Life management lessons of choice and abandonment

Chapter 12
It is better to sit quietly by the sea and enjoy peace than to indulge in the sea to seek wealth.

If a person has no desires, he will exalt himself

The indifferent mentality is also advocated by Confucius. In the "Analects of Confucius", he talked about "one can be strong without desire", intending to tell people: a truly strong person "has no desire" - because "has no desire", so he will not worry about gains and losses.

It is said that Su Dongpo was exiled to Huangzhou, lived near the water, and studied Buddhism and Zen with the old monk in the temple on the other side.Suddenly one day, he seemed to realize something in his heart, so he picked up a pen and spread out a paper to get the Buddha's verse: "Sitting upright on the purple golden lotus, the Buddha illuminates the trunk, and the mind is as calm as still water, which cannot be blown by the eight winds." Su Dongpo chanted repeatedly, and the more he felt Happy.He called the book boy to take the book and drive the boat across the river to show it to the old monk.The old monk took it and read it without saying a word. He picked up a pen and wrote two words below: fart.Pass it to the bookboy and say, "Go back."

The book boy handed the old monk's reply to Su Dongpo. After reading it, Su Dongpo thought to himself: "I will tell you the experience of learning Buddhism. If you don't like me, it's fine. Why are you swearing and farting!" The boat, you have to cross the river to find the old monk to discuss.When he was furiously driving the boat to the other side, he saw that the old monk had already led a group of disciples to greet him on the shore. The old monk clasped his hands and smiled, and asked loudly, "Su benefactor, aren't you unstoppable by eight winds? Why? Did I blow you across the river with one fart?"

When Su Dongpo heard the words and thought about it, he turned angry and felt ashamed. He bowed his hands and saluted on the boat, but returned without getting off the boat.

There is a big gap between Su Dongpo's anger and his "mind is as still as water".Laozi also only said "pure heart and few desires", which shows how difficult it is for a person to achieve no desires.Everyone has a desire for fame and fortune, and Su Dongpo is not exempt.

Fan Zhongyan, a litterateur in the Northern Song Dynasty, said, "Don't be happy with things, don't be sad with yourself." If you really do this, you can surpass the mundane, and this is the real understanding of life.Similarly, if a person is not indifferent to fame and fortune, and is not troubled by external things, he will inevitably be eager for quick success and instant benefit, and then do whatever it takes to satisfy the greed in his heart.If people can have less greed, more self-control and satisfaction, they will naturally not fall into various traps in life, and let themselves be reduced to a lamb at the mercy of others.Therefore, if a person wants to clear up his wisdom, he must first let go of everything and make himself truly empty, so that he can have infinite possibilities.

Purity of heart and few desires is also a great personality highlight.

Desire is a mandala flower
In 1988, Pennsylvania's William Post won a $1620 million jackpot in the lottery, but misfortunes followed.His own brother actually hired a hitman to try to kill Post and his wife, of course because of their prize money.Then his wife divorced him and took half of the winnings.Five years after winning the award, Post declared bankruptcy.

The toxicity of datura has long formed a strange and vicious scene in people's minds.For mandala, people are afraid to avoid it.

According to Spanish legends, datura flowers are like indifferent onlookers, often blooming near the execution ground, praying for the soul of every lost life.It is also said that the whole plant of this flower is highly poisonous, and only one person in a million people can have the opportunity to see the flower bloom, so whoever meets the flower bloom, his favorite will die.

However, many people who see Datura for the first time will be amazed by its beauty. Its flowers are huge and gorgeous, like a long trumpet, which is amazing.Even if people see it in the deep mountains, it is like a noble lady living in the deep mountains, without changing her nobility and grace, blooming her beauty by the side of the mountain road to her heart's content, and never learning other simple wild flowers to climb the mountain wall , Keeping away from passers-by is to crawl humbly by the side of the road and stand at the feet of passers-by.It is to make people unable to ignore its beauty.

However, behind the datura's beauty lies potentially fatal injury and pain.What else is there in the world that hides evil intentions behind beauty like a mandala?The answer is "human desire".

In life, it is inevitable to have a steady stream of desires. "Cutting off delusions is like cutting off forty miles." It is not easy to let go of desires.People in the world, since waking up from sleep in the morning, keep thinking about things in their minds, all kinds of thoughts, all kinds of fantasies, all kinds of desires, public and private affairs, people's right and wrong, all pass by scene by scene like a movie, without stopping for a minute or a second.

In fact, abandoning desires does not require us to live a life of indulgence or abstinence, but at the moment when the senses are in contact with the outside world, when greed, ignorance and other troubles and emotions breed, we can have a clear awareness and contemplate deeply. Oneself, and then enlightened and transcended spiritually.

In this way, when you meet the beautiful "mandala" again, you will no longer be tempted by its appearance, so as to stay away from the poison of desire.

Human desires are like datura flowers, if you are not careful, you will be confused by them.

how money gets us

We always want to be our own masters, but often become slaves to money.How does money get us?It always humiliates good ministers, ignores the bottom line, tramples on principles, makes hidden deals, inspires greed, and buys people's hearts.Money is driving a lot of people to a corner.The charm of money can divert people's vision and soul. No wonder some people say: "Some people are slaves of money." If people become slaves of money, it is really pitiful and sad.Treat money correctly so that you will not get lost in the magic of money.

Ms. Shirley Gagliard, who won the $2600 million prize, told reporters five years after winning the lottery that what she had learned was: "The best things in life cannot be bought with money."

In 1991, the young Shirley and her husband Frank won the lottery for $10.So the couple both quit their jobs, bought Mercedes-Benz cars, diamond rings and traveled around.Later, Shirley bought a house near her parents' residence, thinking that she could enjoy a stable life in the future.

Who knows, Frank became confused because he didn't have a regular job.In the past, he cherished the motorcycle at home, but now he wants to buy a travel utility vehicle and a luxury yacht.As a result, the couple often had disputes over spending money.In the end, they finally divorced in 1994, and the family property and bonus were divided in half.After enjoying a life of luxury, Shirley asked herself, "What's the point of having a house full of antiques and a chest of jewels?" She was cheap but generous when it came to charitable giving."The world is not perfect. In this imperfect world, I would rather have a happy marriage than money," she said.

Money brought Shirley a material life, but it also cost her a happy marriage.The philosopher Swift once said: "Money is freedom, but a lot of wealth is a bondage." If we regard money as God, it will torture the body and mind like a devil.Money is created by people's labor, and it also serves for people's better life.If you blindly pursue money and regard money as a claim, then life will be filled with material desires, and there will be no room for family, love and friendship. What is the meaning of such an indifferent life?Correct, when dealing with money, don't let money get us, but let us override material desires, so that we can have a happy and warm living atmosphere.

The magic of money is formed by people's desires.Only by staying away from the magic power of money and the trap of desire can you get money, instead of letting money get you.

Be the master of material desires, not be enslaved by them
Leo Tolstoy said: "Wealth is like excrement. It smells bad when it is piled up, and it can make the land fertile when it is scattered." Mr. Qian Zhongshu is also a wise man who regards money as dung.

Mr. Qian Zhongshu, a well-known master in modern times who has learned both Chinese and Western cultures, has never lived in poverty or made much money in his life.

In the 20s, Princeton University in the United States invited Mr. Qian to give lectures. The price was 80 US dollars, and transportation, accommodation, and meals were provided free of charge. He could go with his wife, but Qian Zhongshu refused.

An old British publishing house learned that Mr. Qian had a large English dictionary full of comments, and sent people across the ocean to knock on the door of Qian's mansion, promising a lot of money, and begging to sell it to them. !"

When Mr. Qian was the president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the driver who drove him hit a pedestrian and injured a pedestrian. When he found Mr. Qian and wanted to borrow medical expenses, Mr. Qian asked about the situation and said, "How much do you need?" The driver replied: "3000 yuan. "Old Qian said: "How about this, I will give you 1500 yuan, not counting your borrowing, and you don't have to pay it back."

Many people did not understand Mr. Qian's lack of love for money and asked him for advice.Mr. Qian said, "I've been named Qian all my life. Do I still believe in money?"

Mr. Qian's free and easy attitude towards material things made the world ashamed.But in fact not everyone can find their place in front of material desires.I once read a true story told by quicksand in the newspaper:

On the cover of the famous "Fortune" magazine in the United States, a photo of Jason Swisspoon, a 19-year-old youth, was published.He is a website owner.With the funding of investors, he launched a website called "My Wishes Come True". In just a few months, the number of visits to the webpage reached 900 million.Jensen has earned hundreds of millions of dollars on the website and has become an upstart on the Internet in the United States.

Caught in the midst of great success, he believes he has extraordinary abilities and can do anything.Some financial institutions in the United States took the initiative to provide him with loans and huge financial support, and his company went public soon.The accumulation of wealth is like a snowball, expanding from more than 1 million US dollars to 26 billion US dollars.

So far, he has become the target of beauties and the media.His life is also extremely luxurious.The good times didn't last long, and the U.S. stock market changed suddenly. The stock of Johnson's company plummeted from the original 168 US dollars per share to 2 US dollars, and the company was declared bankrupt.

(End of this chapter)