The original and translation of "The Record of Peace of Mind"
The traditional culture of the Chinese nation has a long history, and the historical classics are even more numerous. The long river of history is rolling by, and the waves are scouring the sand. The documents that have been deposited and preserved are pieces of gold and silver, which are especially precious. The literature of instruction and exhortation handed down by Chinese people (private and family) directly reflects the moral ideal advocated by people at that time, and more directly and truly reflects the characteristics of China culture than those magnificent official Confucian classics.
These educational books taught by scholars and scholar-officials to their descendants comprehensively and thoroughly expounded a series of guidelines for standing in the world, aspiring to be successful, and dealing with family relations and interpersonal relationships, and even involved the contents of being an official, governing the country, doing research, cultivating self-cultivation, and thinking about society, nature and life, which can be used as reference materials for the construction of our moral norms today. Such famous sayings and family instructions are often refined, vivid, straightforward and catchy, which is of great appreciation value.
Xin Xin Lu is one of the series of old people's words. The series of old people's sayings includes Lin Bu, a hermit in the Northern Song Dynasty, Qing Yan in the Miluo Pavilion by Tu Long, a scholar in the Ming Dynasty, and You Meng Ying by Zhang Chao, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty. Stylistically, it takes the form of adding a title solution before each work, annotating the original text in sections and translating it today. The annotations should be accurate, and the translated text should be as smooth and vivid as possible.
These golden treasures in the book are better than old wines, and they are timeless. I believe they can provide useful reference and enlightenment for people today in self-cultivation and life. The so-called "old people's words" are, first, because the authors of these aphorisms are mostly people who have experienced the vicissitudes of the world, ranging from famous ministers and sages who fought against the official sea to hermits who are independent from the world; There are not only talented pedants who are well-educated and virtuous, but also old curtain visitors who are ill-fated and poor. Second, from today's point of view, these aphorisms and aphorisms are the summary and sublimation of historical experience, and they are the precious cultural heritage and inculcation left by historical old people.
Original
Courtesy, righteousness, honesty and shame, you can discipline yourself, but you can't arrest others. Self-discipline is too few, rope people are too few, and too few is not the way to get involved in the world. Therefore, a gentleman blames himself and a villain blames others.
Courtesy, righteousness, honesty and shame can be used to demand yourself, not others. Asking yourself to make fewer mistakes, asking others to get along with others is difficult, and it is not in line with the way of life to get along with others. Therefore, a gentleman is only strict with himself, while a villain blames others for perfection.
Original
It is easy to be good, but it is difficult to avoid being good; It's easy to make a mistake, but difficult to make a mistake without correcting it. There are those who are involved in the world and should be content with things. For example, they are still walking in the grass, and the thorns are in their clothes, but they are only relieved by Xu Xing. What is the heart of the so-called thorns? If so, there is no effort, and the resentment can be released.
It's easy to do good deeds, but it's difficult to escape a good reputation by doing good deeds. It's easy not to offend others, but it's difficult to offend others without caring. Being a human being, when someone is rude to me, it's like walking in the bushes. The thorns hang on their clothes, so they can only move slowly and carefully push the thorns aside. The thorns don't mean to stop people! In this way, we can not be tired in our hearts, but resolve the hostilities.
Original
Those who blame others are not fully handed over, and those who forgive themselves are not reformed. Those who are complacent are defeated, those who are conceited are stupid, and those who steal from themselves are harmed. It is better to be silent and harmless than to make a profit by talking more.
People who like to blame others find it difficult to keep friendship with others, and those who often forgive their mistakes can never correct them. A conceited person is bound to fail, a boastful person is stupid and ridiculous, and a self-destructive person is bound to harm others. It is better to talk more and get benefits than to be silent and not hurt.
the original
those who serve fame will harm their health, and those who have more money will suffer later. Those who report good and evil are not lazy, but want to be a gentleman and destroy the villain. The heaven and the earth, so the lovers, such as thunderstorms and frost, all want to create everything. Therefore, the gentleman is afraid and fearful, and the villain is lucky and careless. If you are afraid of its misfortune, you will be blessed, and if you ignore its misfortune, you will be harmed. As the Biography says, "There is no way for misfortune and happiness, but people call you".
People who pursue fame are bound to harm themselves, and people who accumulate wealth will inevitably bring disaster to future generations. It is not that God is negligent, but that God wants to be a gentleman and destroy the villain. Disasters and blessings are the means used by heaven to show love, just like thunderstorms and frost, they are all for nurturing and nourishing everything. Therefore, a gentleman is respectful and wary when he is worried about disaster, and a villain forgets the danger when he gets cheap. A gentleman's fear of misfortune will bring happiness instead, while a villain's careless view of happiness will bring disaster instead. This is what Zuo Zhuan said: "There is no fixed fate for misfortune and happiness, and everyone calls for it."
Original
Only those who must be born can join the WTO, otherwise the fate of the world will easily fall; Those who must join the WTO can be born, or they will be bored.
Modern translation
You must have the broad mind of the person who was born before you can join the WTO; Otherwise, it is easy to be entangled in all kinds of earthly inducements and make yourself fall rapidly; You must have a profound experience of joining the WTO before you can be born; Otherwise, it is easy to become empty and boring, making it difficult for you to control your life.
The original
A gentleman devotes himself to helping others, so that if there is no him in the sea, then there is no him in the sky, that is, making a living.
People who make a living by the right path try their best to do something beneficial to others and the world, which makes the world inseparable from him, and God can't do without him. This is the best way for a person to settle down.
the original
if you take a break now, you can take a break. If you find the time, you can take it all the time.
Translation
As long as you can stop to have a rest now, stop to have a rest immediately; If we wait until everything is done, then such a moment can never wait.
Original
If something is urgent, be lenient or self-evident, and don't be impatient to get angry quickly; People who don't follow what they cut, longitudinal or self-transformation, don't cut to benefit their stubbornness.
This translation
Sometimes, when you encounter something that you can't understand urgently, you should be lenient, and perhaps the truth will come out naturally. Don't rush into it, which will make the parties very angry and increase the complexity of the matter. Some people are so anxious that you don't listen to any advice you give them. You might as well let them go and not persuade him. Maybe he will repent slowly, and it is unnecessary to force him to listen by coercive means. That will only stimulate his rebellious mentality and make him more stubborn.
Original
It is harmless for a man to win over me, and he has no resentment; It's not a blessing for me to win, and I'm afraid of something unexpected.
There is no harm in others getting ahead of me, because in this way, others will not accumulate resentment against me in their hearts; It is not necessarily a good thing that I am superior to others, because in this case, those narrow-minded people will probably bring me unpredictable disasters.
Original
If a gentleman is poor and unable to help things, he will say a word to remind him when he is obsessed with others; When people are in trouble, it is also an infinite merit to say a word to save them.
People who are kind and noble can remind others with a kind word if they are confused and stupid when they are poor and unable to help others with material things. When someone is in a hurry and in trouble, he can save them with a kind word, so his achievements and virtues are equally incalculable.
Original
When the dust of love is exhausted, the heart mirror is bright, and the external shadow is like the internal reflection; As soon as the magic bubble disappears, the sexual beads grow naturally, and Shiyao was originally a treasure.
This translation
As long as the attachment to the world is completely eliminated, the mirror of the soul will be bright and clear, so it is better to pay attention to your own image from the outside and self-examine it from the inside to dispel vulgar thoughts; As long as he sees through the world of mortals and dispels his obsession with the world like a dream bubble, his nature will be as crystal clear and shining as a pearl. To be a rare person in the world, the most important thing is to protect his inner innocence.
Original
Ordinary people are fascinated by the truth and chase away the falsehood, and wisdom turns into knowing God, and the water of analogy surges into waves, which cannot be separated from this water; Sages realize falsehood and return to truth, and knowledge of God turns into wisdom. For example, the wave is flat as water, but there is no wave in the body.
Today's translation
Ordinary people lose truth and pursue falsehood, and turn wisdom into a view of things, just like waves in water, and this view is always dominated by their wisdom, just like waves cannot leave water; The sage Da Shi sees through the vanity and returns to the truth, subliming all kinds of views into wisdom, just like a pool of clear water after the waves subside, and should appreciate the profoundness of this wave-free water well.
the original
there are often small unpleasant things, which is good news. If everything is satisfactory, that is, there are people who are greatly dissatisfied behind, and knowing this can avoid resentment.
Today's translation
In this world, we often encounter unpleasant little things, which is a good omen and can avoid major disasters. If everything is satisfactory, it is bound to encounter major setbacks in the future. If you understand this truth, you will be calm and stop complaining.
Original
Don't treat people as kindness, but when they do good deeds, they will not be able to bear it, and they will not be obliged to repay them. If you are in distress, stop paying and smile.
translation
don't give up the idea of doing good and helping others just because others have failed me. Think about what I did when I helped others, only because I was motivated by compassion, and I didn't want others to repay me. As for meeting an ungrateful person, don't care about it, just laugh it off.
The original
The words of honest people, knowing that they are for me, are not necessarily pleasing; Evil people's words, knowing that they hurt me, laugh without necessarily being angry. Here we know the difficulty of doing good.
If a decent person knows that it is good for me, he is grateful but not necessarily happy; The words of evil people clearly know that they are flattering me, but they are very pleasant to hear, so they may not be angry. This shows how difficult it is to listen to advice.
the original
face is a little dirty, and everyone is laughing, but I don't know it. Anyone who tells me is busy wiping it off. If you say: a little pollution is in me, what is the matter? There must be no such favor. If you tell someone, why not?
This translation
There is a stain on the face, and others laugh when they see it, but they don't know it yet. Once someone tells you the truth, they will wipe it off with their hands immediately. If you still say, "I have a stain on my face, what does it have to do with you?" "It is not in line with human nature. But when others point out their own shortcomings and mistakes, why don't people's attitudes be like this?
the original
it is a serious illness for scholars to talk about people afterwards and talk about people outside the bureau. Talking about people afterwards, every homo sapiens is extremely stupid; It's easy to talk about people outside the office, and the two aim to avoid disloyalty.
Today's translation
Talking about others after the incident and talking about insiders outside the office are the most common mistakes made by scholars. Talking about others afterwards often makes smart people extremely stupid; People who are outside the bureau often talk about difficult things very easily. Both of these problems are caused by disloyalty and intolerance.
The original
Reading ancient books and making friends with sages is the most difficult thing to agree with and disagree with. The loss of the two is always lack of determination, and there is a tendency to follow the times in learning, either flattering or correcting the ears.
Today's translation
When reading the works of the ancients and associating with talented people, I am most afraid of rashly agreeing with them, and I can't rashly express my disagreement. The reason why we make these two kinds of mistakes is that we lack independent opinions in our hearts, and when we are learning, we are mixed with the elements of conformity, which are either flattering or hypocritical.
the original
when people come in rebellion, they are angry like fire, and when they suddenly think about their own mistakes, they don't feel that their anger has dried up and melted away. However, the word "knowing self-reflection" is really the best way to save trouble, nourish the spirit, seek cheap and seek happiness, and should not be regarded as a Taoist saying.
People often get angry when they meet others who are rude and unreasonable, but suddenly they think that they are at fault, and before they know it, their anger disappears completely. From this point of view, the self-reflection emphasized by Mencius is really the best way to keep things quiet, cultivate righteousness, benefit and get happiness in body and mind, and should never be treated as the cliché of ordinary Taoists.
Original
People should never be tardy, repetitive, or annoying when doing things; Doing things for others is extremely resistant to pedantry, repetition and boredom.
Translation
People must not procrastinate, be changeable or haggle over every ounce when doing things; However, when doing things for others, it is especially necessary to be able to withstand delays, repeated changes, and trivial troubles.
the original
the owner can look at others, but dare not blame others; He who has nothing for himself can discipline others, but he dare not anger them. Therefore, the forgiver pushes himself and others, and does not hold himself to measure others.
Translate
You can hope others have your own virtues, but you can't force others to have them; You can persuade others to have the virtue you don't have, but you can't blame others for not having it. Therefore, people who are tolerant of others observe the feelings of others according to their own psychology, and never measure others according to their own situation.
Original
Those who are satisfied cannot be poor; If you can do nothing, the sky can't be cheap; Those who can be deformed outside can't get sick in the sky; If you can not be greedy, the sky can't die; Those who can be happy with the situation, the sky can not be sleepy; Those who can make talents can't be alone; He who can set an example for the future generations of the world can't be denied.
Today's translation
People who can always feel satisfied can't be reduced to poverty by God; God can't humble those who are not greedy; God can't make people sick who can regard their bodies as things outside their bodies; God can't make those who can not lust after life die; God can't make those who can be happy with the situation difficult; God can't isolate those who can actively reward and cultivate talents; Those who can stand up and plead for the benefit of all people in the world and future generations will not be desperate by God.