入世第二课 THE SECOND LESSON OF ENTERING THE SECULAR WORLD
杨钊居士
Author Charles Yeung
Translated by Soula Lo
进入社会，要获得生活所需，首先要学会挣取金钱，学习求财之道，其中，可以通过提供劳力，也可以通过知识和智力去获取金钱。因此，西方的教育目标：教育学生的知识以及获取知识的工具，而东方传统文化的教育，则是以生命为目标，因为获得知识，往往只能使事业成功，而事业的成功只是人生的一半，尚有一半就是生命。生命的价值和意义不是以拥有多少财富，多少名誉、多少社会地位去衡量，而是以人们对你的认同，对你的尊重来衡量。因此，生命的价值不是自己对自己的看法，而是别人及社会对你的看法及评价，所以，生命的价值在于回馈社会，对社会作贡献，对别人作贡献。
Upon entering society, and obtaining an income for living necessities, first we need to learn how to make money, and learn a way to pursue fortune. We can make money through offering labor, or through some knowledge and intelligence. The goal of Western education is to teach students knowledge and give them the tools to obtain knowledge. But the goal of Asian traditional culture’s education is about “Life”. Because gaining knowledge can only let people have a successful career, yet a successful career is only the half part of life, the other half is Life itself. The value and meaning of life is not measured by how much fortune you own, how much fame you gain, how high your status is, but rather by how people recognize you, how much they respect you. Thus, the value of life is not just how you look at yourself, but how other people look at you and appraise you. So the value of life is about repaying society, contributing to society, and making contributions to other people.
进入社会，学习的目标可以归纳为四个字，「处事、待人」，青年人进入社会只要学会做事就不忧两餐，学会做人就能不断进步，所以西方教育传授人们知识，而东方传统文化教育在于「育人」，培养做人的本领。
Entering society, the goal of learning can be summarized by this phrase, “handling tasks and getting along with others.” When young people are entering society, if they have learned how to work and handle tasks, then they wouldn’t have to worry about whether they can get enough food for surviving or not. However, learning how to be a man can let him have a constant progress; therefore, Western education teaches people knowledge, whereas Asian traditional culture’s education is to cultivate people’s virtue¸ and teach them the way of how to be a man.
在人生的实践中，往往离不开学习「做事」和「做人」，而东方教育又提倡「未学做事，先学做人」，可见「做人」对做事有很大的帮助，而「做人」之道，「先学吃亏」，只要学会「吃亏」，继而学会「吃苦」，人生才能立于不败之地。
To put this practice into life, more often than not, it never is far from learning how to handle tasks and how to be a man. Asian education advocates the idea of “Learning how to be a man before learning how to handle a task”. We can imagine that learning how to be a man can help people a lot with handling tasks. The way of learning how to be a man, is to learn how to accept the unfavorable situation instead of taking advantages from other people. Once we learn how to accept the unfavorable situation, we then can learn how to bear hardships; as a result, we could be an undefeated person in our life.
对于「处事待人」之道，儒家有很深入的研究，并总结出很好的方法及下手处，其中「大学」篇，有令人神伏的地位。在此，与大家重温一下「大学」是如何教导「处事待人」的。
As for the way of handling tasks and getting along with others, the Confucian school has a very profound study, and they have summarized some great methods and the ways of approaching them. One of the concepts from 《Great Learning》has an impressive and important status. Here we can review some parts from《Great Learning》,and see how it gives the teachings about handling tasks and getting along with others.
「大学」的道理在于净化自己的德性，使人们能够去除不良的习惯，革新自己，不断进步，直至「完满至善」的境界。能够知道要达到「至善境界」的目标，就要树立坚定不移的志向，有了坚定不移的志向，内心就会不杂乱，内心不杂乱，精神就会安稳，精神安稳，然后可以自我反思，自我反省，然后就会有所收获，这样就能忠诚自己的意念，不会自己欺骗自己，就好像讨厌难闻的气味，喜爱美丽的颜色一样。这时，自己就能心安，即使独处的时候，也会慎重自己的行为。
The principle of 《Great Learning》is to purify our essence of characters, so that we would be able to get rid of our bad habits, to reform ourselves, and constantly making progress until we achieve the state of “complete sovereign goodness.” To know how to achieve the goal of “complete sovereign goodness,” we need to establish an aspiration of determined resolution. Once we have an aspiration of determined resolution, our mind won’t be in disarray. If our mind is not in disarray or confusion, our spirits will be settled and calm. If our spirits are settled and calm, we are able to be introspective or self-examining, and then gain benefits from it. In this way, we would be faithful to our aspiration, and we wouldn’t deceive ourselves, just like knowing that we hate bad odors, and love beautiful colors. Now that our mind is calm and settled, even when we are alone, we would still be very careful and mindful with our behavior.
财富可以用来装饰房屋，道德是用来修养身心。心胸广阔，身体就能舒坦了；因此，君子必须忠诚自己的意念，端立自己的心灵和心态，这就是说：「心里如果愤怒，思想就不能端正，不能合乎正道；心里有了恐惧，思想就不能端正，不能实事求是地处理问题，心里存在忧愁患难，思想就不能端正，不能客观地就事论事」。如果心灵不安，看东西，看不到问题的真实情形，听东西，听不到真实的声音，吃东西，也不知道它味道的好与坏。所以说，端正自己心灵和心态是很重要的。如果讲到治理企业，一定要先学会处理好自己的家庭，如果不能处理好自己家庭内的各方关系，反而能教好别人的，是没可能的事。所以，君子能够不出家门，便可以把他的教化推广至整个企业。道理是这样的：在家孝顺父母，在外就能事奉君主，在家恭敬兄长的，在外就能事奉上司和上级，在家慈爱子女和晚辈的，在外就能善待下属和民众。
Wealth can be used to decorate houses, while virtue is for cultivating body and mind. If we have an extensive heart, our body would be in comfort. Therefore, a noble man must be faithful to his own will, straighten his own mind and attitude, that is to say, “If the heart is full of anger, the thoughts wouldn’t be straight, and wouldn’t meet the righteous way. If the heart is full of fear, the thoughts wouldn’t be straight, and wouldn’t be able to follow the facts and deal with the problems. If the heart is in worry and suffering, the thoughts wouldn’t be straight, and wouldn’t be able to confine the discussion to the matter at issues objectively.” If the heart is unsettled when hearing things, we couldn’t see the real situation of the problems; when hearing things, we couldn’t hear the real voice. When eating food, we wouldn’t know if the taste is good or bad. Thus, to straighten one’s mind and attitude is very important. If we want to talk about governing an enterprise, we must learn how to deal with things within our family first. If we can’t deal with things and relationships from every side within our own family, it is not possible to teach others to do so. Therefore, even though a noble man stays at home, he still can extend his teachings to a whole enterprise. The reason is this: if he can show filial devotion to his parents at home, then he can serve his king or emperor outside of home; if he can respect his brothers at home, he can respect his boss and superior. If he can love his children and other younger generations, then he can be kind to his subordinates and the general public.
君子应该自己先有美德，然后要求别人具有同样的美德，自己没有恶习、缺点，然后才可以要求别人去除恶习和缺点。如果自己不讲求推己及人的恕道，而能够使人领略恕道的原理，是没有可能的。君子是有「处事待人的准则」，你讨厌上司的行为，就不会拿他的行为来对待下属，你讨厌下属的言行，就不会拿他的言行来对待上司，你讨厌前面的人行为，就不要拿他的行为来对待后面的人，你讨厌后面的人言行，就不要拿他的言行来对待前面的人，你讨厌右边的人言行，就不要拿他的言行来对待左边的人，你讨厌左边人的言行，就不要用来对待右边的人，这叫做「处事待人的准则」。君子必须首先慎重修养自己的品德，有了光明皎洁的品德，自然有民众支持，有了民众的支持，自然有国土，有了国土，自然有财富，有了财富，自然可以有所作为。
A noble man should have virtues by himself first, and then ask others to obtain the same virtues. When he himself has no bad habits and shortcomings, then he can ask others to be rid of their bad habits and shortcomings. If he doesn’t have magnanimity, and does not put himself in another’s position, it is not possible to let others understand the principle of magnanimity. A noble man has his principle of handling tasks and getting along with others. For example, if you hate your boss’s behavior, you wouldn’t adopt his behavior to treat your subordinates. If you hate the behavior of the person before you, then don’t adopt his speech and behavior to treat people behind you. If you hate the person on your right, then don’t adopt his speech and behavior to treat the person on your left. If you hate the person on your left, then don’t adopt his speech and behavior to treat the person on your right. This is called, the principle of handling tasks and getting along with others. A noble man must cultivate his own virtue carefully, when he himself owns bright and pure virtues, he will naturally gain the general public’s support. When he gains the general public’s support, he will naturally have his territory. When he has his territory, he will naturally have his wealth. With his wealth, he will naturally make a difference for his life.
「德」是根本，「财」是枝末，看轻根本而重视枝末，就会导致人民争利、劫夺。因此，聚敛财富，则民心离散，把财富分给人民，人民就会归来和聚集。
Virtue is the root, wealth is the branches. Value the branches but look down on the root, and you will cause people to fight for profit and commit robbery. Thus, collecting wealth would alienate people’s hearts; sharing wealth with people, people will return and join you.
因此，用违背情理的话去责备别人，别人也会用不合情理的话去回应；用不合情理的方法，获得财货，财货也会不合情理地丧失。只有讲仁义、修德行的人，才会喜欢好人，不喜欢坏人；君子有修己，治人的原则；必须忠诚，信实才能获得它，而轻视、傲慢，就会失掉它。
Therefore, blaming others with unreasonable speech, others would respond with unreasonable words. Using unreasonable methods to obtain fortune and goods, your fortune will be lost without any reason as well. Only the person who values benevolence and righteousness, and cultivates his virtue, would appreciate good people, and dislike bad people. A noble man has his principle of cultivating his own virtue and governing others. He must be faithful, true and honest in order to get it. If he belittles others and is proud, he will certainly lose it.
