Experience Yu Dan's Analects of Confucius (7) The Way of Life (I)

"I have five over ten, to learn to govern the country. Stand at 30, don't be confused at 40, know your destiny at 50, be obedient at 60, and walk at 70 without overstepping the bounds. " Yu Dan, a professor at Beijing Normal University, believes that the coordinates of this life are representative, but not absolute. In fact, life has physiological age, psychological age and social age. A truly efficient life is to let us realize the realm of forty or fifty years old in advance, perhaps in our twenties or thirties. So what is "thirty years old"? Where is the "forty not confused"? What is the destiny in Fifty Fates? What is "obeying at sixty"? Is the so-called "seventy from the heart, not exceeding the moment" the highest realm of life? What is the significance of Confucius' division of life realm to us modern people? Can we really understand the meaning of this?

Throughout the ages, the sigh of time is the sigh we see the most. This kind of exclamation is not listed in the Analects of Confucius. In Sichuan, Zi said, "The deceased is like a husband." This is a familiar saying. This sentence is very implicit, but how many vicissitudes? In other words, "the cycle of change has passed, and the mountains are still pillow rivers." In other words, Cangshan is not old, but many sorrows in people's hearts have flowed through the ages. It's just like the famous "Moonlit Night on a Spring River", which says for no reason, "Whoever sees the moon by the river will take photos at the beginning of the year, and it will last forever. Every year, Jiang Yue is just similar. I don't know who Jiang Yue is waiting for, but the Yangtze River sends water. " In such a world, rivers and mountains are affectionate. In the storage and circulation of such a material, what kind of life plan do we have for everyone, a small person and a fleeting life? Many times it is endless. Once you plan some of them, you will feel that you have given up a lot and left a lot of regrets.

Just as Confucius marveled at the flowing water, he described it to himself, to his students and to generations of future generations. He said, "I study at fifteen, stand at thirty, be puzzled at forty, know my destiny at fifty, be obedient at sixty and be obedient at seventy." This is a rough coordinate of life. On this coordinate, there will be several stages to be emphasized. Today, let's start from the beginning and see how valuable this lifestyle described by this saint is for us. In fact, a person's life is just a period of time borrowed from time. Over time, what our own life will look like will become our immortality and our epitaph name. Everyone has reason to describe his ideal, but everything starts from the process of socialization, from a natural person to a person restricted by social rules, which is the starting point of learning. Confucius' Tenth Five-Year Plan can be said to be a starting point for himself and a requirement for students. Confucius himself often said: "I was not born knowing, but I am old and eager." No one is born knowing a lot of things. I'm just interested in everything that the ancients experienced, and I can pursue it tirelessly and study hard all the time. Therefore, Confucius said that people like me are not lacking in benevolence and righteousness, but people like me who are good at learning are rare. This was his mood when he started school at the age of fifteen.

Today, we know that this is a learning society. There is a common international standard about learning. What kind of study is good? It is learning that leads to the change of behavior. In fact, this has subverted our past standards. Everyone used to think that changing thinking was good learning. For example, an idea, a theory or even an hearsay can be told to others. This is a kind of learning. But today, only when a person's whole value system is reshaped and his behavior becomes more efficient, more convenient and more in line with social requirements can he learn well. Therefore, Confucius' learning requirements, as early as more than 2,000 years ago, were a simple standard, "apply what you have learned". In fact, in today's information age, there are too many things to learn. Today's children stop going to school when they are fifteen, but they start learning before they are five. But what did they learn? There are many children who can recite pi, many places, and many children can recite long ancient poems in front of guests, but is pi really useful to his life? In today's school, Confucius said that learning for oneself can be applied, so in an information age, we are faced with sorrow and "too much information", and the words "too much information" also come from The Analects of Confucius. In fact, The Analects believes that all good things have their limits. Instead of biting off more than one can chew, it is better to copy your brain into computer memory. Now we can say that university education has a standard length, but the length is certain and the width is uncertain. What you have learned in a limited time, perhaps Confucius' way of combining learning with thinking will give us very good inspiration. Only after such a period of time, such an experience, can we reach the age of 30 he said.

Beyond the heart: "Standing at the age of 30" is a well-known sentence. Almost every young man will ask himself at the age of 30, have I stood up? So how can we stand up? Do we have to have a car and a house, or do we have any jobs? And when people are 30 years old, what are the important changes in life?

Let's talk about standing posture at the age of 30. 30-year-old, today, maybe in the city, in the era after weaning, 30-year-old is still called a boy or a girl by many people, so what can people stand on in this world? What kind of responsibility is a "position"? In fact, as we all know, in philosophy, Hegel once put forward three stages: positive, negative and harmonious. People's earliest education, people's beliefs are positive. When we first went to primary school, we read many fairy tales even before we went to primary school. We believed that the sun was shining, the flowers were bright, the people were kind, the world was full of light, and the prince and princess could finally be together. In this world, this is actually a positive stage. But when you are a teenager, you will see what we often call a little cynic. When you first step into society in your twenties, you will feel that everything in this society is not satisfactory, and you will feel that the adult world has deceived you. The world is full of ugliness, meanness, meanness and fraud. At this time, the growth of youth has its desolation. At this time, people will inevitably rebound, which is what we often say. Then when you are 30 years old, 30 years old should be the stage of "combination" in your life, that is, you will not feel that everything is bright like a teenager, nor will you feel that everything is dim like a twenties. Standing at the age of 30, this standing character is first of all an internal standing, and then a symbol endowed by external social coordinates. From the perspective of inner spiritual independence, what is good study? Is to apply what you have learned, which is a way of learning required by China culture. How can people achieve such a state of integration? China people have two ways to learn. One is my annotation of the Six Classics, and the other is my annotation of the Six Classics. The way I annotate the Six Classics is very bitter, and I need to keep my hair clean and poor. After reading all the books, I can annotate and understand all this, but the higher level is called the Six Classics. That is to say, thirty years old, in the cultural coordinates of the ancient people in China, is the age when the mind builds self-confidence. It's not that many external things are in opposition, but a kind of integration and promotion, just like a couplet on Mount Tai, "The sea ends, the sky is the shore, the mountain is the peak, and I am the peak." This is a feeling of China people for mountains and rivers. It has never been conquest, but self-improvement of mountains and rivers. Just as the sea comes to an end, the sky is the shore, and there is no boundary. It is not an exaggeration for life to reach the peak of the mountain. In fact, this is an interpretation of my notes on the Six Classics. Therefore, it should be said that Confucius has been teaching students a simple and simple way of life. Don't worry about many things that shouldn't be worried, and do the things in front of you. As we know, Confucius actually didn't talk much about ghosts and gods. This is the so-called "Machamp is confused with God without words". When students ask about these things, he always takes an evasive attitude. One of his students once asked ghosts and gods, (voiceless) "Does the teacher really have ghosts and gods? What are those ghosts and gods? " "If you haven't done a good job on earth, don't think about the ghost." Then the teacher told him lightly: "You can't serve people, how can you serve ghosts?" Have you ever served human affairs? You'd better make this kind of study simple. From now on, learn interpersonal relationships and don't think about ghosts and gods. Later, I asked a mysterious question, "Teacher, people will die, so what about the dead?" "You haven't figured out what happened, so why don't you talk about death any more?" The teacher told him lightly, "How can you know death if you don't know life?" . In fact, "how can you know death if you don't know life?" These six words are an inspiration to us, that is, at the beginning of your study, learn and build as many things as possible that we can grasp in our life, without thinking about those distant or mysterious things that are beyond your age. Only in this way can you learn bit by bit, and when you are standing, you can really stand up. Therefore, my understanding of the so-called "thirty years old" is not an external social coordinate to measure how successful you have been, but an internal spiritual standard to determine whether your life begins to have a kind of spiritual introspection and whether it is leisurely; Start to have confidence and determination in what you do. I know that what many scholars in China do is not for utilitarian purposes. Liu Zongyuan's poem is well called "an old man fishing in the cold river-snow" Let's think about it. In such a cold winter, what did the lonely widower catch in our field of vision? No one can catch fish in winter, but he catches snow. This is what Wei Jin people said. When you visit a friend, you can cross the mountain stream overnight, cross the mountain and cross the water to your friend's door, and return without knocking at the door. Why? I miss this friend. I came on impulse. I arrived and had a good time. In other words, going beyond utilitarianism to do something that I really recognize in my heart is probably an established standard, that is, what kind of standard I have recognized in my life. When such a criterion is lost again, it will not be confused for another ten or forty years.

Professor Yu Dan believes that not everyone will be confused when they reach the age of 40. Modern society is full of variables. Forty-year-olds are old and young, and the work pressure is very great. In such an environment, how can you not wonder?

In fact, the concept of confusion has been expounded on different occasions in The Analects of Confucius. As the saying goes, "the benevolent is not worried, the wise is not confused, and the brave is not afraid." How to really get rid of confusion requires great wisdom. This is the best time of my life. In fact, before the age of 30, we lived by addition, that is, we constantly collected his qualifications from this world. His study experience, wealth, emotion and reputation are all added. In fact, the more material things, the easier it is for people to get confused. How can I reach forty? This is that you have to live by subtraction from the age of 30, that is, learn to give up what you really need inside. In fact, our heart is like a new house. When people first moved in, they wanted to put all the furniture and decorations in. When the house was finally set as an alley, they found that there was no place to put themselves and they were enslaved by things. Learning subtraction means giving up friends you don't want to make, refusing things you don't want to do, and not even being wronged by money you don't want to earn. When they dare to give up, people will be close to the real state of confusion. What do you mean, not confused? That is, in the face of many injustices, blows and shortcomings given to you by the world, people no longer tirelessly ask why it is unfair, but quickly establish their due position on such a coordinate. Mr. Feng Youlan, a modern philosopher, has a saying: "Explaining the old country and helping the new students, the golden mean is extremely clear." The doctrine of the mean is actually extremely brilliant, that is, what the ancient people in China called gorgeous, which is really extremely brilliant. At the age of 20 and 30, you worked hard, so only after "no doubt" did you show such calmness and detachment. In fact, people in their thirties and forties are just used by society. Then when they are fifty years old, there is a very meaningful word called knowing destiny.

Voice: What does Confucius mean by knowing destiny? It is often said that fate, fate, sometimes need to hit it off, there is no need to force it all the time. Does Confucius think that at the age of 50, he should be resigned to his fate? Professor Yu Dan believes that knowing destiny at fifty is by no means resigned to fate, so what is the destiny mentioned by Confucius?

What is fate? Confucius himself did say that life has reached a certain point, and when you study by yourself, people should "learn and reach it", that is, you should be able to understand what your destiny is. As we have just said, in Confucius' classic thoughts, it is never advocated to talk about "the confusion between Machamp and God", so what does he think of destiny? "I don't complain, I don't care about others, I go to school there, and I know my God." He said that I never blame others, nor do I mistreat others. I just don't complain that fate has made me like this, and I don't pass the buck to others, saying that others have caused me to do this. I want to learn the truth of reaching the top and reaching the sky. The "know me" here refers to the rules of the Avenue of Heaven and Earth, which make me conform to the Avenue. In fact, "don't complain about others, don't harm others and don't benefit yourself" is what we often say today. Is it easy to say only six words? If a person does this, it will be difficult for you to take a lot of complaints and harsh criticisms to heart. If you don't pass the buck to others, it means that you have made many excuses for yourself. So why did Confucius say that? It is a person's inner perfection and self-interpretation, which conforms to the pursuit of the avenue and is much more important than your demands on others and harsh criticism of others in society. Confucius said, "A gentleman is superior, but a villain gives orders.". Only a villain will constantly gossip in interpersonal disputes. It's just that the villain always thinks about how others are bad for him, while the gentleman prefers to establish a Covenant of avenue in his heart, so this avenue is what he calls "destiny." There is no need to do a lot of skills, that is, Confucius said: "I don't know my life, I don't think about a gentleman; I don't know the ceremony, I don't think it is standing; You can't know people if you don't know what to say. "What we are talking about here are three realms: knowing life, knowing courtesy and knowing words. In fact, the growth of life is retrogressive. We are all the first people who know "literacy". By talking to people and reading books, we can learn about this society and let people know what others are like. However, knowing others does not guarantee that you don't care about others, and you will also complain about others, because everyone's "feet are short and inches are long" will be full. The next level is "knowing ceremony". After knowing the ceremony, people can "stand up", that is to say, people have already stood up, and such complaints will be much less; The higher level is "know life". This is what Confucius called knowing life. As a gentleman, he has established a self-circulating system, and he has a calm power to fight against the outside world. This is knowing how to live.

Therefore, only at the age of 50 can we know our destiny, that is, by this time, we can basically "not complain about others" and reach the realm of Confucius, which is a kind of inner determination. In fact, in Zhuangzi's "Happy Travel", there is also such a statement. "Happy Travel" says, "If you win the praise of the world without remonstration, you will win the world without depression, depending on the difference between inside and outside, you will argue the realm of honor and disgrace." That's enough. What do you mean? "World-famous" When the whole world praises you, when others advise you to take a step forward, you will not be advised. This suggestion is an exhortation, that is, to go further and do more things with the encouragement and connivance of others. He said I wouldn't. "The whole world, not the whole world" means that when the whole world is criticizing you, criticizing you and saying that you have done something wrong, you can keep your heart from being depressed and depressed. This is the difference between internal and external users.

In fact, when we reach destiny, it will remind us of the realm of seeking defeat in Jin Yong's martial arts novels. That is to say, in the expression of China's martial arts novels, we can often see a young Xia. When he first made his debut, he used a Chinese Odyssey, which was an extremely sharp green wind sword. At this time, all those whispering shock waves and flamboyant brilliance were occupied by a gorgeous person. By the time he is proficient in martial arts, and in his thirties, he has really settled down and become a sect, a leader, or a famous chivalrous man in the Jianghu. This man may use a blunt sword without a blade, because sharpness is not important to him now, and his internal skills have begun to become great and rich. When he was in his forties, this man was already a great warrior in the Jianghu. He transcended one school after another and became the embodiment of morality. This person may only use wooden sticks, indicating that the sharpness and texture of metal are not important to him. It is enough to have such an external thing. When he really reaches the supreme state, what is the state of seeking defeat by solitude, but he can't seek failure, because at this time, people have no weapons in their hands, and all the eighteen martial arts are materialized at this time, that is to say, when his hands come out, he can scream out a shock wave, and with a wave of his hands, he can become a bronze hammer. All the martial arts are in this man's heart and on his limbs, so why can't the enemy take this move and crack it? Because you don't know how much martial arts he has absorbed, the realm of mastery has always been the highest realm advocated by China culture. The so-called knowing destiny is actually the truth of human learning, and finally it has reached the level of mastery. After reaching this state, Confucius said, sixty is pleasant to the ear.

Schreiber: What kind of words can you listen to? However, in real life, people may often encounter unpleasant things, hear unpleasant things, and even see forced things. Even a 60-year-old person will inevitably have disputes. How can I really be obedient?

Confucius said: obedient at the age of 60, no matter what you listen to, you will feel that others are reasonable. This must be an understanding of your own destiny. On this premise, you can respect others to the greatest extent. What is "obedient"? That is, for anything, you will feel that there is a reason for his existence; Listen to any kind of words, and you will stand in his starting point to understand why he said so. In fact, this state of "obedience", expressed by a word in China culture, is a kind of compassion, a kind of compassion, that is to say, we can really understand and understand everyone's starting point and interests, which is a kind of tolerance and an experience. That is to say, when you meet so many people, when everyone presents his life, we have reason to be surprised, but if your system can understand his system, if you know what his life course is like today, maybe you will have more understanding. Why did Confucius teach so many students in accordance with their aptitude? Actually, this is a height.

There is a saying that two clouds can only produce rain when they meet at the same height. Not high, not low. In fact, an "obedient" person is that no matter whether the cloud is 5000 meters or 500 meters, he can always understand his height, his position and his thoughts.

In fact, if a person wants to be obedient, he must first be extremely vast and meet different heights, rather than waiting for him, in order to adhere to his own standards somewhere. In fact, it may be more appropriate to explain the "golden mean" from this angle. The "golden mean" is actually the internal edification and casting after learning all external knowledge. This kind of die casting is like the physics experiment that we often do in primary or middle schools. The teacher gave us a pencil, divided a circle into seven equal parts, painted it with seven colors, poked it on the pen and turned it around, and white appeared. This white color is extremely gorgeous. In fact, this is a kind of integration of the outside world in my heart. Only by reaching such a state can we achieve what Confucius said, from the age of 70 to 70, we can do whatever we want and not cross the line.

Voice-over: Is it possible for everyone to do whatever they want at the age of 70 without overstepping the bounds? Do you have to wait until you are seventy years old to reach the highest level pursued by such a special life? Professor Yu Dan thinks that life is too short, and when you are 70, it will be too late. So what can we do to reach the highest level of life as soon as possible?

I once read a story that there is a Buddhist temple with a very exquisite statue of Buddha carved with granite. Many people come here to worship every day, but the steps leading to this statue of Buddha are made of many granites from the same rock. Finally, one day, these steps were not convinced. They protested against the Buddha statue and said, Look, we are brothers, from the same mountain. Why is everyone standing on me and worshipping you? What's so great about you? The Buddha said a few words to these steps lightly, because it took you only four knives to get to where you are today, and I finally became a Buddha after a thousand pieces.

Therefore, the more we look at the realm of life described by Confucius, the more we emphasize our hearts, and the more calm and peaceful we are. Before this calm, we actually have to go through many tests, even thousands. Only by understanding such an external process can we firmly establish our inner heart.

The description of such a life course mentioned by Confucius may also be a mirror of different milestones for us today. Look at your own heart, have you stood up, have you lost some meditation, have you walked the road of heaven and earth, have you been tolerant and considerate of others, and have you finally achieved what you want. This concern is not enough, because life is short. In such an accelerated society, it is too late for us to wait until we are 70 years old. In fact, life has physiological age, psychological age and social age. We have a multidimensional era. A truly efficient life is that we can achieve the realm of forty or fifty years old ahead of time, perhaps in our twenties and thirties. Maybe by the age of forty, we can be as calm as we want. Today's society puts too much pressure on everyone, but only by effectively establishing the internal value system can this pressure be transformed into the anti-tension of life.

British scientists have published an experiment, which is not a fantasy, but a real experiment. In order to test the vitality of pumpkin, an ordinary and cheap plant, they did an experiment to add weight to many small pumpkins growing at the same time, provided that this was the maximum he could bear. Don't crush it, don't crush it until it stops growing, just make sure it can be crushed to the maximum weight on the premise of growing. Therefore, different pumpkins have different weights. Only one pumpkin presses the most, from a few grams a day, dozens of grams a day, hundreds of grams a day, to a few kilograms a day. Until this pumpkin grows up and matures with other pumpkins, this pumpkin has already pressed hundreds of kilograms. The final experiment is to put this pumpkin together with other pumpkins. Let's try it with a knife. When all the other pumpkins began to break open, the pumpkin knife bounced off and the axe bounced off. Finally, the pumpkin was opened by video games, and the strength of pumpkin pulp was equivalent to the trunk of an adult. What kind of experiment is this? This is an experiment in our life today. This is the best portrayal of our modern people's external environment and internal tension. Is there any reason why you should not mature ahead of time under such pressure? In fact, this sentence is more suitable for today. Ten thousand years is too long, and seventy years is too long. Learning the Analects of Confucius and classics, the experience of all ancient sages and sages, has only one real meaning in the end, that is, let our life, under the illumination of these wisdom, improve efficiency, shorten the course, and let us establish the feelings of gentleman's love, which can meet the social moral standards, whether for our own hearts or for social posts. The significance of Talking about Sages lies in his simple language showing the road of life before the ages, treating future generations, whether ignorant, conscious, painful or joyful, must be realized one by one, establishing our own efficiency, bringing together the soul of a nation, allowing our classical spiritual strength to smoothly integrate into effective ingredients under modern rules, and then allowing each of us to truly build a useful life.