20 Must-Read Classics on Self-Cultivation and Conduct

Author: Wu Chao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This book is part of the "Master Classics·Reading Plan" series, which selects dozens of the most influential masters from 16 fields such as Chinese classics, Western studies, Chinese literature, foreign literature, poetry, biographies of famous figures, strategy, personal cultivation, psychological motivation, popular science, management, economics, investment, film, art, and music. It focuses on introducing their most representative works, interpreting the profound thoughts of the masters in simple language, conveying the theories from the original texts that require great effort to understand through easy-to-understand sentences, and elaborating on the essence of great works in concise words. It allows readers to absorb the valuable experience and wisdom accumulated by the masters in a short time and enter a sacred spiritual realm. This book recommends 20 essential classics for personal cultivation, such as the Tao Te Ching, The Family Precepts of Yan, The Root of Vegetables, and The Weaknesses of Human Nature. The breadth of reading changes the length of one's life journey; the depth of reading determines the height of one's intellectual realm. From the ancient sages and scholars Confucius's "self-cultivation to govern" to the common saying "chew the root of vegetables to accomplish a hundred things," throughout history, how many upright and noble people have strived to seek the way of conduct? The principles contained in the classic works revered as the epitome of personal cultivation have been regarded as the "true scriptures" by those who seek shortcuts to success and still shine with wisdom today. The "Master Classics·Reading Plan" series allows you to read 550 classics in one go, with over 40 young experts from various fields, taking 30 months to review 60 million words of textual materials, compiling over 3,000 exquisite images, recommending 550 immortal classics, and a cultural feast, a 16-volume collection of classics.
In the weekend, the royal family of the Zhou Dynasty experienced a coup, King Jing passed away, Prince Zhao rebelled, and he took away a large number of Zhou Dynasty's classics with him and fled to the State of Chu. This incident affected Laozi, who then resigned from his position as the keeper of the archives in the Zhou capital and prepared to live in seclusion. On his way to Hangu Pass, the gatekeeper Yin Xi learned that he was going to seclude himself and asked him to write a book. Thus, Laozi left his only work, the Tao Te Ching.
The Tao Te Ching, also known as the Laozi, consists of 81 chapters, divided into the upper part Dao Jing and the lower part De Jing, with over 5,000 characters in total. Taking the character "Dao" from the upper part and "De" from the lower part, it is combined into the Tao Te Ching. Although this classic has only over 5,000 words, as one of the important academic works of the pre-Qin philosophers, it covers philosophy, politics, military strategy, culture, art, as well as ethics, morality, self-cultivation, and more—it can be said to encompass everything. Laozi examined the world and life from an extremely transcendent height and proposed a unique philosophy of life. His philosophy not only laid the foundation for Daoist life philosophy but also had a profound influence on the behavior and conduct of the Chinese people.
"Dao" is the central category and philosophical cornerstone of the Tao Te Ching. The book begins with the line: "The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao." Laozi believed that "Dao" is the ruler of all things, and the universe and all things evolve from "Dao." In Laozi's view, cultivating the Dao is cultivating virtue, and those who excel in achieving merits and establishing virtue must take people as the foundation and start with self-cultivation. In the realm of society and life, people generally advocate taking action and support an active and proactive attitude toward life. Laozi, however, held a different view. In his opinion, some things cannot be forced. If one forces them, they will suffer setbacks. Laozi highly praised the principle of "wu wei" (non-action), and the core idea of the Tao Te Ching is "wu wei," which represents the highest realm of cultivating the Dao and virtue.
Things often turn out this way: when you pursue something solely for the sake of obtaining it, success always seems distant; but once you go beyond the utilitarian purpose and act naturally, success may appear before you at any moment. Laozi's philosophy of "wu wei" embodies this idea—do not be too purposeful in conduct, do not be too (utilitarian), do not force things. Do not act deliberately, do not seek quick success, do not act rashly, and do not pursue success for the sake of success, otherwise, haste makes waste. The prerequisite for achieving "wu wei" is "wu yu" (no desires). As a living being, humans inevitably express certain desires. Laozi advocated "fewer selfish desires and fewer wants" and opposed indulgence in desires. In his view, desires have limits, and once they exceed those limits, there is no benefit but harm.
Laozi discovered that things tend to transform into their opposites, and extremes lead to reversals—a phenomenon that is extremely common in life. He repeatedly said: "Misfortune is closely associated with fortune, and fortune is closely associated with misfortune." In Laozi's view, since extremes lead to reversals, if a person's pursuit exceeds a certain limit, it will lead to a transformation that is unfavorable to their existence. Therefore, if one restrains their actions and keeps their pursuit within a certain limit, such unfavorable transformations will not occur. In Laozi's opinion, knowing when to be content and when to stop will prevent conflicts and disputes with others, thus avoiding being plotted against or harboring grievances. Contentment and moderation