The Book of Rites: Maintaining a Calm and Unassuming Attitude Towards Life's Changes Allows for Composure in the Face of the World's Complexities
Moral Treatise: Maintain a calm and unassuming attitude towards vicissitudes, and you will possess the composure to face the complexities of the world.
The mind follows the shifting environment, it's the constant state of human nature. A person's mood will always follow the current environment and the state encountered.
'Excessive joy leads to ruin, excessive sorrow leads to misfortune,' these are common human experiences. However, people often fall into deep despair due to their own bad habits. The excessive desire and overreaction to loss of what one has are the root causes of a declining life.
Under the influence of these bad habits, a person inevitably becomes excessively inclined to pursue, overindulging in what they desire, and this leads to increased desires, which inevitably results in…
'Excessive hoarding leads to ruin,'A person's energy is limited. When a person uses limited energy to excessively crave unlimited desires, they become unaware of their satisfaction, and this is the origin of all trouble.
Even if the immediate desires are satisfied, they will continue to expand, and in the pursuit of desires, they may even violate morality and boundaries. When desires are not satisfied, there is loss and pain. It's hard to talk about happiness and abundance in such a life, and it will only make you fall into despair.In life, striving is not wrong. We cannot deny the use of intelligent minds and diligent hands to achieve wealth and glory.However, everything should be guided by moderation. If you let your inner desires dictate you, don't know how to stop, or even sacrifice your life or violate your principles to obtain desired fame and fortune, then this is a foolish and unworthy life.
The key to balancing everything is to regulate one's inner moderation. As the saying goes:
'Knowing enough avoids disgrace, knowing when to stop avoids danger, and this allows for a long and prosperous life.' A person who knows when to stop will not be humiliated or harmed, and this is the way to a long and prosperous life.
Mr. Sun was a hermit. Later, he was recommended by a man to King Zhuang of Chu. Within three months, he became a prime minister.
An old man cared deeply for Mr. Sun. He visited him and asked, 'There are three resentments for a noble person. Do you know what they are? A high-ranking official is envied by others; a high-ranking official is disliked by the king; and a wealthy official attracts envy.'
Mr. Sun smiled and said, 'The higher my position, the more humble I am. The greater my position, the less my desires. The more tempting my salary, the more generous I am to others. Can I use this method to avoid these three resentments?' The old man smiled and left.Many years later, Mr. Sun was afflicted with a severe illness and, at his deathbed, warned his son, 'King Zhuang thought I had accomplished great deeds and repeatedly wanted to reward me with land. I did not accept it. After I die, King Zhuang will certainly honor my achievements and give you land. Do not accept any land in the Chu state between Chu and Yue. There is a barren piece of land called Sleeping Hill, and its name is not auspicious, so no one will compete for it. You can possess it for a long time.'Indeed, after Mr. Sun's death, King Zhuang wanted to give his son a good piece of land, but his son refused to accept it and, according to Mr. Sun's instructions, requested the barren piece of land called Sleeping Hill.
Later, according to the regulations of the Chu state, land granted to officials could not be passed down to the next generation. However, the barren piece of land owned by Mr. Sun's son was kept because it was too remote, so it was passed down through generations.
All of this was due to Mr. Sun's not competing for fame and fortune, and maintaining a calm and unperturbed attitude, which ensured his reputation and wealth, and provided blessings and prosperity for his descendants.
If you adopt a different attitude, failing to uphold a calm and serene cultivation, then you and your descendants will face disaster.
'The Book of Rites says: When you are blessed, you must be wary of harm; when you fail, you may still succeed, so you should turn back when you are overcome. When you encounter setbacks, you may suddenly succeed, so you should turn back when you are in a favorable situation.'
This means that when you are fortunate, you must be wary of harm; when you are in a favorable situation, you must be mindful of turning back. When you encounter setbacks, you might suddenly find success, so you should be careful not to fall into a state of despair.
The law of the world is that blessings and misfortunes are intertwined. Any thing will not develop according to what we imagine, and we see good things that are not good, and see bad things that are not bad.
Therefore, with a modest attitude, you can eliminate the emotions of joy and sorrow caused by excessive desire and overreaction, and when facing life, you can benefit greatly.
Written by: National Culture Repository
Reflect on national culture, experience the culture of ancient times, and gain a different perspective on life.
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