"The Book of Filial Piety·Sancai Chapter 7" Part One

Hello everyone, today I will start to study "The Book of Filial Piety·Sancai Chapter 7". I will recite the original text first: Original text Zengzi said: "Excellent! Filial piety is the greatest thing." Confucius said: "The husband's filial piety is the scripture of heaven and the meaning of earth.

, the conduct of the people is the law of heaven and earth, and the people follow it. Then the heaven is bright and the earth is beneficial, which is the result of not being strict in government.

To transform the people. Therefore, we should first introduce charity, and the people will not abandon their relatives; introduce morality and righteousness, and the people will prosper; lead them with respect and yield, and the people will not fight; guide them with etiquette and music, and the people will be harmonious; show them

It is based on likes and dislikes, and the people know the prohibitions. "Poetry" says: "The people are enlightened." "Three talents" refers to heaven, earth, and people.

The words come from "Yi Zhuan·Xici Xia": "There is a way of heaven, a way of human beings, and a way of earth. Two of the three talents are combined, so six. The six are not other, it is the way of the three talents." According to traditional Chinese culture

Look, heaven and earth are very sacred and great.

There are people, animals, plants, mountains, rivers, and all kinds of things between heaven and earth. Only people can match heaven and earth.

Then why can man and heaven and earth be called the three talents?

Let’s look at the Qian Gua of the Book of Changes: “Master Fu, his virtues are in harmony with the heaven and earth, his brightness is in harmony with the sun and moon, his order is in harmony with the four seasons, his fortune and misfortune are in harmony with the ghosts and gods, he does not violate the laws of heaven innately, and he follows heaven’s timing the day after tomorrow.

"Everyone knows that there are sun, moon and stars in the sky, and the alternation of the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter, and the constant movement without interruption. For example, the sun, no matter it is the era of Yao and Shun five thousand years ago, or the era of Confucius' life two thousand five hundred years ago, to

Today everything rises in the east and falls in the west, and remains unchanged forever.

The sun, moon and stars are the source of energy for the growth of all things in the world. The so-called growth of all things depends on the sun, and sunlight, rain and dew nourish all things. The earth carries all things and can mature all things in accordance with the weather. The so-called spring growth, summer growth, autumn harvest, and winter storage.

What is the virtue of heaven and earth combined?

It means benevolence and obedience. Heaven is benevolent to all things, earth is obedient to heaven, matures all things, and selflessly bestows these kindnesses on all things.

"Heaven has the virtue of living well, the earth has the ability to carry things, and a gentleman has the beauty of adulthood." Being able to practice the virtues of heaven and earth is because people can imitate heaven and earth and practice benevolence and obedience. As the saying goes, "when heaven and earth change, sages imitate them."

It is similar to heaven and earth, so it does not violate it.”

To practice benevolence and obedience is actually filial piety.

Only by practicing filial piety can a person be qualified to be called the Three Talents together with heaven and earth.

In this chapter, Master Confucius advises us to follow the example of heaven and earth in practicing filial piety, starting from loving and being respectful to our parents, and then treating everyone and everything with kindness and respect, so as to become one with heaven and earth.

Understanding the connotation Xing Bing's "The Book of Filial Piety" says: "Heaven and earth call it the two rites, and people call it the three talents. When Zengzi saw his master saying that the five levels of filial piety were completed, he sighed and said: 'How great! Filial piety is the greatest thing.'

. Master admires the beauty of it because it explains the scriptures of heaven, the principles of earth, and the actions of people, which can be taught to others, so he named them after the five filial piety."

Through Confucius's in-depth explanations, Zeng Zi believed that taking good care of one's body and raising one's parents well would be regarded as fulfilling one's filial piety. Now, after listening to Confucius's talk about the five levels of filial piety of the emperor, princes, officials, scholars, and common people, he was very shocked.

I couldn’t help but exclaim in awe: How great!

The meaning of filial piety is so vast.

Confucius saw that Zengzi praised the greatness of filial piety, and knew that Zengzi had already understood the five filial piety he talked about, "it is to talk about the scriptures of heaven, the righteousness of earth, and the actions of people." So he went a step further and told him about the three talents of heaven, earth, and human beings.

The principle shows that the origin of filial piety is to take the law from heaven and earth.

Heaven talks about scriptures, scriptures means eternity, and heaven is unchanging; earth talks about righteousness, and righteousness means benefiting things. It truly benefits all things, nourishes all things, matures all things, and is beneficial to others rather than self-interest.

The connotation of Confucianism is not just about our walking behavior. Everyone remembers what we learned in The Analects: "Who can leave the house without leaving the house? Why not follow the Tao!" "The Doctrine of the Mean" also tells us: "The Tao cannot be ignored even for a moment.

"Living is not the way." In other words, any person's code of conduct at any time is based on the fundamental reason why heaven, earth, and even humans are the three talents, which is to imitate heaven and earth.

, can constantly benefit the public and benefit all things. This kind of behavior is called filial piety.

Therefore, it is said that these three things, heaven, earth, and people, "can be taught to others." Using this principle of filial piety to educate the people will not only educate the people of that time, but also serve as a lesson for all generations.

"The Classic of Filial Piety" has been circulated for more than two thousand years and has been studied by generations. For example, we are still reciting it today. It can really educate people for all generations.

In this passage, the Master tells us about the profound meaning of filial piety, which combines heaven, earth and man. Therefore, these three talents are used as the name of the chapter. "Therefore, the chapter is named after the five filial piety."

After the five filial piety.

Today we will first explain the title of this chapter and the connotation of the three talents, and we will continue tomorrow.

(Note: The text part is the lecturer's manuscript, which is slightly different from the audio.) Questions to think about 1. What does the three talents mean?

What is the virtue of heaven and earth combined?

Let’s look at the Qian Gua of the Book of Changes: “Master Fu, his virtues are in harmony with the heaven and earth, his brightness is in harmony with the sun and moon, his order is in harmony with the four seasons, his fortune and misfortune are in harmony with the ghosts and gods, he does not violate the laws of heaven innately, and he follows heaven’s timing the day after tomorrow.

"Everyone knows that there are sun, moon and stars in the sky, and the alternation of the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter, and the constant movement without interruption. For example, the sun, no matter it is the era of Yao and Shun five thousand years ago, or the era of Confucius' life two thousand five hundred years ago, to

Today everything rises in the east and falls in the west, and remains unchanged forever.