I never thought I would be interested in a subject like this one, particularly because I had the sense that in most of these types of books, after a while I start to feel like I’m reading common sense and almost wasting my time. During my first visit to Japan –which as of today has been the most amazing trip I have ever made, I took an interest in Buddhism and some of the philosophy that surrounds it. One day, while walking through the very few isles that actually had English language books in a bookstore in Kyoto, I came across a book by Yu Dan on the lectures and teachings of none other than Confucius, the Chinese philosopher. The title of the book sounded far more interesting than if it had just been “Confucius”, although I knew he could probably have some smart things to say, the fact that this book talked about how his teachings can be applied to the modern life, sounded quite interesting.
The book is divided into six parts, all of which go into detail and explain how much room for improvement there is in several areas in our lives: heaven and earth, heart and soul, world, friendship, ambition and the way of being. As I read through this book I realized there are certain things that sometimes seem as logical and no-brainers to practice in our life, but just as we practice to become better at sports and other activities, the act of being kind, compassionate, to attain a Buddha-like attitude is something that is perfected in practice.
Confucius has several thoughts that vastly relate to the modern life, or any other era for that matter. As human beings we are always in a constant search for evolution, for advances in technology and science but somehow most of us tend to forget what our heart and soul wants and what it needs in order to achieve what Confucius calls a perfect balance between mind and body.
Overall I have to say that this book deserved a quick review and summary, not only to share with others but to read every once in a while and remind myself of the importance of this philosopher’s teachings, of the importance of understanding and believing in the simplicity of life, in understanding that we are our own temple and we must cultivate and find the best possible version of ourselves and most importantly, make the best out of our journey through life.
As I was reading I took a few extracts, highlighting what to me seem to be the most enlightening passages of the book…
Heaven & Earth
-Only the enlightened can avoid being tied down by material things in life and keep a calm, tranquil mindset from start to finish, indifferent to fame and personal gain.
-We cannot solve our spiritual problems through a dependence on more and more possessions.
-We spend too much time looking at the outside world and too little at our hearts and souls.
-If people do things to hurt you, you must do your best to treat them with tolerance.
-Confucius offers us simple truths that will help develop our inner hearts and souls and allow us to make the right choices as we go through life’s journey. The first step is to have the right attitude.
Heart & Soul
-Face squarely up to the regrets in your life and accept them, you don’t want to get caught up in the middle of your regret, bewailing fate and asking why over and over again, this only adds to your pain. Do as much as possible to make up for this regret by setting out to do the things you can do. A single regret can become magnified out of proportion.
- A different attitude results in a completely different quality of life.
- A man of benevolence never worries; a man of wisdom is never in two minds, a man of courage is never afraid.
-If a person’s inner heart is free from worries, indecision and fear, they will naturally have fewer complaints about the world around them, and their ability to hold on to happiness will also increase. This ability to hold on to happiness is the greatest thing we can learn.
World
-Acting to excess or not doing enough should both be avoided.
-Independence and respectful distance are essential to an individual’s personal dignity and this respect should be maintained, even between the people we are closest to, give people breathing space.
-Say less, do more. Think more, listen more. Be cautious in your words and in your actions – the advantage of doing things in this way is you will have fewer regrets.
-Cultivate yourself first to be a better person, try to be the best possible version of yourself based on where you are right now and beginning with the things around you, so that your mind can achieve a state of perfect balance. It is then, when you can think of making someone else happy and bring peace to them.
-Look inward. Manage to fully understand where your limits lie, be cautions and circumspect in your words and actions, bring honor to the world and develop your mind and body, this will give you fewer things to be troubled about and you will come to understand how to be a good person and how to deal with the world, how to stop complaining and blaming other people.
Friendship
-It is not what a person says what matters, is what they do.
-To understand others is to be wise. To make good friends you must have a kind, benevolent heart, be willing to get close to people.
-Make friends with people who can perfect your moral character, increase your self-cultivation and enrich your inner self. Make friends with people who are happy and take pleasure in living.
-In life, true happiness is happiness of the soul and does not necessarily have a very strong connection with the external, material living conditions of the world.
-Choosing friends is choosing a way of life. The kind of friends we will make will first depend on our inner wisdom and self-cultivation; then on our particular circle of friends, and whether these friends are harmful or beneficial to our lives.
Ambition
-What really matters is that you are firm of purpose and keep true to your inner conviction.
-Whether your goals are great or small, the basis for realizing them lies in finding the things that are closest to your heart. Allowing your heart to guide you will always be more important than chasing external achievements.
-According to an ancient saying there are three things you can never take back: a shot arrow, a spoken word and a lost opportunity. (Analects)
-Realize and remain content of the place you are in right now, take joy in your daily business.
-Human beings are strange creatures; our thoughts determine our actions, which is to say that our attitude determines everything.
-Every one of us has our own goals, but in the hurried, endlessly repeating cycles and rhythms of work, how much time and space do we have to pay attention to our inner heart?
-Positive thinking is one of the most powerful forces in the world.
-We might not be able to change the material environment we live in, but there is no need to be too demanding, for it is the people around us who create our most important environment.
Being
-A human life is no more than a brief moment borrowed from time, we must carve our time into a certain shape, hoping to create something eternal.
-If one learns from others but does not think, one will be bewildered. If on the other hand, one thinks but does not learn from others, one will be in peril. We must learn, think and make use of what we have learned, all at the same time. (Analects)
-Live plainly and simply: do what is in front of you as well as you can; there’s no need to worry about most things, so don’t worry about them.
-Before a certain age people live by addition, constantly acquiring things they need from the world: experience, wealth, relationships, reputation and so on. But the more material things we have, the more perplexed and doubtful we become. After this certain age you have to start learning to live by subtraction, learn to let go of the things that are not what your soul really needs.
-We become enslaved by our possessions. Learning to live by subtraction means shedding the people we do not want to be our friends and refusing to do the things we do not want to. Only when we dare to let go, and know how to let go, we can truly free ourselves from doubts.
-What we call growing and maturing is a process by which the inner heart gradually becomes stronger through experience, and we acquire the ability to take external things and turn them into inner strength.
The one essential purpose of life is to make our lives more meaningful under the radiance of their wisdom, shorten the road we have to travel, make us start to feel benevolence and kindness as early as possible, be able to stand up with pride and give account of our inner hearts and our professional and social duties.
