Gongsun Long asked Wei Mou, "When I was young, I learned the teachings of the ancient holy kings, and when I grew up, I learned the behavior of benevolence and righteousness; Able to combine the difference and the same of things, to separate the hardness of an object from the whiteness of its color; be able to say what is wrong as right, and see what should not be approved as appropriate; It can make a hundred wise men puzzled, and can make many eloquent arguments poor: I think I am the most understanding. Now that I have listened to what Zhuangzi has to say, I feel very confused. I wonder if my arguments are not as good as his, or if my knowledge is not as good as his? Now I have no way to speak anymore, so I would venture to ask you for the truth. ”

Wei Mu sighed deeply as he leaned on a few cases, then looked up to the sky and said with a smile, "Haven't you heard of the frog in that shallow well?" The well frog said to the turtles in the East China Sea, 'I am so happy!' I jumped and played on the railing at the mouth of the well, and when I entered the well, I rested on the broken bricks of the well wall. Jumping into the water, the well water flooded my armpits and lifted my chin, stepped into the mud and the mud covered my instep, and when I looked back at the red worms, small crabs and tadpoles in the water, no one could be as happy as I was! Besides, the joy of having a pit of water alone and entrenched in a shallow well is also extremely satisfying. Why don't you come to the well at any time? Before his left foot could step into the shallow well, his right knee had already been tripped up. Then he hesitated for a while, and then withdrew his feet, and told the frog of the shallow well about the sea, saying, 'A thousand miles are far away enough to describe its greatness; The height of a thousand miles is not enough to explore its depth. Nine of the ten years of the Xia Yu era were flooded, and the sea water did not increase because of this; Seven of the eight years of Shang Tang's era were drought, and the water level on the shore would not drop as a result. It does not change because of the shortness and longevity of time, and does not increase or decrease because of the amount of rainfall, which is the greatest happiness of the East China Sea. When the frog heard this, he was terrified and at a loss. Besides, your Gongsun Long's intelligence is not enough to know the realm of right and wrong, but you still want to perceive Zhuangzi's words, which is like driving mosquitoes to carry mountains and horses to run in the river, which must be incompetent. And your intellect is not enough to understand the most subtle words, and you are pandering to those momentary victories, is not that like a frog in a shallow well? Moreover, Zhuangzi's thought advocates that the Yellow Spring is ascending to the sky, regardless of the north and south, it is relieved to be scattered and unimpeded, and the deep silence is undetectable; Regardless of the thing, it starts from the deep and mysterious realm, and returns to the vast and accessible realm. Isn't it too small that you insist on using the method of observation to explore its mysteries, and use argumentative words to seek its true meaning? You'd better go! And haven't you heard of the boy from Shouling of Yan Kingdom going to Handan of Zhao State to learn walking? failed to learn Zhao Guo's skills, and lost his original skills, and finally had to crawl back. If you don't leave me as soon as possible, you will forget your original skills, and you will also lose your original studies. ”

When Gongsun Long heard this, his mouth was wide open and he couldn't close it, and his tongue was raised high but couldn't put it down, so he fled quickly.

Zhuangzi was fishing by the water, and the king of Chu sent two ministers to pay his respects, saying, "The king of Chu is willing to entrust you with domestic affairs and you are tired." ”

Zhuangzi said without looking back: "I heard that there is a divine turtle in the state of Chu, which has been dead for three thousand years, and the king of Chu used a bamboo box to pack it, covered it with a scarf, and treasured it in the temple. Would this turtle rather die to show his dignity by leaving behind his bones, or would he rather live and drag his tail in the muddy water? The two ministers said, "I'd rather live in muddy water with my tail in tow." Zhuangzi said, "Let's go!" I'm still going to live in muddy water with my tail in tow. ”

Keiko was the prime minister of the Liang state, and Zhuangzi went to visit him. Someone said to Huizi: "Zhuangzi came to Liang to replace you as prime minister." So Keiko panicked and searched for Zhuangzi in the capital for three days and three nights.

Zhuangzi went to see Huizi and said, "There is a bird in the south, and its name is 鹓, do you know? It flies from the South China Sea to the North Sea, and it will not stop if it is not the plane tree, it will not eat unless it is the fruit of bamboo, and it will not drink if it is not a luscious spring. At this moment, a harrier eagle found a rotten mouse, and the harrier happened to fly through the air, and the harrier eagle looked up at the eagle and let out an angry cry: 'Frightened'! Now you also want to use your Liang Kingdom to scold me? ”

Zhuangzi and Huizi play together on the bridge in Haoshui. Zhuangzi said: "How leisurely the white fish swims, this is the happiness of the fish." Keiko said, "You are not a fish, how do you know the happiness of fish?" Zhuangzi said, "You are not me, how do you know that I don't know the happiness of fish?" Keiko said, "I am not you, and I do not know you; You are not a fish either, and you don't know the joy of fish, and you are completely sure. Zhuangzi said, "Let's follow the words we said earlier." When you just said, 'How do you know the happiness of fish?' you just said that you already knew that I knew the happiness of fish and asked me, and I knew that fish were happy on the bridge in Haoshui. ”

"Bliss" are two words in the first sentence that mean greatest happiness. What is the greatest joy in life? How should people deal with life and death? The purpose of this article is to discuss and answer such questions.

The full text is naturally divided into seven parts. In the first part, "How can a man do nothing?", after five consecutive questions, he lists and criticizes the world's views on suffering and happiness one by one, pointing out that there is never any real happiness, and the so-called "supreme happiness" is also "no happiness". The second part, "Therefore and Zhi", writes the story of Zhuangzi's wife singing when she died, and points out that human life and death are the aggregation and dispersion of qi, just like the replacement of the four seasons. The third part, "What Am I Evil?", points out that "death and life are like day and night", and that man can only adapt to this natural change. The fourth part is "recovering for the labor of the world", and uses the mouth of the skull to write about the fatigue and labor of life in the world. The fifth part, "Yes is the Saying of Attainment and Blessing", tells a fable through the mouth of Confucius, pointing out that man-made imposition can only create disasters, and everything must be left to its course. The sixth part, "Joy in Fruition," points out that neither death nor life is enough for sorrow and joy. The remaining part is the seventh part, which deals with the evolution of species, which is of course unscientific and unfounded, and whose purpose is to show that all things arise from "machines" and return to "machines", and man is no exception; Thus according to the first paragraph, there is no "happiness" in life, and human death and life are only a natural change.

Is there the greatest happiness in the world or not? Is there something that can survive the body or not? Now, what should be done and on what basis? What to avoid and what to reassure about? What to approach and what to abandon? What do you like and what do you hate?

The people of the world revere and value wealth, nobility, longevity, and good name; What I like is the comfort of the body, the abundance of food, the beautiful clothes, the brilliant colors and the beautiful music; The lowly are poverty, lowliness, short-livedness, and notoriety; The afflictions are that the body cannot be comforted, the mouth cannot be frequent, the appearance cannot be beautifully dressed, the eyes cannot see brilliant colors, and the ears cannot hear pleasant music. If you don't get these things, you will be very sad and worried, and all these ways of dealing with the body are so stupid!

Wealthy people, tired of their bodies and diligent operations, have accumulated a lot of wealth but cannot enjoy it all, so they treat their bodies too lightly. A noble person who thinks day and night about how to preserve his position and whether he is generous or not, then treats the body too neglectably. When people live in the world, sorrow arises together, and the long-lived people are confused all day long, and they are in sorrow for a long time without dying, how painful it is! It's too alienating to treat the body like that. Fierce men show the act of forgetting their lives and martyrdom for the sake of the world, but they are not enough to survive themselves. I don't know if this behavior is really good, or if it really can't be considered good. If it is considered a good deed, it is not enough to survive itself; If it is not considered a good deed, it is enough to keep others alive. Therefore, it is said: "If loyal counsel is not accepted, then step aside and do not argue anymore." "Wu Zixu was so loyal to his counsel that he was killed, and if he did not strive to fight for it, his reputation as a loyal minister would not have been accomplished. So is there really a good or no such thing?

What the world is doing and rejoicing in, I don't know if that happiness is really happiness, and is it really happiness? I look at the things that the world rejoices, and everyone is chasing them with all their might, and it seems that they will not give up until they reach their goal. Everybody says that's the happiest thing, but I don't see it as happiness, and I certainly don't think it's happiness. So, is there really happiness or no happiness in the world? I think that non-action is true happiness, but it is also the most painful and troublesome thing that worldly people feel. Therefore, "the greatest happiness is the absence of happiness, and the greatest honor is the absence of honor." ”

The rights and wrongs of the world are truly uncertain. Nevertheless, the views and attitudes of inaction can determine right and wrong. The greatest happiness is to keep oneself alive, and only inaction is the closest thing to making oneself live. Let me say that. The sky is inactive and therefore clear and clear, the earth is inactive and therefore turbid and quiet, and the two inactions of heaven and earth are combined with each other, and all things can change and grow. In a trance, I don't know where it came from! In a trance, there is not a trace of it! All things are multiplied, and they all reproduce from inaction. Therefore, the heavens and the earth are self-purifying, and they have no intention of doing anything, but they are born and do everything, and who can do nothing!

Zhuangzi went to the state of Chu, and on the way he saw a skeleton, and the dry bones were exposed to show their original shape. Zhuangzi struck it from the side with a horsewhip. So he asked, "Is it that the gentleman is greedy for his life and has lost the truth?" Or have you been slashed with a sword and axe? Or did they have bad behavior, fearing that they would leave shame on their parents, wife, sons, and daughters, and die in shame? Or have you become like this by the scourge of cold and hunger? Or did you die like this? Zhuangzi said, took the skeleton, used it as a pillow and fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, the skeleton showed Zhuangzi a dream and said, "You really talked like a good debater. Look at what you have said, it is all the bondage of the living, and when a man dies there will be no such sorrows. Would you like to hear about what happens after death? Zhuangzi said, "Good." The skeleton said, "When a man dies, there is no rule over kings above, and no rulers over him; There is no toil of the four seasons, and the longevity of heaven and earth is regarded as the passage of seasons at ease, and even the happiness of the king of the south cannot be exceeded. Zhuangzi did not believe it and said, "Do you want to let the god in charge of life restore your body, regrow your flesh and bones, and return to your parents, wife, children, neighbors, and friends?" The skeleton frowned, and said with deep concern, "How can I abandon the joy of being king in the south and go through the toil of the world again?" ”

Yan Yuan went east to the state of Qi, and Confucius was very worried. Zigong left his seat and stepped forward and asked, "The student took the liberty of asking, Yan Yuan went east to the Qi country, and the gentleman's face was worried, why is this?" ”

Confucius said, "Your question is really good! At that time, Guan Zhong had a saying, which I think said very well: 'A small cloth bag cannot contain a large thing, and the rope on the bucket is too short to draw water from a deep well.' In this way, it should be regarded as the formation of a form by the destiny of heaven, and although the forms are different, each has its own suitable use, and all of them cannot be added or subtracted from at will. I am worried that Yan Yuan and the Marquis of Qi will talk about the ideas of Yao, Shun, and the Yellow Emperor to govern the country, and he will further promote the remarks of the Suiren clan and the Shennong clan. Qi Hou will definitely ask himself and think hard, but he still can't understand, if he doesn't understand, he will definitely have doubts, and once he has doubts, he will anger the other party and kill him.

"Besides, haven't you heard of it? Once upon a time, a seabird flew to the outskirts of the capital of Lu to stop, and the king of Lu asked people to take the seabird to the temple to offer wine, play the music of "Jiu Shao" to make it happy, and use "Taigao" as a meal. The seabirds were so dazzled and sad that they did not dare to eat a piece of meat or drink a glass of wine, and they died in three days. This is to raise birds according to their own living habits, not to raise birds according to their habits. To raise birds according to their habits, they should let the birds inhabit the deep mountains and old forests, play on the sandbanks in the water, float in the rivers and lakes, peck at loaches and small fish, and stop with the queue of birds, and live calmly and freely. They hate to hear people's voices, so why should they be so noisy? Famous music such as Xianchi and Jiushao was played in the vast desert wilderness, and the birds heard the soaring, the wild beasts heard the frightened flight and fled, the fish heard the diving underwater, and the ordinary people heard it, and they surrounded each other and watched endlessly. Fish can only survive in water, and people will die in water, and there must be differences between people and fish, and their likes and dislikes must be different. Therefore, the holy kings of the previous generations did not force them to have uniform power, nor did they equal what they did. The nominal existence is in accordance with reality, and the appropriate measure is to adapt to nature, which is called coherence and longevity. ”

Liezi went out to play, ate by the roadside, saw the skull of a dead man of more than a hundred years, plucked the grass around it, pointed to the skeleton, and said, "Only I know that you have never died or been born." Are you really sorrowful? Am I really happy? ”

The ever-changing nature of things originates from the "several" in the subtle state, and with the nourishment of water, it will gradually grow one after another, forming moss at the junction of land and water surface, growing in the mountainous highlands and becoming plantain, plantain gets the nourishment of dung and grows into black feet, the roots of black feet change into soil silkworms, and the leaves of black feet change into butterflies. The butterfly soon changed into a worm and lived under the stove, like molting, and its name was stove horse. After a thousand days, the stove horse changed into a bird, and its name was Dry Bone. The saliva of the dried bones grew worms, and Simi gave birth to midges. The chariot is formed from the midge, and the yellow chariot grows from the nine yoke; Midges are produced from fireflies. The sheep grass is combined with the old bamboo that does not grow bamboo shoots, and the old bamboo gives birth to Qingning insects; Qingning insects give birth to leopards, leopards give birth to horses, horses give birth to people, and people return to the chaos at the beginning of creation. All things arise from the creation of nature, and all return to the creation of nature.

"Thief" is the name of a person, referring to a thief named Plantar, and this article is named after the character. The core of the content of "The Thief" is to criticize Confucianism, denounce the hypocrisy and deception of Confucian views, and advocate returning to the original and going with the flow.

Three fables are written in this article, which are naturally divided into three main parts. In the first part, "almost inevitably the mouth of the tiger", he wrote a dialogue between the thief and Confucius, Confucius advised the thief, and severely reprimanded the thief, calling him a "clever and hypocritical" person. The thief used a large number of examples from the past and present to prove that the Confucian concepts of sages, wise men, and loyal ministers are all inconsistent with the facts, and that Confucianism's ideas are unworkable, and even Confucius himself "does not tolerate being in the world", because he "eats without ploughing, does not weave clothes, shakes his lips and puffs his tongue, and is good at giving birth to right and wrong." "Thief" is a famous rebel in the pre-Qin era, calling him "thief" is of course based on the view of the feudal rulers, Confucius in the eyes of the thief is "rampant in the world, invading the princes", eating human liver, but at the same time have to praise him "heart like a spring, meaning like the wind", and both "three virtues". The first part is the main part of the whole text, which is divided into two parts due to the long length of the text. The second part is to "Leave the Trouble", writing the dialogue between Zizhang and Man Goude, one based on fame and the other on profit, through the debate between them, further revealing the hypocrisy of Confucian preaching, and clearly putting forward the proposition of "reversing martyrdom and heaven" and "wandering with the Tao", rather than pursuing false benevolence and righteousness, it is better to "follow the principles of heaven and follow nature." The rest of the third part is written about the dialogue between inadequacy and knowledge, one respects power and wealth, and the other opposes exploration and criticizes the powerful, and through the discussion, he further clearly puts forward the proposition of "not harming oneself with beauty" and "not harming oneself with things".

This article has always been considered a forgery, or it is believed to be the work of a later scholar. Throughout the whole text, the language style of the first part and the second and third parts is also very different, the first part is in one go, directly expressing the heart, incisive, and not dragging mud and water, which is very different from the bizarre and graceful style of the inner part of the "Zhuangzi"; The second and third parts are obscure and incomprehensible.

Confucius and Liu Xiaji were friends, and Liu Xiaji's younger brother was named Thief. The thieves' subordinates numbered nine thousand, and they roamed the world and harassed the princes of all countries; breaking through houses, plundering cattle and horses, robbing women; greedy for money and reckless relatives, without regard for parents and brothers, and without sacrificing ancestors. Wherever he passed, the big ones avoided the cities, the small ones retreated into the castles, and the people were miserable by him. Confucius said to Liu Xiaji: "Whoever is a parent will be able to admonish his children, and whoever is an elder brother will definitely be able to educate his younger brother." If fathers cannot admonish their children, and elder brothers cannot educate their brothers, then the intimacy between fathers, sons, and brothers is of little value. Now you are a wise man in the world, and yet your brother is called a thief, and he has become a scourge of the world, and he cannot be disciplined, and I am ashamed of him in private. I'm willing to convince him on your behalf. Liu Xiaji said: "When Mr. talks about being a father, he must be able to admonish his children, and being an elder brother must be able to educate his younger brother, if the children do not listen to the father's admonition, and the brother does not accept the education of the elder brother, even if Mr. is as eloquent as he is today, what can he do with him?" Moreover, a thief is a man whose mind is active like a gushing spring, whose feelings change like a sudden storm, who is brave and strong enough to resist the enemy, who is good enough to cover up his mistakes, who is happy to obey his will, who loses his temper when he goes against his will, and who is prone to insult others with words. Sir, don't go to see him. ”

Confucius didn't listen, so he asked Yan to drive back, and Zigong rode to meet the thief. The thieves rested at the southern foot of Mount Tai and chopped up the human liver and ate it. Confucius got out of the car and walked forward, saw the person who reported to him, and said: "Confucius from Lu country, I heard that the general is resolute and upright, please convey my heart to come to meet you." ”

When the person who reported the report entered the house, the thief heard that Confucius was furious, his eyes were as bright as a star, and his hair rose angrily to the top of his hat, and said, "Isn't this the clever man Confucius of the Nalu country?" Tell him for me: 'You have fabricated your language to disguise the claims of King Wen and King Wu; Thou hast a twig-like hat on your head, a wide oxhide belt around your waist, and a mouth full of gibberish; You don't farm but you eat well, you don't weave but you dress well; Thou hast been shaking thy lips all day long, and thou hast deliberately created right and wrong in order to confuse the princes of the world, so that all the scholars in the world will not be able to return to their natural nature, and thou hast vainly flaunted the idea of filial piety and honor, so that he could be rewarded by the feudal lord and become a rich man. You're a terrible sin, get out of here! Otherwise, I'll dig out your heart and liver to increase your lunch meal! ’”

Confucius again asked for a briefing reception, saying: "I am honored to meet Liu Xiaji, and I sincerely hope to meet the general. The reporter reported again, and the thief said, "Call him in!" Confucius cautiously walked into the tent, took a few steps back from his seat, and bowed deeply to the thief. When the thief saw Confucius, he was furious, stretched out his legs, pressed the hilt of his sword and opened his eyes angrily, shouting like a lactating tigress, and said, "Come, Kongqiu!" What you say is what you want, and you live, but if it doesn't meet your heart, you will die. ”

Confucius said: "I have heard that there are three virtues in the world: being born tall and beautiful, and being beautiful and unparalleled, whether young or old, noble or lowly, they are very fond of him, which is the highest virtue; The intellect is able to encompass the heavens and the earth, and the ability to distinguish all kinds of things, which is a medium virtue; Brave, fierce, decisive, and brave, able to gather a crowd to command a soldier, this is a next-class virtue. Great mortals have this virtue enough to be king in the south. Now that the general possesses all three of these qualities, you are tall and burly and eight feet two inches long, your face and eyes are shining, your lips are bright red like cinnabar, your teeth are as straight as braided shells, and your voice is as loud as a yellow bell, but your name is that of a thief, and I am secretly ashamed of the general, and I think that the general should not have such a notoriety. If the general intends to listen to my advice, I will send an envoy to the south to the Wu and Yue countries, the north to the Qi and Lu countries, the east to the Song State to defend the country, and the west to the Jin and Qin countries, and send people to build a large city for hundreds of miles for the general, establish a feudal feud for hundreds of thousands of households, respect the general as a prince, and open a new page with all countries in the world to get rid of old grievances, abandon weapons to recuperate soldiers, adopt brothers, and sacrifice ancestors. This is the work of the saints and wise men, and it is also the wish of the people of the world. ”

The thief was furious and said, "Come, come forward! Whoever can be exhorted by Lelu and corrected by words can only be called ignorant and shallow ordinary obedient people. Now I am tall and burly, handsome and beautiful, and everyone likes me when they see me, which is a virtue that my parents have left me. Don't I know that you don't praise me to your face? And I've heard that people who like to praise others in person can also slander others behind their backs. How can it last long now that you have told me your intention to build a great city and gather a great number of people, which is to tempt me with utilitarianism, and to treat me with the attitude of ordinary people? There is no greater city than the whole world. Yao Shun owns the world, but his descendants have no place to stand; Shang Tang and King Wu of Zhou established themselves as the Son of Heaven, but their descendants were exterminated, isn't it because they are greedy to occupy the world?

"Moreover, I have heard that in ancient times there were many birds and beasts but few people, so people built nests in trees and lived in hiding from wild beasts, picking up acorns during the day and living in trees at night, so they were called the people of the nest. In ancient times, people didn't know how to dress, they stored a lot of firewood and grass in summer, and burned fires to keep warm in winter, so they were called people who knew how to survive. In the Shennong era, how quiet and leisurely the residence was, how comfortable the action was, people only knew their mothers, but not their fathers, lived with elk, farmed and ate by themselves, weaved their own cloth and wore their own clothes, and did not have the intention of harming others, this was the era of moral peak. However, when he arrived at the Yellow Emperor, he no longer had such virtue, and fought with Chiyou on the outskirts of Zhuolu, bleeding for hundreds of miles. Yao Shun proclaimed himself emperor and set up a hundred officials, Shang Tang exiled his monarch, and King Wu killed King Xu. Since then, the world has always relied on power to bully the weak, and relied on the powerful to infringe on the few. Since Shang Tang and King Wu, they have all belonged to the people who usurped and rebelled.

"Now that you have studied the statecraft of King Wen and King Wu, and controlled the public opinion of the world, you are bent on using your ideas to preach future generations, wearing Confucian clothes with wide clothes and belts, and your words and actions are pretentious to confuse the princes of the world, and you are bent on using this method to pursue high-ranking officials and Houlu, and there is no greater thief than you. Why doesn't the world call you a thief, but call me a thief? You persuaded Zilu with sweet words to let him follow you with all his heart, so that Zilu removed the high crown of bravery, lifted the long sword, and was taught by your disciples, and everyone in the world said that you Confucius can stop violence and prohibit injustice. But later, Zilu wanted to kill the usurping Wei Jun but couldn't succeed, and he was chopped into meat sauce on the east gate of Weiguo, which is the failure of your preaching. Aren't you a self-proclaimed wise scholar and a sage? However, he was expelled from the state of Lu twice, was shoveled off all his footprints in the country of Wei, was cornered in the state of Qi, and was besieged between the state of Chen and Cai, and could not accommodate the world. And the sub-path you have educated has suffered such a disaster, there is no way to gain a foothold in society as a teacher, and there is no way to be a person in society as a student, is there still something valuable about your set of ideas?

"The world is revered more than the Yellow Emperor, the Yellow Emperor can not preserve his virtue, and fought in the suburbs of Zhuolu, bleeding for hundreds of miles. Tang Yao was not loving, Yu Shun was not filial, Dayu was half-fated, Shang Tang exiled his monarch, King Wu sent troops to recruit Shang, and King Wen was once imprisoned in Jinli. These six people are all respected by the world, but when you look at them carefully, they all force themselves to violate their natural endowments because they have confused their true nature in the pursuit of utilitarianism, and their practices are really extremely shameful.

"The wise men praised by the world are like Boyi and Shuqi. Boyi and Shuqi resigned from the throne of Guzhu Kingdom, but starved to death in Shouyang Mountain, and their bodies were not buried. Bao Jiao was so conscious of the world that he hugged the tree and died. Shen Tu Di's repeated admonitions were not accepted, and he threw himself into the river with stones on his back and died, and his body was eaten by fish and turtles. Jie Zi was the most loyal, cutting off the meat on his thigh for Jin Wengong to eat, but after Wen Gong returned to China, he turned his back on him, Jie Zitui fled from the capital in a rage and lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests, and also died of burning with trees. Oyo went on a date with a woman under the bridge, but the woman did not show up for the appointment as scheduled, but Oyo did not leave when the river poured in, and he drowned while holding the bridge pillar. These six people are no different from the mutilated dogs, the pigs that sank into the river, and the beggars who beg here and there with scoops.

"There are no loyal ministers praised by the world more than Prince Bigan and Wu Zixu. Wu Zixu was thrown into the river, and Bigan was dissected to death, these two people, known as loyal ministers in the world, were finally ridiculed by the world. Judging from the above facts, until Wu Zixu and Wang Zi Bigan and the like, they are not worthy of admiration.

"If you tell me something grotesque and bizarre, you Conchondrius used to persuade me, I would not have known it; If I were to be told the real things of the world, it would be nothing more than that, and I would have heard of them. Now let me tell you about human nature, the eyes want to see colors, the ears want to hear sounds, the mouth wants to taste, and the ambition wants to be satisfied and abundant. The highest life expectancy in the world is 100 years old, the middle life expectancy is 80 years old, and the low life expectancy is 60 years old. Heaven and earth are endless, but human death is time-limited, and entrusting a time-limited life to the infinite heaven and earth, and quickly disappearing is like a thousand miles of good horses rushing through a gap. Anyone who is not able to make his mind happy and live a long life is not a person who understands common sense.

"What you Kong Qiu said is all I want to abandon, you get out of here and go back, don't say it again! Your set of propositions, the madness of running around, are all clever and hypocritical, and they cannot be used to preserve the truth, so what is there to talk about! ”

Confucius repeatedly thanked him and walked away quickly, walked out of the tent door and boarded the car, lost the reins in his hand three times, his eyes were blurred, his face was like ashes, his head hung down and leaned on the crossbar in front of the car, and he could not gasp for breath in despair. When I returned to the east gate of Lu Kingdom, I happened to meet Liu Xiaji. Liu Xiaji said: "I haven't seen you for many days recently, I feel very unsure, look at your carriage and horse as if you have gone out, I'm afraid you went to see the thief, right?" Confucius looked up to the sky and sighed, "Yes." Liu Xiaji said: "Didn't the thief go against your will as I said before?" Confucius said, "That's right." It's really like I didn't get sick and pricked myself with needles, I was looking for hardships, and I hurriedly ran to pluck the tiger's head and braided the tiger's whiskers, and I was almost inevitably swallowed by the tiger's mouth! ”

Zizhang asked to Mangou, "Why don't you promote virtues that are in line with benevolence and righteousness?" If you don't have virtue, you can't gain the trust of others, if you can't gain the trust of others, you won't get appointment, and if you can't get appointment, you won't get benefits. Therefore, from the perspective of honor, from the perspective of profit, it is true that we can practice benevolence and righteousness. If you abandon fame and fortune and only seek reflection in your heart, then it is impossible for a scholar to do something without being benevolent and righteous for a day! Man Gou said: "Only those who have no shame will be rich, and those who are good at boasting will be noble." The biggest gain of fame and fortune is almost all shamelessness and words. So, from the point of view of reputation, from the point of view of Lelu, it is really like this to be able to boast. If you abandon fame and fortune and only seek reflection in your heart, then the only way to do it is to maintain his nature! Zizhang said: "In the past, he was the son of heaven and rich enough to occupy the world, but now he says to the lowly slaves, "Your conduct is like that of the lowly people, then they will be ashamed and unconvinced, because even the lowly people look down on what they do." Zhong Ni and Mo Zhai are so poor that they are like ordinary people, and now they say to those who are in the position of prime ministers, "Your conduct is like that of Zhong Ni and Mo Zhai, then he will definitely get rid of his arrogance and humbly say that he is far from being comparable, this is because the scholar does have valuable character. Therefore, the power is the Son of Heaven, and it is noble if it is not compared; Poverty is not necessarily humble for ordinary people; The difference between dignity and humility determines the beauty and ugliness of virtue. He said, "The little thieves are arrested, but the great robbers have become princes, and there are righteous men in the gates of the princes." At that time, Duke Xiaobai of Qi Huan killed his brother and married his sister-in-law, but Guan Zhong became his courtier, Tian Chengzi often killed Duke Qi Jian, established himself as the monarch, but Confucius accepted the cloth and silk he gifted. When talking about it, I always think that the behavior of Huan Gong and Tian Chang and others is inferior, and when they do it, they always make their own behavior even more inferior, which means that the truth of words and actions contradicts and struggles with each other in the chest, isn't it very unreasonable! That's why the ancient books say: who is bad and who is good? Those who succeed are in a position of superiority, and those who fail are reduced to lowliness. ”

Zizhang said: "If you do not promote the virtue of benevolence and righteousness, you will lose the human relationship between estrangement and closeness, the norms and norms between the noble and the lowly, and the order between the elder and the young; In this way, what is the difference between the five and the six? Man Gou said: "Yao killed his eldest son, Shun exiled his brother of the same mother, is there still a common thing to talk about between relatives?" Shang Tang expelled Xia Wei, and King Wu killed Shang Xuan, is there still a standard between the noble and the low? Wang Ji was made the eldest son, and Duke Zhou killed his two elder brothers, is there still a sequence between the elder and the young? Confucian hypocritical rhetoric, Mohist and love propositions, can there be a difference between the sequence relationship between the 'Five Ages' and the 'Six Positions'?

"And what is on your mind is fame, and what is on my mind is for profit. The truth of fame and fortune is not reasonable, nor is it clear to the Tao. I used to argue with you without a covenant: 'The villain dies for money, and the gentleman dies for the name.'" However, the reasons for their change of true feelings and nature are no different; It is the same thing to abandon what should be done and pursue what should not be sought at the expense of life. So don't be a villain, but instead follow your own nature; Don't be a gentleman, but follow the laws of nature. Curved or straight, go with the flow; Observe the four directions, follow the changes of the four seasons and rise and fall. Either or no, firmly grasp the center of cyclic change; Complete your heart alone and follow the road back and forth. Do not be attached to your virtues, and do not attain the norms you speak; That would be a loss of your nature. Don't work hard for the sake of being rich, don't sacrifice your life for the sake of success, that would be abandoning the true nature of nature. Bigan was cut open and Zixu was gouged out, which is the scourge of loyalty; Bow down and testify that the father stole the sheep, and the tail was drowned in the water, which is the curse of faith; Bao Jiao stood holding a tree, dried up and died, Shen Sheng would rather hang himself than defend his grievances, which is the poison of Lian; Confucius couldn't send his mother to the end, and Kuang Zi swore not to see his father, which was a fault of righteousness. These phenomena are all rumors from the previous world, and contemporary topics, and it is always believed that scholars must make their words correct and let their actions follow, so they are deeply affected and suffer such disasters. ”

Wuzu asked Zhihe, "After all, there is no one who does not want to make a name for himself and gain profit." When that person is rich, people will turn to him, and if they are attached to him, they will think themselves inferior, and if they are inferior to themselves, they will honor the rich. Being revered by the inferior is the method that people use to prolong their lives, to maintain their health, and to be happy. Now you are the only one who has no desires in this area, is your intelligence not enough? Or do you have a thought and the power can't reach it? Or do you pursue the right path without forgetting it? ”

Zhihe said: "Nowadays, there is such a person who is famous and prosperous, and he thinks that he was born at the same time and in the same country as himself, and he thinks that he is a person who has transcended the world; In fact, such a person has no mastery in his heart, and using this method to look at the difference between the past and the present and right and wrong can only be mixed with the customs and integrated into the world. He gave up his precious life, and left the noblest avenue, and pursued what he was bent on pursuing; This is what they call the method of prolonging life, healthy constitution, and happy mind, isn't it too far from the truth! The pain caused by grief, the comfort brought by pleasure, the effect on the body cannot be seen clearly; The fear caused by panic, the joy left behind by rejoicing, cannot be seen clearly on the soul. I know that I want to do what I want to do but I don't know why I want to do it, so I am as noble as the Son of Heaven, rich enough to occupy the world, but I am never free from sorrow. ”

Wuzu said: "There is nothing disadvantageous to people about wealth and wealth, enjoying the beauty of the world and having the greatest power in the world, which is not available to people with extremely high morals, nor can people with virtuous people catch up; He used the courage of others to show his might, grasped the wisdom of others to show his own insight, and won the reputation of virtue by virtue of others, and although he did not enjoy the benefits of state power, he was as majestic as a monarch. As for the music, beauty, taste, and power, for everyone, the heart does not wait to learn to like it, and the body does not need to imitate it. Desire, disgust, avoidance, and subservience do not need to be passed on by teachers in the first place, which is the nature of human beings. Even if everyone in the world thinks that my opinion is wrong, who can get rid of all this? ”

Zhihe said: "The wise man always acts according to the will of the people, and does not go against the will of the people, so that contentment does not fight, and there is nothing to ask for." Not being content, so they are greedy, and competing for the wealth of the four directions without thinking themselves to be greedy; I know that there is more than enough, so I quit everywhere, and I don't think I am honest when I abandon the world. The truth of incorruptibility and greed is not because of external forces, but we should turn back and examine their respective endowments. In the position of the Son of Heaven, you don't need to be noble and arrogant to others, and you are rich enough to have the world but you don't need wealth to tease others. Think about its consequences, and then consider the opposite side of the matter, thinking that it is harmful to the nature of nature, so refusing it is not to use it for fame and glory. Yao and Shun are the emperors of the world and are harmonious and united, not to practice benevolent government in the world, but not to harm life because of the pursuit of beauty; Shanjuan and Xu You were able to get the position of emperor but resigned, and it was not a false refusal to let Chan, but they didn't want to endanger their lives because of governing the world. These people are able to take advantage of them and avoid their harms, so people praise them as virtuous people, which shows that the reputation of the wise can also be obtained, but their original intention is not to build a personal reputation. ”

"If you must maintain your reputation, even if you toil, refuse food, and save food to sustain yourself, then you must be a man who has been sick and tired for a long time and has not died." ”

Zhihe said: "Equality is happiness, excess is evil, things are not like this, and wealth is more prominent." It is truly perplexed that the rich man nowadays, whose ears seek the music of bells and drums and flutes, and whose mouths are satisfied with the delicacies of meat and wine, arouse his desires and forget his cause; Deeply immersed in the swagger of indignation, it is like crawling on the hillside with a heavy load on his back, which can be said to be very painful; Greed for possessions and cause resentment, greed for power and exhaustion of mental strength, indulge in lust when quiet and idle, and be domineering when the body is plump and shiny, it can really be said to be sick; In order to be greedy for wealth and pursue self-interest, the wealth obtained is piled up like an ear-high wall, and the more greedy it is, the more unrestrained it is, which can really be said to be extremely humiliating; It is really sad to hoard but useless, to never forget but not to give up, to be full of anxiety and trouble, and to seek gain endlessly; At home, I was always worried about the harm of thieves, I was always afraid of thieves outside, and I was afraid of walking alone outside. The above six situations are the greatest scourge in the world, and all of them are forgotten without seeking examination, and when the calamity comes, it is impossible to go bankrupt and save their lives, and only to return to poverty and seek peace for a day. Therefore, is it not confusing to observe from the point of view of fame but not to see it, to seek it from the point of view of profit but not to obtain it, so that the mind and body are so troubled and strive for fame and fortune? ”

Nan Rongyi sat upright reverently and said, "How will a person like me learn to reach the state you said he is going to do when he is old?" Gengsang Chu said, "Preserve your body and your life, and do not let your thoughts run around and toil for personal gain." In three years like this, you can get to the kind of state I described. Nan Rongyu said: "I can't see any difference between the eyes of a blind man and the eyes of ordinary people, but the eyes of a blind person can't see anything; I do not see any difference in appearance between the ears of the deaf and the ears of ordinary people, but the ears of the deaf cannot hear sounds; I don't see any difference between the appearance of a madman and the appearance of a normal person, but a madman can't control himself. Bodies and bodies are inherently connected, but is there something that distinguishes them from external objects when they appear to perceive different things? Or do you want to get it but never get it? Now he said to me, 'Preserve your body and your life, and do not let your thoughts toil for personal gain.' 'I can barely hear it!' ”

Geng Sangchu said: "My words are finished. Small earth bees can't hatch bean leaf worms, and Yue chickens can't hatch swan eggs, but Lu chickens can. Chickens and chickens, their endowments are no different, some can do it and some can't, because their skills are originally big and small. Now that my talents are too small to be influenced by you, why don't you go to the south to meet Lao Tzu? ”

Nan Rong brought enough dry food and walked for seven days and seven nights to Lao Tzu's residence. Lao Tzu said, "You're from Gengsang Chu, right?" Nan Rongyi said, "Yes." Lao Tzu said, "Why are there so many people coming with you?" Nam Young-chan looked back at his back in fear. Lao Tzu said, "Don't you know what I mean? Nan Rongyi lowered his head in shame, then leaned back and sighed: "Now I have forgotten how I should answer, because I forgot my question. Lao Tzu said, "What do you mean?" Nan Rongyu said: "Aren't you smart? People say I'm ignorant. Is it smart? Instead, it brings sorrow and distress to the body. Failure to have charity will harm others, and promoting charity will bring sorrow and distress to oneself. Failure to uphold faith will hurt others, while promoting faith will bring sorrow and danger to oneself. The situation described in these three sentences is exactly what I am worried about, and I hope to be taught because of Gengsang Chu's introduction. Lao Tzu said, "When I first came, I looked between your eyebrows, and I understood your thoughts. Now your conversation is more proof of my observations. You look like you've lost your parents, and you're looking at the deep ocean with a bamboo pole. You are indeed a person who has lost your true nature, so confused and confused! You want to return to your true feelings and nature, but you don't know where to start, you really deserve sympathy! ”

Nan Rongyu returned to his apartment, asked for what he liked, gave up what he hated, and thought about it for ten days, and then went to see Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu said: "You have done self-reflection, and your depressed and uneasy mood is really heavy! However, the overflow in your heart indicates that there are still evil thoughts. When bound by external objects, it is inevitable that it will be complicated and urgent, so the inner world will be blocked; When the inner world is constrained, it is inevitable that it will be cluttered and hurried, and the external senses will inevitably be blocked. The outer senses and the inner world are all bound and entangled, and even if they are morally noble, they cannot hold on, let alone those who are just beginning to learn the Tao and imitate it! ”

Nan Rongyi said: "When a neighbor's person is sick, the neighbors around him ask him, and the sick person can explain his illness, and the person who can explain his illness clearly is not considered to be seriously ill." Hearing about the Tao like mine is like taking medicine that worsens the condition, so I just want to hear about life-sustaining routines. Lao Tzu said: "Can the routine of maintaining life make the body and spirit harmonious?" Can you not lose your authenticity? Is it possible to know the good and the bad without resorting to divination? Can you be satisfied with your duty? Is it possible not to pursue things that have disappeared? Is it possible to abandon the desire to imitate others and seek our own perfection? Can you be free and free? Can the mind be quiet and clinging? Can you be as innocent and simple as a newborn baby? Babies cry all day long but their throats are not hoarse, because the harmony of the voice naturally reaches its peak; Babies hold their little hands all day long and do not let go, because it is the nature and normal of babies to let their little hands hold naturally; Babies stare at their little eyes all day long and don't blink at all, because the inner world doesn't get stuck in the outside world. I don't know where to go when I walk, I don't know what to do when I live on weekdays, and I come into contact with foreign objects as if I were going with the flow and listening to nature: this is the routine of caring for life. ”

Nan Rongyu: "So is this the highest ideological realm of the supreme people?" Lao Tzu replied, "No." This is just the instinct to naturally eliminate the stagnation in the mind like the so-called freezing dissolution, right? The person with the most noble moral cultivation goes to the earth for food with the people and the heavens for pleasure with the people, does not disturb himself because of external characters or interests, does not participate in weirdness, does not participate in schemes, does not participate in worldly affairs, and walks freely and freely. and the mind is quiet and comes without attachment. This is what is known as the routine of life-keeping. Nan Rongyu said: "So this has reached the highest level?" Lao Tzu said, "No." I told you, 'Can you be as innocent and simple as a newborn baby?' The baby doesn't know what to do, doesn't know where to go, and is like a withered branch and in a state of mind like ashes. For people like this, disaster does not come, and happiness does not come. There is no such thing as good or evil, and where can there be a human disaster! ”

People who are in a calm state of mind will shine naturally. Those who shine with natural light are each shown to be human beings, and things are each manifested as things. Only those who pay attention to self-cultivation can maintain a high level of moral cultivation; If you maintain a high level of moral cultivation, people will naturally yearn for him, and God will help him. He whom the people yearn for is called the people of heaven; He who is assisted by Heaven is called the Son of Heaven.

To learn is to learn what you can't learn; Walking is to go to places that cannot be reached; To discriminate is to distinguish things that are not easy to discern. Knowing and staying in the realm of the unknown has reached the extreme of knowing. If someone is not like this, then natural nature will surely lead him to ruin.

Preparing the things of creation and taking shape according to them, contemplating the external emotions without any thought to make the mind happy and full of vitality, carefully holding a little aura in the heart for the purpose of accessing external things, and doing so while all kinds of calamities are still coming in, that is the result of natural arrangement, and not man-made, and therefore not enough to disturb the nature, nor can it be incorporated into the spiritual house. The spiritual house is a place where there is something to hold on to but do not know what to hold, and you can't care about it. Can't show a sincere self and let the emotions go out, although there is something to show but it is always inappropriate, once the external affairs invade the heart, it will not easily leave, even if there is a change, it will leave a wound. If he does something bad in broad daylight, everyone will condemn him and punish him; If he does something bad in the dark, the demons will condemn him and punish him. For the crowd is innocent and bright, and for the ghosts and gods, they can walk alone in the world.

Each according to himself, his deeds are not famous; Fame is beyond oneself, even the mind is always in exhausting the wealth. A person who does not show his reputation is brilliant even if he is mediocre; The man whose mind is on the exhaustion of his wealth is nothing more than a businessman, and everyone can see that they are striving for something extraordinary, and they think that they are safe. He who conforms to external things will be returned to him. People who are mutually incompatible with external objects are incompatible with each other, and how can they accommodate others! He who cannot tolerate others is not close, and he who is not close is rejected by men. Nothing in weapons can harm people's minds, and in this sense, a good sword can only be regarded as inferior; There is nothing greater than the mutation of yin and yang, because there is no way for anyone to escape from heaven and earth. In fact, it is not the mutation of yin and yang that harms others, but the fact that people are disturbed by themselves and cannot adapt to the changes of yin and yang, causing themselves to be harmed.

The road leads to all things. When a thing is separated, a new thing is formed, and a new thing is formed, and the original thing is destroyed. The reason for the aversion to separation lies in the perfection of separation; The reason for the aversion to perfection lies in the further pursuit of perfection. Therefore, if the mind is separated and pursues desires and cannot return, it will appear in the form of a ghost. The separation of the mind and the pursuit of desires and desires and the attainment of them are called approaching death. If you lose your nature and have no appearance, you are like a ghost. If you see what is tangible as intangible, then you will find peace of mind.

There is no root in the generation, and there is no trace in the disappearance. There is a real form but you can't see the exact place, there is growth but you can't see the beginning and end of growth, and there are holes that arise but don't come into being. Those who have a real form and cannot see the exact place are because they are in a space that has no boundaries above and below the four directions. There is growth, but you can't see the beginning and end of growth, because you are in a time that has no limits throughout the ages. There is life, there is death, there is out, there is in, and there is no specific sign of entry and exit, which is called the gate of nature. The so-called natural gate means that there is no artificial door, and everything comes from this natural gate. "Being" cannot be used to produce "being", it must come from "nothingness", and "nothingness" means that there is nothing at all. The saint hides in such a realm.

In ancient times, their intellect reached a very high level. What kind of realm? There is the view that the universe did not exist at the beginning, and this view is the most brilliant and perfect, and nothing can be added. The second-class view that things already existed at the beginning of the universe, that they see creation as the loss of another thing, and that they see disappearance as a return to nature, already distinguishes between things. Again, it is believed that there really was nothing in the beginning of the universe, and that soon living things were produced, and that living things died very quickly; They see the void as the head, life as the body, and death as the tail. Whoever understands that existence, non-existence, death, and life come down to oneness, I will make friends with him. Although the above three understandings are different, there is no difference from the point of view of the unity of all things, just like the two surnames of Zhao and Jing in the Chu royal family, which are prominent for generations as officials, and Qu surnames are distinguished by generations of rewards, but the surnames are different.

There is life in the world, but it is born out of darkness, and once life is generated, it is constantly shifting and it is not easy to distinguish. Let me talk about metastasis and discernment, which is not enough to talk about. Even so, even if you talk about it, you can't understand it. For example, at the end of the year, the main sacrifice contains the internal organs and limbs of the cattle and animals, which can be displayed separately but not separated from the whole cattle. For example, people who visit the royal family go around the entire temple, but at the same time they have to go to the toilet. All of these examples illustrate the constant shift between right and wrong. Let me say a little bit more about the shifting and uncertainties of right and wrong. It's all because we see survival as the foundation and intelligence as the teacher. Therefore, if we control right and wrong from this viewpoint, we can really distinguish the secondary and primary differences; So he sees the self as the subject, and makes this a sacred discipline, and then he uses death to pay for this discipline. Such a person is wise to be useful, ignorant to be ignorant, glorious to attainment, and ashamed to be afflicted. Right and wrong, mutual indefiniteness, is the understanding of people today, which is the same ignorance as the Shu and the dove laughing at Dapeng together.

If you step on the foot of a pedestrian on the road, you have to apologize and say that you were careless, if the elder brother steps on the younger brother's foot, you have to pity and comfort it, and if the parents step on the foot of their children, it will be counted. Therefore, the best etiquette is to treat each other as oneself without distinction, the best morality is to take what is appropriate for each other, the highest wisdom is to have no scheming, the greatest benevolence is not to show closeness to anyone, and the greatest integrity is not to use valuable things as proof.

Destroy the interference of the will, free the shackles of the mind, abandon the entangled morality, and open up the obstacles of the avenue. The six conditions of nobility, wealth, dignity, majesty, fame, and profit are all factors that disturb the will. Appearance, manners, beauty, rhetoric, temperament, and affection are all factors that bind the soul. Hatred, desire, joy, anger, sorrow, and joy are all factors that affect morality. The six situations of leaving, getting closer, greedy, giving, wisdom, and skill are all factors that block the avenue. If each of these four aspects of the six conditions does not shock the chest, the heart will be peaceful, the heart will be peaceful, the tranquility will be clear, the clarity will be empty, and the void will be comfortable and adapt to inaction and do everything. The avenue is the admiration of nature; Life is the brilliance of Shengde; Temperament is the root of life. Actions that are in accordance with nature are called honest acts; Acting under the impetus of hypocrisy is called the loss of nature. Knowledge comes from the connection with external objects; Wisdom, a plan from the heart; A wise person will also have knowledge that he does not understand, just as if he squinted his eyes and saw that what he could see must be limited. If you take a move but call it virtue out of necessity, if you do something but not for the sake of self-governance, the pursuit of fame will definitely backfire, and if you pay attention to reality, you will comply with everything.

Yi is good at shooting small things and clumsy at people who don't praise themselves. The saint is good at adapting to nature and clumsy at man-made. Adept at adapting to nature and maneuvering around the world, only the "whole person" can do this. Only insects can live like insects, and only insects can be endowed with nature. The "whole person" hates nature, and it is the nature that hates man-made, not to mention looking at nature and man-made with the scale of self!

A small finch flies towards Yi, and Yi will definitely shoot it, which is Yi's power; If you use the whole world as a cage, then not one of the birds will be able to escape. Therefore, Shang Tang used the kitchen to envelop Yi Yin, and Qin Mugong used five sheepskins to envelop Baili Xi. Therefore, there has never been a success that can be achieved without using its favors to win people's hearts.

He who has cut off his foot does not seek to embellish it, because he has put aside his reputation. The prisoners who served on the heights were not afraid, because they had forgotten about life and death. Those who are able to forget others without reciprocating humble words can be called "celestial beings" who are in harmony with nature and forget their feelings of humanity. Therefore, he who respects him but does not rejoice, insults him but does not get angry, only those who are mixed with the natural and conforming can do so. If anger is sent out but not with the intention to be angry, then anger is also out of anger; If you do something but don't do it intentionally, then you do it out of unintentional action. If you want to be quiet, you have to be peaceful, if you want to be quiet, you have to follow your will, even if you do something, you have to deal with it appropriately, and everything must be in order. The last resort is the way of the saints.

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