without saving him?!" Zilu rushed to the city, but the city gate was closed tightly. He called to open the city gate. After entering the city, he angrily reprimanded the occupants. As a result, a group of soldiers drew their swords and cut him to the ground.At this time, Zilu shouted loudly: "Wait a minute! It is inevitable for a gentleman to die and be crowned." He reattached the crown that had been severed, and at this moment, the soldiers came down with swords and axes, and chopped him into a pulp. Zilu died heroically and deservedly. Before Zilu's bad news came out, Confucius heard the news of civil strife in Weiguo, and he immediately worried about the safety of his two disciples.One is Zilu, and the other is Zigao who, like Zilu, served as the governor of Kong Kui.At that time, Confucius said: "Chai (Zigao) also came, and You (Zilu) also died." Sure enough, as expected, Zigao did not enter the city and came back alive, but Zilu was gone forever. Confucius' words really hit the nail on the head!Only a person who has a thorough understanding of Zilu's character can make such a prophecy. Today I can still deeply feel the mourning mood of Confucius when he said this sentence. Zilu, who re-knotted his tassels and died in a difficult situation, must have been very happy when he heard these words from his teacher Confucius under the Nine Springs, and died with peace in his eyes.Confucius knew himself so well, and if he dedicated his life to such a wise Confucius, he would die without regret. Someone asked just now: "You have served Master Confucius for a long time, what is your strongest impression of him now?" This is also a difficult question to answer. The death of Yan Hui, the death of Zilu, and the death of Confucius, the most sad things happened in these three years one after another, these are the most difficult three years for me. "Oh, finally I'm the only one left!" - After the funeral of Confucius, my emotions were all condensed in this sentence that day. From then on, I only mourned at the side of Confucius' tomb.With such a mood, I wandered and ran in the city of the capital of the state of Lu and in the fields on the outskirts. I walked aimlessly, and before I knew it, it was almost dusk, and the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the field crimson.Passing through a village, it is a vast wilderness.I move forward with no goal.I walk alone. The surrounding area gradually darkened, and the field was vast. I came to a big river and sat on an earth embankment. "The dead are like a husband! Never give up day and night!" Although I haven't heard Confucius say it directly, Zilu, Zigong, and Yanhui often use this sentence, and they can all recite it, which shows that there is a strong moving force. I don't know whether Confucius said this while he was traveling in the states of Chen and Cai, or when he was living in the state of Wei.In short, he was standing on the edge of the big river, looking at the endlessly surging waves, expressing his infinite emotion with a big heart. When Confucius was traveling in Chen Guo and Cai Guo, he once stood beside several world-famous rivers, such as the Yellow River, Ying River, Ru River, and Huai River. Such as the husband" exclamation. On the day of the funeral for Confucius, I wandered away like a nocturnal swimmer, and unknowingly came to a river, sat on the earth embankment, and watched the rolling waves of the ocean.It was later learned that this river passed through the upper reaches of Surabaya in the northern suburbs of the capital of the State of Lu.The banks of the river are very vast. "The dead are like a husband! Never give up day and night!" I stared blankly at the river, and vaguely recalled these words of Confucius. live on. At that time, I lost a father and brother every year.Since I was a child, my parents were separated, and after Cai Guo moved to the capital, I lost many relatives and friends, so I was used to this kind of parting since I was a child, but the big farewell in Lu Guodu for three consecutive years made me physically and mentally exhausted.However, it was also at this moment that I was inspired by Confucius' "The dead are like a husband", cheered up, strengthened my will, and determined to go down-to-earth and step by step. Yan Hui, Zilu, Zigong, and many scholars who knew each other in Weiguo had different understandings of this sentence, but they had one thing in common, that is, this sentence contained Confucius' chanting of life. That day, what I learned from this sentence was "the power to live". I would like to hear your understanding of this sentence, and I am also willing to share my views. Since I have just come into contact with this issue, I will briefly introduce my understanding. The flowing water of the great river is the same as the long river of human beings, it flows continuously all the time.Flowing, flowing.There will be problems of one kind or another during the long journey, but the river still flows forward and finally flows into the sea. The same is true of the long river of human beings. The father's generation, the son's generation, and the grandson's generation are passed down from generation to generation, which is exactly the same as the river.There have been times when wars and wars have caused disasters, and there have been times when natural disasters have raged, but the long river of mankind still gathers large and small tributaries, rushing to the sea mightily, never turning back. That day, I sat on the earth embankment and thought over these words of Confucius over and over again. I finally became more open-minded and full of confidence again.The emotion of Confucius on the shore of the great river, my feelings are clearer and more powerful than any explanation given to me by anyone. Heh, if Yan Hui, Zilu, and my teacher Confucius were still alive, how wonderful it would be! Just as all rivers return to the sea, the long river of human beings will undoubtedly flow toward the sea—an incomparable ideal society. This issue will be discussed later, and there must be many different opinions on my dogmatic view, so I hope to raise them without hesitation.That's all for today, next time I plan to talk about "heaven" and "mandate of heaven". Listen, a group of birds flapped their wings and flew over. I don't know if they are migratory birds.This kind of life has made me sensitive to chirping birds and chirping insects.