The master of keeping in good health is an article by Zhuang Zhou, a philosopher and writer in the Warring States Period, which is contained in Zhuangzi's Inner Chapter. This is an article about keeping in good health. The full text is divided into three parts. The first part is the general outline of the whole article, pointing out that the most important thing in keeping in good health is to adhere to the virtual Tao in things and adapt to the changes and development of nature;
The second part uses the story of knowing how to treat cows to compare people's health, which shows that people should follow the laws of things in life and avoid the entanglement of right and wrong and contradictions; The third part shows that the sage's attitude towards life, which keeps pace with the times instead of sticking to things, is to do his best, even doomed, and embodies the author's philosophical thought and life purport. The article describes vivid images and details, and the story contains reasoning, which is interesting and enlightening.
The mid-Warring States period in which Zhuangzi lived was a period of dramatic social transformation in history. China society has undergone a great change, and people in troubled times are full of confusion about life and the future. In view of the fact that people can't let their nature live freely in the cruel reality, and it's hard to enjoy life in the face of ruthless destruction, Zhuangzi carefully hides in the front, adapts in time, does not seek far harm, looks for cracked space, and avoids being destroyed or enslaved, thus preserving nature and cultivating spiritual life. This article was written in this state of mind.
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In the author's view, all kinds of contradictions in human society are like tendons and bones in cattle. If it is not handled properly, it will do harm to people like bones and muscles hitting the blade. Therefore, in order to save lives from damage, people should "rely on nature" and "nature" and learn to survive in contradiction. It's like solving a cow. As long as the blade walks along the gap between the tendon and the bone, it will remain sharp and will not be dulled by injury.
The reason why an expert can reach the realm of "being comfortable" is "Tao is good", and Tao is the regularity of things. Cattle's body has its natural structure, and I have learned and mastered its structure from long-term practice. Therefore, when I am trying to solve the problem, I can "meet God but not see him, and be willing to do it with Zhi Zhi as an official", which is orderly and rhythmic. In other words, to master things skillfully, we must first master the regularity of things.
At the beginning of my understanding of cows, I saw nothing but cows. Three years later, I "haven't seen all the cows" and have mastered the structure of cows. 19 years of practice has finally reached the realm of "freedom". This development process fully shows that to understand and master the laws of things, we must go through a long-term and serious practice process.
After being extremely skilled, I still dare not take it lightly when solving cattle. He "sees the difficulties of family as soon as it comes to it", "takes a warning, looks at it, acts late and rarely uses a knife". The reason is profound.
The author believes that human society is complex and human life is limited. Living in such a complicated society, we should conform to the way of nature and regard it as a normal law of life. Don't pursue fame for good, don't be punished and humiliated for evil. Be good at avoiding all contradictions and right and wrong, "go into a thick room", live in the gap between right and wrong, and do "keep healthy", "support relatives" and "do your best"
This way of keeping in good health is actually developed from Laozi's thought of "being satisfied with enough and not humiliating, being content with risks and lasting for a long time", which embodies Zhuangzi's thought of avoiding harm all his life. This philosophy of life has given spiritual comfort and profound enlightenment to those who are in a dangerous and chaotic era or who are pessimistic and frustrated, and has also produced popular idioms such as "take it easy" and "aim high", which are still in use today.