plain book

Chapter 9 Interpretation of Plain Books (7)
Wang said: "What the heart covets, does not get what it wants; intends to seek, but fails to fulfill its wish. The two things are not satisfactory, and I suffer from my heart."

【Interpretation】The suffering in life all comes from too much desire and excessive greed. I want to get what I have not got, and hope for more of what I have already got.The so-called hard-working person is hard-working. "Chu Songs Li Sao": "Everyone is greedy, and they are seeking for nothing." Wang Yi's note: "Love of money is greed, love of food is greed."

Buddhism says that there are eight sufferings in life: birth, old age, illness, death, parting from love, long-lasting resentment, not getting what you want, and the abundance of the five yins.And these eight sufferings all come from desire, greedy and never satisfied.For this reason, the Buddha taught the Dharma for decades with only one purpose, which is to help people get rid of troubles and the sea of ​​desires, and tell people the simplest truth of liberation: "Whatever you want is suffering, and what you don't want is happiness." For things outside the body, Come as you come, go as you go, there is no need to worry about it, and it is not worthy of great joy and sorrow.

In "Dream of Red Mansions", the lame Taoist sang a "Good Song": "The world knows that the gods are good, but fame can't be forgotten! Where are the ancient and modern generals? The pile of grass in the barren mound is gone! The world knows that the gods are good, only gold Yin can't be forgotten! In the end, I only hate that there are not many gatherings, and when it is too long, my eyes will be closed. The world knows that the gods are good, only the wife can't forget! The king expresses his kindness on his birthday, and the king goes with others after his death. The world knows that the gods are good , only the children and grandchildren will never forget it! There have been many infatuated parents since ancient times, who has seen filial children and grandchildren?"

Zhen Shiyin is a smart scholar, and has the experience of family ruin and death, so he understood it as soon as he heard it, and then wrote this commentary for "Good Song":
The shabby house was empty. Back then, the wat was full of beds, withered grass and withered poplars. It used to be a singing and dancing venue.

The spider silk is full of carved beams, and the green gauze is now pasted on the canopy window.

What is the fat thick, the powder is fragrant, how can the temples become frost again?

Yesterday the bones were buried in the loess, and the mandarin ducks lie under the red light tent tonight.

Boxes full of gold, boxes full of silver, beggars all slander with their eyes wide open.

Just lamenting that other people's lives are not long, how can I know that I will return to mourn!
Well-trained, you may be a strong player in the future.

Choosing ointment, whoever hopes to live in Fireworks Lane!
Because the gauze hat is too small, the shackles are heavy. Yesterday, the pity was cold, but now the purple python is too long.

Chaos and chaos, you sing and I come on stage, denying that the other country is my hometown.

very absurd,
In the end, they all make wedding clothes for others!

Although these two lyrics are somewhat negative, they also reflect some truths of life, which are enough to be a warning to greedy people in the world.Remember: the way of a sage is to be strong without desire. 【Original】Being more sad than Jing San.

Note: "What is born of Tao is called one, what is pure and one is called essence, and what is produced by essence is called god. If it is latent in nothing, there is no birth and death, no first and no later, no yin, no yang, and no movement. There is no stillness. If it is abandoned to the spirit, it will be enlightenment, philosophy, wisdom, and knowledge. The products of blood and energy are all endowed and received. If it is used correctly, it will gather and not disperse; if it is used wrongly, it will disperse and not gather. If the eyes are obsessed with color, the essence will be dispersed in the color; if the ears are obsessed with the sound, the essence will be dispersed in the sound; if the mouth is obscene in taste, the essence will be dispersed in the smell; How can it last forever?"

Wang said: "The heart is the master of the body; the essence is the foundation of a person. If the mind is confused, the body cannot be at peace; if the essence is dissipated, the spirit cannot be clear. If the mind is confused, the body cannot be refreshed; if the spirit is dissipated, sorrow and sorrow Disasters come naturally."

【Interpretation】Traditional Chinese medicine teaches that people have seven emotions: joy, anger, worry, thought, sadness, fear, shock, and sorrow is one of them.As the saying goes, "there is nothing more sad than death", why?

The essence mentioned in Chinese medicine is the basic element that constitutes life, and it is a certain "subtle substance" in the universe.It has two sources: one is from our innate nature, and the other is from our daily diet, which is the essence of water and grain.For example, essence is like a raw material, such as grain is a raw material, which can be processed to produce food, medicine, alcohol, chemical products, etc.Essence, the raw material, can also produce the necessities of the body such as qi, blood, and body fluid.

Our body usually gets essence, so we store it up, just like a factory hoards raw materials, and then process it into products when the body needs it.Essence and Qi are two aspects of the same thing. The one that flows in the body is called Qi, and the one that is not stored is called essence.

Sadness is an emotion, but it involves the whole body working.Traditional Chinese medicine talks about worrying about the lungs, hurting the lungs will cause qi to disappear, qi disappearing will lead to a guilty heart, and a guilty heart will lead to more sadness.See, it becomes a vicious cycle.When you are very sad, the qi in your body is consumed a lot, and when you cry bitterly, you will be out of breath.

What do you do when you are out of breath?Of course, more gas should be produced for supplementation.What is used to produce it?Of course, it is produced with refined raw materials.In this way, the raw materials will be insufficient, and the sorrow will cause the essence to disperse.

What are the consequences of dispersing the essence? "Lingshu·Ben Shen" said: "The five internal organs are the ones that store the essence, and they should not be injured. If they are injured, they will lose their defense and become yin deficiency; if yin deficiency, there will be no qi, and if there is no qi, they will die." On the other hand, the essence has the effect of calming the nerves. Traditional Chinese medicine talks about "accumulating essence and whole mind".When the essence is scattered, the mind is restless, the six souls have no masters, and they can't do anything they want to do
If you want to achieve a career, you must first have a good body.The first step in health preservation is "preservation of essence and health". "Like Jing" said: "Those who are good at keeping in good health must have their essence. If the essence is full, the energy will be full, and if the energy is full, the spirit will be complete. If the spirit is complete, the body will be healthy. If the body is healthy, the disease will be less. Almost fine."

【Original】Impermanence is the only disease.

The note said: "The reason why heaven and earth can last forever is because of their permanence; people are impermanent, isn't it sick?"

Wang said: "All things have success or failure, and life has the number of ups and downs. If you don't take care of it at any time, you will suffer from illness. People have life, but they must die. The law of heaven is reincarnated. How can everything in the world be free from impermanence?"

【Interpretation】"Wu" means nothing, "Constant" means fixed; change.

A few years ago, there was a best-selling book - "Who Moved My Cheese", which said the truth: the only constant in the world is change.In fact, this principle is too simple. In "The Art of War", it is repeatedly mentioned that "soldiers have impermanent potential, water has an impermanent form", and Chinese medicine also teaches that "diseases have impermanent forms, medicines have impermanent prescriptions, and medicines have impermanent products", emphasizing changes. The "Diamond Sutra" also said: "You can't get the past mind, you can't get the present mind, and you can't get the future mind." It's just that we didn't understand the thoughts of the predecessors and worshiped others blindly.

But "impermanence" is only meaningful from a philosophical point of view. Any thing, before it undergoes fundamental changes, still has a relatively fixed state, otherwise it is impossible for us to understand the world.For example, human diseases can be recognized and treated when they have not changed.If a disease changes rapidly and continues to deteriorate, the prognosis is definitely poor, and this is a fatal disease.

In the same way, before things change, they always have their own laws. No matter how you do things or how you behave, you must follow these laws to make everything go smoothly.If you have to break it by force, you will be punished by law.Originally there were no wild rabbits in Australia, but the first westerners who arrived brought rabbits. As a result, rabbits had almost no natural enemies here, and they soon flooded. Today, people are helpless.

[Original] Nothing short is shorter than Gou De.

The note said: "If you gain it by injustice, you will lose it by injustice; if you don't get it, you can grow."

Wang said: "What the poor and lowly hate, what the rich and noble like. A wise man and a gentleman don't take unjust wealth, and don't do unreasonable things; how can they live long if they take unjust wealth by force?!"

【Interpretation】"Gou" is a legendary grass named "Gou Cao". "Shan Hai Jing" says "Gou grass, the beauty of clothes." It is said that this grass has the function of charming people, so it is also called "Mei Cao".Judging from the records, this is a beautiful grass.But later, some unscrupulous people thought that this grass was sexually promiscuous, so it had meanings such as "sex", "sex", disgraceful, and dishonorable.

The phrase "nothing short is better than getting it" has three meanings:
First, using disgraceful and dishonest means to obtain what should not be obtained.For example, in today's corruption, bribery and other behaviors, the money does not belong to you, it is ill-gotten wealth, this is called "grabbing".For another example, if there is a girl who doesn't love you, but you get her by extraordinary means, but she will never love you for the rest of her life, this is also called "go get".Everything that is "obtained" will be lost sooner or later. The "University" says: What is gained in a rebellious way will be lost in the same way.

Second, what is obtained because of greed for cheap, lack of long-term vision, and small losses is also called "grand gain".That is what we call "being greedy for petty gains and suffering big losses".Water hyacinth was introduced into my country as a flower in 1901. It was promoted and planted as pig feed in the 60s, and then it became wild. Finally, the situation is almost out of control today. my country once introduced Spartina from the United States in the 20s, causing a devastating blow to aquatic products such as fish, shrimp and shellfish.According to the figure released by the State Environmental Protection Administration, the economic loss caused by this kind of immediate interest is 60 billion.

The "Bible" said such a thing: Jacob and Esau are the two sons of Abraham, and Jacob is the second son, but he is very scheming and likes to stay at home quietly by himself.And Esau is the eldest son, appreciated by Abraham, and has the "right of primogeniture", he likes to hunt outside.One day Esau came back from hunting and was very thirsty. At this time, Jacob made a pot of red bean soup. Esau asked Jacob to give him a bowl of red bean soup to quench his thirst. Jacob took this opportunity to "buy" the "firstborn son" from Esau. Inheritance".A bowl of red bean soup in exchange for inheritance rights, a typical "small can't bear to mess up and make big plans".

Third, they are content with the status quo, do not think about making progress, and do not see the existence of crisis. This phenomenon can also be called "Gou De", which means "to survive by idling".

[Original] You Moyou is greedy and despicable.

The note said: "It is too much to sacrifice one's body for things."

Wang said: "Beautiful jade and gold are the most important things for people; everything in the world has its own master, relying on strength, relying on power, greedy in the heart, self-interested at the expense of others, clever schemes and crazy plans, it is darkness."

【Interpretation】The most despised human nature is greed.Therefore, Buddhism strongly warns people to overcome the three major causes of suffering, and "greed" is the first cause.Because once there is a greedy heart, the whole person will become humble and short-sighted.The mind that was supposed to be bright will also become dark; the originally promising career will also be ruined.

In the 44th year of Jiajing (1564), Yan Song, the first assistant minister of the Ming Dynasty, was deprived of his nationality and became a citizen, and all his family properties were copied.If Yan Song's defeat is investigated, the key lies in the word greed.According to historical records, both Yan Song and his son were "greedy and despicable" people.
So how much money does Yan Song have?According to the "Records of Shizong": "There are 960 taels of gold, 90 taels of silver, 850 seven pieces of jade cups and plates, more than 120 jade belts, and 33 pieces of golden tortoise shell and other belts. The remaining pieces, 63 pieces and pieces of items including pearls and jade belts and rings in the golden chamber, more than 57 pieces of pots, plates, cups and chopsticks in the golden chamber, five dragon egg pots, [-] pieces and pieces of pearl crowns, and six mansion houses There are more than [-] rooms, [-] houses, and more than [-] acres of land and ponds..." That is quite rich.

Perhaps it is in response to the old saying: what is gained in a rebellious way, will be lost in the same way.After Yan Song was dismissed, he had to build a thatched hut next to his ancestor's grave and live in it. His evening scene was very bleak. Eight years later, Yan Song died in loneliness, poverty and illness.He died too poor to afford a coffin and had no mourners.It was "greediness" that ruined his life. In fact, "greediness" has destroyed many people. To this day, we are still fighting against "greediness".

【Original】Gu Mo is lonely on self-reliance.

Note: "Jie Zhou relied on his talents, Zhi Bo relied on his borders, Xiang Yu relied on his courage, Gao Mang relied on his wisdom, Yuan Zai and Lu Qi relied on their cunning. If they rely on themselves, they will be arrogant and good at others; Goodness is lonely and helpless, and when it is defeated, the world fights and it perishes."

Wang said: "Practice one's own ability, do not do good governance, good words are regarded as ignorant, deeds are indulgent, rely on a little cleverness, and ultimately have no virtue. They must be arrogant to others. When people say good words, they are obsessed and refuse to listen to them." "If you don't listen to good words, don't do good deeds, even if you have a lot of money and thousands of people, if you can't trust them, you will be like walking alone.

【Interpretation】It would be a terrible thing if there were only you and your shadow in the world.People who rely on their talents and pride often end up "standing alone and hanging from each other".

The most common mistake for any talented person is pride. He thinks that he is omnipotent and that he is the best in the world.The result is to drive away other talented people around you, and you become a loner, ignorant and self-admired, then you are not far from failure.

According to historical records, China's first tyrant King Shang Zhou was a very talented man. He was so powerful that almost no one could match him.Not only that, King Zhou was also gifted with intelligence, quick thinking, articulate and eloquent.But it is a pity that his ingenuity was not used in the right place, and he ended up burning himself to death.

Yang Guang, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, was also such a person. He was young and eager to learn, especially good at poetry and prose, and wrote 55 volumes of anthology.In the first year of Emperor Kaihuang (585 A.D.), Yang Guang, who was only 13 years old, was named King of Jin, and became the general manager of Bingzhou, defending the capital.Later, Yang Guang personally led the army to unify the country, and organized the construction of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal to unblock the country.

Like King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty, Emperor Yang could not help but be proud of his talents and act in his own way. Without moral supervision and self-restraint, he committed treason, killing his father and usurping the throne.After becoming emperor, he indulged too much in pleasure, had no intention of governing the country, and embarked on the road of debauchery and self-destruction.

So the ancients concluded that: those who are complacent lose, and those who rely on themselves are alone.Because self-reliant people only have themselves in their hearts, and they can no longer hold anyone else.Think about it, who would want to talk to him like this?
[Original] Do not be suspicious.

The note said: "Han doubted Han Xin and let him go, but the letter was rebellious; Tang doubted Li Huaiguang and let him go, but Huaiguang rebelled."

Wang said: "If the superior is suspicious of the subordinate, he will not have the heart to use it; if the subordinate is afraid of the superior, he will not be able to carry out his affairs; if he is suspicious of others, he will stop working. If he is entrusted, he will not trust each other; If it is impossible, there is still danger of death."

[Interpretation] "Suspicion" is a big taboo in management. On the one hand, the user is always in danger because of "doubt";Therefore, those who are "suspicious" will do a hundred harms but not one benefit, harm others and benefit themselves, and harm the country and the people.

In order to wipe out Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and other peasant armies, Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty first used Yang He as the governor, then Hong Chengchou, then Cao Wenzhao, then Chen Qiyu, then Hong Chengchou, Lu Xiangsheng, Yang Sichang, Xiong Wencan, and so on. With Yang Sichang et al. In 13 years, 9 people were changed, but Li Zicheng forced him to hang himself in the end.why?Just because Emperor Chongzhen was too suspicious, he used one doubt to one another, and restrained him in many ways, making it difficult for these generals to exert their talents.

In the fourth year of Tang Jianzhong (783), Zhu Choubi in Jingyuan mutinied, and Tang Dezong fled to Fengtian for refuge.At this time, general Li Huaiguang was ordered to lead the army to rescue him, and played an important role in Fengtian's relief.However, Tang Dezong listened to the slanderous slander of Prime Minister Lu Qi, Duzhi Envoy Zhao Zan, Shence Army Envoy Bai Zhizhen and others, and ordered Huaiguang to take advantage of the victory to pursue Zhu Xi and regain Chang'an, and he was not allowed to lead his troops to Fengtian to meet the emperor.In the end, Li Huaiguang was turned against him.

[Original] Nothing can be defeated by selfishness.

The note said: "Rewards are not based on merit, and punishment is not based on crime; if you like to be sycophant and evil, you will be far away from your party and relatives; if you are small, you will form grievances, and if you are big, you will arouse the wrath of the world. This selfishness is also defeated."

Wang said: "Do not do what is just, love unjust wealth; deceive the public and pervert the law, and seek personal gain. Afterwards, there will be tiredness and ruin."

【Interpretation】For those who have experienced setbacks in their careers, don't blame others. You'd better look back and review yourself. It may be because of your selfishness.

(End of this chapter)