Zhou Zuoren's Classic Prose Works: The Art of Life
There is a passage in Tshekhob's collection of letters (when he was traveling near Aihui), "I invited a China person to a hotel to drink soju. Before drinking, he raised his glass to me, the hotel owner and the guys and said," Please. "This is China's courtesy. He doesn't gobble like us, but takes a bite, and every bite, he eats something; Then give me some China copper coins to show my gratitude. This is a strange and polite nation. "
A sip is indeed the only remaining art of drinking in China: drinkers can't know the taste of wine, and drunkards can't know the taste of drunkenness. China people still know a little about the art of enjoying food, but the general art of living has long been lost. China's way of life now has only two extremes. Either abstinence is indulgence, or he is not allowed to say the word wine, or he is immersed in a wine trough. The two are mutually reactionary and their interests increase, but the result is the same. The life of animals is naturally regular. China had a well-developed culture a thousand years ago, and it was once quite like the unity of spirit and flesh. Later, I was defeated by the idea of abstinence, and it became such a life now. Everything is forced and unrestrained under the mask of ethics, and the so-called owners have long since disappeared.
Life is not easy. One way is to live naturally and simply like an animal; Taking life as an art and living subtly and beautifully is another way: there is no other way, but there is a chaotic life under animals. The art of living is only the reconciliation of moderation and indulgence. Ellis has excellent views on this issue. He rejected religious asceticism, but believed that asceticism was also a human side. Joy and temperance coexist, not antagonistic. People tend to be abstinent, that is, to prevent excessive joy and increase the degree of joy. He once said in a paper "The Story of Life and Others", "People who regard one of these two things (namely, abstinence and indulgence) as the sole purpose of life die long before they live. Some people push his addiction to the extreme first, and then turn to him for help, so that he can truly understand what life is and will be remembered as a model monk in the future. But those who always respect these two ideals are knowledge. All life is a cycle of construction and destruction, an absorption and a contribution, and an eternal function of composition and decomposition. To live properly, we must imitate the luxury and seriousness of nature. " He also said, "The art of living, its method is only to skillfully mix the two", and said this meaning more concisely.
The word "art of living" is the so-called ceremony in China's inherent words. In the preface to Etiquette, Dr. Steele said that etiquette is not just a set of rituals, but empty and useless, such as those followed by future generations. This is used to form the habit of self-control and organize actions. Only those who can understand the heart of everything and feel everything can have such a peaceful Rong Zhi. "Once upon a time, I heard that Mr. Gu Hongming criticized the improper translation of the English Book of Rites and thought that' ceremony' was not a ceremony, but an art. At that time, he felt a little biased, but it was actually right, but this refers to the initial ceremony, and later etiquette and ethics are degraded things, which is not enough for this title. China's gift has long been lost, but as mentioned above, it still exists between tea and wine. Last year, westerners opposed the ban on prostitution in Shanghai, believing that brothels are the cultural place of China. This statement is indeed a bit absurd, but there are several reasons when you think about it. We also don't have to involve the affair between the official prostitute in the Tang Dynasty and the Greek "girlfriend" (Hetaira) as a defense. We only think of an outsider's aphorism, "China proposed the West as a prostitute, and China married the West as a concubine", or we can't help feeling that "Samaria" really only exists among weeds. We don't want to preserve brothels like a westerner, but we think there are often real brothels in some strange theories.
What China needs now is a new kind of freedom and restraint, and a new civilization should be established in China, that is, to revive the old civilization thousands of years ago, that is, to integrate with Greek civilization, which is the foundation of western culture. These words may be too big and too high, but in my opinion, there is no way to save the country, and the asceticism of Taoist scholars since the Song Dynasty is always useless, because it is only enough to help indulgence and not accept adjustment. In fact, this art of life is nothing new in China, where etiquette emphasizes moderation. For example, "The Doctrine of the Mean" begins by saying, "Destiny is nature, frankness is Tao, and cultivation is teaching." According to my explanation, this proposition is very clear. But later generations only used it to talk about chapters and themes, and no one implemented it. I'm not saying that half of the golden mean can help the world, but that China can understand this idea. Although Japan was also greatly influenced by Song Xue, its life can be said to inherit the system of Heian Dynasty, and it has a lot of charm of Tang Dynasty, so it is easier to understand the art of life. The Japanese do retain artistic color in many customs, which is not as good as ours in China, but from the Taoist point of view, perhaps this is their shortcoming.
Recommendation of Zhou Zuoren's Classic Prose Works: Talking about Raising Birds
Li Daiweng's book Suiyuan is the first in the nursing department, and there is a way of "letting flowers listen to birds":
"Flowers and birds are two things, and creatures are born with spells. It not only produces delicate flowers and buds instead of beauty, but also makes them inexplicable and revives birds to help them. This period of scheming is just like those who buy red makeup, practice singing and dancing, drink delicious food and teach the sea to charm people. What the world doesn't know is that this is a stupid thing. There are often exotic flowers and plants that you can't see and songbirds that you can't hear. When it comes to the concubines they donated, the color is not as good as flowers, and the sound is just the mood of birds. However, they are surprised to see the appearance and happy to hear the song, but because they look like flowers, they sound like black. Alas, as expensive as truth, it is different from Ye Gong's good dragon. Giving is not. Every day when flowers and willows are blooming, when birds fly and fight skillfully, they will thank Hong Gou and creation. No wine, no food. If a good man believes in Buddha's marriage, he will sleep after the flowers at night and get up early in the morning, lest it be colorful. Speaking of catching up with presbyopia, if I lose something, it is my life that I can be worthy of flowers and birds. Flowers and birds also mean that a person can die without hating. " In the 16 letters to my family, there is a cloud in the end of the second part of Wei County Records with my brother's ink:
"Clouds can't be caged birds. I don't love birds, but I'm observant. There is nothing better than planting all kinds of trees to raise birds, so that hundreds of trees surround the house, and the house is the home of birds. When you wake up from your sleep, you are still unfolding in the quilt, listening to the chirping, like the play of Yunmen Xianchi, putting on your clothes and sipping tea on your forehead. It's not just a cage and a feather. If you want to use heaven and earth as a nursery and Jianghan as a pool, it is suitable for each day. It is bigger and faster than a fish cage, and its generosity and benevolence cannot be tolerated. " Li Zheng and Jun Zheng were knowledgeable people in the early Qing Dynasty, and they had unique views. These two articles are also well written. Dai Li-on often used stereotyped writing, which is sweet and smooth, occasionally innovative and strange, which is unmatched by others. Banqiao is better, sometimes from thorough to exaggerated, but what they say here is good in short. Recently, I saw a notebook, written by Qin in Qianlong period, with a cloud on it:
"Potted flowers, fish cages and birds, the gentleman's view is not happy, and the image of prison lock is also entertaining. However, the three cannot be generalized. The bird's temperament is only in the forest, and the cage is far away from the forest, which is undoubtedly sweating. Flowers are native, fish are raised by water, the water in rivers and lakes is also water, the soil in the garden is also soil, and the soil in the basin is also soil. However, if everyone lives here together, it doesn't seem to be a big blow. Go to the cage and save the fish and flowers in the pond. I am willing to discuss with my husband. " Of the three, this article is really well spoken, simple and clear, reasonable, and can be said to be a good realm of Confucianism. The "bird-body-oriented" mentioned by the sage of Brahma Tianwang, whom I admire, belongs to Buddhism, and its thoroughness has its own characteristics and cannot be easily compared. There is this article by Zhu Piyun on the transcript:
"This case hasn't been cut yet, and the fish in the basin is not complicated and easy to twist, which is also a big blow. And if you are tired of playing things, you don't have to wait for business. " The next signature is Uncle Wen. Looking up at Khotan, there are clouds about planting chrysanthemums:
"Li Dai Weng talks about flowers, and there is more light in the porch, and the art chrysanthemum will be one hundred times as big as people and begin to hypertrophy. I said that all flowers can borrow manpower, and there is a kind of chrysanthemum that should be left to its own devices. Another hermit who covers chrysanthemums. The hermit takes Xiao Shuqing as the truth, and if it is beautiful, it is Li's choice, not a left-thinking move, but also a loss of chrysanthemum. The owner of Dongli can hardly belong to him, and it is almost impossible to belong to him. " The following is Uncle Yu Wen Zhu Piyun:
"Li Liweng Jin Shengtan, full of quotations, can represent the ancients." Yu Jun disapproves of a pot of fish, but his other ideas are quite absurd. He completely exposed the orthodox face by obliterating Dai Li Weng's sigh. As for catching a toy's disgusting spell and scaring people at random, it is particularly bad. His attitude is diametrically opposed to that of the author of Jade Tan, and it is no wonder that Qin He is always out of place. Qin is not famous, but his opinions are brilliant. On the issue of chrysanthemum, he disagreed with Dai Li Weng Gu Jia. Fifteen years ago, when I was recovering from illness in Xishan, I wrote several miscellaneous letters on the mountain. In the fourth letter, there is a cloud:
"Bird cages occasionally appear among tourists, and I don't like them the most. I usually have a prejudice that people who do unnecessary evil deeds are more hateful than those who are forced to do evil in life, so my dislike for men who keep concubines is several times that of parents who sell women as concubines and eat human flesh because of poverty. The aversion to people who carry birdcages also comes from the same source. If you want to eat meat, eat it. In fact, the meat of birds is not necessary for health. If you want to appreciate it, you can watch or listen as much as possible while it is flying freely. Why did you take it away in a cage? I thought it was a kind of appreciation as painful as foot binding, and it was a kind of abnormal cruelty. " Letter of July 14th, ten years. ) I was a little young at that time, so I was a little angry. Compared with the gentlemen mentioned above, I was far from ashamed, but my attitude was always the same. I have no objection to "playthings" as long as they are not unreasonable. I don't want to talk about "loss of ambition" now, because I don't know how to say these two words at all. I have to define it first, but I don't have time to check the notes and omissions of the Thirteen Classics at the moment. 20051October 1 1 day.
Recommendation of Zhou Zuoren's Classic Prose Works —— Talking about Reading under the Lamp
Among the limerick poems I made before, there are two such poems about reading, which will be recorded later today. Its words say:
Drinking is harmful to spirit and spirit, and reading should be the most appropriate.
The saint is dead and blind, and his legacy has not been put on.
It may not be more expensive than black rice, but it still smells like Green Lantern.
I came across a volume of "Chang En Ge" by chance, and I pondered over the second reading on the volume.
This is a limerick, which is strictly ignored. I once said that it is a fact that you don't smoke while reading. As for tea and wine, I still use it now, but I haven't really given up. Books are expensive now, but they are definitely much cheaper than floor stickers. There's a little problem here, but what's the smell of blue lanterns? The ancients wrote a poem, blue light is fragrant. The ceremony is here, but what is blue light? There is red light in the same kind of words, but that refers to the flow of red gauze lamps, which are made of red things. When it caught fire, the whole thing was red, but the blue light was not. The proverb always refers to the light of the lamp. Su Dongpo's Ceng Yun, a bamboo building with bright paper windows, is not so interesting here. This scene is really interesting. Generally speaking, this lamp is a desk lamp. The earthen lamp is filled with clear oil, and the wick is for daily use. The light is cold and green, which means it is suitable for reading and worrying about the world. The next thing to say is ghosts. The ghost is coming, and the light is green and very similar. If the candle fire is not suitable and the lamp should not be blocked, then the lamp should be bare. According to legend, Dongpo read Buddhist books at night, and snuff burned a monk's word on the book, which shows that it was the same in ancient times. As for what oil to use, it probably has a lot to do with it. Sesame oil, that is, rapeseed oil, is commonly used. If you use other vegetable oils, the light color will be different, but now you can avoid these theories. In a word, the smell of this blue lantern is quite understandable to those who have read books under the vegetable oil lamp. It's much more convenient to switch to electric light now, but it tastes completely different. Although you can also install a blue magnetic cover to make the light blue tone come out, the result is always different. Therefore, the literal meaning of "The Blue Lantern" in modern poetry, whether it is a true poem or a harmonic poem, should be discounted, minus a few colors. There's nothing to do.
The legacy of the sages is naturally represented by the book of Confucius and Mencius, and perhaps Laozi and Zhuangzi can be added. Chang 'en Pavilion is the name of Fu Jiezi studying in Daxing. His books were spread out and I received several copies. This used to be a common thing, and it was not worth listening to. However, there is a special reason. I have two booklets called Mindful Magazine. Fu was very concerned about the historical events in the late Ming Dynasty. Most of the books recorded in the two volumes of Hua Yannian's Inscriptions and Postscripts belong to this category. As you know, this volume is just copied casually, not written, and it is of little value, but I am very touched after reading it. It has been 300 years since the Ming Dynasty, and everything in the opium Hongyang Boxer has changed. Even if we are not afraid to think, we have to think deeply. Although we closed the book at the beginning, the so-called second watch is poetry to decorate our ears. Those two poems are both about reading. Although they are not advocating the pleasure of reading, they always think that reading is probably the most appropriate way to relax the world, but the result is still not good, and the more you read, the more annoying you get. According to my years of experience, the conclusions I can see from the book are just these two sentences. Good ideas are written in books and never come true. All the bad things in the world have been done, and a small part of them are recorded in books. In the past, Indian sages were half thirsty without all kinds of alms. Now I have become two women because of this, and I have gained a lot. As for the meaning or negative aspect, it is both true and reasonable, or I will make another dispute.
No matter what the sage's lesson is, there is nothing wrong with it being invalid at all times and in all countries. The British afterlife once said this in his book "About Ancient Greek Religion and Modern Folk Custom":
"Greek nationals saw the rise and fall of many philosophers, but they always only grasped their hereditary religion. The theories of Plato and Aristotle, Lincia and Epicurus are above the Greek people, as if there were no such thing. But Homer and the polytheism of the previous era are still alive. " In his letter to friends, Spencer also said to the situation in modern Europe:
"After nearly two thousand years of preaching the religion of love, the religion of hatred is still very strong. There are 200 million pagans living in Europe, pretending to be _ _ believers. If someone asks them to act according to their teachings, they will be insulted. " What I said above is about the Greek philosopher and the fact that Christ is a human being. If Confucius and Mencius, Laozi and Zhuangzi, and even Buddhism are all the same. I wrote a short article twenty years ago, and I deeply felt that the lesson was useless. Finally, I explained:
"It's true. Socrates in Greece, Sakyamuni in India, Confucius and Laozi in China. They are all respected as saints, but they have never been among our own people today. I think this is of course, and there is no need to mourn for it. If these great men really don't exist, we should be more lonely now, but now it's good enough, and the words and deeds are circulated enough for people who are interested in knowledge to appreciate. " What I said here is a joke. It's been 20 years now, and my experience has increased a lot, but I can't be satisfied with it. Of course, I don't necessarily feel that I am groping for a good dream at the bedside. I hope these ideas can come true. In a word, I feel very lonely about the sages in troubled times. This may be an eventful autumn, but I don't take care of it myself. As mentioned in Fei Ming's book before, I can't forgive the world because of this melancholy. Although this is also a kind of bitterness, I still can't bear it now.
On Closed Reading is an article written in the winter of the Republic of China 16. It's a bit embarrassing, but I like it because its main meaning is true, even now. This theory is to persuade people to read history. Message cloud:
"I always believe that Twenty-four History is a good book. He told us sincerely that this was the case in the past, now and in the future. What history tells us is really only the past on the surface, and the present and future are also among them. Official history is like an ancestor's idol. The painting is particularly solemn. However, we can always see the faces of our children and grandchildren. As for unofficial history, it's more interesting. It is a small photo of a series of crosstalk and pleasure, which preserves the truth more completely, often making viewers stunned and lamenting the wonders of inheritance. " I wonder what kind of historical view this is. Let me explain to myself that only the dark new fatalism can be realized after thorough thinking, but there is still only disappointment, even if it is not really annoying. When we explain the seasons, people always think of Wei Zhongxian Hakkas and Zhang Zicheng first, but it doesn't matter. Anyway, those are eunuchs or bandits. What is even more unforgettable is that Lu Wanling, who was born in imperial academy, was invited to have fun at the Confucius Temple in Wei Zhongxian. Ruan Dacheng was appointed as a eunuch and led the Qing soldiers into Fujian. Especially when he remembered Tang Huai's poems and the legend of the ancient philosophers' firewood, he felt it was even more terrible. History books, like medical records, vividly remember syndromes and results. We may not find a prescription after seeing them, and we can get rid of the disease, but at least we can stop the disease all the time. Even better, we can see some health care methods from here. I still can't tell you what I have learned from reading history. Negative vigilance cannot turn people into wolves. Of course, it is one of them, and there are one or two positive aspects. For example, the government cannot stop people. There has been great misfortune behind this, but on the positive side, it is just a cliche, which easily falls into the category of sage's words and will always be empty talk. At this point, the two ends meet again, so even after the end, reading history and reading classics can be consistent, which is also a good way to read.
The ancients advised people to study and often talked about his pleasure, such as reading at four o'clock, and Tao Tao, who enjoyed reading, found it interesting to recite a few words secretly. There is also a school that says that reading is beneficial. For example, there is a golden house hidden in the book, and there is Yan Ruyu in the book. He is the representative of the theory of promoting to a higher position and making a fortune, that is, Han Wengong of the Tang Dynasty, who did something original and taught his son. He also said that the words of this school are very powerful in the world. What I said is not enough for these two factions. If you want to make it clear, you can say that you are studying for your own education. There is neither any benefit nor much happiness, only a little knowledge, and knowledge is bitter, at least knowledge is always a little bitter. The preacher of ancient Hebrew said: "I have always been aware of wisdom, arrogance and ignorance, but I know that this is also catching shadows, because the more wisdom, the more sorrow, and the more knowledge, the more sorrow." This job is very reasonable. But bitterness and sadness are not an education, and catching shadows is not meaningless. I once said, "It is a great undertaking to think about one's old age, death, illness and suffering, and find out the arrogance and ignorance of the same kind. Vanity lies in his vanity. Knowing that he is vanity, he insists on tracing and discovering it. Then this is very meaningful and can really be called a big wind. " In this way, my reading theory is actually not as negative as it seems in the poem. But in any case, loneliness is always inevitable, and only those who can stand loneliness can embark on this road. Shen Jia, August 2nd.
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