Psychic Enlightenment
Cherish what you have
Chang Qian
On November 2, 2020, I was sitting on the train. On the way back to Huludao from Jinan, I looked at the scenery outside the window.
Suddenly, a scene came into my eyes. I saw an old farmer lying on the loess, half kneeling on the loess, with his hands stretched forward, his eyes looking ahead, and picking something up with his hands. I felt like I was picking up peanuts and other food that fell on the ground.
At that moment, an inexplicable feeling and emotion arose in my heart...
On the seemingly bare yellow land on the train, a man in his sixties or seventies stood there. The old man knelt on the cold ground, very religiously trying to pick up the little food he had lost on the ground. In the short moment I saw it, I seemed to see the old man's focused eyes, and felt the old man's incomparable cherishment of the food in front of him. I even saw the noble virtues flowing continuously from the old man...
Nowadays, people’s living conditions are getting better and better, and people have already had enough food and clothing. It can be said that the little food that can be picked up from the land will not improve the living conditions of the elderly much. But I think what the old man values ??is not the grain, but the cherishment that will be wasted if left on the ground. It is an epitome of the Chinese nation's diligence and thrift. This feeling of cherishing makes me think a lot...
This old farmer's cherishing of food reflects the simplicity and virtue of the working people. Should we have some ideological enlightenment and life inspiration for this? What aspects of our lives do we need to cherish?
I summarized it, and there are the following seven aspects:
1. Cherish life and cherish today
As the saying goes: Life is rare in seventy years; A normal life span lasts only seventy or eighty years, and passes by year by year without even realizing it. In fact, no matter how long your life is, everyone can only realistically live today, and the only thing everyone can control is today.
Life is not only the cry when you and I were born, but also the hard work of the mother in ten months of pregnancy. Thinking of life will make each of us sincerely grateful to our mother. In this regard, everyone should be grateful to our parents for bringing us into this world and cherish life.
People's desires are constantly increasing. If they only know how to pursue personal material enjoyment and seek excitement, they will forget their most precious thing - life in the spiritual emptiness. We have forgotten the purpose of this life coming to this world. So what do we do in this world?
1. Life is rewarding.
Our parents gave us life and let us come to this world, just to fulfill the moral principles as human beings. Such as filial piety, brotherhood, kindness, husband and wife, monarch and ministers, friends, etc. This requires us to be conscientious and do our part, to accept fate, accept responsibility, work hard, and bear no complaints, and perform the responsibilities and duties of our roles.
2. Continuing the ancestral virtues to future generations.
When we come to this world, we must have children, continue our descendants, inherit the virtues of our ancestors, and carry forward the family.
The Filial Piety Classic says: The hair and skin of the body are received from the parents. Not daring to damage it is the beginning of filial piety. Establish oneself and practice the Tao, make a name for yourself in the world, and show off your parents, which is the end of filial piety.
3. Use falsehood to cultivate truth.
Sooner or later, the human body will turn into dust as its life span ends. In a sense, this body is also a false body. We need to use this false body to continuously study the teachings of sages, stop evil and practice good, cultivate merit, cultivate our mind, resolve bad relationships, be kind to others, cultivate ourselves and our families, be diligent and devoted, become saints in the selfless and altruistic way, and find our way back to the world. Self-nature, true self, escape from suffering and gain happiness.
So let’s think about it, what are we busy with every day in the life that has passed away? Who are you busy with? As busy as you are today, will your worries become less and less? Are you still healthy? Are blessings and wisdom increasing? Have you fulfilled your duty and contribution to your family? Have you made due contributions and achievements to your unit, society and country in your own work?
Life is precious, we must learn to cherish every day of our life, strive to cultivate our own virtues, abilities, knowledge and skills, perform our duties well, work hard, work conscientiously, and live in this world. Face and accept all good and bad situations, reflect on yourself, temper yourself, overcome yourself, improve yourself through experience, and do more things that benefit your family, society and country in your limited life. Only in this way can you radiate the brilliance of life and become a beam of light to illuminate more people.
2. Cherish health
As people’s living standards continue to improve, people are paying more and more attention to health issues. In a person's life, besides virtue, health is more important to a person. Without health, no matter how high your power, status, fame, wealth, etc. are, they will lose their luster. If a person is not healthy, it will not only affect his or her personal life and work, but also cause a lot of worries and troubles to his family.
As the saying goes: Be prepared for danger in times of peace, avoid extravagance and be frugal. If we are in good physical condition now, we should pay more attention to cherish the healthy body we have now.
So, how can we maintain a healthy body?
(1) Be able to eat and drink.
1. From the perspective of health preservation, you should eat seven to eight times full, and feel hungry before the next meal. Drinking soup before meals can help reduce appetite.
2. Eat slowly, chew slowly, and taste slowly, not too fast, do not eat rice soaked in soup, do not eat food with too strong flavors, do not be picky about food, and do not overeat.
3. Eat less sweets (which have cold properties), eat less cold drinks, and drink less drinks.
4. Eat regularly, keep it light, and don’t be greedy for taste. Limit oil, limit salt, limit sugar. Eat more whole grains and more vegetarian food. The diet is diverse, not monotonous.
5. Drink 2 liters of water (about 4 mineral water bottles) every day to ensure body supply. For allergic rhinitis, chronic gastroenteritis, asthma, angina, respiratory diseases, insomnia, constipation, long-term unknown diseases, and sub-health Disease, effective in 3-7 days.
(2) Be able to wear it.
Do not wear thin, leaky or see-through clothing; try to wear high-necked underwear and a scarf; do not be greedy for air conditioning in summer; protect the spine, neck, waist and legs and other parts from wind and cold; do not wear beggar's clothes Wait for fancy clothes; do not wear warm or thin clothes.
(3) Be able to exercise and live.
Walk briskly or jog for more than 3,000 meters every day, or exercise for 30 minutes until your body is warm and even slightly sweaty to achieve the effect of exercise; develop good work and rest habits, and sleep no later than ten hours at night One o'clock, get up before seven o'clock in the morning, the most important thing is persistence.
There are also many fitness exercises in traditional Chinese medicine health care, such as Baduanjin, Vajra Kung Fu, Wu Qin Xi, etc. If you insist on practicing them, there will be benefits.
(4) Maintain a good attitude and mood every day.
You must control yourself in the following aspects:
1. If you are unable to do something, look to yourself instead. When problems arise, reflect on yourself.
2. When dealing with others, you must learn to accept everything, get used to everything, and be grateful for everything. Use reason and wisdom to resolve problems when they arise, and control your temper.
3. Have good intentions, say good words, do good deeds, and be a good person. Communicate with others, learn from their strengths, find their benefits, and correct your own shortcomings.
4. There is no person or thing that cannot be overcome in your heart, and you are not against others in your heart.
5. Learn to follow fate, not be stubborn, not self-righteous, and build good relationships with others.
6. Before going to bed every day, reflect on the mistakes in words, actions and thoughts that day, correct them if they are found, and encourage them if they are not.
(5) Maintain harmonious interpersonal relationships with family and the public.
1. Work hard without complaint, do your duty with all your heart, and be responsible.
2. Don’t follow the truth, and don’t be unreasonable. See through without telling the truth, be discerning without being ostentatious.
3. Do not control, demand or change others. Everything must start with changing yourself. Once you change yourself, your family will change.
4. Maintain independence. Relatives should have their own living space while getting along closely.
5. Learn to tolerate, tolerate, understand, empathize and not care about others.
(6) Learn to speak
Speak more words of gratitude, blessings, encouragement, comfort, understanding, consideration, and warm positive energy. Negative words such as harsh words, idle talk, complaints and accusations.
(7) Do not make ill-gotten gains.
The ancients said that a gentleman loves money and gets it in a wise way. Wealth is associated with good and bad luck. This reminds us that the money we earn must be morally responsible for good fortune. If you earn unlucky money, it will lead to diseases or disasters (skin diseases, blood diseases, etc.).
(8) Do not offend the gods of heaven and earth
Do not scold the wind and rain; do not accuse the world of injustice; do not make irresponsible remarks about gods and Buddha statues; do not offend the rules of temples and Taoist temples, etc.
3. Cherish family affection
Family affection is the most powerful force that can warm people’s hearts. Because of the existence of parents, husband and wife, brothers and sisters,
let us live in When we face difficulties and tests, we have more hope, help and better returns.
So, what kind of family ties should we cherish?
1. Cherish the days spent with your parents.
As we grow older, our parents get older day by day. After getting married and having children, and being busy with career and making money, I have less and less time to reunite with my parents. If you can live with your parents and be filial to your parents every day, that is the greatest blessing for your children. If you do not live together, are in the same city or not too far apart, you should communicate or reunite with your parents frequently or in a timely manner.
Stay with your parents, cook meals for them, clean up the room, drink health tea, talk more about your childhood or things your parents are proud of, and talk about some happy things in life or work, and have fun. , enjoying family happiness is also a beautiful memory and happy time in life.
My parents are old, their eyesight is dazzled, their hair is graying, their backs are bent, and their breath is short. How they wish their children could stay with them to talk and chat. To be filial to your parents, you must be at ease and at ease, and don't let your words hurt your parents' hearts.
Parents are old, can no longer walk far, can no longer work, can no longer eat well, and look haggard. How they long for their children to wash clothes, cook, and meet each other. We must repay the kindness of nurturing quickly, and do not let our children want to be raised but not be loved by them.
Parents are old, they can no longer remember, cannot speak clearly, can no longer stand firm, and their illness has worsened. How they long for their children to be waiting in time to wash their feet and wipe their bodies. Accompany your parents on their final journey of life. Don’t let your life leave any regrets. Don’t let your life leave any regrets.
2. Cherish the fate of husband and wife
Husband and wife are "the beginning of human relations and the foundation of creation." If husband and wife get along harmoniously and have a close and stable relationship, the family will be stable and happy. As the saying goes, if a husband and wife are well-connected and the family is prosperous, their children and grandchildren will prosper. The husband and wife can be filial to their parents, and the husband and wife can educate their children well. As the saying goes: everything prospers when the family is harmonious, and harmony brings wealth. Family harmony starts with the harmony between husband and wife.
“A hundred years of cultivation can make us live in the same boat, and a thousand years of cultivation can make us sleep on our pillows.” Husband and wife can be said to be the most intimate relationship in the world. No matter how our fate is formed, whether the fate in this life is good or not. No, you should cherish the present fate, repay kindness, and forget grudges.
When we deal with the relationship between husband and wife, we must learn to accept our fate, work hard and bear no complaints, be more tolerant and understanding, lower ourselves and change ourselves, learn to turn the bad karma around us into good karma, and resolve the various karma that should be resolved. In the future, In the process of life, what is left is the fruit of more blessings!
3. Cherish the affection between brothers and sisters
Love may deceive you, and friends may betray you. But only your family is your haven, and your brothers and sisters are your eternal support and support. There is a deep brotherhood that can never be cut, and a blood connection that cannot be broken. Interesting childhood stories that can’t be forgotten, longing and care that can’t be let go. The love of brothers is deeply touching.
Zen Master Fazhao of the Song Dynasty had a verse: "With the same spirit, each branch is prosperous, so don't hurt your feelings with words. When we see each other and grow old, we can be brothers for as long as we can. Brothers can live together and tolerate it, and they will be at ease. Don't cause any disputes. Children and brothers are born in front of you, and you can show it to your children and grandchildren. "These teachings left over from ancient times are revealed from their true temperament. This stanza talks about the most important mentality for brothers to get along with each other.
The disciples’ rules tell us how to treat brothers and sisters well: “Brothers are friends and brothers are respectful; brothers are in harmony with each other, and filial piety is at the center”; relationship between.
Especially when parents are gone, the closest and closest relatives are often brothers and sisters. Please cherish the days when brothers and sisters are together.
4. Cherish the days spent with your children
"I will grow old with you, and you will grow up with me." This is the most emotional confession in the world, and this sentence also It speaks to the aspirations of the children of the world.
No matter how successful a person is in his career, it cannot be worth the failure in educating his children.
Parents should do their duty well, that is, be kind and educate their children, and they will surely be rewarded with filial piety from their children. Accompanying your children to grow up, accompanying them to play, study, read, and accompanying them to experience the hardships and joys of life will leave wonderful memories in your children's hearts.
Unfortunately, I was busy outside when my children were young, and I paid very little for them. It was not until my children grew up that I understood this. As a result, my children and I are not emotionally close.
Because children need not only food, but also spiritual encouragement; children need not only beautiful clothes, books and stationery, but also timely reminders and corrections for children’s wrong words and deeds; As children grow up unknowingly day by day, they need the power of their parents' role models in words and deeds.
The broad-mindedness, patience, generosity, independence, tolerance and integrity that parents give to their children, as well as the cultivation of good virtues and good habits, can often only be truly learned by children when they are around their parents, and these can only be learned in school. It is difficult to learn, but these are the most valuable assets that parents give their children in their lives.
Only by letting children feel the unconditional love given by their parents can they pass on this love. Please cherish the days you spend with your children, so that when you look back on the past, your dedication to your children will become beautiful memories and become the material to achieve happiness in your later years.
4. Cherish the blessings
Everyone hopes to be a person with blessings. When you have blessings, you must learn to cherish the blessings. Generally speaking, as a general rule, people's blessings are always fixed.
Everything has two sides. When a person is enjoying happiness, it means consuming the blessings in his life. And when a person's blessings are exhausted, it means the beginning of poverty or the end of life. But if you can cultivate, cultivate, and accumulate blessings, your blessings will continue to grow.
If a person pays, gives, and contributes a lot but returns, enjoys, and gets little, he is accumulating blessings; on the contrary, if a person repays, enjoys, and gets a lot, , and paying, giving, and consecrating less means compromising and consuming blessings.
From this we can think about it, are we paying more or getting more every day? Do you enjoy more or give more? Is it accumulating blessings or eliminating blessings? If you do nothing every day and feel very comfortable and leisurely, it may seem like you are enjoying blessings on the surface, but in fact you are consuming blessings! ! !
This principle is so important. After listening to my interpretation, many people around me have learned to give more and cultivate more blessings to accumulate blessings.
In more than ten years of promoting traditional culture, I have discovered this rule: if a person, especially a woman, is pampered, pampered, and pampered by her parents before marriage, she will pay less but enjoy more, and give more. If you give less and get more, then you will often suffer a lot after getting married, and even experience a lot of setbacks and tribulations in life.
A person’s blessings, life’s money, and even the amount of food often have a certain number (it will increase or decrease if you practice good fortune or commit evil or commit crimes). The more you waste, the more you enjoy. It means living in breaking off one's own blessings.
A person who enjoys happiness in his youth, youth or even middle age is not truly blessed. Only when he enjoys happiness in his old age is he truly blessed. The houses, cars, mobile phones, clothes, home appliances, food, etc. we use every day are all our blessings. Therefore, we must cherish everything we have. Just like the old farmer, you must cherish your food, your clothes, and your blessings, so that you can reap happiness.
At the same time, we must cherish the virtues we already possess, so that the flowers of happiness will always bloom and the Bodhi tree will always be green.
5. Cherish the encounters
Every day we encounter all kinds of things. Some things are done by ourselves on our own initiative, and some things are done in response to the requests or needs of others. And just do it.
We encounter all kinds of things every day, some are good and some are bad, some are good and some are bad, some are satisfactory and some are in line with our own wishes. In fact, all the causes and conditions we encounter every day are bound to happen, so all the people and events we encounter every day have a direct or indirect relationship with us. Among the many things we encounter, I summarize the main causes and conditions as follows:
1. Encounters allow us to fulfill our responsibilities and fulfill our mission in front of different groups of people and in the different life roles we play. Responsibilities, obligations, and even missions in this world;
2. The adversity, bad luck, and so-called unsatisfactory things we encounter are to remind or warn us that we have made the same mistakes; or to remind us We should "introspect when we see others being evil," and "when we are unable to do something, we should ask for help from ourselves." Reflect and make corrections in the constant encounters.
3. The appearance of different people and things in front of us also allows us to study things and gain knowledge, let us understand the principles of life, and enhance our wisdom.
4. The adverse things we encounter often come to bring us kindness. There is a saying that it is virtue to accept things as they come. If we can accept adverse events, things that seem unreasonable and unreasonable, and would rather suffer than take advantage, and remain humble and respectful, then it will help us accumulate virtue.
5. When we encounter adverse events, they are here to hone our patience, expand our mind, increase our tolerance, concentration, etc., so that we can mature in our hearts through experience. A person can only grow through adversity.
6. The people and things we meet may cause us to suffer losses, lose face, or even lose property and power. All have causes and conditions. In fact, these are all for us to repay our past debts. debt. As the saying goes, if you accept it and accept it, it will be better soon. Your blessings and wealth are in your destiny. Even if you lose them now, they will come back to you sooner or later and you will enjoy them, without missing a penny. Therefore, when we can understand this principle, we will not pay attention to the gains and losses in front of us, and we will be able to get used to everything we encounter every day, accept everything, and resolve everything.
7. The things we encounter are just tools for self-cultivation, family management, mind refining, nature transformation, and even cultivation. We use things as a tool to cultivate our minds so that they will not change according to circumstances, or even Movement and stillness are the same, good and bad are the same, life and death are the same.
Please cherish the various fates you encounter every day, and treat everyone and everything kindly with the heart of "do good deeds and don't ask about the future". Don't worry about the past, don't worry about the future, follow the fate without clinging to it, follow the fate to resolve bad fate, follow the fate and build wide Dharma relationships with others. In this way, old karma will be eliminated and wisdom will continue to grow through daily encounters.
If someone else comes to you to do something, you should also decide whether to do it based on your own busyness, ability, urgency of the other party's matter, and whether it complies with ethics, laws, regulations, etc., and do it. To what extent. Otherwise, if the other party just comes to you, you will be embarrassed to refuse, which will often bring unnecessary waste of time, energy and even financial and material resources to yourself. I have been faced with many things that others have come to me to do, and I am not necessarily the only one who can do them. I am embarrassed to refuse, and as a result, I am very busy, exhausted, and exhausted every day.
6. Cherish good teachers
Most people think of the word "good" as "good"; while the "good" of "good teachers" should be said as "able". He can know, what can he know? Can know the truth about life in the universe and the laws of development and change of all things.
(1) The connotation of a good teacher
A good teacher refers to a good teacher and friend who has the right knowledge and right views, has both political integrity and talent, and can guide the public to stop evil and practice good deeds, and move toward liberation in life. They are also called good friends. , relatives and friends, victorious friends.
(2) The importance of a good teacher
A good teacher is like a road or a bridge. Following his guidance, one can reach the other side of Nirvana; a good teacher can skillfully, Teaching in a simple and easy-to-understand way, with practical implications, allows us to understand the truth of life. Therefore, relying on good teachers is an important shortcut and material for self-cultivation and study.
On the road of self-cultivation and spiritual practice, good teachers are mentors with correct knowledge and views. Practitioners often encounter the intrusion of bad destiny, and good teachers can help practitioners stay away from evil and tend to the right path. Only a good teacher with correct knowledge can guide all sentient beings to stay away from all evil dharma, practice all good dharma, and be able to speak and act according to the dharma. When you are around good teachers, you can always feel their compassion. They always think about all sentient beings, are inspired by various good deeds, and strive to be like good teachers.
It can be seen from the above that if you act according to the teachings of the good teacher, you will be blessed by the good teacher’s right views, your heart will be happy, you will study hard, and you will gain merit and wisdom, just like the waxing moon. , quickly achieve Bodhi and gain great benefits. Good teachers are so important, and we should make great vows equally: "I sincerely pray that all good teachers who benefit my Dharma body and wisdom and life will always teach Samantabhadra's vows, illuminate the road to liberation, and go deep into the ocean of wisdom, so that they can always be at all times and everywhere." Always add quilts, never feel tired and give up, always make great vows, and never leave the good teacher in every life."
(3) Types of good teachers
1. Attitude in life. Good friends: The performances of good friends in real life vary. Some good friends are outwardly considerate of others and always do things that benefit sentient beings. Some good friends speak outright and guide the people around them. Some good friends always do good things for others. Others solve problems and provide comfort and care when they are sick.
2. Good friends in dealing with others: Some good friends see their friends in poverty and distress, and try their best to help them, regardless of reward; some good friends make friends with people, but their hearts are too empty, and they only gain in Buddhism; they have the kind A good teacher will cherish each other diligently with his Taoist friends, and the Dharma will be greatly improved. There is a kind of good teacher who will carve gratitude on the stone and write hatred on the beach to express gratitude to each other.
3. A good teacher in the way of life: There is a kind of good teacher who regards peace as the most precious thing in life; there is a kind of good teacher who sees the other person straying from the right path and tries to make him abandon his evil ways and return to the right path. There is a kind of good teacher who, when he sees the other person being lazy and ignoring his livelihood, advises him to work hard and do everything around him bit by bit.
It can be seen from this that good teachers are everywhere. As long as you observe carefully, the people and things around you in daily life are all good teachers. Choose the good ones and follow them, and change the bad ones. People live in groups and are bound to be affected by the surrounding environment.
(4) Walk with good teachers
Travelers are good classmates, colleagues, and fellow Taoists. On the road of learning, they can use various conveniences and skills to promote you and be diligent. Practice; when you let go, I can remind you and help you; when you are lost, I can try to guide you; when you are sick, I can not give up and take care of you patiently; when you succeed, I can praise you happily. Taking a step further on the road, walking with good teachers can help us achieve Taoism as soon as possible.
Let us open our eyes of wisdom, learn to be good at discovering the advantages of the good teachers around us, improve our own moral character, cultivate our own character, achieve physical and mental stability, behave in a standardized manner, and gradually become closer to the sages.
8. Cherish what you have
Cherish the virtues you already have, resist the temptations of fame and wealth, and be careful about your thoughts, words and actions, because it is not easy to accumulate virtues. Losing is easy.
Cherish your power or status, and do not regard power and status as a tool for personal gain. Instead, use power and status as an opportunity and convenience to serve the public.
Cherish the flowers, plants, trees, trickling streams and all living creatures under the blue sky and white clouds, the mountains, rivers and land, which have selflessly contributed to us and brought us health and beautiful memories. Learn from their selfless dedication.
Cherish the huge number of people who serve us in various industries such as sanitation, electricity, water conservancy, fire protection, medical care, transportation, and commerce that provide us with a livable life, and we should have respect and gratitude.
We must learn to cherish what you have, because what you have may not always belong to you. If you don’t cherish it, you may lose it.
To cherish blessings, start from cherishing blessings and being frugal;
To cherish relatives, start from speaking softly;
To cherish friendship, start from caring and giving;
Cherishing a good reputation starts with keeping oneself clean;
Cherishing marriage starts with tolerating and understanding the other person;
Cherishing work starts with fulfilling one’s duties;
Cherish Life begins by cherishing every day;
Cherishing what you have begins by maintaining a beautiful and kind heart and treating life well...
January 27, 2021