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"Xingshi Hengyan·Volume 38" says: "Gods are made by mortals, but they are not willing to practice." It means that as long as ordinary people work hard to cultivate their moral character, they can become extraordinary. In fact, there is no need to discuss fantasy novels like gods. Sages have existed since ancient times, and their world should also be the result of self-cultivation.

1. How do sages say that you can cultivate your body and mind to achieve transcendence?

Among the "Four Books and Five Classics" of Confucianism, there is a chapter called "Great Learning". What is "Great Learning"? Some people say that "learning for adults" is different from "learning for children". Since the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty in 1046 BC, the official school of the Zhou king required students to master the six basic talents of etiquette, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics. Later, the study of the "Four Books and Five Classics" was gradually added. Children learn some basic knowledge and skills such as sweeping dust and moral education, while adults need to learn advanced knowledge such as investigating things, seeking knowledge, sincerity, righteousness, self-cultivation, managing the family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world. It seems right, but it's not. "University" actually means "Taoism". "Tao Te Ching" says: There are four majors in the domain, Tao is big, heaven is big, earth is big, and people are big. It is also said: Tao, the sky, the earth, the great people. Therefore, Tao means greatness, greatness means Tao, and university means Taoism, which means the supreme knowledge. Therefore, "university" also means "the supreme knowledge in life". "The way of a university lies in the enlightenment of virtue, in being close to the people, and in striving for perfection." This means that the supreme knowledge and pursuit in life is to manifest one's natural bright virtue through practice, and to grow and realize oneself. Help others grow and realize together, and strive to return themselves, others, and society to the original goodness of the universe. This is the unique Confucian philosophy of taking responsibility for the world. "Learning literature and martial arts, and becoming an emperor" was the pursuit of later Confucian disciples. However, the earlier Confucian sages such as Duke Zhou, Confucius, and Mencius were much purer than this: the meaning of life lies in conscious awareness of others. , serve the society, contribute to the country, and realize great harmony. This kind of requirement is not the pursuit of ordinary adults. It is the standard for making people become sages, the cultivation of body and mind, and the pursuit of Taoism.

"The Great Learning" goes on to talk about the methods and experiences of cultivating the body and mind: "Knowing cessation can lead to concentration, concentration can lead to tranquility, tranquility can lead to tranquility, tranquility can lead to worry, and worry can lead to gain. Things have their origins and ends. "Things have an end and a beginning, and knowing the sequence is the shortest way." The popular explanation is: Only when you can know where to end and stop at the best, can your will have the strength to do it; only then can the mind calm down and not stop. Be able to act rashly; be able to keep your mind from acting rashly, and then you can be content with your situation and be at peace with the situation; be able to be at peace with the situation, and then you can do things well and think carefully; be able to think carefully, and then you can achieve the state of perfection. All things in the world have a beginning and an end, and everything has a beginning and an end. If you can understand the order of beginning and ending, you can be close to the principles of self-cultivation and governance taught in universities. It seems right, but it's not. This is only the understanding of ordinary people at the cognitive level. If it rises to the emotional level, it is another matter.

The way for human beings to understand the way of heaven is not to rely on books. Books are just introductions to medicine. The fundamental way lies in the word "Guan". Isn't it? The Taoist practice place is called "Tao Temple", and "Tao" is the experience achieved through "inner contemplation". Therefore, ordinary knowledge follows the saying: "Books have their own houses of gold, books have their own beauty like jade, and books have their own warehouses full of grains." The supreme knowledge follows this: It is better to have no books than to believe in books! Therefore, "The Great Learning" states, "After knowing the stop, one can become calm, and after being calm, one can be still, and then one can be at peace, and then one can be at ease, and then be able to think, and after being worried, one can gain. Things have their origins and ends, things have their beginnings and endings. If you know the order of things, you will be able to take the shortcut." The understanding can be like this: when the cognitive function stops, you can enter a state of concentration; when you enter a state of concentration, you can experience a feeling of tranquility; in a state of tranquility, the mind is in a stable and undisturbed state; experience The feeling of peace of mind, you can face and prevent various mental images and delusions that arise, just like grinding rice to sift out the chaff, using a sieve to filter out the polished rice and filter out the chaff and husk; master this way of "filtering" to deal with delusions. , you can obtain the natural experience of perfection. This is the so-called "big" or "Tao". Confucianism also says "mind fasting, sitting and forgetting". People who do not eat meat and fish indiscriminately are called "eating fasts", and people who do not have delusional thoughts are called "xinzhai". The purpose of "xinzhai" is to achieve "sitting and forgetting", and achieve the state of selflessness through meditation. Why forget oneself? It means that human cognitive functions lose their function in that state. They have eyes but cannot see, ears cannot hear, noses cannot smell, tongues cannot taste, bodies cannot feel, and minds cannot think. This is "knowing to stop and then being able to concentrate." When the cognitive function stops, one enters a state of concentration. Some people say that if cognitive function stops, wouldn’t a person be dead? Don't be so extreme! Every day we have the experience of cessation of cognitive function. Occasionally, when we are in a daze and run away, we do not hear what others ask us; when we walk absentmindedly, we do not see what is happening around us. When you sleep and take a nap every day, don’t the six cognitive organs of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind lose their functions at that time? It's just that we call that kind of "concentration" as "confusion concentration" rather than "enlightenment concentration" or "awakening concentration", because we are not aware of our delusions while sleeping, and can only passively follow the dream and be distracted by the dream. The leader leads the way and goes with the flow. The "sitting and forgetfulness" entered through the "mind fasting" method is a state of concentration that we actively enter. Although the cognitive function temporarily loses its function, we can be aware of it in our hearts. We have the initiative in the face of delusions and can "Safe" can be "filtered" and "gained".

"The Tao Te Ching" says: "Heaven and earth are unkind and regard all things as chu (chu: two tones) dogs. The saints are unkind and regard the common people as custard dogs. Between heaven and earth, they are like pugs (tuo: two tones). ) 龠 (yue: four tones) Hu? It is empty and unyielding, and the more it comes out. It is better to keep the center if you talk too much. "The popular explanation is: Heaven and earth don't care about kindness, and treat all things like a puppy in sacrifice. , allowing all things to grow naturally; a righteous person does not care about benevolence, and treats the people like rotten dogs, allowing the people to develop on their own. Isn't it like a bellows between heaven and earth? Although it is hollow, it is endless. The more the wind is stirred up, the more it will grow, and it will continue to grow. Having too many decrees will speed up the country's defeat, so it is better to remain quiet. There seems to be no problem. But here comes my question, does "Heaven and Earth are unkind" really mean "there is no such thing as benevolence"? Are we really letting all things fend for themselves and drift with the tide? If that's the case, heaven, earth and saints are really nothing. How can they be virtuous? Heaven and earth are "benevolent", and saints are also "benevolent", but this kind of "benevolence" is much more extraordinary than the secular "benevolence". What is a "cut dog"? It is a sacrifice made of grass in ancient times to worship the ancestors of heaven and earth. Everyone, what is your attitude towards sacrifices and tributes? It must be full of piety, respect and awe! Heaven and earth are full of piety, respect, awe, and no distinction between all things. Saints are full of piety, respect, awe, and no distinction for everyone and everything. Can this be called "unkind"? Heaven, earth and saints are all "benevolent", and there is no distinction between them. Unlike ordinary people, our "benevolence" is only for people and things we like. Therefore, the "unkindness" of "Heaven and Earth are not benevolent, and the saints are not benevolent" is the "great benevolence" of universal salvation without discrimination and the "great benevolence" of piety, respect and awe. Once discrimination arises and you lose your piety, respect and awe, what else can you do? Therefore, Rogers, a humanistic psychologist, regards "sincerity, respect, and passion" as a psychological counselor to treat clients successfully and Effective techniques are regarded as magic weapons and are unanimously recognized and followed by other consulting schools. The sky can tolerate cloudy weather, rain and snow, as well as goshawks and sparrows, with such indiscriminate benevolence; the earth can bear the beautiful scenery of mountains and seas, and can bear grass and trees in spring and autumn, muddy water, and it is also with such indiscriminate benevolence. The saint can tolerate the so-called truth, goodness and beauty, as well as the so-called fake, ugly and evil; he can tolerate the "white snow in spring" and the "lower Liba people", "Follow the earth, follow the heaven, follow the way, and follow the nature", and learn from the great way of heaven and earth and from nature. The spirit of charity.

Psychological counselors also need to let go of their differences, regardless of gender, age, race, nationality, religious beliefs, or cultural differences. They can only be clear of self-righteousness and always have piety, respect, and awe. In order to establish a true counseling relationship and atmosphere of "sincerity, respect, and passion", we can achieve the counseling goal of helping others to help themselves and promoting self-enlightenment. People with psychological problems do not have problems themselves, but in the process of exploring life problems, they encounter difficult topics in psychological science such as difficulty in making choices or troubles in judgment. Therefore, for visitors who have psychological distress and psychological problems, we must not only proactively treat them Express appreciation and admiration for the spirit of exploring psychological science, and more importantly, be pious, respectful, and awe-inspiring for their spirit and attitude in taking psychological science seriously, respect their personality, respect their exploration, and sincerely be willing to join their team. , go deep into the thrilling world of psychological science with them to cooperate, communicate, experience, and enjoy. In this way, psychological counseling is an interesting spiritual research and exploration journey joined by counselors, rather than a tragic rescue martyrdom. There is no savior here, but there are partners who are willing to face and explore with you.

2. How do sages help others help themselves?

Confucianism has "The Doctrine of the Mean" which says, "The Master said: Shun had great knowledge! Shun was fond of asking questions and quick to discern, he concealed evil but promoted good, held both ends of it, and used it to benefit the people. This is what he said "Think of Shun!" It means: "Confucius said: Shun is really a man of great wisdom! He likes to ask people questions, and he is good at analyzing and understanding the meaning of other people's words. He grasped both the opinions of those who were too good and those who were not good enough, and adopted the appropriate ones for the common people. This is why Shun was Shun! "Shun did not give up his due filial piety because of the persecution of his father and stepmother, and did not lose it because of the need for filial piety. The awareness of self-protection, the ability to be considerate of others without losing oneself, and the persistence of oneself without being self-righteous. Therefore, Emperor Yao made a high evaluation of Shun's virtues through repeated inspections and abdicated the throne to Shun. Therefore, if cultivating yourself is a science, helping others is an art. Just relying on enthusiasm may turn helping others into forcing others to do something difficult, and good intentions may turn into a donkey's heart. This is very common in parent-child relationships. Therefore, Confucius also said in The Analects of Confucius that "a gentleman should think nine times: to see clearly, to listen to be wise, to look warm, to look courteous, to speak loyally, to act respectfully, to think doubtful, to think angry, to think difficult, to think righteousness." "Looking at problems from multiple angles will not be blinded by illusions and appearances. Listening to opinions from multiple angles will not fall into the dilemma of one-sided words and prejudice. Treat others with a gentle and kind face, a solemn and respectful attitude, speak sincerely, pertinently, and loyally, and be serious, dedicated, cautious, and regular in doing things. Be respectful and discuss any questions in a timely manner. When you want to lose your temper and vent your emotions, think more about the methods, consequences, and consequences. When encountering benefits, think more about others, benevolence, justice, and morality. "Nine Thoughts" is not only the art of dealing with people, but also a kind of wisdom in life.

Being too casual, too spontaneous, and too carefree does not mean letting nature take its course. It can only be called being controlled by habits and emotions. The real letting nature take its course is based on not harming oneself, not harming others, and not harming the environment.

Confucianism advocates "teaching students in accordance with their aptitude". "The Doctrine of the Mean" says: A gentleman should act according to his position and not want to be outside of it. If you are born rich and noble, you will be rich and noble; if you are poor and lowly, you will be poor and lowly; if you are a barbarian, you will be a barbarian; if you are in trouble, you will be in trouble. A gentleman cannot be content without entering! When you are in a superior position, you do not support your descendants; when you are in a lower position, you do not support your superiors. If you rectify yourself without asking for others, you will have no resentment. Don’t blame Heaven when you are above, don’t blame others when you are below. Therefore, a gentleman lives in easy places to wait for his fate, and a villain takes risks to seek luck. Confucius said: "There are those who shoot like a gentleman. He misses the right swan and seeks for it." The straightforward understanding is: a gentleman is content with his current position and does what he should do, without any thoughts of wrongdoing. When you are in a position of wealth, do what a wealthy person should do; when you are in poverty, do what a poor person should do; when you are in a remote area, do what you should do in a remote area; when in trouble, do what you should do in a remote area. Things to do in times of trouble. A gentleman is content no matter what situation he finds himself in. When you are in a superior position, you should not bully those who are in a inferior position; when you are in a inferior position, you should not cling to those who are in a superior position. Correct yourself without being harsh on others, and you will have no complaints. Don't complain about heaven, don't complain about people. Therefore, the gentleman lives in peace and contentment and waits for his destiny, but the villain takes desperate risks to get what he doesn't deserve. Confucius said: "A gentleman's attitude towards life is like shooting an arrow. If you fail to hit the target, you don't blame the target for being wrong, but blame yourself for your own incompetence in archery." This probably means: settle down and live in peace, do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you, and ask for others when you are not able to do what you want. of concreteness. If you are willing to read "Pumen Pin", it has insights on how to save all sentient beings and how to help different types of people using different methods: "What body should be used to save all sentient beings, xxxxx means what body should be used to save them", we will find This is a wonderful pair of insights that complement each other! Helping others is not an isolated unilateral preference, it should be an interactive process. Those who help others must understand that there is no best way, only the right way. What is the appropriate approach? The recipients' personalities are respected, their efforts are recognized, and they can put themselves in their shoes. This is what Rogers, a representative of humanistic therapy, calls "sincerity, respect, and compassion." Facing "lower people", helping others like "lower people" will only be looked down upon, and only "lower people" can be proud; facing "lower people", helping others like "lower people" will only be regarded as arrogance, and only "lower people" can Only then can you sing. If you talk about self-realization with people who have deficient needs (survival needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, self-esteem and the need to be respected), it is like talking to hungry people or patients about a beautiful and happy life. It seems that there is nothing wrong, but in fact it does not solve the problem. Realistic issues have no effect and will not be recognized by anyone. If you talk about missing needs with someone who has already experienced self-realization and developed a need to transcend himself, they are not interested and feel that they do not have the same language, realm, or pursuit as you. The real transcendental person can also be flexible and comfortable in following the local customs, and also teach students in accordance with their aptitude. "Following the customs" is not to be influenced and controlled by others, but to get close to the heart and be close to reality. Only by trust can we be heart-to-heart, and only by believing can we accept. This is "faith is the source of Taoism and the mother of merits." ". On the other hand, recipients must also be willing to accept changes and have a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities. Existential therapy believes that everyone has the right to make free choices and the obligation to take responsibility for their choices. No matter what role you are in, objectively it is a choice in itself, or your current role is the result of your past choices, and you have to bear all the possibilities and consequences of this choice in reality. Of course you have the power to choose your future life, but on the one hand, you have to accept the reality and bear the responsibilities brought by past choices, and on the other hand, you have to consider the possible consequences and responsibilities of future choices. People cannot step into two rivers at the same time. To only want to choose and not take responsibility is to deceive yourself and others. There is no absolute good or bad in the world. Everything has positive and negative meanings. This is the principle of the mutual root of yin and yang and the transformation of yin and yang. This is the meaning of Tai Chi Diagram. Any extreme is close to evil, so sages only speak of the mean and the middle way. "Being optimistic about fate" does not mean giving up pursuit and resigned to fate, but pursuing things that are in line with the way of heaven, in line with the laws of development of things, harmonious with nature, and having the potential for sustainable development, rather than treating every day as if it is the end of the world with anxiety, panic, and laissez-faire.

3. What does the sage say about the feeling after enlightenment?

There is a famous saying in "Tao Te Ching": "When a superior man hears the Tao, he practices it diligently; when a sergeant hears the Tao, he lives or perishes; when a junior man hears the Tao, he laughs. Not laughing is not enough to practice the Tao. "Popular explanation: After a sergeant hears the Tao, he will immediately put it into practice; a sergeant will be doubtful and hesitant after hearing the Tao; a corporal will laugh out loud after hearing the Tao. If you are not laughed at by them, it is not enough to be "the Tao". Ordinary people who are not enlightened must think so, and people who are practicing do the same. However, the experience of people who are truly enlightened may be different from the worldly understanding. People who are enlightened believe that: acknowledge whether there are gains and losses, but do not insist on whether there are gains and losses. Learn to take many things seriously rather than take them seriously. Learn to smile and laugh it off. Just laugh it off, if you don’t know how to laugh it off, it really doesn’t mean you have true enlightenment. As for those who have not fully understood the Tao, but have gained some experience, they must grasp the right balance, not deny it, and not be attached to it. This is the "life or death".

The corporal in practice is someone who is too serious. "Doing it diligently" itself is a kind of truth and persistence. Any paranoia is not the origin of Tao. Being attached to emptiness and being attached to existence are both attachments. As long as the heart has attachments, it will be inevitable. Thousands of miles away from the road. It can be seen that the sergeant, sergeant and corporal in the eyes of ordinary people and the sergeant, sergeant and corporal in the eyes of enlightened people are really not the same concept and feeling.

The same situation occurs in "The Analects of Confucius." The same is true in "Xian Wen": "The original soil was barren. Confucius said: 'You are young and have no grandchildren, you are old and have nothing to say, and you are old and do not die, you are a thief!' He tapped his shins with his stick." Later, he thought he was criticizing the old. The words of an immoral person. In this chapter, Confucius criticized people who did nothing in their lives and did not respect others. Of course, with a harmonious tone, he has a good relationship with Yuan Rang. Yuan Rang was an old friend of Confucius who had been familiar with him since he was a child. He was a dissolute man and did not abide by etiquette. When Confucius went to visit him, Yuan Rang was supposed to go out to greet him according to the etiquette, but instead of going out to greet him, he instead sat with his legs stretched out to greet the guest. Confucius valued etiquette, so when he saw Yuan Rang behaving like this, he rudely criticized him for his lack of progress. Yuan Rang sat with his legs spread apart and waited for Confucius. Confucius said: "You were not humble and disrespectful to your elder brothers when you were a child. You will not be worthy of praise when you grow up. If you don't die when you are old, you are really a harmful guy." After speaking, he hit his calf with his cane. Since then, there has been a saying that old and useless people are called "old thieves". Is this really the case? I'm afraid it's the way modern people interpret it. In fact, Yuan Rang is a different kind of sage. In ancient times, there were many such people. They looked down on the world and lived a carefree life. They regarded the pursuit of fame and wealth as a personal insult. If he was a lazy, scoundrel and idiot, would Saint Kong have so much time to socialize with him and evaluate him? Confucius was so busy, and the inscriptions on tortoise-shell bamboo were so precious. If he used them to record trivial matters, wouldn't it be a sign of debasement? In fact, Yuan Rang wanted to sing after his mother died, but Confucius didn't say anything. When his disciples asked why, Confucius said that there was nothing illegal about Yuan Rang expressing his thoughts and condolences for his mother through singing. If you are willing to read Zhuangzi's life anecdotes and then look at Yuanrang's behavior, you will not find it difficult to understand. Confucius did not agree with the "self-cultivation" way of practice that only cares about one's own enlightenment and does not care about the awakening of others. Therefore, his words intentionally or unintentionally derogatory to such practitioners, but in fact, he still respects them in his heart. After all, they are also successful in practice. This is The reason why the original soil deserves Confucius’ evaluation and ridicule. Therefore, "If you are young and don't have a grandson, if you are old and have nothing to say, if you are old and don't die, you are a thief!" It can also be understood this way: when you are young, you are not bound by common etiquette and etiquette, and when you are an adult, you are not burdened and confused by fame and fortune. Even when he is old, he still has the same original intention, extraordinary behavior and extraordinary wisdom. When you grow old, you must die. This is human nature and the law of nature. "You will not die when you grow old" is extraordinary and holy. A thief who can steal life and death is not an ordinary thief. What's more, "thief" itself has the meaning of "cunning and alert". "This kid looks like a real thief", which is not a derogatory connotation. However, the Confucian philosophy of engaging with the world that Confucius pursued must be "the way of a great university, which lies in manifesting virtues, being close to the people, and striving for perfection." Therefore, it is also an objective reality that there is derogation hidden in praise. In "Journey to the West", when Sun Wukong was learning Taoism, his master knocked three rulers on his head and then left with his hands behind his back. All the brothers complained about Wukong. Only Wukong secretly rejoiced because he understood the master's mute hint: Tonight at midnight, come through the back door. Enter, and I will teach you how to practice the secret method. Confucius is also a man of enlightenment, and his words and deeds will not be controlled by emotions. I wonder if the old man knocked Yuan Rang on the calf. Is this just an expression of dissatisfaction or does it have other meanings? I think Yuan Rang must understand, but I don’t understand anyway.

The realm of sages can educate the world, and the world of sages can set an example for the public. Some people say that the words of the sages are puns. In fact, this kind of flexible interpretation can allow people in different realms to gain something. "Laozi De Jing Chapter 76" said: "Human life is also weak, and its death is also strong. Plants and trees are also soft and fragile in life, and their death is withered. Therefore, those who are strong are the disciples of death, and those who are weak are the disciples of life. "It means: When a person is alive, his body is soft, but after death, his body becomes stiff. Plants and trees are soft and fragile when they are growing, and become dry, hard and withered after they die. So strong things belong to the category of death, and weak things belong to the category of growth. In a word, when a person is alive, he must know how to stop, how to be flexible, and how to be flexible. He is too persistent, rigid and stubborn. Although a person is still alive, his heart has long since died. This is the so-called zombie and living dead in terms of belief.

Sages are like this, and ordinary people are not like this. Budai monk in the Tang Dynasty wrote a poem called "Planting Rice": When you plant the green rice in the field with your hands, you can see the sky in the water when you lower your head; the six pure rice roots are rice, and retreat is actually forward. On the surface, it talks about transplanting rice seedlings, but in reality, it talks about the method of practice. Practice is not a new stove or an article from outside the world. Practice is in daily life, work, study, communication, leisure. Practice is in the pots, pans, firewood, rice, oil and salt... ...Although the world of sages is not something that ordinary people can imagine and understand, it is not separated from their daily lives of walking, standing, sitting and lying down. Although there are distinctions between saints and ordinary people, they do not fall into the attachment of saints and ordinary people. They are not attached to the holy or the ordinary. There is no such thing as sage, there is no such thing as ordinary. Do not settle down in the dust, follow the vulgarity but do not follow the vulgarity. Reflect on your own mind and return to nature. Maybe the purity of your heart is right now.