"Five Stones" is excerpted from "Wandering in Zhuangzi". Wang Yang, with Zhuangzi's unconstrained style, explains profound truth for us in the form of fables. Only by understanding "uselessness" can we reach the highest state of life, forget the distractions in the world and walk freely between heaven and earth.
The selected text tells two stories, one big and one small, in the form of a question and answer between the subject and the object.
The "big story" is that Keiko told Zhuangzi how he handled a big gourd that could hold five stone heads. Because the gourd was too big to be a container for water, it was cut open to make a ladle, so I broke it.
Zhuangzi thinks that Keiko is not good at using big things and can't play a "big" role. So I told him a "short story", that is, the famous story of "no turtle hand medicine"
It is said that a family in Song State has been rinsing silk floss for generations, and this work often involves water. In order to prevent the skin from freezing and cracking, his family has a specific medicine, which is "the medicine that does not touch the turtle's hand."
Someone bought this prescription for 100 yuan and presented it to the king of Wu. Wuyue and China fought a water war in winter. With this medicine, Wu won the victory and the giver was rewarded.
Zhuangzi concluded that the same medicine was given by some people and used to rinse silk floss for generations, which was caused by different usages!
You have such a big gourd, why don't you tie it to your body and wander the Jianghu? Your knowledge really bends like grass.
realize
The same gourd, in Keiko's eyes, is useless and can only be smashed and discarded. But here in Zhuangzi, the useless big gourd can exert its greatest value. What is the reason? That is, they look at problems from different angles.
By changing thinking, seemingly useless things can be brought into full play.
I once saw such a story: a blind man went to a friend's house to be a guest, and they had a good talk and laughed. It's been a long time since we broke up. My friend gave the blind man a lamp to use on the road. The blind man is very confused.
"I can't see. What's the use of asking for a lamp? Are you not making fun of me? " The blind man said angrily.
The friend said, "Because you can't see, you should hold up a lamp so that all passing cars can see you!" " "
The same thing is useless to the blind. When you come to your friends, it plays a great role. This is because you pay attention to yourself from different angles.
Don't the short stories in Five Stones illustrate this point? In the Song Dynasty, people who were used to washing silk floss made "medicine without touching turtle hands" in order to prevent the skin from freezing and cracking. They took a fancy to the small use in front of them and stood in the angle of self-interest.
People who buy prescriptions for the prince of Wu with their daughters' money are interested in the altruism and "great use" of the prescriptions. Wu was able to win the battle between wuyue and China, and it was this medicine that played a great role.
It is often too narrow and short-sighted to look at the problem only from the perspective of self-interest. If you look far ahead, you will benefit yourself while bringing convenience to others. "Useless use" is all great use.
The usefulness in the eyes of the world often pays more attention to its use value. Only paying attention to spiritual needs is the great wisdom of life.
We often hear people say:
"I only know reading all day. Can I eat as a meal? " "Building a well to grow some vegetables is not good? What's the use of planting flowers and plants? "
Yesterday I took my mother for a walk in the country park, and then I sent her home after lunch. I met my neighbor's second uncle and exchanged a few pleasantries. I heard that I took my mother out, and he said:
"If you ask me, some people have nothing to do when they are full. Good land was destroyed, so many flowers and plants were planted and so many puddles were dug. How much food must be planted less! The heat is innocent and tiring! "
I just want to borrow a famous saying from Mr. Ba Jin, that is, "People don't live by eating rice alone." Satisfying food and clothing is only the most fundamental need. In addition, people need to have a higher spiritual pursuit, which is the highest realm of life. What seems useless is its real use.
Therefore, the gourd, which is useless to Keiko, has great use here in Zhuangzi, which is used to "float in the Jianghu" and is a pursuit of spiritual freedom.
Abandon fame and fortune, forget yourself, achieve harmony between man and nature, and be a real "supreme person, saint and god", which is the real use and the great wisdom of life.
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