小窗幽记（简体中文版）: 中华传世珍藏古典文库

by 陈继儒

《小窗幽记》是陈继儒所作的一部中华传世珍藏的国学经典佳作，在海内外广为阅读和流传，值得细细品味。 本书为简体中文版，全本3回，由艺雅出版社精心制作。艺雅出版社还分别提供其繁体中文版与简繁体对照版，欢迎大家下载阅读。 我们的出版社致力于出版经典名著的数字化版本，每一本电子书都经过精心编辑制作，以便用户可以在所有类型的电子阅读器和设备上尽情享受阅读。

44 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 5, 2018

Reviews

[Barack Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

488-Xiao Chuang You Ji-Chen Jiru-Philosophy-1624

Barack
2023/11/06

"Little Window Youji" was first published in the fourth year of Tianqi (1624). There are twelve volumes in the book, with a total of more than 1,500 chapters, covering various aspects such as self-cultivation, character cultivation, establishing reputation, establishing morality, studying, becoming an official, establishing a career, managing a family, etc. It mainly expresses the idea that literati are indifferent to fame and fortune, are peaceful and far-reaching, and are extraordinary. Refined inner world and spiritual pursuit. "Xiao Chuang You Ji", "Cai Gen Tan" and "Wailu Night Talk" are known as the three great books on self-cultivation.

Chen Jiru was born in Huating, Songjiang Prefecture (now Songjiang District, Shanghai) in 1558. A famous painter, calligrapher, and writer in the Ming Dynasty of China. Born in Zhusheng, he lived in seclusion in Xiaokunshan since he was twenty-nine years old, and later lived in Dongsheshan. He closed his door and wrote. He was good at poetry and prose and studied calligraphy from Su Shi and Mi Fu. He was also good at painting. He was requisitioned by the emperor many times, but he always said it quickly. He is good at ink plum blossoms and landscapes. He paints plum blossoms in many albums and is small in size, natural, and casual, with a desolate mood. On painting, he advocated literati painting, held the Northern and Southern Schools, valued the cultivation of painters, and agreed that calligraphy and painting have the same origin. There are "Plum Blossom Album" and "Yunshan Scroll" handed down from generation to generation. He is the author of "The Complete Works of Chen Meigong", "Xiao Chuang You Ji", "Tombstone of General Wu Ge" and "Nigu Lu".

Lu Shaoheng, whose life is unknown, was born in Songling (Wujiang, Suzhou). During the Qi reign of Ming Dynasty, he lived in Beijing. Compiled "Zuigutang Jiansao". The whole book is divided into twelve categories: Xing, Qing, Qiao, Ling, Su, Jing, Yun, Ji, Qi, Hao, Fa, and Qian.

Table of Contents
Volume 1 Ji Xing
Volume 2 Collect feelings
Volume 3 Episode 3
Volume 4 Collection of Spirits
volume five episodes
Volume 6 Episode Scene
Volume 7 Rhymes
Volume eight episodes
Juan Jiu Ji Qi
Volume 10 Episode Hao
Volume 11 Collection Method
Volume 12 Jiqian

When I read these books about self-cultivation, they often emphasize lofty moral principles. These standards require us to be better people and hold ourselves to higher ethical standards. However, when we look through history, we find that those who achieved great things did not always live up to these moral principles. This sparked a puzzle in me: If ethical standards are not necessary for success, what is their real value? If you can't even support your wife and children and live in poverty, no matter how talented you are or how ambitious you are, it seems to be of no use. Why should we imitate the sages instead of the princes and generals who actually hold power? Now, when I read these moral exhortations, the first thing I consider is whether these teachings will actually help me act and be successful in real life.

Moral articles emphasize that we should avoid coveting money and pursue spiritual indifference and detachment. But I sometimes wonder whether these ideas are deliberately proposed by those who have already achieved fame and fortune in order to reduce the number of potential competitors. Although restraining desires is a virtue, it needs to be based on satisfying a certain material basis. Those who eat meat every day tell those who have to drink porridge to stay noble and avoid fame and fortune. The motives behind such advice are questionable. If people who are forced to eat porridge talk to themselves and say not to compare and to be satisfied with the status quo, it is probably because they cannot get better, so this statement seems to reveal a sour grapes mentality. In my understanding, only those who have the ability to enjoy a better life but choose to live a simple life are worthy of my trust in their sharing. As described in the poem, "Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the southern mountains." This state seems to be only suitable for those who have the right to choose. For those who voluntarily give up their power, they may be able to enjoy this kind of leisure in their realm, but for those who are born to be farmers and have no other choice, it may be quite difficult to experience this realm. Only those who have the ability to live well, but actively choose to live an indifferent life are probably truly qualified to talk about this kind of life attitude, right?

When I was a teenager, I highly respected the so-called "big principles" and even always talked about them myself. But because I believed in the so-called "big principles", I didn't see where people could adapt, and I suffered a lot. As time went by, I gradually realized that the lives of those who preached great truths to me were not limited to the noble aspects of their lives, but also had many aspects that I had never seen. It has been ten years since I started living alone, and I am beginning to get tired of the so-called "big principles". The essence of these principles is to measure a person by extremely high moral standards and ignore the consideration of interests. When I was in school, I used to be very helpful when interacting with my classmates. I criticize those of us who attend good colleges and universities for being too focused on personal interests: finding a good job, when to buy a house, how much money we can save, etc. If the so-called young talents only focus on this, then where is our hope for the future of our country and nation? However, looking back now, I realize that my thoughts at the time were quite ridiculous. If a person cannot even care for and protect his own small family, how can he talk about a larger vision? What is this if not ridiculous?

The "Tan Sutra" says, "It is not the wind that moves, nor the flags that move, but the heart of a benevolent person." This means that if the heart is full of desires, even if the outside world is quiet, the mind cannot find peace. Although we live in an objective world, our experience is always subjective. I do not support the view that advocates find pleasure in poverty and give up the pursuit of a better life. However, I do agree that peace of mind should be maintained during the pursuit. Although we have desires in our hearts, we should remain calm and step-by-step when it comes to actions. There is nothing wrong with pursuing fame and fortune, the key is to maintain mental stability. As for the argument that advocates cutting off human desires and simply cultivating one's moral character, I have reservations. But I think it is necessary to maintain moderation and self-control in behavior. I am extremely wary of those who live a better material life myself, or who are unable to live a better material life, but who advise others to live in poverty and live happily.

We often only start sincere self-reflection when we are sick, and only when we face death can we deeply understand the meaning of life. There is a way of thinking called reverse thinking, which is to infer the causes from the results. I think we can apply this kind of thinking to life. We don't need to pay attention to our current position but should make some assumptions about the ultimate outcome of life. Doing so can help us understand what elements we are currently missing and what we should accumulate in order to reach that endpoint. Buddhism talks about cause and effect. Our daily actions are the "cause" of the seeds, and future blessings and misfortunes are the "results". If we are careless and lack careful consideration when "planting causes", then it seems reasonable that we will not be able to obtain the expected results when "reaping results". When we are healthy, we often think that we will never get sick; once illness strikes, we are willing to pay any price to alleviate the pain. Similarly, when we are young and strong, we think death is out of reach; but as the end of life approaches, the things that once bothered us no longer matter. When we are healthy and strong, if we can imagine our possible future illness and aging, so as to "see the cause from the effect" and take action in advance, this indeed requires a very high level of understanding and foresight. For ordinary people like us, Easier said than done. Maybe we can only reflect on ourselves every day.