"Mencius Gaozi 1": "Water is not divided into east and west, nor is it divided into upper and lower? The goodness of human nature is just like the water that goes down. There is nothing bad in people, and there is nothing in the water that cannot flow down. Now, if the water jumps, it can be carried over the mountain; if it is stirred, it can be carried up the mountain. Is this the nature of water? It can be made bad by people, and this is also the nature of water. " Mencius believed that the goodness of human nature is like water flowing downwards. It is due to nature, but if you add force to it, it will inevitably change. "Awe-inspiring Qi" and "human nature is inherently good" both exist intrinsically, and "Awe-inspiring Qi" is the "theory of the goodness of nature". " is a manifestation of ". Both are very important in terms of personality cultivation. If the aura of awe-inspiringness is not cultivated, the nature of people's hearts will be changed. Human nature is a relatively stable instinct. If it is not maintained, it will be distorted. The improvement of human nature needs to be acquired. Guidance and education, therefore the cultivation of Qi and the maintenance of good nature are particularly important for the improvement of personality. "Awe-inspiring Qi" is related to "matching righteousness and Tao", but it is not just limited to the moral level. It is "stuck between heaven and earth". As Mr. Feng Youlan said, "it is related to anything in the universe, so it is a kind of super-morality." Value", that is, the "awe-inspiring spirit" is the harmonious beauty of the unity of heaven and man that is connected with the universe and blends with heaven and earth. In addition, it is also "born of gathering righteousness", which is by no means accidental, but the process of "collection" and the accumulation process of "nurturing". It is an emotional force generated by the natural force deep in the heart, which fills the world after running in the body. In between, it is the beauty achieved by "enrichment", and the beauty that sublimates goodness after cultivating inner individual emotions and will. The reason why "Haoran Qi" can be "cultivated directly" is because it has the basis of innate "goodness". Mencius believed that human nature has four ends: compassion, shame, respect, right and wrong, that is, benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom. This is also the origin of Haoran Qi. . Therefore, the process of "nourishing qi" is to expand people's good judgment and perfect human nature. It is the expansion of the inner strength after filling the person's subjective personality, so that people have the mind to be virtuous, maintain the subjective consciousness, and enhance the beauty of personality. Although "human nature is inherently good", why is the world so often filled with ugliness? In Mencius' view, this is caused by the alienation and loss of human nature. It is the influence of acquired environment on human nature that makes people easily deceived or tempted by the harsh living environment, and they easily lose their good nature and authenticity. Therefore, Mencius emphasized the independence of personality. He must have the inner spirit of pursuing truth and goodness as a subject, showing a conscious spirit of "benefiting the world" as his own responsibility. He advocated that everyone be independent from heaven and earth and seek their own way of life.

Source: Xijiang Literature and Art·First Half of the Month