More than a hundred years after Confucius, Mencius appeared in the middle of the Warring States Period. Confucianism is represented by "the way of Confucius and Mencius", so Mencius' theory deserves our serious discussion.
Sima Qian pointed out two points in Historical Records Biography of Mencius and Xun Qing: First, Mencius was a disciple of Zi Si; Second, in studying Confucius' theory, it has reached the realm of "both Taoism and Taoism". Zhao Qi in the Eastern Han Dynasty annotated Mencius, thinking that it was all-encompassing, covering everything in the world, such as benevolence, morality and fate. Therefore, he directly called Mencius "Yasheng". Sima Qian regarded Confucius as the "highest saint" and Zhao Qi regarded Mencius as the "second saint", thus establishing the Confucian tradition.
It is important to understand Mencius' position, but it is more important to understand Mencius' real thoughts. Let's take a look at how Mencius "nurtures the heart".
If you want to be "unmoved", you must first "cultivate courage"
Gong Sunchou, a student of Mencius, once asked, "If Mr. Wang is a minister of Qi, he can carry out his own ideas, so it is not surprising even if he establishes hegemony or Wang Ye. In this way, will it be tempted? " ("Mencius Gongsun Chou")
What did Mencius say? He said, "No, I stopped being tempted when I was forty."
What is "indifferent"? The so-called "unmoved" means that your mood will not be affected under any circumstances, whether you are in the world or have no talent and ambition. How did this happen? Because my heart has a fixed view of what life should be like, as long as I am sure that I am on the moral road, I will not care about the success or failure of this world. Mencius said, "A gentleman has a lifelong worry, but he doesn't suffer once." What worries me is that I didn't become a saint like Shun, and I don't worry about temporary troubles.
This "indifference" must be calm, so Mencius went on to talk about how to "cultivate courage."
He described three kinds of bravery: one is "outward development", showing extraordinary courage; The second is "seeking from within", which is fearless by strengthening the idea of winning in the heart; Third, "appeal" has its own meaning in everyone's heart, so it can be universally applicable. This third kind, Mencius indirectly quoted Confucius' "great courage": "How can I not even be afraid to face ordinary people?" Reflect on myself and feel straight, even in the face of thousands of people, I will go forward bravely. "When we recite" Although a thousand people have gone ",we must not forget the two kinds of" introspection "mentioned in the whole paragraph.
As long as you understand what morality is, you can always reflect. When you see something good, you will move. If you have, you will change. Over time, you will naturally be open-minded and indifferent.