The Art of Living - Essence of Chinese Traditional Culture (Second Series)

Author: Hong Yingming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features:
[Original] Ascend high and the heart becomes broad; face the flowing water and the mind becomes distant; read books on a snowy night and the spirit becomes clear; shout on the top of a hill and the spirit becomes exhilarated.
[Translation] If one ascends a high mountain and looks far, the heart immediately becomes broad; if one faces flowing water and contemplates, the mind immediately becomes distant. If one reads books on a snowy night, the spirit becomes exhilarated; if one climbs a small hill and shouts loudly, the spirit becomes spirited.
[Appreciation] Fan Zhongyan, while drinking wine and facing the wind on the Yueyang Tower, felt broad-minded and exhilarated, uttering the words, "Worry about the world before others and enjoy the world after others." Mencius once said, "Confucius, after ascending Dongshan, found Lu small; after ascending Mount Tai, found the world small." This kind of heart of a sage in ascending mountains is not innate but the result of moral cultivation and temperament refinement. The respected and virtuous, with a broad vision of home and country, see far into the future! What can "make the mind distant," "make the spirit clear," and "make the spirit exhilarated"? Only by seeking within oneself and seeking in books. P001