“Knowing to stop can then lead to concentration. After being calm, one can be still. After being quiet, one can be at peace. After being at peace, one can then think about it. After thinking about it, one can gain.” (Image source: Adobe stock)
Everybody knowsreadcan be improvedtrainingbut this is definitely not becauseKnowledgeincrease. spiritualNutritionNot reflected in knowledge.TaoistIt is advocated that “Qi” is the foundation and bridge of the human spirit. If Qi is sufficient, it will be full of energy and harmony. The reason why reading can improve people’s cultivation and nourish people’s soul is precisely because it can “Nourishing Qi“.
Yuan Mei, a litterateur in the Qing Dynasty, said: “The good thing about reading is that one’s mind will be awakened beforehand, and the truth will be passed on when the snow is deep.” It means: after you understand the spiritual connotation of the book, your heart will have some understanding; “Li Xue” means that like Yang Shi of the Song Dynasty, you must be “Cheng Men Li Xue” and be sincere, only then can you pass on the Tao to him. . Reading can nourish people’s “ten spirits”.
Maintain calmness and eliminate irritability
“The Great Learning” says: “Knowing to stop can lead to concentration, concentration can lead to tranquility, tranquility can lead to tranquility, tranquility can lead to thinking, and worrying can lead to gain.” It points out a complete process of cultivating the mind and nature.
“Quietness” is in an important position as a link between the past and the future. Being still can observe changes, and being still can stop things; being irritable will cause you to lose your composure, and being restless will cause chaos. Stillness is a real skill.
For reading and studying, “you have to sit on the bench for ten years.” You must pay special attention to studying quietly and not be afraid of sitting on the bench. Reading requires a quiet environment, a calm mind, and a peaceful mind. You will not be able to read if you are absent-minded, distracted, and impetuous. When a person devotes himself wholeheartedly to reading, he has actually entered a state of self-cultivation, which is a process of personal character cultivation, will sharpening and psychological energy accumulation.
If you insist on reading and studying, you will naturally have more and more “peace of tranquility” in your body and less and less impetuousness. You will be able to practice the skills of eliminating interference and finding tranquility in the midst of trouble, and enhance your ability to be fearless and fearless in the face of danger. The ability to remain calm despite changes.
Cultivate elegance and eliminate vulgarity
“The spirit of poetry and calligraphy comes from China.” Reading can add elegance to one’s spirit. Zeng Guofan said: “Reading can change your temperament.” The more good books you read, the better your temperament will be.
If you love reading, you will not only be directly inspired and improved aesthetically, but your horizons will also become broadened, your thoughts will become profound, your spirit will become noble, your moral character will become noble, your behavior will become elegant, and you will be promoted The whole level and charm of being a person and doing things make knowledge produce endless power.
If you don’t love reading, your knowledge will age, your thoughts will become rigid, and your abilities will degrade. You will “use it to make people faint and make people aware of it.” The society will become full of philistinism, and the smell of copper will become stronger day by day.
Cultivate your talent and get rid of your arrogance
“University”: “It is new every day, and it is new every day.” (Photo source: Adobe stock)
From a broad perspective, as Liu Xiang of the Western Han Dynasty said: “Books are like medicine, and reading them well can cure stupidity.” Zhu Xi also once said: “In order to learn, don’t start with exhaustion of principles; exhaustion of principles is the key. Reading must come first.” Speaking from a young age, Du Fu’s poem “Reading thousands of volumes, writing is like a spirit” has been passed down through the ages. Sun Zhu of the Qing Dynasty also said: “If you have read 300 Tang poems, you can compose poetry.” “Yin.” This all means that reading can cultivate people’s talents.
The more books you read, the better your cognitive level will be. You will look at things from a higher perspective and see things more deeply. The more knowledge you accumulate and you can draw inferences from one example to another, your thinking will be more comprehensive and your perspective will be more unique. When it comes to solving problems, you can also be more practical, and you will not be empty-headed or lacking solutions; the more you read, the more ideas you will have for solving problems and the more useful methods you will find.
Nurturing vitality, removing twilight energy
“The University” says: “It is new every day, and it is new every day.” Society is developing and changing, especially in an era of information explosion and rapid changes. Therefore, if you want to keep up with the changes of this era and constantly innovate yourself, you can only achieve it through reading, so that you can better settle down and live your life.
Just as Feng Menglong of the Ming Dynasty said: “If you want to know the affairs of the world, you must read the books of the ancients.” Ni Yuanlu of the late Ming Dynasty also said: “You should read to understand the affairs of the world.”
If we don’t see the rapid development and changes in today’s world, we will become stuck in the past, clinging to the old and incompetent, and becoming pessimistic. Those who love reading and are good at reading can consciously observe the latest trends in the world with an open vision, a broad mind, and a keen eye, and have a clear mind.
Maintain vigor and eliminate inertia
Yuan Liaofan in the Ming Dynasty wrote a book called “Liaofan’s Four Instructions”. There is a sentence that is hard to put down when reading it: “There are many smart and handsome people in the world, so those who do not cultivate their virtues and expand their careers will only delay their achievements because of the word “following”. lifetime.”
“Following the rules” means too much inertia, laziness, and muddle along. It is often said to be dawdling. People nowadays call it “living down.” Everyone has the inertia of being inactive and greedy for comfort, but “if it is not polished, it will not become a tool.” If you cannot control yourself, how can you achieve your career and cultivate talents? Zhuge Liang has long warned in “The Book of Commandments” that “without learning, one cannot develop talents, and without ambition, one cannot achieve learning.”
Wang Anshi also said in the poem “Gift to the Grandson”, “From the time he loved pears and millet when he was young, he had to read five carts of books when he grew up.”
The more ambitious you are and the more diligent you are in reading, the more you will find that you know very little, and the harder you will study. The power of seeking knowledge and progress is really full of vigor, and you can’t overcome even huge difficulties.
Be generous and get rid of stinginess
Atmosphere is a kind of vision, a realm, and a kind of mind. If you want to cultivate your spirit, you must practice and study. Reading can broaden your horizons, cultivate your realm, and broaden your mind. Ouyang Xiu of the Northern Song Dynasty said, “Strong learning and extensive knowledge are enough to understand the ancient and modern times.” Liu Yi, who also lived in the Northern Song Dynasty, said that everyone knows – “Read thousands of books and travel thousands of miles.”
Some people study for their own benefit and have their wives and children under their care; some people study for the sake of the country and the people. Although they are penniless, they are worried about the world. “It is beneficial to the country’s life and death, why should we avoid it because of misfortunes and blessings?” It is so majestic and majestic that people admire and imitate it. The former kind of people have read too few books and have not read them thoroughly. Only the latter kind of people have realized the true meaning of reading.
Nourish righteousness and eliminate evil spirits
Confucianism talks about righteousness the most, and the most soul-stirring thing is what Mencius said: “I am good at cultivating my awe-inspiring Qi. It is Qi. It is the most powerful and strong. If it is nourished directly without harm, it will be blocked between heaven and earth.” The most simple thing is Pu Songling said, “A bookworm must be good at writing, and an art lover must have good skills.” How to raise it? How to work? Naturally, I want to study.
If righteousness is not strong, evil spirits will rise; if evil spirits are arrogant, people will suffer disaster. Traditional Chinese culture attaches great importance to etiquette, justice and integrity, and requires scholars to be gentlemen with good conduct and noble moral character. If a gentleman wants to “cultivate his moral integrity, manage his family, govern the country and bring peace to the world”, support justice and promote righteousness, he must first act upright and walk in the right direction. As the saying goes, “If a person is upright, he will act without being told; if he is not upright, he will not follow orders even though he is told.”
Etiquette, justice and integrity need to be known; conduct and morality need to be practiced. Before that, you need to learn from books and receive instruction from teachers. Without the link of reading, it would be difficult to connect the entire link of “Cultivation of Qi Zhiping”. It would take a lot of detours and unnecessary mistakes, so why bother?
Cultivate courage, get rid of timidity
The so-called “ignorance and fearlessness” is a kind of ignorant recklessness and blind conceit. Only with knowledge can one have courage, and only with high skill can one be bold. The Analects of Confucius explains this most accurately: “A benevolent person must be brave, but a brave person does not need to be benevolent”, “A benevolent person does not worry, a knowledgeable person does not be confused, and a brave person does not fear.”
If you are not ignorant, you must be knowledgeable, and of course you must study. Reading can increase your knowledge. “Having seen big scenes” will naturally make you more courageous. There is a saying that all people’s fears originate from the unknown, because they don’t know the good or bad; once you know it, you won’t be easily frightened or panicked. This is where courage lies.
Cultivate harmonious spirit and eliminate domineering spirit
“Harmony” can be said to be the core concept of Chinese culture, which is shared by Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. For example, “The Book of Changes” puts forward “Taihe”, “Changes in the way of things, each righteous life, and preservation of Taihe are beneficial.” It means that changes in the way of heaven make everything develop in accordance with the laws of nature, and “Taihe” is the highest harmony. .
Confucius said, “Harmony is the most precious thing”, and Laozi said, “All things carry yin and hold yang, and the energy in them is harmony.” Therefore, people need to recuperate their harmonious energy, and reading is an effective way.
Only when the mind is calm can the spirit be harmonious, and when the mind is calm can the mind be calm. Reading can calm the mind, and harmony will naturally develop. In addition, in the process of studying, people will have a higher vision and a broader mind, and they will naturally be more tolerant, and their peace of mind will increase day by day. The cultivation of righteousness and kindness through reading can also make people look at the world and others with more compassion and kindness.
Cultivate luck and remove bad luck
As the saying goes, “Opportunities only come to those who are prepared.” The more a person reads and accumulates, the better he will be able to seize opportunities when he encounters them. The positive principle is what Su Shi said: “Extreme knowledge and understanding, accumulation and accumulation”; the negative principle is what Wang Anshi said: “Reading too much means not knowing enough about things”, and what Lu You said: “When the book is used, it will be regretted, and it will not be difficult until it has been done.” Seizing the opportunity is equivalent to increasing your luck.
Moreover, a person who reads a lot and is knowledgeable will have more opportunities, because his horizons are broadened, his thoughts govern his behavior, and his external activity space and stage will unknowingly become larger, and all he can encounter will be bigger. There will naturally be more opportunities. This is another meaning of reading to cultivate luck.
Editor in charge: Wen Li
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