"I think anyone who reads the Tao Te Ching will laugh at the beginning; Then laugh at yourself and laugh like this; Finally, I will feel that this theory is needed now. At least, this will be the reaction of most people when they first read Laozi, and so will I myself. Mr. Lin Yutang said so. The "encounter" when I read it was like what Mr. Lin said, "Speak your mind first." "Lao Dan, commonly known as Lao Tzu, was a thinker in the Spring and Autumn Period and the founder of the Taoist School. According to Sima Qian's textual research, Tai Shigong, Lao Zi, surnamed Li, was a native of the State of Chu, and served as a librarian of the Zhou royal family. At that time, Lao Tzu was a wise man with great prestige. According to legend, Confucius asked Laozi for advice several times, saying that Laozi was still a dragon. Later, due to the weakness of the Zhou royal family and the constant civil strife, Lao Tzu felt sad but helpless, and made up his mind to abandon his official position and retire. When I went to Hangu Pass, I ordered Yin to know Lao Tzu's ability and political integrity, and asked Lao Tzu to leave a message. Laozi wrote 5,000 words, which is the Tao Te Ching seen by later generations.
Although the book Tao Te Ching has only 5,000 words, it is the essence of all Lao Tzu's thoughts and the first complete philosophical work in the history of China. Tao Te Ching was originally divided into two parts, the first part was Tao Te Ching and the second part was Tao Te Ching. This book is concise, profound and rich in content. In the book, Lao Tzu discusses a series of important political and philosophical propositions such as the formation of the universe, the origin of everything, the governance of the country, and the communication of life from his unique perspective. It is the fundamental work of China's philosophy to develop what the predecessors did not do, state what the predecessors did not say, and put forward famous concepts such as philosophy, Tao, nature and inaction. To sum up, the Tao Te Ching has three main contents, namely, talking about the universe, talking about life and talking about politics.
The core of Laozi's philosophy of the universe is Tao, which he thinks is the origin of the world and is described as "all things are mixed and naturally generated". Lonely, independent, walking around without danger, can be the mother of the world. I don't know its name, but the word "Tao" is not an objective substance, but an illusory thing, which exists before and transcends all things, but dominates all natural and social phenomena. Everything in the world originates from Tao, and Tao gives birth to one, two, three and three things. It is unpredictable, and the essence of Tao is nothingness-everything in the world is born of something, which is a world view based on nothingness, but Lao Tzu just thinks it is nothingness. Laozi's philosophy involves a question of "name" and "reality"-"name can be named, but it cannot be named. Nameless, the beginning of heaven and earth; Fame is the mother of everything. Therefore, there is often nothing and I want to see its wonders; Often, you want to see it. " Name and reality cannot be simply equated. It is not uncommon to have a nominal situation, and we should not only pay attention to its name but ignore it. In addition, Lao Tzu also talked about Heaven-"Heaven does more harm than good" as a way to produce and promote everything, and its operation has its own laws. Lao Tzu talked about Tao from the beginning and regarded it as a consistent thought in the book, not only to explain the formation of the universe and the Tao of nature, but also to prepare a premise for discussing life and social politics. Laozi said that "people everywhere, the earth follows the sky, the sky follows the Tao, and the Tao follows the nature", and its starting point is to advocate that people develop nature and take the Tao of nature as the criterion of human life. Therefore, Laozi's cosmology about Tao is the basis of his outlook on life and politics.
The discussion of life and politics in Tao Te Ching is carried out under such a background. Man is the spirit of all things, but he was born in Tao. Why? Because man is a mixture of contradictions including selfish desires, this "spirit" of the spirit of all things is limited by selfish desires, which is reflected in the subjective consciousness that there are always some unnatural things that are inconsistent with the objective. What should we do? I think it needs to be cultivated. Cultivation is to help people get rid of unnatural things, make people conform to the objective, make the objective dominate the subjective, and make life less bumpy. "To be a saint, there is no failure because of inaction, and there is no loss because of persistence", that is, people who practice well will become smooth and auspicious when they do things, so "Tao" is also a kind of life, and "everything goes well when they become monks". In some versions, we see Lao Tzu say, "I often have no desire to see wonders." There is always a desire to watch. "Only when people have no selfish desires can they remain quiet, realize the mystery of Tao, and adapt to and conform to objective changes. If you have selfish desires, you can't keep quiet, and you can't understand the mystery of Tao. Even if your experience is limited, it is difficult for people to adapt to objective changes, and there will be many unsatisfactory places in your life journey. Therefore, monasticism requires Xiu De, without personal thoughts, and everything is objective. This is "virtue", "the husband's life is unnatural, but it is natural, so the way to live is the virtue of animals." Only when people get rid of selfish desires can they give up their personal thoughts and conform to objective nature. Then in real life, we can communicate with people optimistically and freely, and do whatever it takes. "
"Water is good for all things and indisputable, and water is evil for all, so it is a few things." This means that water is good for everything.
The dragon does not seek success, it is in a place where no one wants to go, so it is closest to the avenue. Why is it closest to the avenue that no one wants to go? Because the water was clean and pure, but in order to purify other things, it made itself all dirty. Finally,
But also dropped to the lowest point and was no longer taken seriously. Therefore, sacrificing yourself for others will end up in a situation where everyone is unwilling to go and despised. This spirit of "being willing to give without expecting anything in return" is the quality of "Tao", which is also called "weakness" in Tao Te Ching, that is, always putting personal desires in the weakest position and giving in the strongest place. Tao Te Ching wrote: "It means that the weakest thing in the world is water, and nothing can be overcome by attacking the strongest thing with it. When overcoming difficulties, water becomes the strongest again. Tao Te Ching refers to Tao with water and describes the characteristics of Tao with its softness and toughness. We have always stressed that people should be selfless, selflessness means that their selfish desires are weak, and dedication means that their desire and strength to pay are stronger. Why do selfless people always exude vigor and infinite strength when doing things? Because his mental state conforms to the characteristics of Tao and the origin of all things. Therefore, if you want to succeed in life, you must turn the characteristics of "Tao" into your own internal quality, and always think that you have done much more than you want, so that people will never be too far away from success. Interpersonal relationship is the most important factor in the process of human life growth. Then the Tao Te Ching said: "The good is the teacher, and the bad is the teacher. Bad people are the wisdom of good people. I don't care about it. I don't love its wisdom. Although I know the great mystery, it is wonderful. "It means that people who are kinder than us can become our learning teachers. And in the face of unfriendly people, he can increase our wisdom. If you don't pay attention to these things and cherish this knowledge (if you don't pay attention to the ability to deal with people), although you know a lot on the surface, you are actually very confused, which is an extremely important flower in life. No matter in nature, human society, business wars or sports competitions, there are all kinds of opponents everywhere and the competition is fierce. This is natural selection, survival of the fittest, and more importantly, how should we face it? In fact, when facing competitors, you should know who the real competitors are. Who should compete with it? Who will be defeated? The magic weapon of ultimate victory is "winning without contention". As we all know, winning requires a spirit, and the most important thing is to promote continuous progress, that is, "winning from the winners." "So, the real' opponent' is actually himself, the object of competition is the inner interference that hinders his success, and the weakness to be overcome is his own weakness. Committed to defeating each other, this is "promising" and by no means wise. It is against Lao Tzu's moral classics. The complex and changeable world will make people nervous and anxious, leading to internal friction between body and mind, which is not conducive to the objective view of problems and the normal play of ability. Don't want to beat each other, but treat yourself as an opponent and keep your heart quiet, so that you can effectively overcome your weaknesses, adapt to the changes in the world calmly, and be quiet enough to "do nothing." "Therefore, if you want to succeed in the competition, you must not focus on success and defeat each other. On the contrary, you should always keep your inner peace. Success and victory don't matter. You can face it with a "inaction" mentality, so that you can maximize your ability, so that you can "do everything". Laozi also discussed the immortality of life and death by "winning without contention". Everything must be traced back to the source. In the final analysis, it is static, static, everyday and always clear. I don't know what is normal, I am reckless, I know what is normal, I am tolerant, I am fair, I am fair, I am all day, the sky is the Tao, the Tao is long, and I am not in danger. To sum up, life goes on and on, so don't be greedy and afraid of death. From scratch, from scratch to nothing, cycle after cycle, endless. If we understand this truth, we will be broad-minded, calm and avoid life-threatening. When people pursue too much and desire too much, they will be tired of life; On the contrary, if you are quiet and do nothing, you will be satisfied and happy. If you clench your fist and hope to have more, you will hold it tighter. The tighter you hold it, the darker it will be until there is no gap and nothing can be tolerated. On the contrary, if you open your hands, it looks like nothing. In fact, the whole world was taken there. Of course, these must have a philosophical view of seeing through life and death and surpassing fortune. Generally speaking, the outlook on life embodied in Tao Te Ching has two basic characteristics: as far as self is concerned, we should cherish the body; As far as the relationship between people is concerned, it is indisputable to advocate weakness. There was a Taoist sage who was selfish and simple, devoted himself to harmony and strengthened his self-cultivation. The book also puts forward a series of viewpoints consistent with the idea of weak indisputable, such as keeping silent, not daring to be the first in the world, not
Nature is not self-cutting, etc. These ideas of retreat as progress and static braking are irrefutable and have weaknesses, which reflect the life characteristics of Tao Te Ching. The third content of Tao Te Ching is the discussion of political issues, which embodies Laozi's political view. Lao Tzu said: "Without Shang Xian, the people will not dispute;" Expensive goods can live, so that the people are not thieves, invisible and desirable, so that the people are not chaotic. It is ruled by saints, hollowing out their hearts, strengthening their bellies, weakening their aspirations and strengthening their bones; Often people are ignorant and have no desire, so that people who know their husbands are afraid to do it. There is no wisdom for inaction. "So, the sage's way of governing the country is to make people modest, knowledgeable, weaken people's aspirations, enhance people's physique, and make people have no knowledge and desire, so the wise dare not make trouble and govern the world with a natural inaction attitude. There is nothing wrong. Laozi believes that "inaction" is the highest principle that should be followed in governing the world. Laozi gave an example about inaction in the seventh chapter of Tao Te Ching. " Forever and ever. The reason why heaven and earth are so long is that they can live forever because they are not born. It puts saints and bodies first; Living outside your body. Not because of its selfless evil? Therefore, it can be private. "It means that heaven and earth can live forever because they don't live for themselves, they exist naturally, so they can live forever. Therefore, the sage put himself behind, but he was respected. He put himself outside, but he saved himself. Isn't it because saints are not selfish? That's why he is himself. Inaction is a kind of mentality, a kind of cultivation and dialectical. From Laozi's point of view, advocating inaction to the society is helpful to the stability of the country. However, if we stand at the height of historical development, one-sided inaction will not help the progress of mankind. Therefore, contemporary young people should understand Laozi's ancient theory of inaction, treat it dialectically and treat it in two ways. " Good people follow it, and bad people change it. "Lao tze is a saint, he is also a good man. He said, people are not afraid of death, why use death to fear? It can be seen that he is very kind to every ordinary person. Almost at the same time as Laozi, Han Feizi and Li Si were equally famous at that time, but their cruelty and inhumanity could not be compared with Laozi. Han Feizi said: "A city of ten miles is steep if it can surpass the building. "A mountain thousands of miles away, a lame shepherd, a savage." Reese also advocated using torture to deter people. It was also the right-hand man of the feudal rulers who inhumanely suppressed the ruling people. Lao Tzu is not so cruel as Han Fei and so vicious as Reese. He advocates great love. I love my people, and I also love them. Laozi said in Chapter 31 of the Tao Te Ching: "An ominous weapon of a soldier is not a weapon of a gentleman. Use it as a last resort, take it lightly, and win without beauty. " Lao Tzu summed up the war as there was no way, and he had to do it. It is not difficult to see that Lao Tzu is an anti-war activist. As we all know, it is common to die in battle, especially in feudal society, when rulers defected for their own purposes and seized land and power, farmers were just tools to be used. It is the people who suffer. Lao Tzu is not from a noble family. He knows what war means to the people. "There is a saying in the world, but it is shit. There is no way in the world, and the military horse was born in the suburbs. " "Where the teacher is, there are thorns. After joining the army, there must be a fierce year. " If there is a way in the world, use war horses to plow the land. If there is no way, pregnant horses will also participate in the war. I'm not alarmist. After a battle, there were dead bodies everywhere, a desolate place, and the established civilization was in ruins. The era was first shocked by it, ending the pace of progress, stopping, stopping, turning back, and the urgent March arrived. From this point, we can also see Lao Tzu's simple and perfect thought. And Laozi's thought of supreme goodness is above the supranational view, and he does not look at people with any prefix.
You don't have to make anyone a winner. People are people, and they can't tell a nation from a country. Once the war breaks out, it will be bad for people and people themselves. Therefore, Lao Tzu said: "The artifact in the world cannot be done. If you are defeated, you will stick to it. " There is only one master in the world, and the world is a tool of God, which cannot be obtained by human efforts. This is the Tao, that is, obeying God's will. Man-made efforts are doomed to failure, and man-made persistence is doomed to lose. There can't be a general who will always win. The war made both sides lose. Any kind of possession can only be short-lived. So I regret to advise everyone: "I will take the world and do it." I think this is the last resort. " Low-key and kind Lao Tzu is tired of killing people, especially in the war. "It is better for a murderer to be sad than to be lost." Killing people in the war, the winner should also treat victory with a funeral. Laozi's thought of supreme goodness transcends hatred and is the supreme goodness of the nation. He often compares a naked child to a man who is virtuous. In fact, he has stood in a very high position. Finally, I hope that society is a "small country with few people". Although this is a fable, not visiting it is regarded as the last piece of pure land in the heart of this philosopher who was abandoned on the edge of society, and it is also a refuge for ordinary people struggling in troubled times. We should be grateful for this.
Laozi's thought of reading Tao Te Ching contains rich philosophy of life. For thousands of years, from emperors and generals to ordinary people, they have learned the essence of governing the country and the people, cultivating self-cultivation and establishing a life from this book of wisdom in the history of human civilization.
Nowadays, with the development of social science and the rapid development of social economy, people's material wealth is getting richer and richer, while their spiritual wealth is getting poorer and poorer, and the phenomenon of moral decay is getting more and more serious. The voice of "being upright and being practical" is getting stronger and stronger. In the materialistic real life, how to face the temptation of money, status and beauty? We can also find the answer in the classic Tao Te Ching, that is, we should pay attention to keep quiet, quiet and introspect in our daily life, work and family, and do our duty wholeheartedly!
Since we are small, our strength is weak, and our life is short, why not correct our mentality? Meditation, purity and dedication are three different levels of people's mentality. Meditation: Jing 'an's life coordinates; Clean heart: clean life direction; Dedication: Give full play to life as the coordinate of meditation and Jing 'an life.
Laozi takes "quietness is the best in the world" and "quietness" as the basis of practice. Chapter 16 of the Tao Te Ching says, "Be empty and be quiet." The emphasis is on keeping quiet. "Causing emptiness" means removing obstacles in the mind, sorting out chaotic mental activities, and then "quietness". Through "quiet" work, we can profoundly accumulate knowledge, and then we can "know what is normal" and turn adversity into luck.
After Laozi, Zhuangzi emphasized selfishness and no desire in order to rest in peace, which is the Taoist thought of keeping in good health.
Only by "meditation" can we "know its male and keep its female", "know its white and keep its black" and "know its glory and keep its shame"; Meditation is not disturbed by fame and fortune, and is not affected by going back and forth; Meditation is the only way to stay poor and endure loneliness.
In short, meditation is the foundation of peace of mind. When people's state of mind reaches an empty state, they will always maintain a modest and prudent style, and they will make practical moves, do practical things and seek practical results in society, life and work.
Clean your heart and your life direction. "Those who are clean are not polluted", and between heaven and earth, being clean and not polluted means "not polluted". The meaning of "don't dye" is very broad. Chapter 12 of Laozi's Tao Te Ching says: "Five colors make people blind, five tones make people deaf, five flavors make people cool, galloping and hunting make people crazy, and strange goods can hinder people." . It means that the colorful world is dazzling, the sounds are deafening, the food makes people drool, the mind is crazy, and it is nerve-racking to have precious and rare goods. This paper summarizes the serious consequences caused by people's greed, sound, taste, smell, touch and things from six aspects. Therefore, future generations say: six clean, spotless. It is intended to teach people restraint and restrain people's greed.
Let's look at the thirteenth chapter of Laozi's Tao Te Ching: "Being humiliated is shocking." We can see that the root of "great shame" lies in "having a body for me", and the root of "having a body for me" lies in the fact that people's minds can't be as clean, clear and transparent as water, and they attach too much importance to individuals and their fame and fortune. If you are indifferent to the world, you will remain quiet and simple, and you will have less selfish desires. How can you be "if you are in trouble?"
In this way, purifying your mind can make you consciously persist in self-reflection, always check your greedy heart and curb your unwanted thoughts. A pure mind is the source of keeping a clear understanding.
Show your life as much as you can. People often say that reading history can make people wise, reading classics can make people wise, and being wise can make people wise. Laozi said in the seventeenth chapter of Tao Te Ching that "Tao always does nothing". Laozi's inaction does not mean that he is passive and does nothing, which is a misunderstanding of Laozi's Tao Te Ching. Laozi's original intention is to teach people to follow the path, not to do anything, but to do something. Only by "not acting rashly" can we make great achievements, that is to say, "not acting rashly" is the guarantee of making achievements. What is "promising"? Playing a good social role, doing a good job and taking on family responsibilities is "doing something." Yes, in today's world-disputing society, if he can devote himself wholeheartedly to his work, then his mentality must always be in a state of meditation and purity. Without entering a state of meditation and purity, he can't restrain his restless heart. In other words, God doesn't think outside, so meditation and purity of mind are the premise and premise of doing all the work wholeheartedly.
The Chinese nation has always attached importance to the role of moral education and advocated "putting morality first" and "being a teacher by example". All walks of life, villages and households are trying to improve the moral standards of the group. Specifically, it is to transform "meditation, purity and dedication" into "six hearts" education: loyalty to the motherland, love for society, enthusiasm for the group, concern for colleagues, filial piety to parents and self-confidence. In modern economic society, rereading and interpreting the classic Tao Te Ching will keep people quiet and purify their hearts, thus contributing to social stability, work unity and family harmony.