Thick black school

Chapter 41 The Trend of Chinese Academics (10)
When he said "things are mixed together", didn't he clearly say that the substance is "being"?He was afraid that people would misunderstand him, so he said: "Seeing is invisible...hearing is not hearing...fighting is impossible...the rope cannot be named, and it returns to nothing." But isn't the body of Tao also "nothing"?He was afraid that people would misunderstand him, so he quickly said: "It means that there is no form, and there is no image." Yes or no?What I mean by this is that "You Lie" and "Wu Lie" are just side-talks of names and appearances, and should not be used to refer to the ontology.Just as the Awakening of Faith says: "True as the self-nature, neither has appearance, nor does not have appearance, does not have appearance, does not have appearance, does not have appearance." Then why do you say that there is nothing?The so-called "send words because of words".Now that the "Tao" has been told to us, we have to assume that there are things, and it would be wrong for you to just admit that it is "something".You have to say that it is "non-existent", and you are wrong if you just admit that it is "non-existent".I have to say that it is "non-existence". In fact, the words "existence" and "nonexistence" cannot be said, so it is a mistake to speak. This is what Lao Tzu repeatedly reminded me.It is something that is "lonely and lonely", "invisible to see, inaudible to hear, and unattainable to touch"; it is like the "truth and emptiness" in the theory of faith.It is something with "essence in it, its essence is true, and faith in it"; it is like the "truth is not empty" in the theory of faith.It is something that is "independent without modification, and perilous without perishing"; like the theory of faith, "it is equal after all, without variation, and indestructible".It is something that "can be the mother of the world", "like the ancestor of all things", "is the root of the heaven and the earth"; it is like "overalling all dharmas" in the theory of faith.Zhuangzi Tianxia criticized Laozi's theory, saying that he "takes the void as indestructible and everything as reality".This sentence is the best.If it destroys the emptiness of all things, it becomes obstinate emptiness, how can it be the root of heaven and earth for the sect of all things?What Lao Tzu said is very consistent with the so-called "vacuum and wonderful existence" in Buddhism.

Its name and appearance should not have been mentioned.But now that I have spoken, I have no choice but to find some adjectives.So it is said: "Subtle and mysterious, deep and unrecognizable; the husband is only unrecognizable, so he is forced to tolerate it." Try to see how he forced it, he said a lot of "Lonely and lonely", "Lonely and dark", "Trance, trance, trance".He also said: "Yuan Xi Ruo..." "Zhan Xi Ruo..." He also said: "Yu Yan Ruo... Ruan Ruo... Yan Xi Ruo... Huan Xi Ruo... Dun Xi Ruo... Kuang Xi Ruo ...It's as if..." Do not directly say "the ancestor of all things", but say "like the ancestor of all things"; do not directly say "the emperor's first", but say "like the emperor's first"; do not directly say "no surplus", but say "or not surplus"; do not directly say "preservation", but say "continuously if there is existence".Because I am afraid that people will misunderstand what I said, so I add various indefinite adjectives to tell you not to take it seriously.

The same goes for "name".He said: "I don't know its name, the character is Dao, and the strong name is Da." He also said: "It's called Xuan Mu." Like, it means being in a trance." Because of establishing a name, I am afraid that people will misunderstand it.So saying one on the left and one on the right seems to be a blur, but it actually means that it should not be named.

How then can we comprehend this Being?Buddhist scriptures often say "inconceivable", but it is wrong to interpret it as "inconceivable".He said "unbelievable".Because once you think about it, it is not the ontology.Therefore, the theory of Awakening Faith says that "from the realm of thought, only the corresponding evidence".What Lao Tzu said also makes a lot of sense.He said: "Those who know don't speak, and those who speak don't know." He also said: "The farther he travels, the less he knows." .” Because we must know that the “noumenon of Tao” must be obtained by reference, not by ordinary knowledge.So he said: "There is nothing special about utter learning." He also said: "A superior officer hears the Tao, and acts accordingly; a sergeant hears the Tao, if he exists, he seems to die; a corporal laughs when he hears the Tao! It is not enough to think of the Tao without laughing. "Since the essence of Tao is to be pursued outside the scope of ordinary knowledge and knowledge, what do ordinary people want to seek without learning and knowledge?What is the use of asking?No wonder I laughed out loud.

(Part Two: Names and Appearances of Tao (Theory of Names and Appearances)
Since the "noumenon" is an "inconceivable" thing, so for ordinary people to explain it, we have to start from the name. If you analyze the "name and form" accurately, you can also understand the truth from then on.This is the reason why there is a "Fa Xiangzong" in Buddhism.Let's see what Confucius' "Theory of Names and Phases" is like?Chapter 1 of his book is to explain the relationship between "noumenon" and "name and form". If you want to see its wonders; if you want to see its subtleties, there are many things; these two come from the same place but have different names, and they are both called Xuan; Xuan and Xuan are the gates of all wonders."
This chapter is the general outline of the whole book, and it puts forward the three items of "body", "phase" and "yong".The first four sentences are about "noumenon".He said: "Tao is unspeakable in the first place, and the Tao that has been spoken is no longer the original permanent Tao. A name should not be established, and it is not a normal name to have a name." But it is a last resort to establish some "" name”, how should the “name” be analyzed?He said: "Let's name the beginning of heaven and earth with the word 'no', and the mother of all things with the word 'you'!"The next sentence refers to the "door of heart birth and death".But what is the use of studying these "names"?He said in the seventh and eighth sentences: We often do the work of "nothing" to observe the original beauty.It is also necessary to often do "some" work to observe the edge of things. After he said these three paragraphs, he was afraid that people would make a mistake by dividing "yes" and "nothing" into two things. So he clarified a few more words and said: "The two things are originally the same, but they are expressed in terms of names. Different, the different name is being or not, what is the same name?Can be called 'Xuan'. "These few sentences come down to the "noumenon" again.

There are many words for "nothing" in Laozi's books, which are best interpreted as "empty". The "empty" one is like a mirror. There is nothing in the mirror, but everything can be illuminated.This is exactly what Lao Tzu means by "nothing".

But where does the "name and appearance" come from?Lao Tzu thought it came from the "discrimination" of human beings.He said: "Everyone in the world knows that beauty is beautiful, and that is evil; everyone knows that good is good, and that is not good. Therefore, existence and non-existence are born together, difficulty and easy are mutually enriched, long and short are compared, high and low are compared, voices and voices are in harmony, front and back Follow along."

What he meant was: "How can we know that there is 'beauty'? Because we compare 'evil' with it, we have the concept of 'beautiful'; This is true for nouns such as 'difficult and easy', 'length', 'high and low', 'front and back' and so on." He thought that the universe itself was originally absolute, and because of this "differentiation mind" various relative "names" were born. .So he also said: "From ancient times to the present, the sentence does not go away, but to read the public (read the same saying, the public is the beginning of all things.), how do I know that the public is true? From this."

It means: "Since human beings have created all kinds of names, once the names are established, they can never be removed, so they use names to explain 'everything'. How can we know 'everything'? It depends on these 'names'. "The Shurangama Sutra said, "In the absence of similarities and differences, differences are blazingly formed", which is exactly what it means.

Now that there is a "name and appearance", what about the evil birth order of the "name and appearance"?He said: "Tao begets one, one begets two, two begets three, three begets all things."

This passage is a bit strange!Why not say "everything in life"?Why not say "one life two, two beget all things"?And why not say "two begets four, four begets all things"?From the superficial meaning, the formula for acting is:
One → Two → Three → Everything
What makes any sense?I think what Lao Tzu means is that one and two are nouns to be treated. If there is no "two", the name of "one" cannot be obtained. If you say "one", there will naturally be a "two" to treat him, so you say " One life is two", one and two are opposed and become two.From two, a "third" is born, so it is said that "two begets three". The "three" born has become an independent body, which is still equal to "one", and then "two" comes to treat him. There is more than one "three", and all of them are equal to "one". Countless ones and two are treated to form ten thousand. That's why it is said that "three things give birth to all things".

The male and female derivation of living things is the easiest way to explain this principle.All other phenomena can be said to be derived from positive and negative sides.That's why Lao Tzu said: "Is it still between heaven and earth? It's empty and unyielding, and it moves more and more."

"Heaven and earth" is the representative symbol of "yin and yang" and "positive and negative", that is, the representative symbol of "one and two".He took the hollow tube of a musical instrument to compare the positive and negative forms of Yin and Yang, and said that although he is empty, he can make many sounds when he moves, and more and more sounds are produced.The word "moving" can be regarded as the source of "everything".

So where do these motions come from?Whether there is another master to make it move.Laozi said: "Tao follows nature." He also said: "Mo's life is always natural."

"Natural" is "as it is", without any external consciousness. The word "nature" is the root of Lao Tzu's philosophy, and runs through the three divisions of "body", "phase" and "yong".Ever since Laozi coined these two characters, the ideal of worshiping nature has become more and more popular. "Naturalism" has become the backbone of our country's academic thinking.

Lao Tzu believed that everything in the universe has a moving phase, and nature also has a still phase.Therefore, it is said: "All things work together, and I will restore them through observation. All things return to their roots, and returning to their roots is called tranquility."

The word "Fu" is the treatment noun of the word "Go". "All things work together" is the so-called "move and come out", and the so-called "come out with different names", which are all observed from the aspect of "going".Lao Tzu thinks that there is no end, and from the perspective of "recovery", it all comes back to his "root".What is root?It is the "root of heaven and earth" of "the gate of the mysterious woman, as long as it exists"; it is "橐龠";So he said: "Everything in the world is born of being, and being is born of non-existence."

This is a return to "ontology".From a purely "name and phase theory", "nothingness" can never give birth to "existence".What Lao Tzu means is that the root of everything is actually the essence of "not being, not being, not not being, not not being".Now that everything is wrong, let's just follow the vulgar and say "nothing".In fact, this is no longer the word on the "name".

Laozi not only explained the origin of "name and appearance", but he thought that the concept of "name and appearance" was not correct.He said: "The people don't order and equalize themselves, and the system is famous; the name is already there, and the husband will know it, and the reason why he knows it is not cured." (From Hu Shi's school version.)
This is to say: "Since all kinds of names have been created, people will know their names, and if they know their names, they will die." How do you say this?

He said: "What is the difference between Wei Zhi and Ah? How far is the difference between good and evil?"

He also said: "Which relationship is between name and body? Gain or death, which is sick?"

He also said: "When misfortune comes, blessings rely on it, and blessings come when misfortune lies... People's delusions will surely grow old."

Lao Tzu believes that "names and appearances" are all expressed by human "discrimination".Is this kind of "discrimination" reliable?You say this is "good" and that is "evil".In fact, there is no certain standard and distance between "good" and "evil".What you think about is "gain", but what you are afraid of is "lose" (death).In fact, what is the benefit of having it?What's the harm in losing it?Everyone seeks blessings and fears disasters, but they don't know that disasters are blessings, and blessings are disasters.All of Lao Tzu's philosophy, including many words like this, contain extremely profound philosophical principles.Let's try to study his two sentences "good and evil are far apart".For example, in the First World War, the French wanted to kill all the Germans, and the Germans wanted to kill all the British. Let me ask him, is your behavior "good"?He said it was "good"!Why "good"?He said I was "patriotic". "Patriotic" is good.In fact, according to what we see from the sidelines, or from the perspective of people decades later, is this considered "good"?Another example is that when the Hebrews killed their firstborn son to sacrifice to heaven, it was called "good", and those who refused to kill were called "evil".Who is "good" and who is "evil"?Another example is that the five generations of Chinese people living under the same roof are called "good", and brothers separated are called "evil". Who is "good" and who is "evil"?Lao Tzu said: "What is the difference between good and evil?" That's what he meant. He thought that marking a "good" standard would produce all kinds of "bad things" instead. It would be better to remove this standard.He thinks that such names of "good and evil" are all created by human beings, which are inconsistent with the laws of nature, but they are hateful "from ancient times to the present, their names have not been removed", so he said that "human beings have been obsessed with them for a long time".Only when you understand this meaning can you know why he said, "The man who is courteous is the weakest of loyalty and trust, and the leader of chaos."Why do we say that "When the Dao is abolished, there is benevolence and righteousness; when wisdom comes out, there is great hypocrisy; when relatives are not in harmony, there is filial piety; when the country is in chaos, there are loyal ministers".Why is it said that "there are many taboos in the world, but the people are poor; the people are full of sharp weapons, and the country is faint; the people are skillful, and strange things are born; the laws are good, and there are many thieves."Why is it said that "if the sage takes away wisdom, the people will benefit a hundred times;These are not gossips, they contain a lot of truth!

Lao Tzu thinks that these are all born from different "false views", and all kinds of false views are all due to "self-identity".So it is said: "The reason why I have a serious patient is because I have a body; and because I have no body, what trouble do I have?"

This is the first element to get rid of the "discrimination mind". If one refuses to be selfish even one's own body, then all "names and appearances" will be destroyed.So he said: "All things will be self-transformed, and they will be made; I will suppress them with nameless simplicity."

The so-called "unnamed simplicity" means to get rid of all "names and appearances" and return to the "noumenon".

Whether these words of Lao Tzu are right or not, I will not criticize them, and let you study freely.But I want to ask a question, is there any conflict between "Anonymous Pu" and "Naturalism"?Lao Tzu said that "Mo's life is always natural".The natural result is "moving and getting better", "all things work together".I am afraid that it is not "natural" for Lao Tzu to reject, snatch, and destroy him in everything he does.I think there is something lacking in Lao Tzu's philosophy that cannot be implemented, and this is the point.

(Part Three: The Function of Dao (Function Theory)
Of the [-]-word "Tao Te Ching", at least [-] words are about "the function of Tao", but there is one sentence in it that can cover everything.That is: "Always do nothing but do everything."

In this sentence, there are three views in the book, and there are many other words invented by each other, so it is not necessary to quote them all.The direct annotation of this sentence is the two sentences at the beginning of the volume: "Forever nothing, if you want to see its beauty; if you always have, you want to see its subtlety." Chang Wu means always doing nothing; always being means doing everything.

Why do you want to "do nothing"?Lao Tzu said: "Thirty spokes make up one hub. If there is nothing there, it can be used as a car. It is used as a vehicle. If it is nothing, it can be used as a tool. When it is cut out, it is used as a room. If it is nothing, it can be used as a room. Therefore, there are Use it for profit, use it for nothing.”

As mentioned above, "nothingness" in Laozi's philosophy is often interpreted as "empty", and this is exactly the case here.Ordinary people say that "emptiness" is a useless thing.Laozi quoted a few metaphors, saying that if the wheel does not have a hollow hole, the car cannot turn.A vessel cannot hold anything if it has no space.If the house does not have empty doors and windows, it cannot come in and out, and the air cannot circulate.It can be seen that space is very useful!That's why it is said: "Doing nothing is useful." Lao Tzu advocates "doing nothing", and that's the fundamental principle.Lao Tzu likes to talk about it, and everyone knows it.It's a pity that the phrase "everything can be done" is often forgotten, and it becomes a "lame theory" and loses the spirit of "Lao Tzu's philosophy".How can we "do nothing" and "do everything" at the same time?Lao Tzu said: "It is because the sage does not do things and teaches without words; all things are done without giving up, they are born but not fertile, they do not rely on them, and they do not live when they are accomplished; they only live in nothing, so they do not go away. "

He also said: "Understanding the four worlds, can you be ignorant? The animal is born. It is born without having it, doing it without relying on it, and growing it without killing it. This is called Xuande."

He also said: "All things rely on them to live without giving up, they do not live in them after they have achieved success, and they do not take care of them because they support all things."

(End of this chapter)