(1) Focus: I am loyal to my country, my feelings, my friends and my beliefs, which means that I concentrate my spirit and heart on it, devote myself wholeheartedly and even give my life.
(2) There is no other meaning: for example, I am loyal to the feelings of husband and wife, indicating that I cherish this friendship of joys and sorrows, and I will no longer change my mind and be the second person. Good birds choose wood to live in, and loyal ministers choose gentlemen to be officials. My loyalty to the leader shows that I have identified a wise leader, and I no longer covet glory and betray him.
(3) Significance of completion: In order to be loyal to my country, my friends and even my beliefs, it means that I must complete a relationship between us and fulfill my due responsibilities. Of course, we should share weal and woe with * * * at ordinary times, but when it comes to the final decision, we should stick to our life and never break our word, just like "strong wind and strong grass, loyal board."
(4) The meaning of perfection: Since you can concentrate on this, try your best to be loyal, and fulfill your responsibilities regardless of success or failure, you have now completed a complete journey of loyalty, and practice itself is an achievement.
From this, we can understand the meaning of loyalty. Loyalty is not only loyalty to someone in a narrow sense, or respect and worship to an object, but also service and dedication to the public in a broad sense. In the family, be loyal to your wife and children and a duty as a husband or a woman. In society, we should be loyal to the group, the company and the supervisor, and do a good job as a person in the Ministry. To get along with others, we should be loyal to our moral conscience and pursue our ideals. In our life, the virtue of loyalty is closely related to us, and the adoption of loyalty has a profound and tremendous impact on our personality growth. People who are loyal in heart are often lighthouses on earth, shining everywhere.
In the Youth Code, the first article says: "Loyalty and courage are the foundation of patriotism", and the second article then reveals that "filial piety is the foundation of family planning". Loyalty is very important to us, but filial piety can't be ignored. When it comes to filial piety, most people think that as long as they do their best to support their parents, it is filial piety. In fact, blackbirds and livestock still know how to feed back, and supporting parents is only the most basic part of filial piety. Besides filial piety to parents, filial piety to clans should be expanded and filled. If you succeed, you can honor your ancestors and add luster to your family so that your ancestors will not be humiliated. Even further expand the scope of filial piety, filial piety to the whole nation and all sentient beings.
Confucian Ceng Zi said: "It is unfilial to kill an ant and an insect casually for no special reason;" For no special reason, it is unfilial to pick a flower and a grass casually. "Ceng Zi promoted filial piety to love for animals, plants and even all sentient beings. This selfless and extensive compassion and love is filial piety. Ceng Zi can interpret filial piety so harmoniously, so it is no wonder that he will become a descendant of Confucius' disciples in the future and carry forward filial piety.
What does "filial piety" mean? The so-called "filial piety" is the expression of Ceng Zi's love. Filial piety is a true expression of the feelings of the country and relatives. Filial piety is the due responsibility between people and me. Filial piety was an intimate relationship among human relations at that time. In thousands of years of exile and confusion, filial piety has always maintained the virtues of orderly aging and inheritance from generation to generation by parents and children. Filial piety is sincere gratitude for life, and it is also a grateful return without regrets. If loyalty is the relationship with the country, the people and oneself, then filial piety is the relationship with relatives, people and life. China culture advocates the three cardinal principles and the five permanent members, but the focus of all life is mainly on the clarification of filial piety, with filial piety as the center, loyalty to the country, loyalty to brothers, kindness to friends, and even kindness to all beings, just like a shower that moistens a hundred flowers, produces the smoke of willow trees, the fragrance of osmanthus trees, the water seedlings in the lotus pond and the new buds in the grass.
The thought of filial piety has deeply influenced the society of China for thousands of years. China's emphasis on filial piety can be seen from the records of stories in ancient books. In the past, in order to praise filial piety, there was a so-called twenty-four filial piety model. Recently, a legislator, Mr. Wu Yanhuan, even wrote an article advocating 36 filial piety. In modern times, when traditional ethics are declining and values are deviating, it is really gratifying that some people climb mountains and call for the idea of protecting filial piety. Not long ago, Taipei City held the Filial Piety Award Ceremony, and all counties and cities followed suit and broadcast it live on TV, contributing to the work of changing customs. The filial piety award means "a lamb kneels and suckles", reminding modern people to return to their original knowledge. First, don't forget the kindness that parents raised and hugged in the past. All today's achievements are brought by previous breastfeeding, and the trickle of kindness should be rewarded in spring. Secondly, it is wrong to awaken the conscience of modern people who love and respect their relatives. Don't think that just because their family is rich, knowledgeable and respected today, they can regard their parents as humble and ignorant people. Children love their parents, and they have a very humble and harmonious attitude. In front of parents, children should be extremely low, as low as the dusty ground, so that parents can be satisfied, make up for the life time they sacrificed to raise their children, and comfort their suffering for their children. Therefore, the way of filial piety should be as conscientious as a lamb kneeling on its breast, and actively learn from the "black bird feeding back", always cherish the kindness of relatives and be eager to return, which is also a way of being a son. Therefore, advocating filial piety is how to actively filial to adoptive parents, solve the loneliness of the elderly, and even solve the problem of the elderly among compatriots. This is the real filial piety.
In the past five generations of society, the elderly were valuable intellectual property rights. With the changes of the times and family structure, the old roommate lifestyle has gradually disappeared, and a so-called generation gap has formed between parents and children. They are even disobedient and unfilial, and do not know how to honor their parents. There is a poem in Buddhism that expresses the kindness of parents all over the world. This poem says:
"I remember that I adopted a son, and now my son has a grandson;
I will make my son hungry, so don't teach my grandson to be hungry. 」
This poem is easy to understand, which means that when I raised my children, it didn't take long for them to become other people's parents, and they should also take care of their children. My children ungrateful to support me, let me hungry, I can also be satisfied; But don't let my grandchildren disobey their parents and let my children starve. How sad I will be! People with children might as well read this poem to your children and make them think deeply: what a great sin it is not to be filial to their parents! Mencius once mentioned that there are five kinds of unfilial crimes:
(1) Lazy play, I don't know how to support my parents diligently, so that my parents are short of clothes and food. This is the first unfilial.
(2) It is the second unfilial to be addicted to gambling and greedy for what is in the cup, only for one's own pleasure, regardless of parents' food and clothing.
(3) Caring for his wife and children and accumulating his own wealth, but neglecting his parents, not caring and not asking for their respect, is the third unfilial.
(4) Indulge in entertainment, indulge in desire, and let parents worry about suspense, which is the fourth unfilial.
(5) Being brave and ruthless, loving to cause trouble, making parents worry and fear, and making their families unhappy, is the fifth unfilial.
Lambs can still kneel and feed, and crows know how to repay their kindness. If people don't know how to be filial to their parents and then to the country and all sentient beings, they will lose their dignity as human beings.
Second, the theoretical basis of the Buddhist concept of loyalty and filial piety
Some people may think that Buddhism is a monk who lives in seclusion and cannot do his duty with loyalty and filial piety. In fact, Buddhism, like Confucianism, attaches great importance to interpersonal relationships and moral principles, especially the practice of loyalty and filial piety. In many classics, the Buddha once warned his disciples how to practice loyalty and filial piety. For example, in the Zabao Jing, the Buddha put forward ten metaphors to illustrate how people should be loyal to the benevolent king. And further tell the ruling master how to love his people and how to be loyal to them. The Buddha believes that the ideal way of loyalty and filial piety should be a harmonious relationship of benevolence, respect and mutual love, rather than mutual fear and struggle for power and profit. Why does the king deserve our loyalty? From the following ten metaphors, we can understand the importance of a kind king to the people:
(1) Kings are like bridges: benevolent kings are like bridges, and all the people have to cross from poverty to wealth, from bitterness to happiness, from backwardness to progress, from the other side of troubles to the other side of liberation, from today's worries to a better tomorrow.
(2) The king is like a scale: the king is like a scale and selflessly weighs things. A wise monarch is equal in intimacy, knows people well and is good at their duties. He gives equal opportunities for expression according to the talents of his subjects, regardless of class differences, and gives full play to karma.
(3) The king is like the sun: the sun shines on the earth, giving all things infinite vitality; A wise king, like the sun, shines the light of love on the world, and the people can live and work in peace and contentment.
(4) The king is like the moon: the king implements benevolent policies, just like the moon, which can bring coolness, peace and comfort to all beings.
(5) The king is like the sky: the sky covers everything and shelters everything; A king, like the sky, can be the guardian of all people.
(6) The king is like the earth: the earth carries everything and grows everything. Kings, like earth, can nurture all living beings and people.
(7) Jun is like a father: Jun is like a father, which can protect the people from danger; A gentleman, like a father, can educate the people to be the best.
(8) A king is like a mother: a mother is compassionate and cares about her children; The king is kind and gives alms to his subjects, which naturally makes the people well-fed and happy.
(9) The king is like a fire: fire has the function of dispelling cold and cooking, which can burn evil cooked food; The king was in full swing, urging the imperial edict to rid the country of evil thieves and make all beings mature in wisdom.
(10) A king is like water: a king is like water and dew, which can moisten the Lebanese people, relieve their thirst and spread cool habits for the people.
Since the king of a country has such benevolence, as a subject, he will naturally devote himself to wisdom and loyalty; By the same token, the king's officials should be loyal to the Lebanese people and seek happiness for each other. In the past, when it comes to the law of loyalty, most people always show reluctance, because loyalty is a personal sacrifice for the other party and even the country, and it is difficult to practice it wholeheartedly. In fact, loyalty is very equal, and it is a relationship of mutual respect between people and me. How should monarch officials be loyal to their subordinates? Buddhist scriptures put forward eight points for us:
(1) Treat people as relatives: treat all people as their brothers and sisters. People, like me, can't tell each other apart Sorrow and sorrow are related to life and death.
(2) treat the wicked as sick children: treat foolish and bad beings as seriously ill children, tolerate them without disgust, grieve for them without disgust, and guide them to do good and regain their lives.
(3) Pity the poor: pity all poor and lonely beings, help them drown themselves, starve themselves, help them out of their misery, help them out of their misery with money, and help them climb into a happy city with law.
(4) Be happy with the rich: For the rich and rich, be happy with them without jealousy or hindrance. Now most people have a problem, that is, they can't see the success of others. When they see the success of others in their official career, they are not only not jealous, but also try their best to slander them, thinking: How did that person get rich? With so much money, you certainly don't understand where you came from. Send someone to investigate him, call someone to attack him and so on. A Wang Guan should not care about the people's wealth, and the people's wealth can strengthen the country. The richer the people, the stronger the national strength.
(5) Always get along with political enemies: Political enemies who have different positions and viewpoints from me in politics, although they often argue with me, should be tolerant of dissidents, tolerant of each other and live in harmony.
(6) Don't give up when you meet friends: You are a famous successful person, and you will never give up your old friends, especially those who are poor and in trouble. You should cherish our friendship.
(7) Not greedy for five desires: five desires for money, color, food and sleep. I am greedy, indifferent to my ambitions and detached from things.
(8) Don't think about yourself: The ancients said that the happiness of the people is the first priority in being a king, followed by the country, and the enjoyment of the king is more secondary. To be an official, we should cultivate the concept of no self, and only ask the people to live and work in peace and contentment, not their own comfort. Yue Wumu once said: If a country's civil servants are greedy for money, military commanders are afraid of death and care about their own interests, then the country is not far from extinction. On the other hand, if civil servants don't love money, military commanders are not afraid of death and will be invincible.
If the superior has the above eight conditions, he is a good king who loves and respects the people and is loyal and filial to the people. As for how to be a good public servant and provide the people with the kind service they deserve, the classic also puts forward twelve points, which I also list for your reference:
(1) Qian Qing is not greedy: When people's fat and people's butter are hard-won, they are not needed for public interests, and you must never take a penny from them.
(2) Calm and non-violent: handle things gently, don't lose your temper casually, and don't take it out on others.
(3) Fully responsible, not shirking responsibility: Do your best to do your job well, never shirk and cover up your mistakes, or even pass them on to others, hurting the innocent.
(4) Not eccentric but harmonious in the group: easy-going, not withdrawn, easy to get along with others, approachable and unobstructed in public.
(5) Be merciful, be happy but not stingy: not stingy with property, be able to give widely, help the poor and ask for nothing in return.
(6) It is not illegal to obey the law: some public servants themselves know the law and break the law, but they take advantage of the loopholes to break the law. They should know the law and abide by it, set an example and abide by the law.
(7) Serious service does not grind people: the so-called grinding people is to torture others for fun. Life should take pleasure in helping others, but some public officials are proud of grinding people. For example, when someone goes to registered permanent residence, they don't know what documents they should bring. Let him bring his ID card for a while, and let him prepare his household registration book for a while. Then I blamed him for not having a seal, and the layman didn't sign it, which was even more difficult. The more anxious the other party is, the more proud he is. A good public servant should get rid of the bad habit of grinding people, do his duty conscientiously and provide the most cordial and thoughtful service to each other.
(8) Do not pay heavy taxes and adhere to the equality of the law: do not pay heavy taxes, save money for the people, enforce the law equally and fairly, do not indulge the wicked, and do not wronged the good.
(9) Don't be addicted to alcohol, cultivate self-cultivation and purify the soul: don't be greedy for what is in the cup. Alcohol is not only harmful to health, but also causes confusion, and drinking alcohol is unwise and harmful to official business.
(10) Showing off one's family: Although it is human nature to eat and drink, one is too greedy for beauty, indulges in love, and one's reputation is destroyed, resulting in family discord; The masses corrupt customs and endanger society. No amount of unfortunate events can be separated from a word, so we should be careful.
(1 1) Selflessness, going out of business for personal gain: Public servants are dealing with public affairs, so they should uphold a selfless heart and not be selfish and harm public welfare.
(12) Protect your health and don't be overworked: public servants should do their jobs wholeheartedly, but they should not be overworked to the detriment of their health. The Buddha taught us to be diligent before we can slack off in treating diseases, but it is also diligent to have a proper rest at the right time. With enough rest, you will have enough physical strength to sprint at work. At present, the government also advocates that senior officials should be forced to take vacations, so as to maintain healthy bodies and exert greater intelligence and strength for the country. For example, some wise and capable government officials have fallen ill from overwork, and the country has lost its pillar. That's a real pity. Therefore, a lady should take good care of her husband, and a husband should also take good care of his wife, take care of each other, share the joys and sorrows, be loyal to his body, and never spoil his health indefinitely. Because once you get sick, you can't help others; On the contrary, it will add trouble to others, so everyone should follow the Buddha's mercy, don't deliberately abuse themselves, and don't be unfaithful to their health.
There are many records about loyalty and righteousness in ancient books, and there are countless compilations about filial piety. For example, the famous Tibetan sutra, Boning sutra, and the sutra that parents can't report. It is simply a classic of demonstrating filial piety, and Buddhist filial piety can often be seen in other twelve Sanzang books. For example, the Mahayana Book View Sutra reported to his parents that:
"A loving father cherishes his mother's kindness, and both men and women are happy;
The kindness of a loving father is as high as a mountain, and the kindness of a loving mother is as deep as the sea;
If I live in disaster, I can't describe my mother's kindness.
The earth in the world is heavy, and the proportion of mother's kindness;
The sumeru in the world is called high, and the mother's kindness is called high. 」
The highest place in the world is Mount Sumi, and the deepest place in the world is the four seas. The kindness of parents' upbringing is extremely confusing, chinese odyssey. For children, the kindness of breastfeeding is hard to repay. Therefore, the scripture also says, "If there are good and filial men and women who repay their kindness, they must always be provided with flesh and blood. If it is counted as a robbery, they will be diligent and filial, but they can't repay the temporary kindness. From the scripture records, we can understand that the kindness of parents is great and far-reaching. How can children repay their parents' love in spring?
From the teachings of the Buddha, it is not difficult to see that Buddhism attaches importance to filial piety. The Buddha not only taught his disciples to be filial to their parents in this world, but also to the parents of the seventh generation, and even to the parents of all sentient beings. The Buddha himself is a practitioner of filial piety for many generations. According to the Nirvana Sutra, the reason why Sakyamuni Buddha was able to practice thirty-two phases and eighty kinds of good vajra was because the Buddha respected the three treasures and respected his adoptive parents during the infinite monk robbery, so he could feel such extraordinary results in this life. The scripture even says: "If men and women obey their mothers' teachings, the colors will not be inconsistent, all disasters will be eliminated, and God bless eternal happiness. Filial piety to parents can not only avoid disasters in this life, protect and respect heaven and man, but also plant a perfect Buddhist cause for the next life. How can I practice unhappy? What's more, honoring relatives is the basic way of interpersonal relationship. If human nature is lost, it is foolish to expect Buddhism and Taoism to succeed.