Buddha crossing a predestined person: Dharma and wisdom in life

Chapter 56 Cultivate self-discipline with Buddha-nature——Buddha’s Words Are True, Faithful to God (1)
Buddha nature without deceit, sincere Zen nature

The lessons of human history experience, playing with cleverness, tricks, and tricks, one is taller than the other, even today's children are not stupid, and their methods, skills, and intelligence are all superior to us.In the future, human beings all over the world will be too smart, too clever, and too good at playing tricks. In the end, the sincere and honest people will succeed.

Many people in the world are involved in disputes between man and man. As a result, some snipe and clam fight each other, and the fisherman benefits;Standing on the sidelines with cold eyes makes one's overly aggressive spirit disappear.There are so many phenomena of harmony and symbiosis in nature, such as gulls and ducks bathing together in the same water, wild deer and wild boar sleeping together in the same forest, watching things and thinking about people in a leisurely mood, so the calculating mind is gone.

In real life, there is such a group of people who think of themselves as noble: they are full of vigor and sharpness, they are relentless in dealing with things, aggressive in dealing with others, and show their talents and intelligence to the fullest.They often have abundant energy, high enthusiasm, and certain talents. They look down on anyone in front of them, and they have a posture of "seeing all mountains and small things at a glance". This kind of people is often self-righteous and condescending. Be a high-profile person.With a little skill, I feel that I have 72 kinds of martial arts, and I show it everywhere.As everyone knows, such people often suffer setbacks and even tragedies in the journey of life.The main reason is that they do not see or understand the relativity between "knowledge" and "unknowledge" of people, and they are arrogant if they are a little smart and have a little achievement, and feel that they know everything and can do anything.In fact, the world is so big, there is a sky beyond the sky, how can you exhaust it?If you show off your intelligence too much, show your sharpness, and feel that you know everything, you will definitely hit a snag.

That is to say, when we do any business, it is best to do more things that are beneficial to the realization of our goals and less things that have nothing to do with our goals.If you want to do a big business, you have to use great wisdom.It is easy to use small cleverness, but it will damage the great cause.

The Dongfang Shuo of the Han Dynasty is a good example.

Dongfang Shuo is funny and wise, and he had great ambitions when he was young. Because of his cleverness, he failed to realize his political ambitions in his life.

At the beginning of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's ascension to the throne, he issued an edict to solicit virtuous scholars of literature, and heroes from all over the world rushed to write letters first, so they recommended themselves.Dongfang Shuo also wrote a letter saying: Chen Shuo lost his parents since he was a child and was raised by his brother-in-law. He began to learn calligraphy at the age of 12. After 3 years, he learned enough knowledge of literature and history to use it. He learned fencing at the age of 15 and poetry at the age of 16. At the age of 22, he learned Sun Wu's Art of War, and he also recited 19 words.Calculated, Chen Shuo recited a total of 22 words.Chen Shuo is nine feet three inches tall, his eyes are as bright as pearls, and his teeth are as neat as arranged shells.As brave as Meng Ben, as agile as Qingji, as honest as Bao Shu, as faithful as Wei Sheng.A person like me can be your majesty's minister.

In this memorial, he has a high self-esteem and a glib tone. Although Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very talented, he didn't think he could be a high-level official, so he arranged an errand for him with a meager salary, but he didn't receive him.

After a long time like this, Dongfang Shuo was dissatisfied with the treatment.One day, when he met a group of dwarves, he frightened them and said, "How dare you live freely when you are about to die?"

The dwarves paled in panic and asked why.Dongfang Shuo said solemnly: "Think about it, you can't be officials, you can't farm, you can't fight wars, you are of no use to the country, you are just wasting food and clothing for nothing. No wonder the emperor didn't kill you!"

The dwarfs were so frightened that they all covered their faces and wept bitterly.Dongfang Shuo said again: "I have a way to keep you alive. After a while, the Holy Majesty will pass by here. As long as you kowtow, all of you will kowtow to plead guilty, and you will be saved from death."

After a while, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty came over, and the dwarves burst into tears when they saw the guard of honor.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty asked: "What's going on with you?"

The dwarves broke down in tears: "Dongfang Shuo said that His Majesty wants to kill us."

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty summoned Dongfang Shuo and asked, "Why do you scare the dwarves and confuse the public with rumors?"

Dongfang Shuo said: "Today I risk my life, and I have to tell the truth. The dwarf is three feet tall, has a salary of millet, and 240 yuan. I am more than nine feet tall, and I have this much salary. The dwarf is about to swell to death, but I am about to starve." He is dead. I think His Majesty is looking for talent, use it when it is available, let him go home if you don’t need it, don’t let him sit and eat Chang’an’s food."

After hearing this, Emperor Wu of the Han laughed, and asked Dongfang Shuo to wait for the Jinma Gate. Since then, Dongfang Shuo has often seen Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

One day, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty issued an order to grant official meat.Before Cheng Tian, ​​the senior official in charge of dividing the meat, came, Dongfang Shuo drew his sword alone, cut off a piece of meat, and walked away.

Da Guancheng participated in Dongfang Shuo's book in front of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.Emperor Wu of the Han called him in, questioned him, and said, "Sir, stand up and blame yourself!"

Dongfang Shuo saluted Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty twice before he stood up and blamed himself: "Dongfang Shuo, Dongfang Shuo! You don't wait for a gift, how rude! How majestic you are when you draw your sword and cut your flesh! You don't cut much flesh, how honest! Go home and give it to me." Wife, what kindness!"

After hearing this, Emperor Wu of the Han couldn't help laughing: "Let me blame myself, but I will boast myself!" After speaking, he gave him a stone of wine and a hundred catties of meat.

Dongfang Shuo often responded to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty with his wit and eloquence, but he has not been reused.At that time, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was begging Hu Yue from outside, and the system was being promoted internally. Talents were urgently needed. He used his talents to the best of his abilities.But Dongfang Shuo was very clever, but he was not awarded any real position, only for the entertainment of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.The main reason is that he uses too little of his great wisdom and too much of his little cleverness.

From this point of view, if a person wants to achieve something, he must do his job properly, and do what is needed to achieve his goal.Doing it the other way around doesn't work.For example, some young people want to be a boss, but they don't understand what talents are needed to be a boss, but learn those little skills that are definitely not needed to be a boss.He doesn't do things the way the boss does, but does things the way ordinary employees do. He is lazy and irresponsible if he can be lazy;Isn't this the opposite?
In the traditional Chinese concept, there is a talent to be a first-level official.The talents of the subordinates surpassed those of the superiors. Even though they were not as powerful as their masters, they were enough to make the superiors panic and feel a sense of crisis.This phenomenon of shocking the main body is a taboo in official circles.Although some people in power also love talented people, but when they find that their talents are amazing, far surpassing themselves, they would rather use slaves than talents. Yang Xiuxiu in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" committed this taboo and fell into Cao Cao's hands.It can be seen that Yang Xiu's death was too fond of revealing himself.Guessing the stele, guessing the characters, guessing a box of crisps, these are all small games, Cao Cao may not be able to put him to death; Cao Cao dreamed of killing the guards, Yang Xiu pointedly pointed out: "The prime minister is not in a dream", piercing Cao Cao The tricks played by Cao Cao made it difficult for Cao Cao to tolerate him; as for him breaking the meaning of "chicken ribs" on the front line and making soldiers ready to go home, this is a violation of military regulations, doesn't he know?Just trying to show off his wits for a while, regardless of the law and discipline, no wonder Cao Cao wanted to take the opportunity to kill him.Cao Cao's poisonous hands can be said to be "tricked" by Yang Xiu's too shrewd.

Be a low-key person, don't play tricks, keep yourself in a calm state all the time, under the dominance of a "low-key" mentality, and work hard, you can make a big business.

Gentleman is the root, the root is established and the Tao is born

A master said, learning is not literature, good writing means that the person’s literature is good; Yes, absolutely right, this is knowledge.This is not my own ingenious explanation. After we have studied the entire "Analects of Confucius", we know that Confucius paid attention to how to behave and how to complete being a person.

Personality education and cultural accomplishment run through life.Therefore, in addition to politics, wealth and power, the society also has independent and outstanding personality and character cultivation, which is the mainstay of the society's hearts.

Learning is a matter of life. Learning is not knowledge, but learning is all about being a person and doing things.

Obviously we are not ignorant people.But do we have culture?

The master has his own interpretation of Confucius' so-called learning.It is believed that learning is not good writing, good writing is good literature; good learning does not mean profound knowledge, profound knowledge can only mean extensive knowledge.Knowledge comes from life experience, from being a person and doing things.Learning means that even if a person has not read a book, he is a good person, does things right, is absolutely good, and is absolutely right. This is learning.The spirit of true learning is first of all to be a human being.

Look at the explanation of what learning is in "The Analects of Confucius".For example, Confucius said: "When a disciple enters, he is filial, and when he leaves, he is a younger brother. He is sincere and trustworthy, loves everyone, and is kind. Its power, you can do your best to serve the king, make friends with friends, and have faith. Although you have not learned, I must call it learning." Confucius said when answering Lu Aigong's question "Which of the disciples is eager to learn?" Those who are eager to learn, don’t get angry, don’t make mistakes, unfortunately, they will die in a short life. Now they will die, and I have never heard of a good scholar.” These words all tell us that the spirit of true learning is first of all to be a human being.Be a good person, do things right, even if you don't know a word, you are still knowledgeable.Otherwise, no matter how profound the knowledge is, memorizing the entire library will be useless. As Zhuge Liang said, "Although there are thousands of words in the pen, there is really no strategy in the mind."

There are many people who are very good at reading articles, and their papers are well written, but in actual work, they may be helpless when encountering problems; Have lofty ambitions, lament every day that their talents are not appreciated; or they only consider their own interests or honors, and do not consider other people's feelings, so it is difficult to be accepted by others.No matter how well such a person writes articles, I am afraid that he cannot be called a good scholar.

Therefore, "a gentleman should focus on the basics", good literature, profound knowledge, that is a side issue.The way of learning lies in the foundation of being a person, that is, the establishment of life and the cultivation of the heart. "Originally established and Daosheng".

Although what Mr. Jingxin is talking about is the learning that Confucius talked about, you can also see from the above meaning that the learning that our Confucius talked about is by no means the learning in the minds of the so-called intellectual elites who are pious and think they have the truth.It is something that is truly rooted in life, gained from experience, and can be seen in practice. Its external manifestations, in today's terms, are not a person's cultural accomplishment?

Where does this knowledge come from?Not necessarily in the book.Pay attention to everything.Confucius said: "When three of us walk together, there must be my teacher." "Knowing benevolence through observation".Look at others, reflect on yourself and don't make the same mistakes, this is learning.That is, to have thoughts, practice, experience, and reflection anytime and anywhere, this is knowledge.

Knowledge is a comprehensive quality, a realm of life cultivation, indifference to fame and fortune, and understanding of human feelings; it is perseverance when encountering setbacks, and the wit of being good at outflanking when you can't attack head-on; it is honesty and trustworthiness. It is the adaptability of the specific analysis of specific problems; it is the vision that can grasp the key of the problem at once in a complicated situation and find the inner connection of things; it is an experience, an experience after understanding, experience after practice, and experience after experience. improvement.

I hope we can really take care of ourselves and become knowledgeable and literate people.Because knowledgeable and uneducated people are more terrifying than truly ignorant and uneducated people.Because the former kind of people will have arrogance and prejudice over the sky above the land of China, and laugh at the ignorance of the people.And the object of their ridicule is precisely ignorant, but educated people.So this world seems to be reversed, so we will gradually understand why some people say: the more knowledge, the more reactionary; why some people say: Hooligans are not scary, only if they have knowledge!

But in all sincerity, there is no other solution

Therefore, a person's self-cultivation must have this kind of mentality of "worshiping gods as if they are gods" in dealing with people and things.Otherwise, it is useless to be very respectful on the surface, but another thing on the inside.Therefore, because of these words of Confucius, we understand the sacrificial rites, and we can draw inferences about the principles of life based on this.

Sometimes a person's words and deeds are contradictory, as some people say, some look beautiful, but actually have dark thoughts;

Zhang Guoli, the actor of Fei Mo in the movie "Mobile Phone", said the classic line "Being kind" became popular with the hit of "Mobile Phone", and was named No.2004 of the top ten Internet buzzwords in 1.

"To be kind" was originally a ridicule line, but it sneaked into the lives of ordinary people with "Mobile Phone" and became a catchphrase that everyone wanted to say. ".The common people use the phrase "to be kind and honest" to actually express some helplessness, resentment, and expectation for the establishment of an honest society.

"To be kind" means to be honest, not to be harsh, to be honest in dealing with others, not to exaggerate, not to lie, to always be the same, to tell the truth, to do real things, and to be a real person.

To be a human being, one must be a good self, and be consistent in doing things, which is an understanding of life and an understanding of others.To understand others, you must understand yourself. Knowing others begins with knowing yourself, stepping out from your own heart, accepting yourself and allowing others, and constantly cultivating.It has nothing to do with age, but has a great relationship with one's own understanding of life. It is a reflection process of one's own life in the world. Treating people with sincerity is also a kind of reflection on oneself, reflecting one's own attitude towards life, and one's own attitude towards oneself. There is a qualitative improvement in the value of life.Learn to consider problems from the perspective of others. Others are your own mirror and the best way to improve yourself.We cannot reject others, but accept the people and things around us from the heart.

Being a human being is a profound knowledge, and being the same inside and outside is like the cool breeze in spring, the parasol in summer, the golden wind in autumn, and the warm sun in winter.As a friend, a kind person can be socialized; as a colleague, he can be trusted; as a teacher, he can be admired; as a leader, he can be followed; as a subordinate, he can be reused.People who are the same on the outside will not plot against you, will not deceive you, and will not betray you. Dealing with such people is like rafting on a lake full of moonlight and lotus fragrance in the midst of soft songs and fragrance of tea. The heart is relaxed and happy, quiet and far-reaching, romantic and warm.

"The Analects of Confucius" Chapter 8 "Tai Bo" said: "The Master said, 'Crazy but not straightforward, Dong but unwilling, and stern but not trustworthy, I don't know.'" These words are Confucius' criticism of some inconsistencies. The person's statement also expressed his doubts.He said: "Arrogant but not straightforward, childish and not honest, seemingly honest but not trustworthy, I can't understand this kind of person." It will make people see their true colors, and they will eventually be alienated by those around them.Here, Confucius also directly put forward his personal opinion on people who have different appearances, and even today, this type of people is still incomprehensible.Excessively inflated confidence in oneself is arrogance. If one's position is set too high, the expectations of being a person and doing things will easily deviate greatly from the facts.This way of doing things gives people a naive impression, and it also tries to get a quick success and instant benefit attitude.It is really incomprehensible that the appearance is not the same as the inside.

Although everyone has the right to choose their own way of life, after all, we live in a social group, and we must be consistent in the outside and the inside in order to establish our personal status and dignity in society and live out our own colors.

But sometimes, even though we know that it is important to be a consistent person, it is painful to think that for the sake of harmony, we have to make compromises and hide our true nature.

When will it be the same?What about being a person and being consistent with words and deeds?Maybe people will adapt quickly, or have their own reasons for changing all the time.

The idiom "circle outside and square inside" is regarded by the Chinese as the highest state of being a human being. According to Guo Jianglong, general manager of Texas Instruments Semiconductor Technology Greater China, it is the best answer.He explained that the so-called "outer circle" refers to the attitudes and behaviors that are revealed on the outside, which emphasizes "mellowness" and "harmony"; "inner square" refers to the principles and beliefs hidden in the heart, such as "integrity", "Integrity" acts as the last line of defense and will not abandon it due to pressure or changes in the environment.

Ordinary people often misunderstand that "outside and inside" or "outside and inside" are "the same as the outside and inside", and they are truly being themselves.Even so, the so-called "consistency between the outside and the inside" is not arbitrarily arbitrary.

The article "Remember Who You Are—Harvard's Last Lecture" pointed out that the so-called "being the same outside and inside" means that you don't have to completely give up yourself in order to be a human being, but you should know how to distinguish between private and working self, In order to maintain a balance of "identity".He believes that instead of an impenetrable brick wall, you can draw a veil between public and private life, so as to facilitate communication at any time and distinguish each other's differences.Once you know how to switch roles and pass through this veil skillfully, you don't have to give up yourself and become a dual personality.

Interestingly, the more you can make good use of this method, the more unique advantages you will have: First, in the workplace, because you do not deviate from your nature, you can often show a certain personal style and win the most trust.When you return to the private sphere, you can be yourself as you want, and your family and friends will give you real rewards, which can better balance your emotional ups and downs in the workplace and become your backing.

There is nowhere for the Buddha to hide, but the way is clear

Knowing the magical effect of Dao lies in being humble, just like a spring from a long distance, it trickles and flows endlessly, and finally converges into a bottomless abyss, which never refuses to pour, and will never be full and endless.

From the point of view of personal cultivation, the foundation of Taoism is first of all to be able to be humble, whether it is refining qi or cultivating the mind, it must be the same, it must be natural, never full of dissatisfaction, come without rejecting, go without staying, Get rid of the old and accept the new, and keep going without hindrance.

The wisdom of being a human being is not to be complacent, arrogant, or arrogant.

When Confucius took his students to visit the ancestral temple of Duke Huan of Lu, he saw a vessel that could be used to hold water, which was placed obliquely in the ancestral temple.At that time, this kind of inclined vessel was called a slant vessel.

(End of this chapter)