Do you understand what this is saying? This is an article in a book on 菜根談, which was written in the Ming Dynasty on Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism philosophies. My daughter was asked to write a report on this book (not菜根談 itself) for her primary 6 Chinese class. Most of the other articles are OK, but this one really baffled me. Is it trying to say that (1) we must understand and resolve the problems in the world around us in order to have peace of the mind (2) if we cultivate a peaceful mind and ignore the world then whatever happens in the world would not bother us (3) we can manage the world’s problems on the one hand, but do not let it bother us if have peace of the mind (4) …?
I tried to read the explanations in the book but it does not help. I have a feeling the writer of the book does not really understand what the article was trying to say. So it simply translated it sentence by sentence without trying to sort out whether it makes sense together. What is my poor daughter or other primary school students supposed to do? I think it is great idea to encourage students to read more. But sometimes it is not easy to find suitable, well-written books in Chinese at the appropriate level.
7 comments:
Is it still possible to know exactly what the original writer really meant? Are there some kind of commentaries passed down through the ages? If not, then just pick one or all of the alternatives you proposed, to get "peace of mind".
I was reading an article on the Sunday SCMP magazine yesterday about the rise of Buddhism in Europe. My interpretation is: one reason it is appealing is that people can pick and choose whatever encompasses the "-ism". Is there real peace or peace of mind if people live according to the big ME?
I have a similar feeling about this. Buddhism is appealing to some people because it is up to ME to understand the universe, to train myself, to acheive enlightenment.
To some extent we can do that. Unfortunately it does not scale up. By our own efforts we can improve ourselves to a certain extent, and solve some of the world's problems. But powerless with the really critical problems of sin and evil and death.
I think the writer was explaining a certain 'logic' whether it is logical or not depends on how one takes it.
I would try to inteprete it in this manner:
If one stops reasoning ( about rights or wrongs , about how matters should be said and done , about how the universe should be governed )
Then there will be no fuss ( quarrels, arguements, fights and war )
Settling conflicts externally ( by compromises, compensation, treaties ) while retaining and holding on to the principles of the matter would therefore not change the fundamental differences.
That is like casting away the shadow but retaining the original object ( logically the shadow will be there with the object but that is not the point )
With the same argument:
When one ( ones heart ) is empty ( content, at peace from within ) it does not matter with the surroundings ( riches, fame, entertainment, food, external luxuries )
That would imply that when ones heart is filled up with surrounding matters ( things from without )
Casting away all external matters ( going into the hills and live in a monastry ) will not help attaining a restful mind.
It would be just like keeping flies away while heaping up smelly meat around yourself.
There are certain truth in these teachings but then they always fall short of dealing with basic human problem - sinful nature in refusing the devine sovereignty of God ( denying existence of an almighty God and insisting that one can improve oneself to a devine status )
There appears to be a certain contradiction in what it is saying. On the one hand we have to understand what is going on in the world, in order to deal with it. On the other hand, we have to put them off from our minds so we are not bothered by them.
I agree with you that they do not answer the ultimate problems of us human beings.
I shall ask my daughter to read your explanations. But I am sceptical that a 12 year old can really understand something like that.
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