仁德、无私和无情
解释【无私】有两个意思:
1、没有自私自利之心;
2、处事公正,不偏不倚;
解释【无情】也有两个意思:
1、没有天道公义;
2、没有爱,冷酷无情;
【仁】又是什么意思呢?从形意上看,【二】代表天和地,人效法天的善良、地的忠厚,就是博大宽容的仁德之士。
《道德经》第五章说道,“天地不仁”,这里的不仁到底是无私的意思,还是无情的意思呢?我查了英文翻译,亚瑟·威利译成ruthless,林语堂先生译成unkind,都是【无情】,我又查了四本中国人的白话文翻译,都是【无情】。我想了许久,最终我选择用【无私】来解释【不仁】,老子在第二章说到【万物作而不辞,生而不有,为而不恃,功成而不居】,天地是何等的恢弘无私,在第五章就变成无情无义,似乎有点前后矛盾。
一视同仁
天地是无私的,对待万事万物,就像对待祭祀的刍狗那样,没有特别的仁慈,也没有特别的厌弃,任凭其自生自灭。
圣人是无私的,对待百姓,就像对待祭祀的刍狗那样,没有特别的仁慈,也没有特别的厌弃,任凭其自作自息。
无为不言
天地之间,岂不是像个风箱一样吗?它空虚而不枯竭,越鼓动耗散越多。政令繁复往往使人困惑,多言多语常常使人被动,不如保持中立,静观其变。
《道德经》第五章原文
天地不仁,以万物为刍狗;圣人不仁,以百姓为刍狗。天地之间,其犹橐龠 [tuó yuè] 乎?虚而不屈,动而俞出。多闻数穷,不若守于中。
Nature is unkind:
It treats the creation like sacrificial straw-dogs.
The Sage is unkind:
He treats the people like sacrificial straw-dogs.
How the universe is like a bellows!
Empty, yet it gives a supply that never fails;
The more it is worked, the more it brings forth.
By many words is with exhausted.
Rather, therefore, hold to the core.
-- Lin Yutang 林语堂
Heaven and Earth are ruthless;
To them the Ten Thousand Things are but as straw dogs.
The sage too is ruthless;
To him the people are but as straw dogs,
Yet Heaven and Earth and all that lies between is like a bellows,
In that it is empty, but gives a supply that never fails.
Work it, and more comes out.
Whereas the force of words is soon spent.
Far better is it to keep what is in the heart.
-- Arthur Waley 亚瑟·威利