Zeng Guofan’s extremely simple six-character formula, the person who can do it is by no means simple
Reading is the way to cultivate the spirit.
Throughout the past five thousand years, there are only "two and a half" saints in Chinese history, one of whom is Confucius and the other is Wang Yangming, and the "half" is Zeng Guofan.
Zeng Guofan's life was full of controversy, but his insights and attainments in self-cultivation and self-discipline are beyond doubt.
In particular, he proposed the word "little": few words, few sights, and few desires.
It is enlightening.
01
Remain silent and nourish your energy
Gui Guzi has a saying: If you talk too much, there will be shortcomings.
Learning to shut up is a great wisdom.
I deeply agree.
In the early days, Zeng Guofan suffered a big fall due to this. The lesson was so painful that he would never forget it.
Zeng Guofan, who had just entered the Hanlin Academy, was very proud of himself, and arrogance and pride grew in his heart.
Once at his father’s birthday party, his hometown friend and their Zeng family’s doctor, Zheng Xiaoshan, came to congratulate him.
At the banquet, Zeng Guofan patted his chest and said that he was now a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy. If anyone needed help, he would definitely help. Zheng Xiaoshan smiled and said: I am a doctor, how can you help me?
At this time, Zeng Guofan, who was in high spirits, blurted out with disdain:
Am I, a court official, not as good as you, a charlatan?
After hearing this, Zheng Xiaoshan stood up angrily and walked away.
An unintentional remark made me lose a good friend.
Good words to others are warmer than cloth; words that hurt others are deeper than spears and halberds.
A person’s mouth is his Feng Shui.
Not only that, Zeng Guofan often spoke unscrupulously and without thinking in the officialdom, which almost offended the entire officialdom. As a result, no one was willing to approach him, and he was eventually insulted and became the scorn of the entire officialdom. joke.
This tragic experience made him deeply understand that "you can't act according to your heart, and you can't speak according to your mouth", and he used this to constantly alert himself, so that he later returned to the top step by step.
The mouth is the gateway to the heart. If it is not used properly, it will cause disaster.
Some time ago, I read a joke.
The boss wished his father a happy 99th birthday in the circle of friends. Everyone congratulated him, and a young employee replied: I wish the old man a long life.
As a result, he was fired the next day.
Mouth is a person’s feng shui. One word can make or break things.
Mr. Lin Yutang said:
If you want to speak skillfully, speak less; if you talk too much, you will make mistakes, if you talk too much, you will fail.
The abyss has a bottom, and people’s hearts are unpredictable. Sometimes, what you think is straightforward and forthright may be a thorn in the eyes of others, or even a handle against you.
In everything, think twice before acting; in everything, think twice before speaking.
Be careful when speaking, which is the way to cultivate yourself.
02
Ignorance and concentration
"Ignorance" here means to look at less clutter and don't waste energy on messy things. , but read more.
Zeng Guofan was a person who especially loved reading. He often said:
"Reading not only changes one's temperament, but also nourishes one's spirit, which is why it absorbs principles and principles."
Reading can not only change a person’s temperament, but also nourish one’s soul and make one understand the truth.
This sentence is also vividly reflected in him.
Studying was the springboard of his life, allowing him, a poor boy without any background, to eventually become an official.
It is also a book that accompanies him through the troughs and darkest moments of his life.
In the seventh year of Xianfeng's reign, Zeng Guofan suffered repeated defeats on the battlefield and repeated conflicts in the officialdom. Finally, Emperor Xianfeng issued an order to depose his military power and return to his hometown to wait for orders.
That was the darkest moment in his life. He was resentful, full of grievances and unwillingness. He couldn't figure out why he was sincere and dedicated to serving the country, but was jealous of the emperor and ridiculed by his colleagues. Because of this, I became depressed and became ill, unable to afford one illness.
Until he encountered Laozi's "Tao Te Ching", he suddenly realized the crux of his problem and began to change his social style, from Han Feizi's "hardness" to Laozi's "hardness and softness" .
Not only did I enlighten myself, but I also realized a change in my thinking and ushered in a turning point in my life.
As the ancients said, it is better to be wise than to be ignorant.
Nowadays, people who like to read books are often smarter than those who always like to check their mobile phones and watch TV. Moreover, this is also based on science.
Japanese researchers once conducted an experiment and scanned the brains of people who like to watch TV and read books, as shown in the picture:
Obviously, those who read books The more complex and developed the brain's neural network is, the stronger the ability to receive, store information and think, and the smarter the brain will naturally be.
Kenichiro Motegi once said in "How to Transform the Brain with Reading":
Reading can ferment the brain like rotten soil and form high-quality soil in the brain.
Look less to cultivate your mind, read more to cultivate your intelligence.
Therefore, check your mobile phone less, read less non-nutritious things, and put more energy into reading and growing yourself. This is the greatest foresight and wisdom.
Reading is the way to cultivate the spirit.
03
Reducing desire to nourish essence
Desire is a prison. Many people live unhappy lives not because they have little, but because they want it. too much.
If you have a rich heart, you will feel comfortable in a humble house;
If you are coerced by desire, you will feel anxious and miserable in a mansion.
True happiness does not lie in material abundance, but in inner wealth.
Zeng Guofan practiced a minimalist lifestyle throughout his life.
He eats very simply.
Zeng Guofan has the reputation of being a "first-class prime minister", but the so-called "first-class" does not praise his high position, but refers to his extremely simple daily diet, with only one dish and one meal per meal.
This is really rare for a high-ranking official who holds a high position, has outstanding military exploits, and holds great power.
He wears minimalist clothes.
Once, Zeng Guofan went out to be a guest. At the banquet, everyone found that the clothes he was wearing were from 30 years ago and were still patched.
Everyone made fun of him, but he smiled lightly and said:
Cherishing food and clothing means not only cherishing time but also cherishing blessings; seeking fame and fortune, but knowing that you seek yourself and not others.
Yes, no matter how luxurious the clothes are, no matter how exquisite the food is, no matter how great the reputation is, no matter how much money, they can’t compare to a sweet and self-sufficient heart.
The place where he lives is also extremely simple.
According to records, after Zeng Guofan's death, it was discovered that his bedroom only had a bed, a table, and a few stools. They were all made of ordinary materials and had been severely worn. They were not used to store clothes and books. They were all bamboo strips brought from his hometown in the early years...
So many people lamented that they had never seen such a poor adult.
So, what is real “poor”?
A highly praised answer on Zhihu is:
When your desires are one penny more than your income, you are truly poor.
Those who are truly happy never have more, but care less.
Only by not being enslaved by material things or by desires can we maintain inner clarity and live happily.
Having few desires is the way to nourish the heart.
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Forrest Gump said:
Life is a process of constant elimination, slowly knowing what is important and what is not important.
Human life is a process of reducing complexity into simplicity.
Talk less and do less harm, look less and do less, desire less and worry less.
Click to read, I hope that in the future journey, we can keep our mouth shut, read more, control our desires, and gain a simple and abundant life.