When a person's mind is as calm as water, his mind is as spotless as a mirror. In the face of worldly troubles, you can treat them with peace of mind. Inner peace can ignore the complicated situation outside, and you can keep a "purity" and "object" for yourself.

Confucius said, "Benevolence is quiet."

Lao Tzu said, "Be quiet and keep quiet."

"Quiet" is not only a philosophical concept, but also a state of mind, a method of self-cultivation and a way of dealing with people. The word "quiet" contains the infinite mystery of life and the strategy of success. Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism all emphasize the word "quiet" Confucianism emphasizes self-cultivation, determination and scholarship with quietness as the foundation; Taoism emphasizes "peace and dilution"; Buddhism Zen stresses meditation. This shows that the word "quiet" is important, and "quiet" is the highest realm of life.

Zeng Guofan was able to keep a calm heart in the dangerous situation of turbulence and crisscross of groups, which has a lot to do with his cultivation. Zeng Guofan's natural disposition is active, and his temperament is just cruel. In the process of self-cultivation at first, he struggled between movement and quietness, forgiveness and anger. He regards meditation as a necessary homework every day, and thinks that "whenever you sit still for half an hour, you should appreciate the kindness of coming back." Because of his persistence, he benefited a lot from it. In Zeng Guofan's diaries and letters, there are also many remarks about spiritual cultivation.

In the face of a materialistic world, people's hearts will always be fettered. It's really hard to calm down if you want to. Zeng Guofan is convinced that the key point of quiet self-cultivation is to "control desire and stifle anger", so he takes indifference as the basis, abandons lust and extravagance, and can fully realize before being tempted.

Zeng Guofan constantly absorbed the life wisdom and essence of ancient sages, reflected on himself to quit depression, and sought ways to nourish his heart and preserve his health. After middle age, in the face of many things, he has been restraining himself and making his mind broader.

in the third year of Xianfeng (in 1853), Zeng Guofan was in mourning and was ordered to practice Yong Lian to resist the Taiping Army. At this time, he was still an ordinary person in the ruling and opposition circles. When he rose suddenly in countless Yong ying, many people were amazed at the extraordinary military talent of this Confucian scholar, which had a lot to do with his ability to stand still and work hard in silence when he was a Beijing official, and it was also the best interpretation of "tranquility and far-reaching". In the process of using troops, he also has a set of "quiet" words. He thinks that static braking is the best strategy. Give priority to stability and prudence, don't take risks easily, don't change easily, first stabilize your position, and then change the strategy of using troops with the change of the situation.

after the connotation of "quietness" was sublimated, Zeng Guofan gradually matured through tempering, became sleek and sophisticated, and his mind became more and more calm.

Zeng Guofan paid more attention to his words and deeds after his comeback in the eighth year of Xianfeng (1858). He is cautious in what he says and does, always think twice before acting, and he gives full play to the methods he has learned to protect himself. On the day of success, he was unusually calm. He not only abolished fifty thousand Xiang troops who had been trained by himself, but also sent his younger brother Ceng Guoquan back to his hometown, thus saving the safety of himself and his relatives.

In his opinion, the best way to keep a good mood is to have an ordinary heart and an indifferent heart to fame and fortune. It's easy for ordinary people to talk about being willing to give up, but it's really hard to be indifferent to the word

once in a high position, not to mention Zeng Guofan's high position, which is riddled with government affairs and military affairs. What he can practice is to constantly remind himself to follow the example of the open-minded people of the ancients, read their poems and articles, and feel their broad minds. He also knows how to have fun: he writes poems and practices calligraphy to adjust his psychology in this way.

In addition, Zeng Guofan put this experience into writing. Later generations read his poems, which have their own strong spirit and calm feelings, but after careful taste, there is a kind of leisure and elegance. His style of writing also reflects his style of handling affairs. There are many documents and letters that need to be reviewed every day. He is knowledgeable and has a deep knowledge of literature, but he is very serious, careful, humorous and intriguing.

When he gets along with his family and friends, he also shows humor everywhere, which makes the atmosphere lively. Three brothers, Guo Songtao, Guo Cangtao and Guo Kuntao, had deep contacts with Zeng Guofan. Zeng Guofan commented on them like this:

In terms of learning, the eldest brother Song Tao is the first, while the third brother Kun Tao is the first, and the second brother Cang Tao is among them. Therefore, he often joked about these three brothers: "Xiangyin has three kingdoms, and the theory of learning is one, two, three, and three, two, one." Zeng Guofan once wrote a couplet: "feed a happy group and support two poor bones." This couplet is also a reflection of his self-cultivation. He knows how to have fun in silence, whether it is reading official documents, writing letters or writing poems.

He understands that if a person can't calm down, even if he is busy all day, his mind is always floating, he can't see things clearly, and he can't do things in a down-to-earth way. After all, he can't achieve anything, but will just go with the flow and affect his health.

Nourishing heart and body is the relationship between origin and source. Zeng Guofan's theory of nourishing the mind pays attention to the treatment of both body and mind. When suffering, he advocates letting go of his heart and not being unhappy because he is in trouble, otherwise he will never succeed.

It is inevitable that there will be many unpleasant things in life. In the pursuit of fame and fortune, success or failure is possible. Sometimes personal efforts can't achieve the expected results, and are constrained by opportunities, strength, contacts and other conditions. As the saying goes, "You can't eat hot tofu if you are impatient." If you want to live a relaxed life, you must try your best to get rid of impetuousness and depression, so that you can decompress yourself, treat your troubles with a calm heart, and don't think they are troubles. As the saying goes, "He who unties the bell must tie it", and his own knot must be untied by himself after all. Calm down and reflect on your own shortcomings in order to emulate the ancients and gain inner sublimation.