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三曰── |
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倕，至巧也。人不愛倕之指，而愛己之指，有之利故也。人不愛崑山之玉、江漢之珠，而愛己一蒼璧小璣，有之利故也。今吾生之為我有，而利我亦大矣。論其貴賤，爵為天子，不足以比焉；論其輕重，富有天下，不可以易之；論其安危，一曙失之，終身不復得。此三者，有道者之所慎也。有慎之而反害之者，不達乎性命之情也。不達乎性命之情，慎之何益？是師者之愛子也，不免乎枕之以糠；是聾者之養嬰兒也，方雷而窺之于堂；有殊弗知慎者。夫弗知慎者，是死生存亡可不可，未始有別也。未始有別者，其所謂是未嘗是，其所謂非未嘗非，是其所謂非，非其所謂是，此之謂大惑。若此人者，天之所禍也。以此治身，必死必殃；以此治國，必殘必亡。夫死殃殘亡，非自至也，惑召之也。壽長至常亦然。故有道者，不察所召，而察其召之者，則其至不可禁矣。此論不可不熟。 |
| | Chui was extremely skillful. People do not love the fingers of Chui, but they love their own fingers; this is because of self-interest. People do not love the jade from Kunshan Mountain or the pearls from the Jiang and Han rivers, but they love their own humble jade disc and small beads; this is because of self-interest. Now, my life being something I possess brings me great benefit as well. In terms of its value and worth, even a title of emperor is insufficient to compare with it; In terms of its weightiness, even possessing the wealth of the entire world cannot exchange for it; In terms of safety and danger, once lost in a single morning, one will never regain it for the rest of their life. These three aspects are what those who follow the Way must be cautious about. Those who exercise caution yet still end up harming it do not understand the true nature of life and destiny. If one does not understand the true nature of life, what benefit is there in being cautious? This is like a teacher's love for his student, yet he cannot avoid stuffing the pillow with chaff; It is also like a deaf person raising an infant, peering into the hall during thunderclaps; These are cases of people who act without truly knowing how to be cautious. Those who do not know how to be cautious regard life and death, survival and destruction, possibility and impossibility as indistinguishable from the very beginning. Those who regard these things as indistinguishable find that what they call right has never truly been right, and what they call wrong has never truly been wrong; thus, the wrong becomes right, and the right becomes wrong—this is called great confusion. Such a person is doomed to calamity by Heaven itself. If one uses this mindset to cultivate their body, they will surely die and suffer misfortune; If one uses this mindset to govern a state, it will surely be ruined and perish. Death, misfortune, ruin, and destruction do not come about by themselves; they are summoned by confusion. Longevity, health, and perpetual well-being also depend on this principle in the same way. Therefore, those who follow the Way do not examine what is summoned, but rather investigate what summons it; once this is understood, its arrival cannot be stopped. This discussion must not be taken lightly.
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使烏獲疾引牛尾，尾絕力勯，而牛不可行，逆也。使五尺豎子引其棬，而牛恣所以之，順也。世之人主貴人，無賢不肖，莫不欲長生久視，而日逆其生，欲之何益？凡生之長也，順之也；使生不順者，欲也；故聖人必先適欲。 |
| | If Wu Huo were to pull a bull's tail with all his strength, the tail would break and his energy would be exhausted, yet the bull could not move forward—this is going against nature. If a five-foot-tall child were to guide it with a halter, the bull would go wherever it pleases—this is following nature. The rulers and noble people of the world, regardless of their virtue or lack thereof, all desire long life and lasting vision; yet they daily act contrary to what sustains life. What benefit is there in desiring it? The reason why life is prolonged is because one follows the natural order. Those who cause their lives to go against nature do so out of desire; Therefore, the sage must first regulate desires.
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室大則多陰，臺高則多陽，多陰則蹙，多陽則痿，此陰陽不適之患也。是故先王不處大室，不為高臺，味不眾珍，衣不燀熱。燀熱則理塞，理塞則氣不達；味眾珍則胃充，胃充則中大鞔；中大鞔而氣不達，以此長生可得乎？昔先聖王之為苑囿園池也，足以觀望勞形而已矣；其為宮室臺榭也，足以辟燥溼而已矣；其為輿馬衣裘也，足以逸身煖骸而已矣；其為飲食酏醴也，足以適味充虛而已矣；其為聲色音樂也，足以安性自娛而已矣。五者，聖王之所以養性也，非好儉而惡費也，節乎性也。 |
| | A large room produces excessive yin, and a high terrace produces excessive yang. Excessive yin causes constriction, while excessive yang leads to atrophy—this is the problem of imbalance between yin and yang. Therefore, ancient sage kings did not dwell in large halls, nor build high terraces; they did not indulge in numerous delicacies, and their clothing was not excessively warm. Excessive warmth causes the body's channels to become blocked, and when the channels are blocked, vital energy cannot circulate freely; Indulging in numerous delicacies fills the stomach, and a full stomach causes great pressure on the middle jiao (the digestive region); With the middle jiao greatly strained and vital energy unable to circulate, can one possibly attain long life under such conditions? In ancient times, when sage kings built parks and ponds, it was sufficient merely for leisurely observation and to provide physical exercise; Their construction of palaces, halls, terraces, and pavilions was only sufficient to protect against dryness and dampness; Their carriages, horses, clothing, and furs were merely sufficient to ease the body and warm the bones; Their food and drink, including porridge and sweetened drinks, was only enough to satisfy taste and fill hunger; Their enjoyment of sounds, colors, and music was merely sufficient to calm the mind and provide personal pleasure. These five aspects were how sage kings cultivated their nature; it was not that they favored frugality or disliked expenditure, but rather that they regulated things according to the needs of human nature.
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