This theory and method of improving the basic moral quality of a superior person to achieve peace and harmony includes its theme, theoretical basis, specific content, main principles, test standards, methods of knowing and doing, important ways and so on. These contents are reflected in the thirty-three chapters of the Doctrine of the Mean. Simple as follows.
1. Theme
The main purpose of The Doctrine of the Mean is to educate people on self-cultivation, self-supervision, self-education and self-improvement, to cultivate themselves into ideal people with ideal personality, to achieve the best, the most benevolent, the most sincere, the most moral, the most sacred, and to keep the outside world at home, and to create the realm of "harmony between man and nature".
This theme is mainly reflected in the first chapter of The Doctrine of the Mean.
"Destiny is nature, truth is truth, and cultivation is teaching." It just reveals that the core of the golden mean theme is self-education. "The nature of destiny" refers to the goodness of human nature. "Follow nature as the Tao" means that people's way of self-education is to do things according to their good nature. "Practice is teaching" means that self-education is to practice according to the principle of human nature.
"Tao also, not from also, can also from the Tao. So a gentleman is wary of what he can't see, and fear is almost unheard of. Can't see the distance, don't show it. Therefore, the gentleman is cautious and independent. " Self-education runs through a person's life, and people can't live without self-education for a moment. To run self-education through the whole process of life, we need strong spirit of self-discipline and self-supervision. This spirit is called prudence and independence. That is to say, in the case of being alone, others can't see their own behavior and hear their own words, and they can also carefully conduct inner self-reflection, self-discipline and self-supervision.
"Emotions are not expressed, but they are all expressed in the middle." Reveals the goals of self-education, self-discipline and self-supervision. "If you are in the middle, it is the foundation of the world; Harmony, the world is also. " Pointed out the great significance of the goal of self-education. "In the middle, the status of Heaven is awkward, and everything is born." It is to praise the infinite merit after reaching the ideal goal of self-education, that is, the effect after having the moral character of benevolence, kindness, honesty, virtue and holiness. Neutralization is the realization of self-worth and the embodiment of social value.
Li, a native of Linjiang in the Song Dynasty, analyzed the first chapter of The Doctrine of the Mean, and also made a very high evaluation of The Doctrine of the Mean. He said: "The doctrine of the mean is the best, but its significance is the least. The first chapter explains the meaning of the golden mean from four aspects: sex, life, Taoism and teaching. To avoid fear of independence, we must understand and grasp the way of China; Neutralize, clear the body and use it consistently; With professional education, Mingren has made great contributions. "
Zhu also spoke highly of this chapter. He said in The Mean: "The first chapter is right. The information in Zisishu is based on the following statements: First, the origin of Ming Dow came from the sky, but it was not easy. In fact, he prepared it for himself and could not do without it. Second, preservation and inspection are very important. Finally, it is extremely sacred. Gai Yaowen was complacent in this way, in order to get rid of the self-interest induced by her husband and fill her goodness. Yang's so-called article is based on this. "
Of course, it is impossible for them to clearly point out that the theme of the golden mean is self-cultivation, self-study, self-discipline, self-discipline and self-improvement as we do today, in order to cultivate themselves into ideal people with ideal personality, who can achieve perfection, sincerity, goodness, morality, holiness and transcendence, and create a "harmony" of "how to achieve harmony in heaven and how to raise all things"
2. Theoretical basis
The theoretical basis of the doctrine of the mean is the unity of man and nature. Usually, people talk about the unity of heaven and man mainly from philosophy, mostly from Mencius. "People do their best to know their nature; If you know its nature, you will know its nature "("Dedicated "), while ignoring the harmony between man and nature in the golden mean, and even ignoring the true meaning of harmony between man and nature. The essence of the unity of heaven and man is to be united in sincerity and goodness, so as to achieve "harmony, the position of heaven and the cultivation of all things" and "only the sincerity of the world can make the best use of it." "If you can do your best, do your best; If you can make good use of human nature, you can make good use of things; If you can make the best use of it, you can praise the teaching of heaven and earth; If you can praise the cultivation of heaven and earth, you can go to heaven and earth. " Participating with heaven and earth is the unity of heaven and man. This is the true meaning of the unity of man and nature in The Doctrine of the Mean. Therefore, the golden mean begins with "the nature of destiny, the nature of temperament, the cultivation of Taoism and religion" and ends with "the load of heaven is silent and odorless". "Go on." This is the highest state that a saint should reach, and this is the true unity of heaven and man. The day when heaven and man are in harmony is a kind and beautiful day, and the person who is in harmony with nature is as kind and beautiful as a kind and beautiful day. The unity of heaven and man is an ideal realm that people consciously cultivate to benefit mankind and nature like kindness to heaven.
The harmony between man and nature of the doctrine of the mean is manifested in the following aspects.
(1) Harmony between Man and Nature
Heaven is honesty, and humanity is the pursuit of honesty. This is the original intention of the enlightenment of heaven, and try our best to integrate with heaven. In other words, human nature should be consistent with heaven. "The Doctrine of the Mean" said: "A loyal person is also a heaven. Honest people, people's way is also. An honest man, unwilling to work hard, gets it without thinking, goes with the times and becomes a saint. Honest people choose goodness and are stubborn. "
Zheng Xuan said: "Honest people are natural, honest people are sincere in learning." Kong said: "This clear and sincere way is also natural. Then people should learn its sincerity, which is the fatigue of heaven and can be obtained without thinking. If it is natural, life and death believe in the four seasons, which is heaven. Sincere people will learn from others, and it is said that people can learn from this sincerity, which is also the way of people. If you don't learn, you can learn from others. Sincere people don't want to get caught in the middle, get it without thinking, take the middle road calmly and be a saint. This is another way of saying that sincere people are also heaven. Only saints can be natural, that is, they should be good without encouragement, good without thinking, comfortable without following the Tao, and fit in with the nature of heaven and be saints, so cloud saints are also. Those who are sincere, those who choose goodness and are stubborn, also say sincerity in the world, and the way of people is also. It is said that learning leads to this sincerity, and it is also called a saint. Choosing a good deed and doing it unswervingly is sincere. "
According to Zheng Xuan and Kong's explanation, the doctrine of the mean can be divided into two kinds: one is the unity of heaven and man of saints, and the other is the unity of heaven and man of sages. The unity of heaven and man of saints is an instinctive unity of heaven and man. The unity of heaven and man of saints is realized through learning. It should be said that there is also the unity of heaven and man. "The Doctrine of the Mean" says: "You are born to know, you learn to know, you are trapped to know, and you know to know. Or do it safely, profitably, or reluctantly, and its success is one. " It can be said that those who are born with knowledge and walk are saints, those who learn and walk are saints, and those who are trapped and know and walk are mortals. No matter saints, sages or mortals, they can reach the realm of sincerity and beauty in the unity of heaven and man. Only those who are sleepy and don't study can't reach the realm of harmony between man and nature.
(2) the unity of nature and humanity
The purpose of harmony between man and nature is harmony between man and nature. Nature is kindness, sincerity, benevolence and truth, so should human nature. Only by making human nature reach the nature of goodness, sincerity, benevolence and truth can it be called the true unity of heaven and man, create the outline of the world, establish the foundation of the world, understand the truth of heaven and earth, and achieve the golden mean.
(3) the unity of reason and emotion
The harmony between man and nature of the golden mean is also manifested in the unity of reason and emotion. People's joys and sorrows are the natural attributes of people and the expression of emotions. In order to pursue the truth, goodness and beauty of human nature, it is necessary to restrain and limit emotions. Therefore, the Doctrine of the Mean says: "Emotion is not expressed in the middle, but in the middle". Only by "neutralization" can we achieve harmony between man and nature ("heaven has no place, and everything can be nurtured")
(4) the unity of ghosts and gods and saints
The doctrine of the mean also includes the unity of ghosts and gods and saints. Chapter 29 of the Doctrine of the Mean: "Therefore, the way of a gentleman is body-oriented, which is based on Shu Ren; Test the three kings without being absurd, create heaven and earth without contradiction, determine the nature of ghosts and gods without doubt, and know the sky; Immortals are not confused when they are saints, but also know people. Therefore, the gentleman moves and the world is the way of the world, the world is the law of the world, and the world is the world. " There is no doubt about the questioning of ghosts and gods, even if you know the sky; When the saints come out after a hundred generations, there will be no doubt, even if you know someone. Explain the golden mean. Heaven in the unity of heaven and man includes ghosts and gods, and man includes saints. The true unity of heaven and man includes the unity of saints. Ghosts and gods are the general names of heaven, earth and ancestors. Therefore, the nature of the ancients' heaven also contains the elements of the dead (ancestors). The word "heaven" itself is a world where adults stand in the blue sky above their heads.
(5) external and internal integration
The unity of heaven and man in the doctrine of the mean also includes the unity of outside and inside. Chapter 25 of The Doctrine of the Mean reveals the unity of external and internal. Its moire: "An honest man is his own; And the Tao, since the Tao also. Honesty is the goal, but dishonesty is useless. Therefore, honesty is the most important thing for a gentleman. An honest man can succeed if he doesn't form his own family. Be yourself and be kind; The achievements are well known. The virtue of sex is also. So is the way to close to the outside world. Therefore, it is appropriate to take timely measures. " The combination of exterior and interior is the combination of exterior and interior, and the exterior and interior are sincere. Therefore, the doctrine of the mean is the unity of heaven and man, and it is also the unity of sincerity. This external and internal unity can be regarded as the unity of moral consciousness and moral behavior, or the unity of self and achievement, or the unity of knowing and doing.
Therefore, Yang Shuhua said in the summary of The Doctrine of the Mean in Qing Dynasty: "The book of The Doctrine of the Mean takes the sentence' Man is not far from the Tao' as its purpose, saying that man must trace back to every day. In Li Yun, Dai Ji, the master said:' Man is the intersection of heaven and earth, the meeting of ghosts and gods, and the elegance of the five elements.' He also said,' man is the heart of heaven and earth, the end of the five elements, and he is born with food, sound and color.' Zi Si Ming Dow, must be the primitive of heaven and earth and ghosts and gods. Stand up, which is what it usually means. The nature of destiny is the virtue of heaven and earth. The word "life" should be delicate. Benevolence also means the heart of heaven and earth. Emotions and sorrows are the end of the five elements, and the word "cautious independence" especially shows the essence of abstinence and perfection. The book focuses on "people are benevolent" and "sincere people are benevolent". It is said that people should eat and drink, that people should be ruled by men, that people should not be ignorant, that people should treat before they act, and that people should become saints and be confused. People are mentioned in every paragraph to show that people are not far from the road. The book begins with' Heaven' and ends with' Heaven'. Many people talk about Heaven and Heaven. To talk about people means to talk about heaven, and to talk about people means to talk about heaven. Are explaining the purpose of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. Ghosts and gods are virtue, which also shows the real opportunity of the unity of man and nature. Those who are in harmony with heaven are holy, and those who are magnificent are holy, but don't be indifferent to the Tao, don't be indifferent to the holy, treat others first, and saints are only holy to people. Who is the person? Monarch, father and son, husband and wife, brother Kun, friend. Therefore, being a man is also a benevolent person. People are good to be sincere. Sex is human nature, Tao is human nature, and teachers teach people. Mencius said:' People are different from animals because they want ordinary people to go and gentlemen to stay.' I want to Ming Dow, so I save people. Because it is not far from people, it is commonplace, that is to say, it is inseparable. It begins with prudence and independence, and it is just the true nature of strangers, and there is no harm in it. Zisi wrote this book in the name of the doctrine of the mean,' Yong De's trip, be cautious about what you say', and Yong Zi's words are the finishing touch of the article, which is the purpose of the book. "/view diary . 1 1678967 . html
Confucius' doctrine of the mean has influenced China for thousands of years. It can be said that the golden mean is the foundation of Confucius' philosophy and the highest moral standard. The main idea of the golden mean is to explore the universal principle of treating people with things, no more, no less, just right, which is the golden mean.
Confucius said: "The golden mean is also a virtue, even worse!" The people have been fresh for a long time. "This means that the golden mean is a supreme virtue, which the people have lacked for a long time. The main purpose of what he said was to keep the social order and system at that time within the norms of etiquette. Confucius was born in the Spring and Autumn Period. The royal family declined, the princes rose, wars continued, and the people were miserable. Confucius struggled all his life to restore the social order in line with Zhou Li, so he also talked about the golden mean.
As can be seen from the above, it is not entirely Confucius' own thoughts that promote the development of the concept of the golden mean, but the historical reality of the thinkers' time. Therefore, he also put forward "benevolence". Confucius said: "Only the benevolent can be good and evil" and "the righteousness of a gentleman is supreme". The way of benevolence and righteousness is the standard of the golden mean advocated by Confucius. The core idea of the golden mean is benevolence, and benevolence takes "love" as its first meaning. Benevolent "people" are first and foremost "relatives", but they also include people from the public. Confucius said, "Love the people of the world and be kind to benevolence", emphasizing that benevolence should be done in the world, even if "righteous emperor" is among them.
Some people will say that the golden mean seems to be unprincipled eclecticism. In fact, Confucius once said, "Hometown is a thief of virtue". Hometown here means unprincipled, exquisite, selfish and hypocritical. So the prejudice against the golden mean is really misunderstood by later generations. It is also related to the deviation of some concepts of the golden mean in the later development process. Mencius, after Confucius, devoted himself to the unity of mind and nature, knowing heaven and earth, and gradually led the doctrine of the mean to the road of idealism. Dong Zhongshu, a master of Confucianism in Han Dynasty, combined the doctrine of the mean with the five elements of yin and yang and the induction between heaven and man, and inevitably embarked on the road of mysticism. Later, the study of Song Li made a big fuss about the theory of mind and nature, and became a veritable idealist. This is the right-wing development path of the doctrine of the mean philosophy, and it is also the essential reason why many people despise it.
Therefore, the essence of the golden mean advocated by Confucius is not something that some people understand as "unprincipled". Its original intention is: "go to its two ends and take what it uses." Get rid of extremes and choose the right path. It embodies the broad spirit and broad mind, dignified and calm, well preserved. To correctly grasp the golden mean is to distinguish between black and white and discuss right and wrong. It is to grasp the "middle" of things when doing things, which is the core of things.
Kōnosuke Matsushita, the Japanese "God of Enterprise", once said in the article "About the Doctrine of the Mean" that the true meaning of the Doctrine of the Mean is: "Don't be rigid, don't be extreme, seek the doctrine of the mean and be appropriate"; The doctrine of the mean "is not ambiguous, but truth and righteousness". With these beliefs, Panasonic developed step by step and finally created an enterprise kingdom.
Looking at the situation of our society today, due to the lack of the golden mean, social development is either left-leaning or right-leaning, and often changes with time; Because of the lack of the doctrine of the mean, it gives great space to the left and right, which exceeds the scale of tolerance; Due to the lack of the golden mean, our society lacks tolerance. As a result, this society will always be up and down, and the people will always be unlucky in the end.
The real golden mean is to take human nature as the main body, according to the present statement, it is "people-oriented", aiming at respecting the harmonious unity of one's personality development and the great development of the whole society, and at the same time pursuing the development of the whole human being and nature to achieve the realm of "harmony between man and nature". The so-called building a harmonious society.
Finally, tell me a joke I saw in a book before, and advise those who know a little about Confucius and Mencius not to comment in the future, otherwise the following joke will appear. In the past, if someone saw Confucius "fishing without steel, cruising without accommodation", he hoped that he was "hypocritical" and "stupid and hypocritical". In fact, Confucius advocated fishing with nets because this fishing method had deviated from the starting point of eating fish for a living, but made money by selling fish. In the long run, there would be no fish in the water. By birds, Confucius means not only birds that fall on trees, but also big birds that hatch birds in their nests. Most birds build nests for breeding offspring. Avoiding shooting big birds during the breeding season can avoid hurting young birds and protect the breeding of birds. Confucius' exposition embodies the great thought of "the unity of man and nature" and still has very profound practical significance. When the large yellow croaker in the East China Sea is almost extinct, and many birds are endangered species, and people are clamoring to protect the natural resources of birds and fish to slow down the extinction process, has it ever occurred to people that it is precisely because we have forgotten the teachings of saints and despised the philosophy of our ancestors that we are faced with such a disaster? /bbs/archiver/？ tid-5245.html
China's oldest golden mean actually talks about "appropriateness", that is, "just right".
..... Personality can be divided into three categories, the first and last of which are extreme and immoral, with morality or superiority in the middle. Therefore, it is brave and hopeful to live between cowardice and recklessness; Generosity is between meanness and luxury; There is a noble spirit between laziness and greed; Between modesty and pride is modesty and prudence; There is no difference between secret and talkative; Humor between pervert and absurdity; There is friendliness and kindness between provocation and flattery; Between Hamlet's indecision and Don Quixote's impulsiveness is self-restraint (Section 7 of Ethics 1 Volume). -the original note). Therefore, the "appropriateness" of ethics or behavior is no different from that in mathematics or engineering; It means correct, appropriate and most effective to achieve the best effect.
However, the doctrine of the mean is not the average of the two ends that can be accurately counted, just like the middle term in mathematics; It changes with the changes of various situations in the environment, and only reveals itself to mature and flexible rationality. Excellence is the artistic accomplishment obtained through good training. We don't have it because we have morality or Excellence to behave correctly and reasonably. "People form these virtues because people take such actions" (Section 4, Volume 2 of Ethics). -original note); We do this again and again, and this is what we are now. Therefore, Excellence is not an act, but a habit: "human kindness is a function of the soul to achieve Excellence in a complete life;" ..... Just like a swallow or a sunny day can form spring, a day or a flash in the pan can't make people lucky. " (Ethics, vol./kloc-0, section 7. -original comments)
Youth is at an extreme age: "If young people make mistakes, it is always because of exaggeration or exaggeration." It is difficult for young people (and many old people) to get rid of one extreme without falling into the other. Because one extreme is easy to fall into the other extreme, negation is because of "overcorrection": hypocrisy always confesses too much, while humility flies on the edge of conceit. Plato said, "antisthenes's vanity, a cynical man, is looking out through the holes in his appearance! People who are aware of extremes will not give moral reputation to the golden mean, but to the opposite end. Sometimes, this is also good; Because if we know that we have strayed into the extreme, "we should count on the other end, … just like when people straighten uneven wood." (Ethics, Volume 2, Section 9. But unconscious extremists regard the doctrine of the mean as a heinous crime; They "push people in the middle position around; Brave people are called reckless by cowards, reckless people are called cowards, and so are other situations; ("Ethics" Volume 2 Section 8. Thus, in modern politics, liberals are called "conservatives" by radicals and "radicals" by "conservatives".
The "golden mean" in daily life
In daily life, some people are too materialistic, while others work too hard and make progress. Some people waste money excessively, while others are penniless. This is not a normal way of life. Just like a hand, it is abnormal to hold a fist all the time, and it is abnormal not to open it. It's normal to keep your fist free to curl. Therefore, the golden mean and justice are the golden mean. There are four suggestions on how to practice the "golden mean" in daily life:
First, don't work too hard: life can't be without work, so everyone can't help doing things. Of course you should be hardworking, but you should not work too hard. If you work too hard, you will be afraid of difficulties and hardships in the future, and you will not be able to persist for long. Therefore, most of the company's line numbers now have an eight-hour working system, and the daily working hours are from 8 am to 5 pm, which has a timeliness; Even there are not only holidays every week, but now there are "two days off every week", which is to ask us not to work too hard.
Second, don't be too happy to enjoy your desires: people can't live without material, and moderate material is an indispensable condition for maintaining life. However, some people indulge their five desires too much, eat delicacies, wear silks and satins, live in tall buildings and drive luxury cars. Excessive pursuit of material pleasures, even excessive waste, is like a deposit in a bank, which will be in debt one day, so Ford should enjoy it slowly and not overdraw.
Third, don't be too hard on others: when you get along with others, you should know how to treat others. The most important thing is kindness and consideration for others. Especially as a supervisor, you should "treat others with yourself" or even "be lenient with others and be strict with yourself". If you treat others harshly, or if you are too laissez-faire, it is not the way to treat others.
Fourth, don't be too proud of what you use: some people like to buy things for daily use, and they like shopping when they have nothing to do, and some people don't use them as famous brands. In fact, things can be used, just enough, not too extravagant and wasteful. Too much material is not necessarily good. The so-called "artificial material service", too much material is sometimes a burden.
The doctrine of the mean is actually Buddhism and Taoism, which means that in each of our lives, everything should not be too left and too right, too tight and too loose; Impartiality is "neutrality" So, what is the golden mean? There are four points:
First, don't work too hard.
Second, don't be too happy to enjoy your desires.
Third, don't be too hard on others.
Fourth, don't be too proud of using things.
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