Life is but a thought: Nan Huaijin's 15 Life Wisdom Lessons

Chapter 15 Big people have big realms, little people have small realms (2)
Benedict said: "It is not a virtue to be favored by others, but to repay the favor. When he actively devotes himself to the work of gratitude, the virtue is produced." Everyone will get help from others and accept the favor of others in the process of life If we are grateful for everything we have in life, we will be able to experience the joy of life, the warmth of the world and the value of life.

A person with a grateful heart will be moved even if he looks up at the night sky.As Kant said: "On a clear night, looking up at the sky, you will get a kind of happiness, which can only be experienced by a noble mind."

People who always have a grateful heart for life can survive no matter how big a disaster they encounter.Only when he is truly aware of this, will he be grateful for the blessings of nature, for the upbringing of his parents, for the stability of the society, for the companionship of his friends, for the food and clothing, for the flowers, grass, fish and insects, for the suffering and adversity, and for everything.

true kindness is silent
Kindness is a colorless and invisible thing, invisible and intangible, but it can lead a person to the bright road.We need to develop a habit of doing good anytime and anywhere, and on the road of continuous doing good, we will go smoother and wider.

What does it mean to be a real good person?This is the big question in moral philosophy.

In "The Analects of Confucius", there is such a record: "Zi Zhang asked about the way of good people. The Master said: If you don't follow the traces, you will not enter the house." Do good deeds, let alone do good deeds for the sake of being a good person.Such "good deeds" are like a shackle, binding oneself up.

Confucius' benevolence is centered on "benevolence", and he advocates that there is no trace of good deeds.

In this regard, Mr. Nan Huaijin further pointed out: "If you do good, you don't want others to know. If you want to be famous for being good and hope to become a role model respected by others, then there is a problem."

Mr. Nan Huaijin said that the virtuousness of this saint can be seen from the small things Confucius usually does.Seeing those in power and poor people, they will naturally respect them; seeing people in mourning, a kind of sympathy will sprout in their hearts, and their attitude will also be solemn; "We must go", he must walk a few steps faster and dare not look too much, which shows his psychological cultivation.

For example, a blind musician named Mian came to see Confucius.At that time, musicians were mostly blind.Before he arrived, Confucius came out to pick him up, supported him, and walked home step by step.When he was about to climb the steps, Confucius would tell him that this is a step.When he arrived at the seat, Confucius would tell him, here is the seat, please sit down.When everyone sits down, Confucius will say, Mr. So-and-so is on your left, and Mr. So-and-so is opposite you, and tell him in detail one by one.

After the great musician Mian left, his disciples asked Confucius: "Teacher, you treat him with so many rules, and you have to tell him everywhere. Is this the way to treat a musician?" Confucius replied: "Of course, we must do this. This is not only true for his official position, but also for such a blind person. No matter how we behave, we must have an attitude of kindness."

Confucius' small acts of kindness do not need to be expressed in words, but he does it casually, and it is a very happy thing in his heart.His small act of kindness is undoubtedly a bright light in the dark for the blind musician, and it is a new understanding of people and the world.It can be said that being kind is a way to get the best of both worlds.

The playwright Shakespeare once said: "Compassion is not out of reluctance, it is like nectar that descends from heaven to the earth, and it not only gives happiness to those who receive it, but also to those who give it." Therefore, there is no trace of good deeds People are usually the happiest.

Confucius advocated that "great virtues should not be too much, and small virtues can come and go." Confucius said that the great principles of morality must not be violated, small mistakes can be made, and saints will also make mistakes.But that doesn't mean it's right to make mistakes.In short, no matter what you do, you must think carefully and think twice.

A ragged boy was selling matches on the street when he saw a girl stopped by the city's famous thugs, demanding money.People passing by all looked at her coldly, not daring to stop it all. The girl cried loudly, trembling with fright.

"Sir, please buy a pack of matches." The boy said bravely.But the gangsters ignored him and kicked him.The corner of the boy's mouth was bleeding, but he still stood up and said, "Big brother, my mother said you are a great hero, and you once helped me fight robbers."

The gangster stared at him in shock.The boy continued: "I have always wanted to learn from you and help those who are being bullied. I am hungry now, and I have no money to buy food. You can buy a box of my matches." The boy stretched out his hand and took a The box of matches stopped in mid-air.

Time stood still for a few seconds.Later, the gangster took out 100 yuan from his pocket, handed it to the boy and said, "I bought all your matches, is that enough?" The boy nodded excitedly.Then, the gangster left.The little girl hiding in the corner looked at the little boy, and they smiled at each other.

The next day, the girl's father found the boy and thanked him.When he learned that the boy's parents had died, he resolutely decided to take on the responsibility of taking care of him and take care of everything he needed in life.

Kindness is a colorless and invisible thing, invisible and intangible, but it can lead a person to the bright road.Because of his kindness and wit, the boy won the respect and affirmation of others, and even made the gangster know his way back and leave in shame.

It is difficult for us to estimate the value of a person's good deeds, but we should not decide whether to do it or not based on the value or size.The goodness of Buddhism is even more invisible, traceless, and traceless.The Buddha cut meat and fed it to the eagles. This kind of compassion makes the world unable to bear tears.But why did the Buddha preach it everywhere? "Don't do good because it is small." We must develop a habit of doing good anytime, anywhere, and on the road of continuous goodness, we will go smoother and wider.

Kindness without expecting anything in return is the highest morality

Give kindness without expecting anything in return.Only in this way can we be confident in our hearts and live a bright and aboveboard life. Even in the dark, we are still like a bright pearl.

Not staying out of things, bravely entering the world to do compassionate affairs, and saving all sentient beings, this kind of kindness without any additional conditions is the highest state of Buddha and the highest morality of a person.

Mr. Nan Huaijin once warned the world: "Don't belittle anyone. This is the Bodhisattva precept of Mahayana Buddhism. You know that this person is a liar, but you don't look down on him because of it. He comes to lie to you, which means that he has needs and cannot achieve his goals. , he won’t be able to sleep, and will find a way to come to you tomorrow. You might as well be tricked by him and let him sleep well, that’s a great pleasure.” Mr. Nan Huaijin’s words are thought-provoking!
Zen master Zhishun in the Tang Dynasty has been practicing Zen as a layman.One day, he was tired from walking, so he rested under the woods on the mountain.Suddenly, a pheasant flew towards him in a hurry, covered in blood, with an arrow stuck in it.

Soon, a hunter chased after him panting, and the seriously injured pheasant fled to the Zen master's seat. The Zen master covered the escaped life with his sleeve.

"Master, please return the pheasant I shot!"

The Zen master mercifully enlightened the hunter: "It is also a life, so let it go!"

The hunter shook his head and disagreed: "I'm not a monk, so I don't talk about whether it's raw or not. Our family hasn't eaten meat for a long time, and they all point at me to hunt. This pheasant can be our dinner!"

In desperation, the Zen master picked up the Jiedao for self-defense while walking, cut off his two ears, and gave them to the hunter: "Are these two ears enough for your pheasant? Although the weight is a bit small, the taste should be good. You Just take it back and taste it!"

The hunter was stunned when he saw the Zen master's actions, and then lowered his head to reflect on his actions.Later, the hunter's heart was influenced by the Zen master, he put down his butcher knife, and expressed his willingness to follow the Zen master and accept his teachings.

In order to save a pheasant, the Zen master willingly gave up his ears. This kind of compassion is the true meaning of Buddhism.The spirit of cutting ears to save chickens is the same as that of Buddha cutting meat to feed eagles, both are shocking.Although not everyone can cut ears to save chickens like a Zen master, and cut meat to feed eagles like Buddha, we should all have kind thoughts and do good deeds.

Mr. Nan Huaijin said: "In real life, those who only seek fame and wealth for their own motives are ordinary people. Those who worry about people in the world and plan for the country and the world are saints."

When Roy was young, his family was very poor. Naturally, saving tuition fees became something Roy had to do, and his family couldn't afford it.One day, Roy, as usual, went door-to-door to sell goods.Most of the day has passed, and he hasn't sold any products yet, and he doesn't have a penny on him, let alone eat.

Roy, who was hungry, was very distressed.Later, he decided to ask for a meal from the next family.The door opened, and it was a beautiful girl who opened it for him.When seeing this young and beautiful woman, Roy was a little overwhelmed.

In order to maintain what little dignity he had left, he didn't beg for food, he just asked for a glass of milk.Seeing that he was very hungry, the woman brought him a large glass of milk to drink.Roy drank the milk slowly, and asked cautiously, "How much should I pay?"

The young girl replied: "There is no need to pay a penny. My mother taught me since I was a child: to be full of love for all people, do what you can, and don't expect anything in return."

Hearing this, Roy's heart suddenly eased.Even if the young girl asked him to pay, he couldn't get it out.

"Since you said so, please accept my sincere thanks." After speaking, Roy left the family.Along the way, he felt that his whole body was full of strength, and a burst of masculine arrogance suddenly burst out.In fact, before that, he was planning to drop out of school.Now, he has changed his mind, he wants to change his destiny through knowledge.Many years later, Roy is already a famous doctor.One day, the hospital received a patient who had a very rare disease. The local doctors were helpless and had to advise her to transfer to a big hospital.

In this therapy, Roy also participated.When he saw the patient's experience written in the medical record, he couldn't help admiring. Faced with this unbearable pain, most people have given up long ago, but the patient never gave up hope.The patient's tenacious desire to survive infected him.

At this time, a strange thought flashed through his mind, he wanted to go to the ward to visit the patient immediately.Before coming to the ward, he was stunned. This patient, no!This beautiful lady is the one who once gave herself a glass of milk.

Back in the office, Roy secretly made up his mind: "I will do my best to cure my benefactor!"

From that day on, Roy took special care of this patient.After unremitting efforts, the operation was successful, and all the people cheered for it, but the face of the patient's family members was covered with a dark cloud.Roy understood, because of the expensive medical bill... Roy took the medical bill to the payment office without saying a word, and signed his name.

When the medical bill was sent to the patient's family, the family didn't even have the courage to open it. They were convinced that this operation would consume all their belongings, and they might not be able to afford it.In the end, the family members mustered up their courage and opened the medical expense notice, only to see that the expense on it was "0", and there was a line of small characters at the bottom: the medical expense was a glass of milk many years ago.

Of course, the value of a glass of milk cannot be compared with huge medical expenses, but what they have in common is that they all have a kindness that cannot be measured by money.Of course, if someone gives someone a glass of milk in return, it is worth only a glass of milk.The story further sublimates "goodness", which is the highest morality of a person!

Give kindness without expecting anything in return.Only in this way can we be confident in our hearts and live a bright and aboveboard life. Even in the dark, we are still like a bright pearl.Just like a poem of Enlightenment by Cha Lingyu, a Zen monk in the Song Dynasty: "I have a bright pearl, which has been locked away by the dust for a long time; now the light of the world shines through the mountains and rivers." When we show our kindness, kindness is like the heart. A bright pearl not only illuminates oneself, but also provides a touch of clarity for others.

Be a benevolent person from the inside out

If we really want to be "benevolent", we should start from the inside, and we should not be aware of "benevolent" because of temporary environmental changes.

Lao Tzu once sighed: "When the Dao is abandoned, there is benevolence and righteousness; when wisdom comes out, there are hypocrites; when the six relatives are not in harmony, there is filial piety; when the country is chaotic, there are loyal ministers." They will formulate external laws of benevolence and righteousness to govern the social order; when personal desires cause family ties to break up and other difficulties, they will use the simple belief in filial piety and compassion to save the so-called harmony; when the country is in chaos, People will appear loyal ministers and good futures to save the country from fire and water; when they have enough understanding of the laws of external things and summed up the truth, people will use such principles to act against their hearts and treat external things hypocritically.

(End of this chapter)