..续本文上一页 radical reactions in our society. Why do we have these two extreme responses
It is because these inpiduals are domineering and self-righteous. The boorish ones may follow others” ideas while the obstinate ones only follow their own views. Those who follow others” ideas are obstructed by ignorance; those who follow their own ideas are obstructed by knowledge. Both types are obscured from and confused about truth. In short, delusion envelops these inpiduals!
子路曾问孔子﹕「可不可以不管传统，直接依据心意行事？」孔子说﹕「不行！以前东方有个夷人，他很仰慕华夏文明的礼法。他女儿死了丈夫，他就依据寡妇不再婚之礼，教女儿不许再嫁，却私下给女儿养了个男人；这说是未改嫁，实则已违贞洁的真谛。南方苍梧有个蛮人，娶了美妇，却让给其兄；这看来好似兄弟相让，实则不合礼让之意义。所以说，若弃置传统，任凭心意行事，就会像这两个例子，做出似是而非之事，就悔之不及了！」
Zi Lu once asked Confucius, "Could you ignore tradition and just follow the call of your heart
" Confucius answered, "No! In the past a tribal native east of China really admired the rites of China. When his son-in-law died, he taught his daughter to not remarry according to the rule that widows should not remarry. However, he clandestinely allowed his daughter to be with a man. Although the woman didn”t remarry, she had already violated the principle of chastity in reality. A tribe member of Cang Wu in southern China married a beautiful wife but conceded her to his elder brother. Outwardly these brothers appear to confer generously, but in actuality, they failed to abide by the true meaning of giving. That”s why I believe that if you abandon traditions and do as you please, you may do what seems correct, only to find out too late that your actions were wrong, as illustrated by my two examples."
孔子教学生，最强调存仁以固其本质，学礼以表其文采：文质彬彬，然后君子。所以对本质淳厚，却不好礼文的子路，他譬喻说﹕「用南山之竹做出来的箭，虽是又直又美；若再用金属做个尖尖的箭头，用羽毛装饰箭尾，射起来就更快更远！」鼓励他力行之余，更要学文。而对文采斐然，翩翩公子的子贡，孔子则嘉许他已经明白「绘事后素」的道理，鼓励他要在美好本质的基础上用功。
In teaching his students, Confucius strongly emphasized humaneness as the foundation of one”s character, the study of rites to demonstrate one” s erudition-a scholar and a gentleman. Confucius counseled the basically wholesome Zi Lu who disliked propriety and culture, with an analogy. " An arrow made with the bamboo of Southern Mountain may be straight and beautiful, however, if one mounts a sharp metallic arrowhead and append feathers to the tail of the arrow, then the arrow will shoot even faster and farther!" He encouraged Zi Lu to study more rather than spend all his time working. Conversely, to the cultured and debonair scholar, Zi Gong, Confucius commended him on his understanding of the idea, "to devise a plan then follow suit," encouraging Zi Gong to work on the fundamentals of quality character.
这都是说明为人求学的次第，首要重敦品励德，次要读书习文。《朱子治家格言》上说﹕「子孙虽愚，经书不可不读。」因为书是前人智慧的结晶，读其书就等于吸收前人的经验，可以少走几步错路。
All these explain the sequence of character and education. One must first develop morals and integrity before studying academically. Mr. Chu”s Aphorisms on Managing a Household said, "Even if your children and grandchildren are stupid, they must read." Since people before us have compiled their wisdom for us in books, we are essentially absorbing their experiences by reading their books; thus we can avoid some wrong turns on the road.
本性虽愚而肯读书者，读久也能明理；资质本佳又善读书者，则更如虎添翼。读书可以变化人的气质，心地干净纯正的人，才能把书读通；读通了书的，一定思想超远，气度旷达。反之，读书习文则恰恰成了助长他劣苗的恶缘。《菜根谭》上说得很好﹕「心地干净，方可读书学古。不然，见一善行，窃以济私；阅一善言，假以覆短。是又藉寇兵而齑盗粮矣。」这是说﹕心地龌龊邪逆，读书不但无法变化其气质，反让他假借书中的典故以伪善，巧取书中的道理来饰非。就好比把武器交给强盗，把粮食借给贼寇，都是非常危险的。
Those who aren”t so bright by nature will understand many principles if they are willing to learn. Those with promising aptitudes and study well are like tigers with wings. Reading can change people”s persona. Only those with a pure and unadulterated mind can penetrate their subject of study. Once they have comprehended their studies, they will surely be visionary and embody both depth and breadth in their thinking. In opposition are inpiduals who use their education to help others breed errant sprouts. The Discourses on Vegetable Roots put it well, "One can only study and learn about antiquity with a clean mind ground. Otherwise, one will see a good deed and seize that credit for oneself; one will hear compliments and attempt to disguise one”s weaknesses. In other words, they borrow bandits to steal grain." Therefore, if one”s mind is filthy and vicious, then not only will scholarship fail to alter one”s persona, but one will actually borrow morals out of stories to feign decency and cleverly pilfer principles out of books to mend misdeeds. This is comparable to handing muggers some weapons or lending food to thieves-danger looms at-large.
《弟子规浅释 Standards for Students 第八章﹕余力学文 Chapter Eight ﹕ON LEARNING - 1》全文阅读结束。