Several major misunderstandings that are very easy to fall into when reading Laozi's "Tao Te Ching"! (Part 2) 读老子《道德经》极易陷入的几大误区!(中)
This article continues from the previous article: Several common misunderstandings when reading Laozi's "Tao Te Ching"! (Part 1)
Third, on the people's need to "successfully accomplish their tasks" in Laozi's Tao Te Ching
As mentioned above, in Laozi's philosophy, "doing nothing" and "not competing" are not instructions for the common people, but requirements for the monarch and the princes.
For the people, on the contrary, Laozi encourages, supports and praises them to "successfully accomplish their tasks" and strive to realize their dreams.
Laozi said: "I do nothing and the people will grow and develop freely; I like tranquility and the people will correct themselves; I do nothing and the people will create wealth by themselves; I do not desire and the people will maintain their simplicity." "I" is opposite to "people". "I" here means the ruler. Laozi uses the first person to describe how to govern the world.
When
the country advances, the people retreat; when the officials are strong, the
people are weak. On the contrary, if the superiors do nothing, like
tranquility, do nothing, and do not desire, the inferiors can grow and develop
freely, correct themselves, create wealth by themselves, and maintain their
simplicity. The two approaches are opposite and dialectically unified, so they
can complement each other.
The
Tao Te Ching also says "The highest is that the people below know that it
exists... Success is accomplished, and the people think that it is
natural." "The people below know that it exists", some versions
are "not knowing that it exists".
The
best monarchs rule by doing nothing, so that the people only know (or don't
know) his existence. The people succeed in their affairs, realize their dreams,
and live an ideal life. They also think that it is simply the result of their
own efforts, not knowing that this is the monarch's wisdom.
Doing
nothing, being quiet, having nothing to do, and not wanting are the methods and
means of governance, while the free growth and development of the people,
self-rectification, self-creation of wealth, and self-purity are the goals of
governance.
From this, it can be seen that Lao Tzu hopes that the people will "successfully accomplish their affairs", "freely grow and develop, self-rectification, self-creation of wealth, and self-purity", struggle, self-management, self-creation, and self-realization, which is contrary to the monarchs and princes who should "do nothing" and "not fight".
In the
pre-Qin period, knowledge was owned by a few people. Even in the first half of
the 20th century, most civilians were illiterate. It was unlikely that Laozi
would instruct the civilians one by one in the book.
The
various schools of thought in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring
States Period were keen on writing books, teaching, lobbying princes, and
pointing out the country. Laozi also focused on what the monarch and the
princes should do in the "Tao Te Ching". This book was originally
written for them.
But
from another perspective, we can also see from the book what the people should
do.
Fourth,
about the age group for learning Laozi's "Tao Te Ching"
The
book "Laozi" is like a hermit calmly watching the world, like a guest
from the sky overlooking the world, showing a very rich life experience, and
should also have a profound summary of the laws of human society, history and
nature. It is indeed "old": experienced, mature, and mature.
In
reality, some people are no longer young, but still live like a child, and some
people are quite mature at a young age. But in general, it is more difficult
for most young people to understand the philosophy of life in Laozi and feel
the same way.
People
usually have to reach a certain age and have a certain amount of experience to
deepen their understanding and be able to chew out the true taste of Tao Te
Ching.
People
of different ages have different characteristics. Young people are often full
of ideals and drive, and they don't have to be so mature. They should be
"crazy" when they should be "crazy". Young people should
not be afraid of stumbling and falling, and should not be depressed in advance
at the age of vitality.
The
career pursuits and lifestyles of middle-aged and elderly people are usually
different from those of young people. But the competition of all things is
nature, the law of nature, and the life instinct that everyone is born with,
but their respective expressions are different.
In
Laozi's view, monarchs and princes are the public instruments of the world for
the people of the world. They should have such awareness when they are in
power: "To bear the country's dirt is to be the master of the country; to
bear the country's misfortune is to be the king of the world." They must
bear all kinds of bad things in a country.
The
leader is not to enjoy personal desires, and the standards required of him are
much higher than those of ordinary people. Monarchs and dukes do not pursue
dreams like ordinary people, they can only "do nothing" and "do
not contend". His dream is the dream of the world, to enable people in the
world to "do great things" and "compete for great things",
and to enable people in the world to "succeed in their work".
If you
are neither a monarch, a duke, nor a young person being trained as a
"second-generation successor", you should not put yourself in the
role of a superior and mechanically engage in "inaction" and
"non-contention" to avoid falling into misunderstandings.
Ordinary
people should find their position as people, succeed in their work, grow and
develop, correct themselves, create wealth, and keep themselves simple, while
young people should struggle and fight to achieve "great things" with
"compete for great things"!
(To be continued)
其三,关于老子《道德经》中的民要“成功遂事”
如前所言,在老子哲学中,“无为”“不争” 并不是对庶民、普通百姓的指点,而是对君主、侯王的要求。
于民而言,恰恰相反,老子鼓励、支持、赞美他们“成功遂事”,去努力实现自己的梦想。
老子说:“我无为而民自化,我好静而民自正,我无事而民自富,我欲不欲而民自朴”,“我”和“民”相对,“我”在这里是统治者的意思,是老子用第一人称来讲述如何治理天下。
国进则民退,官强则民弱。反过来,上位者无为、好静、无事、欲不欲,下位者就能自化、自正、自富、自朴。二者的做法相反、辩证统一,才能相辅相成。
《道德经》中还说“太上,下知有之……成功遂事,而百姓谓我自然”。“ 下知有之”,有的版本是“不知有之”。
最好的君主无为而治,让人民仅仅知道(或不知道)他的存在,人民成功遂事,梦想得圆,过上理想的生活,还自认为单纯是自己努力的结果,不知道这是君主的圣明。
无为、好静、无事、欲不欲,是治理的方法和手段,而人民的自化、自正、自富、自朴是治理的目标。
由此可见,老子希望人民要“成功遂事”,要去“自化、自正、自富、自朴”,自己奋斗、自我管理、自己创造、自我实现,与君主、侯王应该“无为”“不争”是相反的。
在先秦之际,知识为少数人拥有,即使在20世纪上半叶,绝大多数平民也是不识字的,老子不太可能在书中对平民一一指点。
春秋战国时期的诸子百家,热衷于著书立说、授徒讲学、游说诸侯、指点江山,老子在《道德经》中同样侧重讲君主、侯王应该怎么做,这本书本来就是写给他们看的。
但换一个角度,从书中我们同样可以看出,民应该怎么做。
其四,关于老子《道德经》的学习年龄段
《老子》一书,如同一个世外高人在淡定地旁观滚滚红尘,就像一个天外高客在俯瞰天下苍生,展示出人生阅历极为丰富,也应该有着对人类社会历史规律和自然规律的深刻总结,确实够“老”:老辣、老成、老练。
现实中,有的人已不年轻,但还活得像个孩子,也有的人年纪轻轻,就已颇为成熟。但在一般情况下,大多数青少年更不容易理解《老子》中的人生哲理,难以感同身受。
人通常要到了一定的年龄,有了一定的阅历,认识会更加深化,更能咀嚼出《道德经》中的真味。
不同年龄段的人会有不同的特征,青少年往往充满理想、冲劲,对他们也不必要求那么成熟,该“疯狂”就得“疯狂”,年轻人尤其不要怕磕磕磕绊绊摔跟头,不要在活力绽放的年龄段提前暮气沉沉。
中老年人的事业追求和生活方式,和青少年通常有所不同。但万物竞逐,这是天性,是自然规律,是任何人与生俱来的生命本能,只是各自的表现方式不一样。
在老子看来,君主、侯王是为天下人代管天下之公器,在上位要有这样的觉悟:“受国之垢,是谓社稷主;受国不祥,是为天下王。”就要承担一个国家各种不好的东西。
带头人就不是去享受个人私欲的,对他的要求标准远比常人要高。君主、侯王就不像常人那样去追梦,只能去“无为”“不争”。
他的梦想是天下的梦想,让天下人能够“大为”“大争”,让天下人“成功遂事”。
既不是君主、公侯,也不是作为“二代”来进行培养的年轻人,就不要去自己代入上位者的角色,去机械地搞“无为”和“不争”,陷入误区。
普通人要找准自己作为民的定位,去成功遂事,去自化、自正、自富、自朴,而年轻人更应该去奋斗,去拼搏,以“大争”实现“大为”!
(未完待续)
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