Wang Yangming: Be a Person with an Inner Light
Author: Confucian Sage
Source: Confucian Sage (ID: rufengdajia)
1The heart is a lamp on the body
Wang Yangming and his friend were visiting together. His friend pointed to the trees and flowers in the deep mountains and said, 'These flowers bloom and fall on their own in the deep mountains, and it doesn't matter to my heart.'
Wang Yangming replied, 'You haven't seen these flowers when they were blooming, so when you do see them now, they appear in color for a moment, and you know that these flowers are not outside your heart.'
All things are projections of your inner heart.
Even if there is a great flood, I remain calm, there is no need to worry about peach blossoms;
Even if the night is endless, I am bright, there are clouds and water between them.
Psychologist Maslow said, 'If your mindset changes, your attitude will change; if your attitude changes, habits will change; if your habits change, your character will change; if your character changes, your life will change.'
Maintain a bright heart, and life will be bright.
2Mindset determines state
The Buddha said, 'Things turn according to the heart, and the environment is created by the heart.'
If a person has a positive inner heart, the things he sees will often become beautiful.
A scholar went to the capital to take the exam. A few days before the exam, he had three dreams. The first dream was that he was planting white vegetables on the wall, the second dream was that he was wearing a straw hat and holding an umbrella in the rain, and the third dream was that he was lying with his beloved girl.
The scholar sought a fortune teller, and the fortune teller said, 'You should go home. Planting white vegetables on the wall is in vain, wearing a straw hat and holding an umbrella is superfluous, and lying with a girl is not a chance.'
The scholar was disheartened and packed his bags to go home.
The innkeeper heard this and said to the scholar, 'I can also interpret dreams. I think you will definitely pass the exam. You want to plant white vegetables on the wall, which means you will pass the exam; wearing a straw hat and holding an umbrella is a precaution; lying with a girl is because your time has come.'
The scholar thought it made sense, and he participated in the exam with great spirit, and he was admitted to the exam.
A bright heart makes the world bright, and happiness depends not on what we get or lose, but on our mindset.
The world has both good and bad, if you stare at the bad, you will never reach a distant place.
All harmony and balance, health and beauty, success and happiness, are all produced by optimistic and upward psychology.
Be a person with a bright heart
3Life is not going smoothly nine times out of ten.
No one's life is smooth sailing, and happiness depends on whether we can maintain an optimistic and positive attitude.
Wang Yangming experienced many setbacks in his life, was punished by the emperor, was imprisoned, was demoted, his achievements were discredited, and he was falsely accused of rebellion, so he suffered many misfortunes.
However, Wang Yangming always maintained a positive and optimistic attitude in his life, no matter what the situation was, he could face it with optimism.
When he was stationed in Longchang, he was hostile to the local aboriginals, so he didn't get angry, but taught them how to farm and study, and eventually they accepted him and became his most loyal students.
When he was captured in Longchang, he was imprisoned, and he still studied and perfected his theories.
In the 14th year of the Zhengde reign, Wang Yangming captured the Ning King and was accused of spreading rumors, so Zhang Zhong and Xu Tai led the garrison officers in Jiangbei to insult and harass Wang Yangming, but Wang Yangming remained unmoved.
He said, 'There must be anger and bias in the hearts of people. It's just that people shouldn't have them. When people are angry, they can't control their emotions, so they get carried away, which is not the original nature of public righteousness.'
A bright heart is warm and tolerant, and he knows how to control his emotions.
Yielding one step is not useless, it's about being calm after the event. Forgiving others is forgiving yourself.
Wang Yangming didn't care about fame and fortune. Wang Yangming said, 'People's need to survive inevitably involves seeking some things that make them feel safe, such as money, fame, and position.'
However, pursuing these things should be guided by 'conscience' and 'reason,' otherwise, it is like opening a hole in a dam, which can lead to serious problems.
A bright heart can accommodate everything, without being disturbed, without being trapped, and without being attached to things.
I wish you have a bright heart. On the journey of life, you are warm and bright.
© Text by Confucian Sage
Disclaimer: This magazine respects originality, and materials are sourced from the internet. Good content is worth sharing. If there is any infringement, please contact to delete.
