Practising refinement: learning by being humble and asking questions

To learn, you must be open-minded and put down your body in order to learn.

----- Zhuge Changqing

  To learn is a good way to cultivate and refine your practice.

  To learn, one needs to be humble and cautious.

  Zhuge Changqing found that cultivation is to correct one's mistakes, and to correct mistakes one must keep learning, and to learn one must be humble and sincere, and to be humble and sincere one must be solid in stopping evil and doing good deeds, and serious in removing anger and anger. Those who are humble and studious will leap forward in knowledge and wisdom; those who are arrogant, resentful and grumpy will find it difficult to leap forward in knowledge and wisdom.

  Zhuge Changqing believes that whether you study Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and so on, the wisdom of the hundred schools of thought, the only true way is to be humble and cautious. Throughout history, achieving great things has required humility and prudence.

  King Wen of Zhou was humble and received the wisdom of Jiang Tai Gong.

  Zhu Yuanzhang was humble and received the wisdom of Liu Bo Wen.

  Li Shimin was humble and received the wisdom of Xu Mogong .......

  To achieve great things, one must be humble and prudent.

  During the Warring States period, the story of the great thinker Liezi can give us a lot of inspiration.

  Zhuge Changqing shares this story with you.

  The story of Lie Zi, a humble and well-educated man, who studied with Lao Shang as his teacher and Bo Gaozi as his friend, and was always modest and honest in his heart, and learned everything he could from both of them.

  A proud man called Yin Sheng heard that Liezi was so wise and skilled that he could fly, so he came to study with Liezi.

  To facilitate his studies, he lived with Liezi and did not return to visit his family for several months.

  During his stay, he asked Liezi to teach him knowledge and spells, saying "Teach me spells, teacher" and "Tell me spells, teacher".

  He did not say a word to Liezi because of his arrogance and insolence.

  Yin Sheng became very angry and said in his heart, "What's so great about you? You won't teach me? I won't even learn! What's the big deal. Goodbye!

  So he said goodbye to Liezi, saying that he could not learn anything here and that he would not study anymore.

  He asked to leave. At first glance, Liezi said, "How can I teach you if you are so arrogant and arrogant? Come and go as you please, leave if you like.

  Yinsheng went home full of anger and resentful words.

  A few months later, he continued to complain and resent, but then he realised that he was wrong, he had not offended Liezi, so why should he resent him? So Yinsheng regretted it and came back to study with Liezi.

  He came back to study with Liezi.

  Liezi asked, "Why are you here again? Didn't you stop studying?"

  Yin Sheng said, "In the past, I asked you for advice and you did not tell me, so I was a bit resentful of you. Now I think that I was wrong, so I don't hate you anymore, so I am here again."

  Liezi said, "In the past I thought you were well-versed in things and wanted to test you to see if you were modest and sincere in your pursuit of knowledge, but to my surprise you were so ignorant. Sit down! I will tell you what I have learnt from my teacher. Look at how I have learnt.

   Since I have studied with Old Shang as my teacher and Bo Gaozi as my friend, I have studied humbly and earnestly.

  After three years, I gradually attained peace in my heart and achieved humility and composure, not daring to calculate right and wrong, not daring to talk about profit and harm on my lips, and then only to have my teacher look at me askance for just a moment.

  After five years, I gradually reached silence in my heart and began to speak slowly to my teacher about my views on right and wrong, profit and harm, and only then did my teacher begin to relax and smile at me.

  After seven years, I slowly became enlightened, believing that nothing in life is right or wrong, or powerful. Only then did the teacher ask me to sit on a mat with him.

  After nine years, my mind became clearer and I gradually became enlightened, knowing that everything in life is according to nature and that everything is nothing. I didn't know that what I was thinking and talking about was my right and wrong, nor did I know that it was the right and wrong of others; nor did I know that Lao Shang was my teacher and Bo Gaozi was my friend.

  With a smooth mind and inner peace, the light of my own wisdom slowly showed itself.

  From then on, my eyes are like my ears, my ears are like my nose, and my nose is like my mouth; there is no more difference. The mind coalesced, the form disappeared, and all flesh and bone melted away; I could not feel what my body rested on, what my two feet stepped on, and drifted in all directions with the wind, like a leaf with a dry husk. It is surprising that I do not know whether the wind is riding me or whether I am riding the wind!

  I have gained a little knowledge because I am humble and inquisitive.

  Now you have come to study, and before you have studied for an hour, you have resented your teacher several times; you have been arrogant and rude to him; can you learn well with such an attitude? Can you learn wisdom? Because you cannot be humble and calm, it will be difficult for you to leap, nor will a piece of your skin be accepted by the vital energy, nor will one of your limbs be contained by the earth. How can you do it when you have your feet in the void and ride the wind and clouds?"

  Yin Sheng was so ashamed that for a long time he did not dare to breathe out loud or say anything else.

  Zhuge Changqing: The reason why Liezi became Liezi was because of his humble and studious attitude; the reason why Yin Sheng did not learn anything was because he was anxious and irritable, arrogant and resentful. If you are impatient, you cannot meditate, and if you have resentment in your heart, you cannot gain wisdom. Blessed be the Infinite, one really needs to be humble and cautious.

Zhuge Changqing wishes great wealth and good fortune and great blessings to all those in the world who are filial to their parents, do good deeds and accumulate virtue, let go of their lives and give food, and donate to the printing of scriptures.

  Amitabha Buddha. Do not do evil and practice all good deeds. Be persistent and answer all your requests.

   Zhuge Changqing wishes prosperity to all those who have the good fortune to honour their parents and do good deeds!

   Blessings to all those who are fortunate enough to receive what they ask for, to be blessed by the heavenly officials, to have their careers soar, and to have their fortunes flourish!

What are the acts of abstaining from killing and releasing

 戒杀与放生的行为包括哪些

 1. Do not kill a living being with your own hands.

　　2. Do not abet others to kill.

　　3. Do not help others to kill.

　　4. Abstain from eating meat.

　　5. Do not engage in trades related to killing.

　　6、Whenever there is worship, regardless of what is being worshipped, use vegetarian dishes, flowers and fruit, not animal gifts.

　　7. If you see someone killing a human being, you should discourage them or buy the animal to be slaughtered with money and release it. If this does not work, or if the person does not sell the animal, then you should have compassion for the slaughtered animal, and even better if you can recite the Buddha's name or mantra for it.

　　8. Do not abuse the animal.

　　9、Other actions that are contrary to killing.

　　10. Abstain from killing and releasing animals yourself, and advise others to do the same. 

   1、不亲手杀生。

　　2、不教唆别人杀生。

　　3、不帮助别人杀生。

　　4、戒除肉食。

　　5、不从事与杀生有关的行业。

　　6、凡有祭拜，不管拜的是什么，一律用素菜、鲜花、水果，不用牲礼。

　　7、见人杀生，应加劝阻，或用钱将临宰之动物买而放之。若劝阻无效，或他不卖，则应对被杀之动物起同情心，若能为它念佛号或往生咒更好。

　　8、不虐待动物。

　　9、其他与杀生行为相反之行为。

　　10、自己戒杀放生，也劝别人戒杀放生。 

(This article is an original article by Zhuge Changqing, and the pictures are selected from the Internet. Welcome to forward it, and please indicate the source for forwarding)

Introduction to Zhuge Changqing: Zhuge Changqing, the inheritor and promoter of traditional Chinese culture, is willing to "learn from sages, promote virtue, revitalize China and benefit the world" together with people with the same ideals in the world.

(Zhuge Changqing: zhuge8031@163.com ）

Zhuge Changqing mailbox：

zhuge8031@163.com

Zhuge Changqing's Chinese Dream

Learn from sages and carry forward virtue

Revitalizing China for the benefit of the world

 （本文是诸葛长青原创文章，图片选自网络。欢迎转发，转发引用请注明出处）

诸葛长青简介：诸葛长青，中国国学传统文化传承弘扬者，愿与天下志同道合者一起“学习圣贤、弘扬善德、振兴中华、造福世界”。

（诸葛长青：zhuge8031@163.com）

Zhuge Changqing mailbox：

zhuge8031@163.com

  诸葛长青中国梦  

学习圣贤 弘扬善德

振兴中华 造福世界

Selected Articles in Previous Periods

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往期精选文章

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1The wisdom of traditional Chinese culture changes the destiny: filial piety to parents+five in one+self-improvement

1 国学智慧改命运：孝敬父母+五合一+自强不息

2Zhuge Changqing's Three Golden Keys to Changing Destiny

2诸葛长青改命运三把金钥匙诸葛长青施食仪轨 （十五步简洁版）

3Zhuge Changqing's Greeting Ritual (15 Steps Concise Version)

3 诸葛长青施食仪轨 （十五步简洁版）

4How to repent: the ritual of repentance and the method of repentance (full version)

4   如何忏悔：忏悔仪轨忏悔方法（完整版）

5How to read the Dizang Sutra: Methods for reciting Dizang Sutra (complete version)

5 如何念地藏经：念地藏经仪轨方法（完整版）

6How to release? The ritual of releasing life

6怎样放生？放生仪轨

7Zhuge Changqing's Repentance Culture: A Case Study of Repentance Methods for Changing Destiny

7诸葛长青忏悔文化：改变命运忏悔方法案例

8Free Life Culture: Free Life Culture in Ancient China

8放生文化：中国古代的放生文化

9Shocking photo of feeding: Buddha, Bodhisattva and Dharma Protector come to the scene

9施食震撼照片：佛菩萨护法神亲临现场

10Feeding Rite Return: the return is changed to simple return

10施食仪轨回向：回向修改为简洁回向