Moral: The author is a gentleman who tries to awaken the Tao. He should carefully warn this avenue, even where people can't see it, and he can't neglect it for a while. Even where others can't hear you, it's the same. In this way, whether in front of others or behind others, a gentleman who strives to cultivate his morality must always pay attention to his moral cultivation and not follow others' advice. Otherwise, there will be no real progress in moral cultivation.
"Don't look hidden" and "look" should be "present", that is, show. Seeing is the external appearance, and hiding refers to the internal essence. "Cautious independence" means that when you are alone carefully, you pay attention to Tao through personal deliberate cultivation and conscious examination. In that dark place, although others can't see it, the Taoist priest should clearly realize that this is the easiest thing to find in the world. Similarly, those subtle things are the easiest to find: because people's thoughts and actions will eventually be found no matter how they are concealed, and it is precisely because of this that a virtuous gentleman is particularly cautious about what he knows alone, even more cautious than in front of others. This is the real state of self-study. "Being alone" is not important. What matters is that you can control yourself when you are alone.
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Prudent and independent history and people's opinions
Mawangdui silk book and Guodian bamboo slips "Five Elements" also talk about "a gentleman is cautious about independence".
Liu Xiang's "On jing yuan Shen" said: "The good fortune of life and death depends on the body, and saints respect precepts rather than respect them."
Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties directly used the word "cautious independence". Zheng Xuan annotated The Doctrine of the Mean and interpreted "cautious independence" as "cautious independence". Mr. Liang Shuming believes that "Confucianism is only a cautious independence". Zhu believes that "independence" is "a place that people don't know but only know"
The ancients said, "He who doesn't know honor or disgrace is also a man." . In other words, only by knowing honor and disgrace, Zhi Zhi, can a person choose in his daily life, be sensible, conform to the norms and observe morality. It is not difficult to distinguish right from wrong and draw a clear line between good and evil, beauty and ugliness. What is difficult is "being cautious and independent".
Mr. Lu Xun said: "I do dissect others from time to time, but it is more and more ruthless to dissect myself."
"The Doctrine of the Mean" says: "Don't be invisible, don't be insignificant, so a gentleman is cautious and independent." That is to say: the most secret words and deeds can best show a person's quality, and the smallest things can best show a person's soul. "The Book of Rites" says: Those who have the least rites are the most expensive, and those who have the heart are also. The causes of morality are also subtle. Nothing in the world can be said to be virtuous, so what is more important than less? Therefore, a gentleman is cautious and independent.
"Master Zhuangzi" said: After participating in Japan, you can go abroad; I have been out of the world, and I will keep it. After seven days, I can put my things outside. It's foreign, so I'll keep it and give birth outside in nine days. It has been born outside, and then you can see it; Go to the front and see independence; See independence and then there is no ancient and modern; There is no past or present, and then you can neither enter death nor life.
Yang Zhenchuan: Wang Mi worked as a county magistrate in Changyi. He always made his own wishful thinking for his career advancement. It happened that Yang Zhen, the new satrap sent by the imperial court, had some friendship with Wang Mi. Can this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity be missed? Wang Mi immediately ran to woo relations. He spared no expense, even openly bribed with ten catties of gold. Yang Zhen asked angrily, "An old friend knows a gentleman, but you don't know an old friend. Why? " Wang Mi replied without blushing: "At dusk, I am ignorant." This means it's not in broad daylight. Who will know that I gave you a gift and collected money? Yang Zhen is both a gentleman and an honest official. How can he stand such an insult? Immediately sarcastically: "God knows, God knows, my son knows, and I know. What is ignorance? " "Zhan Zhan can't bully the sky", you have done an ugly thing that perverts the law. Not only is the law and discipline hard to tolerate, but even God will retaliate against you! Yang Zhen also won the nickname "Four Knowing Satrap"!