Buddha crossing a predestined person: Dharma and wisdom in life

Chapter 46 Cultivate a Mind of Freedom with the Buddha’s Heart—Walking, Sitting, and Lying, with Zen Shadows Accompanying You (3)
At this time, half of the students have raised their hands.Socrates returned to the podium and repeated the question just now.This time, all but one student raised their hands.Socrates walked up to the student and asked, "Don't you really smell anything?" The student said affirmatively, "I really don't smell anything!" Announced: "He is right, because this is a fake apple." This student became the famous philosopher Plato.

The journey of life is very short, and you should cherish your right to choose and make decisions. Although you can refer to other people's opinions, don't follow the crowd.Don't let anyone else's opinion drown out your inner voice.

Margaret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister. Born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England in 1925. In June 1983, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. In February 6, she ran for the leadership of the Conservative Party and won, becoming the first female leader in the history of a British political party. In May 1975, the Conservative Party won the general election and she became Britain's first female prime minister. In June 2, the Conservative Party won the general election again, and she was re-elected as Prime Minister.During her tenure, she worked diligently and made outstanding achievements, and was called the "Iron Lady".

Mrs Thatcher's father, Roberts, was the owner of a grocer in the small town of Granville, England.On Margaret's (Mrs. Thatcher's) 5th birthday, her father called her to him and said earnestly, "My child, you have to remember—you have to have your own opinions in everything, and use your own brain to judge things." Right and wrong, don’t copy what others say. This is the motto of life that Dad gave you, and it is the most important birthday gift that Dad gave you. It is much more useful to you than those beautiful clothes and toys!” From then on, Roberts deliberately put his daughter Cultivate a strong and independent child, determined to shape her independent personality of "rigorous, accurate, detail-oriented, and strict distinction between right and wrong".With her father as a "life mentor", Margaret grew up solidly.

Roberts often educates his daughter in this way, asking her to have her own ideas and ideals.Standing alone and being different can best show a person's personality.Drifting with the crowd can only make the brilliance of individuality drown in the crowd.

It was Roberts' clear goal and careful and comprehensive cultivation of her daughter's independent personality that made Mrs. Thatcher from an ordinary girl to a British Prime Minister who was re-elected for three terms. politician.

Life itself is a tragedy, a conquest, a struggle, but if you had to choose between living and dying, what would you choose?If you choose to survive, you will suffer all kinds of setbacks, failures, and even despair in your life.So do you regret choosing it?Because it's a tragedy in itself, so you don't go with the flow.Then if you choose to die, it means that you give up the joy and laughter you have in life, and you say goodbye to your family and friends alone, so no matter what choice you make in the end, you should not regret it, let alone complain yourself, because that is the choice you ultimately make.

A person's life energy is limited, so he must face various choices. It is these different choices that constitute life, and the choice is both happy and painful. The happy thing is that you have done what you think is the most valuable thing , the pain is that you have to give up some more happy and valuable things.this is life.

If each of us has the spiritual pillar of self-improvement and outstanding life values, whether we are an official or a grassroots citizen, we will stand at the best intersection of social responsibility and self-worth.Facing the ledger of life, we have no regrets.

Humble Bamboo with drooping leaves, Proud Plum with its flowers facing up

There are many arrogant people. If you study their psychology, they must have a sense of inferiority subconsciously.

So we often say that a very arrogant person is because he has too much inferiority complex.Because arrogance is a defense against inferiority, for fear that others will look down on you, so you have to put up that air.It is natural for people without inferiority complex. Whether you think highly of me or look down on me, I am me and I am like this, it is very natural.When people reach this state, they really know themselves.Therefore, people stand up to the sky, and throughout the ages, there is nothing but me.

In the afternoon of autumn, the countryside is full of joy, and the clusters of crystal clear and full ears of rice are shining golden in the bright sunshine. Have you observed them carefully?The stronger the stem, the more the waist bends down!
There are so many silent teachers in nature, just like "a humble bamboo has drooping leaves, and a proud plum has no upturned flowers", reminding you from time to time, and exhorting every sentence-to have a humble mind, never be arrogant Disrespectful, that's not flattering.

All arrogant people always have an unattainable attitude, think that they are better than others in everything, look down on others, love to boss around, talk around, always exaggerate their own abilities, and ridicule others' skills, For a short time, maybe everyone can tolerate it and don't care about it, but in the long run, arrogance is like a sharp knife, which has severely damaged the friendship between each other, and sooner or later the scarred resentment will drown the ignorant body.

Liu Bang's arrogance is recorded in history books.An intellectual surnamed Li went to see him. Old Liu was washing his feet, with an impatient expression on his face, "What's the matter, tell me quickly, tell me quickly! You don't see that I am busy." There are people who treat guests like this ?Old Liu is too arrogant.Who is Mr. Li?He is a professor-level character!At present, no matter what, he must be an expert who enjoys special allowances from the State Council.Celebrities!But Liu Bang doesn't care, whether you are famous or not, whether you are a professor or not, whether you enjoy the subsidy or not.I am like this!what happened?It is said that he also pissed in the hat of intellectuals.This is too outrageous.

The famous Napoleon in France also had an interesting incident, you may wish to use it as a reference:
After Napoleon came to the throne, he once traveled abroad, passed through a small town, stayed in a hotel, had a rest, changed into casual clothes, and went for a walk in the street.Since the clothes were very plain and did not reveal the identity of the emperor at all, no one paid special attention when he walked on the street.

Unexpectedly, after walking around the street for a long time, Napoleon got lost.He stood at the crossroads and looked around, not knowing which one was the way back to the hotel. There happened to be a man who looked like an army officer smoking a cigarette at the door of a house. Napoleon went over to him and asked him the way, and said to him very politely: "My friend." , may I ask which road leads to the hotel in the town?"

The man had a pipe in his mouth, looked at Napoleon indifferently, and pointed casually, meaning to tell him to take the road on the right. Although the man's attitude was very arrogant, Napoleon still said calmly: "Thank you, Tell me again, how far is the hotel from here?" The man replied impatiently, "One mile!" Then he turned his head away, ignoring him.

Napoleon thanked him, walked a few steps, then came back suddenly, and said to the man, "Excuse me, what rank are you in the army?" Guess!" "Is it a lieutenant?" The man exhaled white smoke from the corner of his mouth, and said proudly, "Go up!" Napoleon said, "Captain?" "I still have to go up!" "Major?" The man Said: "Yes, let you guess!" Napoleon bowed to the major to show his respect.

Just as Napoleon turned to leave, the major immediately asked him: "Are you a soldier too? Tell me what class you are in!" Napoleon blinked: "Guess, too!" "Lieutenant?" "Guess up." "Captain?" "Guess further?" "Are you also a major?" Napoleon said, "Guess further."

The major took down his pipe and said, "Is the sir a colonel?"

Napoleon smiled and said, "I have to guess further."

The major immediately stood to attention and said, "Your Excellency must be a general!"

Napoleon said with a smile: "It's still going up!"

The major immediately bowed and saluted, "Are you the current emperor?"

Napoleon said: "That's right!" The major said with trembling voice, "Your Majesty, please forgive my crime!" Napoleon laughed and said, "My dear major, you have not committed any crime!"

What right do I have to punish you?But I want to advise you, don't be too arrogant when dealing with people in the future, it's better to be humble.

A person's mind, bearing, and self-cultivation can be clearly seen in a short contact. Fortunately, when you meet the magnanimous Napoleon, let's take it as a lesson!If it's someone else, I'm afraid I will bow and bow, no amount of apologies can exchange endless regrets!
Arrogance, analyzed from the meaning of the word, should be a combination of two meanings: pride and contempt.Arrogance should also mean proud and slow.The leaders we often see are almost all standing proudly, moving slowly and speaking slowly.Who among us has seen a certain leader running around like a monkey with a burnt butt on a formal occasion?As a leader, I would rather let the wolf bite my ass than lose my footsteps.From this we can say that arrogance is definitely not the norm, it should be a specific gesture shown by a specific person on a specific occasion.In other words, it is an attitude of a specific occasion.Haven't we ever seen a person who eats, sleeps, and goes to the bathroom with arrogance, and when he has diarrhea, he can undo his trouser belt with three eyes?Well, he must be sorry for his crotch once or several times.

Arrogance is not only the need of leadership, but also a means of ordinary people. Generally speaking, if you are superior to others in terms of physical strength, ability, intelligence, or other areas, you must be "arrogant", show it, and force you to admit his strength. position, acknowledging that he is different.What we often say is arrogant and rude, mostly refers to a certain "character" who is coaxing and doesn't take us seriously.What we often hear is, "someone is very arrogant".Don't be unhappy, he is a character, if he is not a "character", then he is arrogant and shit?Then he is arrogant and arrogant.Pride is a need for status.You are a popcorn seller, or a popsicle seller, what status can you have?What is identity?That is to say, you must not only have a name and a business card, but you must also have a "name".It is not enough that you are just a "person", you have to be a "character".

As the saying goes: "A whole bottle of oil can't be shaken, but a half bottle of vinegar can be jingled!" The more arrogant a person is, the more he exposes his lack of personal education, but he doesn't know that "there are people beyond people, and there is a sky beyond the sky". How can one look down on others and look down on others?The most holy Confucius, he can hardly see the secrets of the hall, and he still asks for advice with an open mind, asking Li Laodan, visiting Le Changhong; the eminent monk Yinzu, who practiced so sublimely, still always considers himself "ashamed", and always remembers "seeing everyone is ashamed". Bodhisattva, I am the only one who is really an ordinary person, think about myself, I am still crawling to seek knowledge, and I am ignorant of everything, how can I be arrogant and despise others."

Arrogance is not the same as showing off.Pride is a photo, for people to see.Showing off is a movie, and it's for people to see.Arrogance is condescending, often a display of nobility in one's own talents.Show-offs often occupy a lower position in order to prevent others from underestimating themselves.When a villain becomes rich suddenly, he often shows off.Arrogance is mostly how leaders behave.

From this we can say that arrogance has its customary social nature, that is, arrogance endowed by society.There is also a point of view that arrogance is the nature of animals, and all animals are arrogant.This may be true, we have not seen humble animals.I have seen people raising chickens in the countryside.When a certain pullet lays an egg, it will certainly hold its neck high, cluck, and pace the yard like a leader.

Therefore, to persuade the world to let go of the pretense of arrogance and to be a little more arrogant is to have more opportunities for progress. This is the most practical effort!

Knowing "Tao" but not "Tao", it seems that "Buddha" is not "Buddha"

Everyone thinks that they have a set of truths and a set of theories, that they are very clever and enlightened.This kind of psychological state, "Xi must know the generation and take it for himself?" His truth does not need to be replaced by another logical or speculative method.All in all, all in all, it is your own psychological effect, "the one who takes it by himself".This is a self-extraction of viewpoints, which constitutes a set of theories and a set of philosophies.In the following sentence, the entire score will give you zero points. "What is the difference between a fool and a wise man", the more stupid a person thinks his theory is brilliant, the more he thinks he is right.

People who think they are smart like to play with their own smartness, so smartness is misunderstood by cleverness.Where do stupid people suffer?A fool who knows how to play with himself is even more stupid.Smart people play with their own intelligence, so they are also stupid.So why are these people stupid? "Trouble gods are one but don't know the same thing" is to drill one's own spirit and intelligence to one point.

If people want to stand out, they really need to properly express their abilities and let others see your excellence.But many arrogant people often fall into such a misunderstanding, that is, they always think that they are very smart, express themselves everywhere, and don't know what restraint is, and the result is that they often lose in the competition inexplicably.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with expressing yourself.In modern society, giving full play to one's potential and showing one's talents and advantages is an inevitable choice to adapt to challenges.However, expressing oneself has to be divided into different occasions and ways, which makes people look artificial and artificial, which is very awkward, as if it is to make others look like it.Especially in front of everyone, if you are the only one who acts special and active, it will often be considered as deliberate pretentiousness and self-promotion, which often outweighs the gains.

Jimmy is a senior employee of a large company. He is active in his work, performs well, treats people warmly and generously, and has a good relationship with his colleagues.But one day, a small action made his image plummet in the eyes of his colleagues.It was in the meeting room. Many people were waiting for the meeting. One of the colleagues felt that the floor was a bit dirty, so he took the initiative to mop it up.But Jimmy didn't seem to pay much attention, and kept standing by the window sill looking downstairs.Suddenly, he came over and insisted on taking his colleague's mop to mop the floor for him.The procrastination was almost over, and his help was not needed at all.But Jimmy insisted on asking, so the colleague had to give him the mop.

Not long after receiving the mop, the general manager opened the door and entered.Seeing Jimmy mopping the floor diligently, everything seemed self-evident.

From then on, when everyone looked at Jimmy again, they felt that he was a lot of fake.The previous good image was wiped out by this small gesture.

At work, there are often too many people who can't grasp the line between enthusiasm and deliberate performance.Many people always interpret enthusiastic behavior as if it is artificial, that is to say, these people have learned to express themselves rather than genuine enthusiasm.Genuine enthusiasm will never make others think that you are deliberately expressing yourself, nor will it make your colleagues resent you.

Someone said: "Self-expression is the most important factor in human nature." It is as normal for human beings to express themselves as peacocks like to show off their beautiful feathers.But deliberate self-expression makes enthusiasm false, nature artificial, and the final effect is worse than no expression.

Many people make themselves stand out in their conversations, whether they are the subject or not.Although this kind of person may be overestimated as "eloquent", they may also be considered as "outspoken and frivolous" or often want to "get attention", etc., exposing the negative side of their self-display desire, often Create feelings of repulsion and unhappiness in others.

It is said that although Churchill often used exaggerated words to express himself, he would say in English at critical moments: "We should fight on the beach, we should fight in the fields, in the streets, we should fight in the airport, on the hills— — We, in no way appreciate surrender." Notice he says "we," not "I"!
People who are good at self-expression often both "show" themselves, and don't show it.When they talk with colleagues, they often use "we" and seldom use "I", because the latter gives people a sense of distance, while the former makes people feel more intimate.You must know that the word "we" means "you also participate", which often gives people a sense of "participation". intent to influence others.

People who are good at self-expression never have the habit of stopping their speech with "um", "oh", "ah", etc. These modal particles may be seen as hesitant to be open and honest, or they may make people feel like a perfunctory, arrogant bureaucrat Habitual, and disgusting.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with self-expression that truly demonstrates upbringing and talent. Only deliberate self-expression is the most stupid.Carnegie once pointed out that we would never have many real and sincere friends if we were only trying to show ourselves to others and make others interested in us.

French philosopher Rossi Farcourt has a famous saying: "If you want to have enemies, make yourself superior to your friends; if you want to have friends, let your friends be superior to you."

Being outdone by others is annoying, so if your boss is outdone by you, it is not only stupid for you, but deadly.Most people don't mind being surpassed in luck, character, and temperament, but no one (especially a leader) likes being surpassed in intelligence.Because intelligence is the king of personality traits, offending it is tantamount to committing a heinous crime.To lead is always to show that you are superior to everyone else in everything that matters.

A king likes to be assisted, but he doesn't like to be surpassed.

If you want to give advice to someone, you should make it appear that you are just reminding him of something that he already knew but accidentally forgot, rather than something that you have to solve a puzzle to understand. From the stars in the sky, I realized that although the stars are bright, they dare not be brighter than the moon.

(End of this chapter)