Laozi's inaction thought Laozi's philosophy is not a knowledge system in the western sense, but a kind of life wisdom and a pursuit of Tao. Laozi's theory of Tao is a metaphysical grasp of all things in the universe. Its purpose is not in the empty world, but in the practice of life. For individual life, it provides the basis for settling down; For a country, it is wisdom to realize good governance. Although Laozi's thought is known as "mysterious and mysterious", the feelings of salvation behind it are worth appreciating again and again. Laozi's philosophy is a kind of great wisdom, which has profound enlightenment significance to all human affairs, including management. Among them, inaction has the greatest influence. "Doing nothing" means "Tao is natural" in Laozi's mind, that is, "people abide by the law, the land abides by the law, the sky abides by the law, and the Tao is natural". "Governing by doing nothing" is the basic viewpoint of Laozi's philosophy. Laozi regards Tao as the foundation of the universe, and the essence of Tao is "always doing nothing and doing everything", that is, "Tao" is "born to serve all things in the universe without getting something for nothing, and clothing is not the first thing". As far as Tao generates all things and achieves all things, Tao is "everything in vain"; As far as Tao is diligent and nonexistent to all things, Tao is inaction. In essence, this is the organic unity of "inaction" and "inaction" The creation and existence of all things in the world are "doing nothing without doing anything". Based on this idea, Laozi believes that governing the country and the people should oppose "doing something" and advocate "doing nothing". In his view, "inaction leads to death", "saints do nothing, so there is no defeat, so there is no loss", and saints "inaction and inaction always take nothing from the world; And things happen for a reason, not enough to take the world. " Laozi regards "inaction" as a means for saints to "take the world" and "govern the world".
Laozi opposed the Confucian pursuit of "ruling the country by virtue" and "ruling the country by wisdom". Pointed out: "Abandoning the Tao is meaningful; Wisdom comes out with great fallacies; Six parents are not harmonious and have dutiful sons; When the country is in chaos, there are loyal ministers. " It is believed that "the goodness of ancient times is the Tao, not wisdom for the people, but fools for the people", and "people are difficult to treat because of wisdom." Therefore, governing the country with wisdom is a thief of the country; Governing the country without wisdom is the blessing of the country. "At the same time, Lao Tzu also opposed the military strategist's" ruling the country by force "and violent wars. He believes that "soldiers are ominous tools, not gentlemen's tools" and advocates that "the people should be assisted by Taoism, and the world should not be strengthened by soldiers". Only by doing nothing can we achieve the ideal society of "I do nothing and the people are the standard, I am quiet and the people are self-righteous, I do nothing and the people are rich, and I have no desire and the people are simple".
Do nothing, do everything.
The thought of "inaction" was put forward by Laozi in Tao Te Ching. Laozi lived in the Spring and Autumn Period, and the governors were in chaos, and the rulers were greedy and indulgent, which led to the poverty of the people. In this case, Laozi put forward the thought of inaction and called on the rulers to "govern by doing nothing". He said:
"I don't do anything, the people are self-made. I am quiet and the people are self-righteous. I have nothing to do and the people are rich. I want nothing, and the people are simple. "
"Good quietness" is put forward against the harassment of rulers, "inaction" is put forward against the tyranny of rulers, and "no desire" is put forward against the greed of rulers. Laozi believes that politicians should be able to "govern by doing nothing", manage without interference, and have a monarch without oppression. Let the people develop and improve themselves, the people will be peaceful and rich, and the society will naturally be harmonious and stable.
"Doing nothing" means not doing things that violate the laws of nature, moral norms, social laws and are harmful to all beings. But the "inaction" here is not doing nothing, not inaction, but not acting rashly, conforming to the objective situation and respecting the laws of nature. Laozi said "doing nothing without doing anything", which means not doing anything without doing it. Here, "inaction" is an attitude and method based on the world, and "inaction" refers to the effect of doing nothing. Laozi once said "die by doing nothing", which means to treat social life with an attitude of "doing nothing", and nothing can be done, nor can it be done well. Therefore, Lao Tzu's "inaction" is not passive waiting and inaction, but "inaction", "inaction" and "inaction", that is, inaction and giving full play to people's subjective initiative.
Do sth for sth.
When I say "governing by doing nothing" and "governing by doing nothing", I don't mean sitting there doing nothing but doing everything. Laozi lived in an era when the people were self-sufficient at sunrise. There is no need for rulers to organize production and exchange, and whoever "does" will naturally do what. Once the rulers "act", they urge heavy taxes to be used for the construction of luxury palaces or launch a war to annex other countries. If we do this, people will suffer and society will be in turmoil. If we do nothing, people will feel at ease and society will be at peace. So "inaction" means not acting rashly or fooling around. In other words, the behavior of rulers should conform to the laws of nature and social development, and formulate corresponding laws and systems according to the laws, which will not be easily changed. Under such laws and systems, people give full play to their talents and work hard.
"Doing nothing" pursues dedication, and the result of "doing nothing" just becomes "doing something" (having dedication).
It is indisputable.
Of all things in nature, Laozi respects water the most. He believes that "indisputable" is a quality of beautiful "water virtue". Laozi once said: "Water is good for everything, and there is no dispute." The "indisputable" here means selflessness. Water conservancy nourishes everything, but it does not strive for everything that is beneficial to itself. Second, it means that there is no struggle with the world, not only on things that have been moistened by oneself, but also on everything in the world.
"Because it is indisputable, the world can't compete with it."
"Standing without struggle is not troublesome, and standing without struggle is not successful."
"indisputable dispute" and inaction (Nanfang Daily)
Xiaoqing Liu
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Deng Sui, a nobleman, was favored by the emperor He, and Yin, a queen, was very jealous. However, Deng Sui is humble and obedient, and he has great respect for Yin. Contemporary with the Yin family, Deng Sui never sat up straight; And every time the emperor asked questions, Deng Sui always asked Yin Xian to talk and talked with Yin nonstop. Whenever I find that my clothes are the same or similar to Yin's, Deng Sui will change them immediately and never steal the limelight with Yin. Nevertheless, Yin still conspired with others to practise witchcraft in an attempt to kill Deng Sui. In view of the sharp contrast between Yin's domineering and sinister attitude and Deng Sui's humility and forbearance, she was imprisoned by the emperor and insisted on making her queen when Deng Sui resigned. This story is recognized by later historians as a typical "indisputable dispute".
The "indisputable dispute" here is similar to the "inaction" as a leadership method. The "uncontroversial" here is not really "uncontroversial", but a means of "uncontroversial"; The "inaction" in "governing by doing nothing" is not really "inaction", but is based on "inaction". The so-called "governing by doing nothing" is essentially taking "doing nothing" as the method and art of governing. Jiang Taigong, the founder of Sun Tzu's Art of War, said that the most enlightened politics is to govern by doing nothing. Governing by doing nothing is the core of Taoist thought and occupies an important position in the history of China's political thought. Taoism also regards inaction as the highest realm of governing the country. As for emperors and generals of past dynasties, there is probably no one who doesn't want to make the greatest achievements with the least effort. Just to do nothing, you really need to lead the art to perfection.
How can leaders reach the realm of inaction? Judging from historical experience, at least the following five points should be grasped:
1. Have fun with the people and be tolerant and generous. Jiang Taigong said that there are laws in the sky and people have their own laws. If the monarch can abide by the law of self-cultivation, the world will naturally be peaceful. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang followed the principle of "governing by doing nothing". On the surface, he is not diligent, but in fact, agriculture and industry and commerce have developed rapidly by letting people farm and live. Feng Menglong of the Ming Dynasty said that there is nothing in the world, much ado about nothing. Zhao Pu, the prime minister in the early Song Dynasty, always received official documents that were revealed to each other by the literati, and burned them without looking. On the surface, it seems irresponsible, but in fact, it was by curbing the unhealthy trend of intrigue that he maintained the "stability and unity" at that time.
2. Comply with nature and observe heaven. Ji Bo, the mother of Emperor Wendi, is just a concubine of Liu Bang. Although she was "spoiled" by Liu Bang only once, she was pregnant with "dragon species", but she still rarely saw Liu Bang after giving birth to her son. Later, Ji Bo not only rescued the mother and son from Lv Hou's imprisonment because she couldn't get Liu Bang's favor, but also became the queen mother because her son was lucky to ascend to the throne. This shows that it is not necessarily a good thing to sharpen your head and gain something, but it is not necessarily a bad thing to adapt to nature even if you lose.
3. Pure and indifferent to fame and fortune. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Fu Zhao went through the Song and Qi Dynasties and served as a county official, a local governor and a court official. At that time, dynasties changed like lanterns, and the officialdom was chaotic and dangerous. Fu Zhao didn't suffer any setbacks and was able to preserve his position and reputation because he was indifferent to fame and fortune. According to historical records, he lived in the imperial court without any invitation; Family room, no students, no partisans, no personal interests. These are undoubtedly the important reasons why he can die a fair death and leave his name in future generations.
4. Avoid evil with righteousness and be cautious in words and deeds. In the late Western Han Dynasty, politics was very corrupt and the imperial court was dying. At that time, Ai Di Chong believed in Dong Xian, Hou of Gao 'an, and took his sister as his concubine. Yan Fu, the father of Queen Fu, is afraid that one day there will be an unexpected trouble of changing and abolishing. His friend Huan Tan said: No matter how severe the punishment is, it cannot be imposed on innocent people; No evil can be added to loyalty for no reason. Huan Tan told him that at this moment, the most important thing is to tell the queen not to compete with Dong Fei by witch doctors and technology; Secondly, he should dismiss his apprentice himself and be modest to prevent others from taking advantage of his situation to run amok outside. Otherwise, if the emperor catches something, the consequences will be unimaginable. Yan Fu did as instructed. Later, at the behest of the emperor, Dong Xian tried his best, including arresting the younger brother of Queen Fu for trial, but failed to find an excuse to frame the Fu family.
5. dispel doubts and protect yourself. As the saying goes, company is like a tiger. How to dispel the emperor's suspicion has always been the key to the ups and downs of Guanhai. During the struggle between Chu and Han, Liu Bang, the Hanwang who led the army eastward, sent people to express condolences to Xiao He, the prime minister who stayed in Guanzhong. In order to dispel the suspicion of Hanwang, Xiao He picked out strong men from his relatives and asked them to escort grain and hay to Xingyang to join the army. In this way, Xiao He won the trust of Liu Bang. Historically, retiring after one's achievements is also an official rule. Laozi, the ancestor of Taoism, believes that retiring after success is the way of heaven and earth. There are many outstanding heroes, such as Li Guang, the "flying general" in the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and lord protector Li Jing, the agent of the Tang Dynasty, etc., all came to no good end because they refused to accept the old man's fame and fortune.
The historical background of Taoism is wars and disputes during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. In this chaotic era, the social, moral and political order established in Zhou Wen is facing collapse. Zhou Wen, which was used to maintain this order, became a pure shelf. Confucianism wants to enrich this external shelf with benevolence and righteousness, while Laozi and Zhuangzi think these things are external forms. Even if they can achieve social order, this order is not an ideal order. In this order, people are bound and cannot obtain real freedom and liberation.
Taoist philosophy, like Confucian philosophy, is basically a kind of learning with inner saints and outer virtues, and its ultimate concern is personal cultivation and becoming a virtuous person [6]. However, self-cultivation and moral cultivation cannot be separated from society, and if there is no * * in society, its existence will be dangerous. Taoism is not a political agnostic. For what is an ideal political order, Taoism put forward a set of ideas, that is, the theory of "governing by doing nothing". This theory is closely related to Taoism's theory of inner saints and metaphysics. The most important theory of Taoism's inner sage metaphysics is to make people obey nature, not deliberately. The five kinds of people listed in Zhuangzi's deliberate articles: the people in the valley, the people in the mortal world, the people in the imperial court, the people in the rivers and seas, and the people who guide the Tao, are all deliberately disobedient figures. These people go against nature, so they have to become Tao people. Zhuangzi believes that only a shriveled and boundless sage can achieve "high without ambition, conduct without benevolence and righteousness, govern without fame, be idle without rivers and seas, live without enlightenment and forget without exception." . Only in this way can people conform to nature and achieve self-liberation. The reason why heaven and earth are big is that it can conform to nature and achieve everything. Therefore, Lao Tzu said, "I was born for Xuande, but I didn't do it. I was impartial for doing it, and I didn't kill it for being long." (Chapter 10 of Laozi) and said: "The Tao is natural."
The Taoist thought of governing by doing nothing can be said to be their political application of metaphysics and inner saints. There are many places in Laozi and Zhuangzi that talk about inaction.