The wisdom of I Ching

Chapter 78 Always check yourself

【Original Code】

On the last nine, look at Lu Kao Xiang, and its spin Yuan Ji.

"Xiang" said: Yuanji is on the top, and there is great celebration.

—— "Book of Changes · Shoes"

Jian is beneficial to the southwest and unfavorable to the northeast.See you, my lord.Zhenji.

——"Book of Changes·Jian"

【Interpretation】

The nine lines on the hexagram of "Lu" say: Only by examining the good or bad of the road can you return in triumph and auspiciously.

"Xiang Zhuan" said: If you get good luck in the end, you will be blessed.

"Jian" hexagrams say: It is good for going to the southwest, but not good for going to the northeast. The northeast is dangerous, because that road is a dead end, and going there is equal to adding bad to bad.Going is dangerous and difficult, going bad, stopping but not going well, auspicious.

The road of life journey is very bumpy, if you are not careful, you will go astray.A wise man will always look up and change direction at any time, and only after a long and careful consideration will they take action, because it is easier to avoid danger in advance than to overcome it when it comes.Dangerous situations cloud our judgment, so the safest course is to get rid of them altogether.

It is inevitable that you will lose your way forward in life. The key is to see if you have the courage to raise your head and move forward boldly.The road in life is difficult to identify. In order to prevent getting lost, whenever you go astray, try your best to get back on the right road.But later, in order to reduce the trouble of identifying the way, people also extinguished the only light in their hearts—rationality.We have seen many people achieve their ambitions when they were young, but the final outcome is very bleak. It is because they get a little achievement by chance in their youth, they get carried away with complacency, do not know how to examine themselves, and end up ruined in the end.

【Category】

Story [-]: Jun Shenjun's "Bloodlight Disaster"

Huang Xie, the Chunshen Lord of Chu State, was one of the famous "Four Young Masters" with three thousand disciples.At that time, King Chu Kaolie had no children, so Lord Chunshen searched everywhere for beauties to present to King Chu.There was a man named Li Yuan from the state of Zhao. His sister was very beautiful. He wanted to dedicate it to the king of Chu, but he changed his mind and dedicated his sister to Huang Xie, the king of Chunshen.

Mr. Chunshen was very fond of this beauty.Before long, she became pregnant.After discussing secretly with her brother, the beauty said to Chunshen Jun, "Husband, the relationship between the King of Chu and you is really good!" Chunshen Jun said emotionally, "Yes, the relationship between the King of Chu and me is the same as that of brothers."

The beauty said again: "But the king of Chu has no heirs of his own. After death, he can only let his own brothers be the king. The new king must only use people around him. And your current status is so high, there must be brothers who are against the king of Chu. Wouldn't your situation be more dangerous then?"

Chunshen Jun said: "Yes, but what is the best way?" The beauty blinked her eyes and said, "There is a way. I am already pregnant. If the King of Chu likes me now, then the child I gave birth to will be pregnant." The child can be the king. You don't have to worry about your future."

So, Chun Shenjun dedicated her to the King of Chu, and she was favored by the King of Chu very soon.Later, she gave birth to a boy, who was then made a prince, and the beauty became a queen.The king of Chu promoted her elder brother Li Yuan to a high official.Li Yuan is an ambitious person. He wants to seize the power of Chunshenjun, but he is afraid that Chunshenjun will reveal the secret, so he raises a group of killers in private, planning to wait for the opportunity to kill him.

At this time, Chun Shenjun was still in the dark.The doorman Zhu Ying said to him: "You have been the prime minister of Chu for more than 20 years. One person is under one man and over ten thousand people. After the death of the king of Chu, you have to assist the young prince until he grows up.

It can be said that this is your blessing, but there may also be disasters hidden in it, as the saying goes, blessings come with disasters. "

Chunshen Jun said nonchalantly: "I am living a good life, what misfortune will I have?" Zhu Ying said worriedly: "Li Yuan has always wanted to seize the power in your hands. He has raised many killers long ago. As soon as the king of Chu died, he pointed the finger at you. This is the disaster I was talking about. However, as long as you send me An to Li Yuan's side, strike first and get rid of Li Yuan, you will be relieved of your worries gone."

After hearing this, Chunshen Jun patted Zhu Ying on the shoulder and said, "Sir, you are worrying too much. I know that Li Yuan is a timid person. I don't think he would do such a thing."

Soon after, King Chu Kaolie died of illness.Li Yuan came to the palace first and arranged for the killer to ambush inside the palace gate.Chunshen Jun entered the palace in a hurry, and as soon as he entered the palace gate, Li Yuan's killers jumped out from both sides and took his life. What's more tragic was that even his family members were not spared.

In real life, we must always be vigilant about the direction we are heading and make the best choice.Everything must be prepared early, and problems can be found and resolved in time.You must always raise your head, polish your eyes a little more, and think a little more clearly, so that you can easily distinguish good from bad, and make everything go smoothly.

Story [-]: Xiao He did not protect himself for fame and fortune

Xiao He was the earliest confidant who helped Liu Bang in the uprising, and he made great contributions in the cause of opposing Qin, destroying Chu and Xinghan. Liu Bang ranked him first among the heroes when discussing meritorious deeds, and gave him the ability to wear a sword and wear shoes to enter the palace Special treatment in court to show favor.

Later, Han Xin was falsely accused of treason, when Liu Bang led his troops to go out, it was Xiao He who helped Empress Lu design to get rid of Han Xin, and relieved Liu Bang's serious trouble.As a result, Xiao He was promoted from prime minister to prime minister, his fief increased by [-] households, and [-] soldiers served as his bodyguards.

All the ministers in the court congratulated him, and only a survivor of the Qin Dynasty named Zhao Ping said to Xiao He: "You will have a catastrophe in the near future. Now the Lord is going to fight outside, and he is sitting in the capital. Battle exploits. The reason why the lord increased the fiefdom and set up guards for you was because of Han Xin's rebellion, and he had doubts about you. It was not a favor for you. Please give up the reward and give away your property The lord will be happy to use it to support the army ahead." Xiao He thought what he said was very reasonable and followed his plan, and Liu Bang was really happy.

In the second year, Yingbo rebelled, and Liu Bang led his troops out again, but repeatedly sent envoys back to the capital to inquire about what Xiao He was doing.Xiao He thought that the emperor was away on an expedition, so he did his best to appease the people, prepare food and grass, and send it to the front line, just like he had done for many years.

Another person persuaded Xiao He: "You are about to have a catastrophe to exterminate your family again. Your step is now the prime minister, with the most meritorious service. You can't be promoted any more. You can't add more meritorious deeds. You are very popular. Now the Lord sent someone to inquire about your situation. , because you are worried that your reputation will become too big and pose a threat to him. Why don’t you go around buying land at low prices, lending money at high interest rates, and causing people to complain? Only in this way will the Lord be at ease with you.” Xiao He listened to his opinion, Liu Bangde After knowing it, I was really relieved.

When Liu Bang returned to the court, the common people stopped the road and sued Xiao He.But Liu Bang didn't blame Xiao He at all. Instead, he handed over the common people's pleadings to Xiao He, and said to him with a smile, "You can handle it yourself!"

A person who is keen on pursuing fame and fortune often ignores many joys in life, and even pays the price of his life.Take everything lightly and think more openly, life will be more chic and happy.

Story Three: Gong Sui corrects his posture

During the time of Liu Xun, Emperor Xuan of the Western Han Dynasty, there was famine every year in Bohai (now Cangzhou, Hebei) and neighboring counties, and thieves flocked.Emperor Xuan wanted to select a person who could govern, and both the prime minister and the censor recommended Gong Sui to be appointed, so Emperor Xuan summoned him.

At that time, Gong Sui was already 70 years old. Seeing that he was short in stature and unattractive, the emperor looked down on him and asked, "What method do you use to calm the bandits?"

Gong Sui replied: "In the distant seaside, there is no education of the emperor. The people there are suffering from hunger and cold, and the officials don't care about them. Therefore, the people there are like a group of urchins holding weapons by the pool. It's like dancing with a gun. Now, do you want to suppress them, or do you want to appease them?"

Emperor Xuan heard that what he said was very reasonable, so he looked serious and said: "I choose a virtuous minister as the prefect, and naturally I want to appease the local people."

Gong Sui said: "Governing the chaotic people is like sorting out a mess. You can't do it too hastily. I hope that the prime minister and the censor will not blindly restrain me with the existing laws, and allow me to flexibly adjust according to the actual situation after I take office. process."

Emperor Xuan agreed to his request and sent Gong Sui to Bohai County in a postcar.After several years of painstaking governance by him, the society in the Bohai area was stable, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, Emperor Xuan had no worries, and Gong Sui became famous.

Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty summoned him to return to the court, and an official surnamed Wang asked to go to Chang'an with him.The other officials disagreed, saying: "This man is drunk all day long and can talk big. It's better not to take him!" Gong Sui said: "If he wants to go, let him go!"

After arriving in Chang'an, this Mr. Wang indulged in drunkenness all day long, and did not see Gong Sui.But one day, when he heard that the emperor was going to summon Gong Sui, he said to his subordinates: "Call my master to me, I have something to say to him!" Gong Sui didn't care, and really came to see him.

Mr. Wang asked: "If the Son of Heaven asked you how to govern the Bohai Sea, how would you answer?" Gong Sui said: "I would like to appoint talented people, strictly enforce the law, clearly distinguish rewards and punishments, and each do his best."

Mr. Wang shook his head and said, "Isn't that boasting of his merits? Please answer this way: 'This is not the merit of the minister, but the influence of the emperor's wisdom and might!'"

So Gong Sui accepted his suggestion and answered Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty according to his intention. Emperor Xuan was very happy and granted Gong Sui an important official position.

The reason why Gong Sui was reused by the emperor was because he did not show off his "personal heroism", but followed the advice of his subordinates and cleverly passed the credit to Emperor Xuan!

In real life, we have to correct our posture, check ourselves at all times, don't just focus on moving forward, but be prepared to deal with bad signs when they appear, and change our thoughts in a timely manner, so that we can Take the road ahead.

【The Heart of the Book of Changes】

The road of life is not always smooth. In the face of complex and changeable situations, don't keep your head down and just walk, otherwise you may bump your head against the wall, or walk into a dead end and cannot get out.Therefore, smart people will stop appropriately to see where the road should go, and change the route in time when there is an ominous omen, so that they can reach the destination smoothly.

"Book of Rites The Doctrine of the Mean": "The Dao is one that cannot be separated for a moment, but it is not the Tao. Therefore, a gentleman is cautious about what he does not see, and fears what he does not hear. What is invisible is invisible, and what is not obvious is subtle. Therefore, a gentleman should be cautious of his own." It means that the principle of morality cannot be separated at all times, and one must always check one's behavior, be alert to whether there are inappropriate words and deeds that one does not see, and others have any opinions on one's own but one does not. Nothing happened that was heard.

Therefore, when no one is supervised, a moral person always moves forward cautiously, does not do anything that violates morality, and works hard on "hidden" and "micro", that is, both when there are people and when no one is present. Only by keeping one appearance and not allowing any evil thoughts to germinate, can we prevent the erroneous development and make our moral character more noble.

(End of this chapter)