對於君子與小人之理解 － 學習易經心得（３）

我們祖國３０００多年文字文化的淵源很大一部分來源於易經。很多易經上的詞匯仍在我們日常生活中沿用，如道德，君子，小人等。但我們今天的用語和易經的原始含義又有多少距離呢？

其實，我也不太懂古文。還是看英文譯文吧。先從什麽是道德說起，問卦是問什麽，再論君子，小人：

Tao（道）：way or path; ongoing process of being and course it traces for each specific being or thing. It is not limited by any system or morality, and it continually undermines rational definitions. It is not predictable, but versatile (易).

The symbols produced by the I through divination (從易經裏問來的卦) try or test an acation by aubmitting it to the spirits and revealing its hidden roots. When you use these symbols in a versatile way, as imaginative models, they act like a sacred vessel (鼎), enacting a process of containment, scrifice and transformation. By doing this you acquire te (德)，the virtue and power that comes through reflecting tao（道）in the events of your life.

Actualize-tao, TE (德)，realize tao in action; power, virtue; ability to follow the course traced by the ongoing process of the cosmos. The ideogram: to go, straight, and heart. Linked with TE (德), acquire: acquiring that which makes a being become what it is meant to be.

Actualize-tao suggests that the continual process of straightening, clarifying and deepening the heart enables you to become what you are meant to be, correcting and straightening movement on the path or way of life. Someone who seeks to acquire this virtue, and thus to live their life as a manifestation of tao (道), is a chun tzu (君子).

Chun tzu（君子）:  ideal of a person who uses divination to order his/her life in accordance with tao（道）rahter than wilful intention. － 這就是君子的定義。

怎樣做君子呢？

You are a chun tzu（君子）when you use the oracle to understand what is in harmony with tao（道）in any given situation in your life, to help and protectyourself through tao（道）rather than seeking control by imposing your will.

這裏有兩種人：大人和小人。小人不是對應君子而言，而是對應大人而言。

Great People (大人) : important, noble, influential; those who impose a ruling principle on their lives; effect of the great within an individual.

Small People (小人) : lowly, common, humble; those who adjust to circumstances with the flexibility of the small; effect of the small within an individual.

Great People, the effect of the great on an individual, means imposing an idea on things, independent of what that idea might be. Only when it is connected to actualize-tao (德) is it valued in itself.

Small People, the effect of the small on an individual, is not simply the shadow of the great, but points at the ability to let go of self-importance, quickly and humbly adapting to what croseses your path.

所以，一味地追求做大人並不是君子的行為；適當的時候做小人也不卑鄙，稱不上＂卑鄙小人＂。

The chun tzu（君子）is not only a Great Person or only a Small Person, but seeks the capacity to act quikly and fluidly as both.

這個君子的解釋才是我們做人的正確之路。

在工作中，處理和老板，和同事之間的關係時；在家庭中，處理和配偶，和孩子之間的關係時；在戀愛中，處理和男／女朋友之間的關係時，我們要努力學做君子。

這裏提到，遇到生活中的難題，疑惑，我們怎樣知道actualize-tao (德) 在哪裏呢？下次我再接著談我怎樣問卦，對具體事件，我應怎麽做才是君子。

[安娜晴天]

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