If a person is pressed into a water tank, he must be unhappy. What about popping up? You cannot be happy for a long time, and you will also feel anxious and painful. Why?

Because the underlying values ??are wrong. A benevolent person, a person with correct underlying logic, can both "stay together for a long time" and "take advantage of each other". The place where a benevolent person truly lives is not the external environment, but the inner state.

The book "The Method of Happiness" tells us what kind of person can be truly happy?

People with a drowning personality are like being pressed into a water tank. They think that if they endure it for a while, they will get better after this period. Just wait until you get into college, wait until you find a job, wait until you get married and have children. But actually? It is these values ??that are the source of unhappiness.

What Confucius described is the highest state. When a person reaches the state of benevolence, he is enlightened.

If you are rich, you can live in a villa and drive a luxury car, and you can enjoy it calmly, but you will not be arrogant about it. Similarly, even if you are in poverty, you can still treat your life calmly.

Because I already have the ability to find fun in every detail of life. This is the way to happiness.

Happiness is never a certain state, but a kind of ability.

Everyone wants to live a life of wealth and status. If it is not in line with Tao to obtain wealth and honor through bribery, then I will not do it. Being poor and lowly is indeed something that is disliked. But if I want to do something that goes against Tao or change the situation of poverty and lowliness, I won’t do it.

If a gentleman has no benevolence, what does he need to do with his reputation? A true gentleman cannot violate benevolence even if it takes him only one meal. When the surrounding environment becomes harsh, I still have to persevere.

Especially when encountering great pressure or blow, or even in dangerous moments, you can still remain calm and benevolent, and maintain care for others. This is the key criterion for measuring a gentleman.

Please refer to "The Philosophy of Wang Yangming", "The Front and Side of Zeng Guofan" and "The Biography of Su Dongpo". These are all people who have been able to maintain their inner benevolence and practice despite ups and downs.

Confucius suddenly sighed: It is probably difficult to implement Taoism. What should we do? I took a small boat out to sea. The one who can travel across the ocean with me is Zilu.

Zilu was very happy after hearing this, but Confucius said that the main purpose of taking him was to be a bodyguard, because he was better at fighting than me, and the rest did not matter.

Confucius also had weaknesses and was not always strong. When he was sad and disappointed, he faced it head on and even said it in a humorous way.

If you are distressed, angry, or under great pressure in your life, you might as well try laughing at yourself. It is better to laugh at yourself than to laugh at others. Ridiculing at others is harsh, but laughing at yourself is humorous. Humor may be the best shot in the arm.

This is a passage made by Confucius making fun of himself, which shows the lovely human side of Confucius. Sages can also complain.

Ning Wuzi was a doctor of Weiguo. Confucius commented that Ning Wuzi said that when the country's politics were clear, he would become very smart, have many ideas and creativity, and put forward constructive opinions. If a situation arises where the monarch is confused and his traitorous ministers are in power, Ning Wuzi will immediately pretend to be stupid, as if he knows nothing.

Confucius lamented that I could do his smart thing, but I would never be able to learn it in this life by pretending to be stupid. He also admired his ability to bend and stretch.

Salinger, the author of "The Catcher in the Rye", once said: What is the sign of a person's youth? It is the willingness to devote oneself to a certain cause. What is the sign of a person's maturity? Is willing to live for a certain cause.

Reminiscent of the book "Insensitive Power", Ning Wuzi's insensitive power is extremely strong. If you lack insensitivity and cannot protect yourself properly, any small stimulation in life will trigger desperate thoughts.

But if you feel the importance of living and have greater ideals, then there are ways to live well.

No one can tolerate this terrible situation in a slum where people roll straw into containers, put brown rice in them to eat, and use broken ladles to scoop out water to drink. But Yan Hui didn't just make do with it, but he was able to maintain his mental state despite such a situation. So Confucius said: "How virtuous, Huiye!"

Please note that what Confucius praised was not "a basket of food and a ladle of drink". He called on everyone to live in poverty. What he praised was Yan Hui. The state of mind under such a situation is the key.

"The Flower Blooms in Steps" and "The Miracle of Mindfulness" are both books about life cultivation. After reading it, I realized that human happiness is divided into three realms:

The first realm is the happiness of defeating others.

Most people stay at this level. For example: If someone else's house is not as big as yours, you are happy; if someone else's car is not as good as yours, you are happy. This is the lowest level of happiness.

The second level is the happiness of overcoming oneself.

I am constantly improving and getting better and better, so I am happy and it seems to be better than the first level.

But think about it, only when you defeat yourself can you be happy. What about the second half of your life? Because after experiencing the peak of life, your health will get worse and worse, your career will decline, and your energy will be low.

One day is not as good as the other, do we have to live in pain all the time?

Of course not, we need to move to the third level.

The third realm is unconditional happiness.

It is mindful and connected to the present moment at all times.

Happiness is also a unique ability that requires continuous practice and can be slowly realized through reading and studying.

If you only look for happiness and beauty from the external environment, you will face endless challenges and troubles.

Tomorrow we will continue "Fan Deng's Lectures on The Analects of Confucius" (3), see you tomorrow~