In addition to official duties, the most perfect man throughout the ages lived his daily life by following the twelve laws to cultivate his character step by step, taking this as a precept, and eventually becoming a great man.
"Prayer, sit quietly, get up early, study hard, read history, be cautious about independence, be at peace with yourself, die early, write lyrics, and stay overnight" are the twelve methods of self-cultivation set by Zeng Guofan for himself and his descendants. Among these twelve methods, there are eight methods that modern people can learn from. Keep this in mind and follow it strictly, and you will achieve something.
Zeng Guofan
1. Main aspects: Neat and conscientious, never afraid.
"The Qingming Festival is bowing, like the rising sun." This is a positive and healthy state. "Honoring the Lord" requires that the clothes and appearance should be kept neat, the mind should be upright and serious, and the work must be concentrated without distraction. Only in this way can a person maintain a good mental state and strong energy, just like the rising sun in the morning, clean and powerful.
2. Sit quietly: Sitting quietly for four hours is like calming down.
Four Seasons of Meditation, that is, sitting quietly for one hour every day, no time limit, is used to experience the benevolence taught by the saints, as calm and unshakable as Baoding. This is the same as modern meditation regimen. Sit quietly, clear away distracting thoughts, relax your body and mind, and you can keep thinking about yourself.
"Don't fall in love after waking up" means not wanting to continue falling in love after waking up. For those who like to procrastinate in bed, remembering this must be the best stimulant.
3. Get up early: Get up as soon as dawn. Don’t fall in love after waking up.
Although the ancients worked at sunrise and rested at sunset, compared with modern people who may still work at sunset, this may not be realistic. For people who have poor self-control at night and stay up late to socialize, "go to bed early and get up early" is always the best health motto.
4. Reading is the only way to go: read with concentration and ten pages as the guide.
In Zeng Guofan's opinion, before you finish reading a book, you must stop reading other books. Free reading does no good to your own learning. In addition, you must circle ten pages of books every day. There is a saying: "If you don't take small steps, you won't reach a thousand miles." Reading or studying is to better enrich yourself.