How to choose the ancient philosophy of life

The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period are called the Axial Age in human history. It was an era of fierce collision of ideas. In this era, China produced world-class thinkers (Laozi, Confucius, Zhuangzi, etc. ) and a system of philosophy (Confucianism and Taoism) that can keep pace with western thought. In addition, Zen Buddhism, which was later introduced to China, can be described as a tripartite confrontation between Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. China's ancient philosophy and ideology are regarded as the knowledge of life. We should care for the individual of life from the heart, and we should have warmth and respect for it. Choosing one at different stages of life can solve different problems in life. This paper will explain the different meanings of Confucianism, Taoism, Lao and Zhuang Zen from the perspective of inaction, so that everyone can choose their own ideas according to their different situations and solve their own life problems.

Confucianism is represented by Confucius and Mencius, Confucius stresses benevolence and Mencius gives lectures. Fundamentally speaking, Confucianism has an ideal of knowing what not to do and taking care of individual life, which is a philosophy of actively entering the WTO. Cultivate one's morality internally and make contributions externally. Realize one's revenge in the process of cultivating Qi and leveling the peace. Paying attention to life itself can be said to be a philosophy of seeking success by doing something. Mencius, a representative of Confucianism, once said that "the words of the world do not belong to Yang (Yang Zhu, a representative of Taoism), but to Mo (Mozi)", which shows the brilliance of Mohism in China. What Yang Zhu said about pulling out a dime and not doing it is very biased, regardless. Mohist school put forward the viewpoints of "universal love", "non-aggression", "Shang Xian", "Shang Tong", "ambition", "ghost", "death", "joy" and "frugality", with universal love as the core and frugality and Shang Xian as the fulcrum. From this point of view, Mohism, such as Confucianism, and Angelica belong to the category of doing something and not doing something.

Laozi can be regarded as a first-class thinker in China. He put forward the idea of governing by doing nothing and being natural. However, what Laozi said is actually a kind of pseudo-inaction, which refers to inaction, not inaction, but moderate inaction. To grasp Laozi's thought, we need to pay attention to the sentence that "the movement of Tao is weak, and the use of Tao is weak", which emphasizes returning to nature and returning to nature. The thought of life left by Laozi is the survival of the weak. Advance by retreating, attack by defending, and attack from the rear. Therefore, Laozi's philosophy is to do promising things under the banner of inaction, and it is a promising thing.

Let's look at Zhuangzi again. Zhuangzi was poor all his life, but he enjoyed it. Zhuangzi pursues an absolutely free and happy life. Zhuangzi's philosophy can be summarized by "leisure" and "righteousness". Swimming is carefree and free. Qi is everything, Zhuang Zhou is a butterfly and the butterfly is Zhuang Zhou. According to Sima Qian's historical records, Zhuangzi learned everything, but Zhuang Zhou should not be employed by Chu Weiwang because he advocated freedom. He only worked as a painter in the Song Dynasty. My life is limited, but so is my knowledge. It is stagnant to pursue infinite knowledge and interest with limited life and ignore everything around you. Zhuangzi believes that only by staying still can we follow the trend, instead of being enslaved and burdened by any thoughts and interests. This is the whole of life. So Zhuangzi's inaction is really inaction.

Laozi, Zhuangzi and Zen have a dialectical relationship. Laozi seeks success by doing nothing, Zhuangzi seeks inaction by doing nothing, and Zen seeks inaction by doing something. Zen has grasped a key problem. Buddhism is consciousness, and everyone has Buddha nature. The difference lies in enlightenment and non-enlightenment After enlightenment, when you really realize it, you want to understand everything, and you can be free, not only to measure yourself, but also to measure others.

* * To sum up, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, as the three profound traditional cultures in China, have influenced many people in China for thousands of years, leaving a deep impression on the way of thinking and internal behavior of China people, which is known to the people for daily use. Then, as young people, we should not only understand the connotation of these cultures, but also choose one or more to help us solve problems in life at the right time. So how to choose? Confucianism's active entry into the WTO is based on the pursuit of doing something, while Taoism's Laozi pursues inaction and does an excellent job. Zhuangzi pursues absolute freedom and transcendental inaction, while Buddhism pursues doing something without doing anything. Nan once said that Confucianism is a grain store, Taoism is a drugstore and Buddhism is a grocery store. When I was young, I actively enriched myself with the Confucian thought of doing something. When people reach middle age, they know nothing to protect themselves. When I am old, I can use Zen to understand the true meaning of life. Everything is like a dream, like dew, like electricity. I should look at it this way. Ask for relief. In this way, knowing the choice will lead to a happy life. **