Mencius' Doctrine of the Mean in Universities
The way of university is to be moral, to be close to the people and to stop at perfection. Zhi Zhi then decided: calm down first and then be quiet; Be quiet before you can be safe; Worry first; Think about it before you take it. Things start and end, and things end. If you know the order, you will find a shortcut. If the ancient desire is obviously superior to the world, rule the country first; If you want to govern your country, you should first get your family together; If you want to reunite with your family, you should first repair your body; If you want to cultivate yourself, you should be upright first; If you want to be correct, be sincere first; Be sincere, let him know first; Knowledge exists in things. Things are known; Knowing it is sincere; Sincerity before righteousness; Put your mind right and practice again; After the body is repaired, the family is clean and tidy; Family harmony, and then national governance; The country rules and the world is at peace. From Tian Zi to Shu Ren, one is based on self-cultivation. Those who are chaotic and not treated will be denied. Thick is thin, thin is thick, nothing! The fundamental purpose of this paper is to carry forward the aboveboard moral quality in nature, set an example, let ordinary people know the truth of decontamination, and take achieving perfection as the highest purpose of life. As long as the purpose of life is clear, you can be firm; As long as you make up your mind, you can take your time; Only when you are calm and not chaotic can you be calm; Only when you are calm can you think deeply; Thoughtful thinking is bound to benefit. Everything has branches and branches, and everything has a beginning and an end. Knowing the relationship between subject and object, the primary and secondary relationship, the temporal and spatial order and the interrelation of the development of all things is close to understanding the essence of Tao. In order to make the world aboveboard, sages of past dynasties often govern their own countries first; If you want to govern the country well, you will often govern the family first; If you want to run your family well, you must first strive to improve your character; The key to improving conduct is to correct thinking; If you want to correct your thoughts, you must show piety and sincerity; If you want to show piety and sincerity, you must acquire real knowledge; The way to gain true knowledge is to observe and study everything and summarize its laws; After knowing the law, you naturally gain the wisdom of how to face the pluralistic world; If you get wisdom, you will be more pious and sincere, and you will become a gentleman. Being a gentleman pays more attention to self-cultivation; Cultivation ennobles moral character; Noble morality naturally stabilizes the family; After the family is stable, it is easy to manage the country; Governing the country is easy, then governing the country will level the world, and the world will naturally be peaceful. From Tianzi to Shu Ren, self-cultivation is the foundation of life. Never heard of ignoring this and simply governing the world. The place we are trying to thicken is getting thinner and thinner, but the place we are trying to thicken is getting thicker and thicker. This has never happened. Want to do good things but put the cart before the horse, with a clear purpose but no priorities, such a result can only be counterproductive.