於是司馬遷就在他的《伯夷列傳》中，當他提出了他對「天道」、「報應」的有無與「是、非」之後，也給了我們一個類似孔子給他學生的回答，即天道雖然不可知，可是人道是你可以自己持守住的，你不用管報應的好壞，你應該怎麼樣做，你就怎麼樣做好了。
宣公上人在星期二時講過，許多人拜佛是說拜了佛就可以求得福澤，如果是用這種態度去拜佛就錯了，難道說佛會像世界上的貪官污吏一樣，你諂媚他，恭敬它，他才對你好嗎？不是的。主要是看你自己的內心，看你自己的行為持守如何，而不是只為了得到某一種回報，要把這種報應的意識放下來，不管他怎麼樣的報應，你應該怎麼樣去做，就去怎麼樣做。所以陶淵明就說了「善惡苟不應，何事空立言？」既然沒有善惡的報應，為什麼說「善有善報，惡有惡報」呢？可見天道是不可信的。接下來，陶淵明也講到了人道：「九十行帶索，飢寒況當年。不賴固窮節。百世當誰傳講？」
「九十行帶索」，這一句中陶淵明又用了一個歷史故事。陶淵明這首詩雖然只有短短八句，可是其中的意思卻很豐富很深刻，而且裏邊包含著中國歷史上很多的典故。「九十行帶索」是出自一部叫做《列子》的古典書籍中，說的是中國古時候有一個與孔子同時代的隱士名叫榮啟期。有一天孔子到泰山去，孔子是山東曲阜人，泰山就在曲阜附近。
孔子從曲阜到泰山去，當他走到泰山附近的時候，看到一個九十來歲的老翁，那就是榮啟期。據《列子》上記載，當時的榮啟期是「鹿皮帶索，鼓琴而歌」，說他身上穿著一件用鹿皮縫製的皮襖，鹿皮在古代被認為是貧賤人穿的。在中國的古書上，如杜甫有一首詩叫《自京赴奉先縣詠懷五百字》，詩中說到楊貴妃等人在驪山華清宮裏縱情享樂的情景，其中有「暖客貂鼠裘」的詩句，是說華清宮裏邊那些皇親國戚身上穿的，都是用貂皮或鼠皮製成的皮裘。可見富貴的人都穿貂皮或鼠皮，而窮人只能穿狗皮或鹿皮的衣服。我小時候在北京，那時叫北平，北平的街頭上有很多黃包車伕，就是人力車伕，我常常看到他們在冬天穿一件狗皮背心。可見，狗皮、鹿皮具有代表貧窮困苦的意思。陶淵明說榮啟期他九十歲了，身上還穿著鹿皮衣服。本來衣服上是應該繫一條腰帶的，但榮啟期居然連一根腰帶都沒有，他只綁了一根繩索在腰間。
就像我小時候在北平街頭看到的那些拉人力車的車伕一樣，穿一件狗皮背心，中間綁一根麻繩子。總之「鹿皮帶索」都是形容榮啟期晚年生活景況的貧寒。
你要知道，中國古代的傳統觀念都是特別尊敬老人的，一般認為應該把最好的衣服給老人穿，把最好的食物給老人吃。孟子說：「七十可以衣帛食肉」，是說年輕人受點苦沒關係，七十歲的老人因為辛苦一生，來日無多了，理應穿絲帛的衣服，吃肉類的食物，好好享受一下晚年了。
可是榮啟期九十歲了，比七十歲還多二十歲呢，可他過的還是那麼貧苦的生活。但榮啟期一點沒有為他的貧窮而感到悲哀，反而還在路邊「鼓琴而歌」，在路邊快樂地彈琴唱歌。孔子於是就問他：「你九十歲了，還貧窮，你怎麼會快樂得起來呢？」榮啟期回答說，我從不以為貧窮是一件令人悲哀不快的事，因為貧窮是「士之常」，死亡是「人之終」。他說我現在是「處常得終」，他說貧苦是一個讀書人平常應該持守的，這點孔子在《論語》中常常會說到。孔子常常說這類話：「君子固窮，小人窮斯濫矣」，孔子說，如果是一個品德很好的君子，「固」是安定，君子在貧窮的生活當中他也是安定的，絕不會不擇手段地胡作非為；只有那些品德不好的小人，一旦陷於窮困才會「斯」：如此，「濫」：什麼事情都做。
孟子也說過：「無恒產而有恒心者惟士為能。」孟子的意思是說，沒有固定的財產，生活上沒有保障，卻有能在貧窮困境中堅守品格操行的美好的，只有讀書人才能做到這一點。中國古時候之所以把讀書看得這樣重要，就因為讀書是學做人的道理。
待續
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Thus, in "A Biographical Sketch of Boyi," after questioning the existence and reliability of divine justice and retributions, Sima Qian gave an answer similar to that of Confucius, namely, that although divine justice is uncertain, you still have to uphold human justice. Never mind whether the retribution will be good or bad; simply do whatever you ought to do!
Last Tuesday, Venerable Master Hua mentioned that many people bow to the Buddhas in order to seek blessings. That's the wrong attitude. Do you really think the Buddhas, like corrupted officials in the world, will be good to you just because you bribe and flatter them? Of course not. The most important thing is your own mind and behavior. You shouldn't be acting in order to gain a certain retribution. Forget about the retribution; don't be concerned about that. Simply do whatever it is that you ought to do.
Thus, Tao Yuanming said, "If good and evil are of no consequence, why bother to utter hollow maxims?" If there is no such thing as a good or a bad retribution, why bother to say, "Good deeds bring good rewards; evil deeds bring bad retributions." Apparently, divine justice is not reliable. Later on, Tao Yuanming also spoke of human justice. At ninety, Rong used a rope as his belt / And lived in hunger and cold as if he were still young. / Were it not for those individuals who chose poverty so as to preserve their integrity, / What in history would be worth passing down to future generations?
At ninety, Rong used a rope as his belt. Tao Yuanming is alluding here to another episode in history. Although this poem has a mere eight lines, it is very profound and encompasses many episodes in Chinese history. The line, "At ninety, Rong used a rope as his belt," comes from a classic book called Exemplars. Rong Qiqi was a hermit who lived during the time of Confucius. One day, Confucius, who was from Qufu, Shangdong Province, went sightseeing at the nearby Mount Tai.
As he approached Mount Tai, he saw an elder man in his nineties; that man was Rong Qiqi. According to Exemplars, Rong Qiqi, "wearing a coat of deerskin with a rope for a belt, was singing as he strummed his lute." Deerskin coats were considered the clothing of the poor in ancient China. This is apparent in classical Chinese literature. For example, in Tu Fu's "Five Hundred-Word Lyric on Traveling from the Capital to Fongxian County," Tu Fu describes a scene where the Imperial Concubine Yang and others were amusing themselves at the Huaqing Palace on Mount Li. One line says, "Guests were made warm with mink and mouse fur coats," indicating that the royal family wore coats made of mink or mouse fur. From this, we know that the wealthy wore mink or mouse fur coats while the poor could only afford coats made of dogskin or deerskin.
When I was little, I lived in Beijing (then named Beiping). There were many rickshaws on the streets, and the men who pulled them often wore dogskin vests in the winter. Thus, dogskin and deerskin indicated poverty. Tao Yuanming said that Rong Qiqi was in his nineties, but still wore a deerskin coat. People were supposed to wear belts, but Rong Qiqi could not even afford a proper belt; he simply tied a rope around his waist. That's what those rickshaw operators on the streets of Beiping did; they wore a dogskin vest with a hemp rope tied at the waist. In general, the line "wearing a deerskin coat with a rope for a belt "describes Rong Qiqi's poverty in his old age.
You should know that in traditional Chinese custom, elders are accorded special respect. People feel that they ought to offer the best clothes and the best food to their elders. Mencius said, "Those who are seventy may wear silk and eat meat." It's alright for young people endure some discomfort, but seniors of seventy should be able to wear silk and eat meat, since they have worked hard all their lives and their days are limited. They should enjoy life in their old age.
Rong Qiqi was ninety, twenty years older than seventy, but he was still living in poverty. Nevertheless, he was not the least bit depressed by that fact. On the contrary, he was happily "singing as he strummed his lute" on the road. Confucius asked him, "You are ninety and still so poor. How can you be so happy?" Rong answered, "I never thought of poverty as a cause for sorrow, for it is the permanent condition of a scholar, whereas death is every man's end." He said, "Now, I am abiding in that permanent state and have reached the end." Rong said that a scholar ought to maintain a life of poverty. Confucius often mentioned this in the Analects, saying things like, "A virtuous person remains steadfast in poverty; petty people are tempted to immorality." If a person of integrity finds himself in poverty, he remains strong and is not tempted to commit immoral or unlawful acts. Petty people of low character, however, will do anything during hard times.
Mencius said, "Only a scholar can preserve his integrity without a steady income." He maintained that only a scholar could remain virtuous in the face of hardship and poverty, when he had no steady income or livelihood. Scholars were highly esteemed in ancient China because they studied in order to learn the principles of how to be good people.
To be continued |
