弟子规英文版学习国学.docx
《弟子规英文版学习国学.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《弟子规英文版学习国学.docx(11页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
![弟子规英文版学习国学.docx](https://file1.bdocx.com/fileroot1/2022-12/13/ad03a215-4d33-4963-89e7-4713c4b3020f/ad03a215-4d33-4963-89e7-4713c4b3020f1.gif)
弟子规英文版学习国学
弟子规英文版
StandardsforBeingaGoodStudentandChild
DiZiGui
StandardsforBeingaGoodStudentandChild
CONTENTS
Introduction
Outline
Chapter1:
AtHome,BeDutifultoYourParents
Chapter2:
StandardsforaYoungerBrotherWhenAwayfromHome
Chapter3:
BeCautiousinYourDailyLife
Chapter4:
BeTrustworthy
Chapter5:
LoveAllEqually
Chapter6:
BeClosetoandLearnfromPeopleofVirtueandCompassion
Chapter7:
AfterAlltheAboveAreAccomplished,StudyFurtherandLearnLiteratureandArttoImproveYourCulturalandSpiritualLife
INTRODUCTION
Manyofyouwillprobablywonderwhatthisbookisallabout.WhatisinthisbookthatmadeitsoimportantinancientChina?
Canitstillberelevanttoday?
Ifweteachthisbooktoday,whatcanitdoforusandwhatkindofinfluencewillithaveonourpresentsociety?
DiZiGui,inEnglish,meansstandardsforbeingagoodstudentandchild.ItisanancientChinesebookhandeddowntousfromancientChineseSaintsandsages.ThesourcefortheoutlineofthisbookwasselectedfromAnalectsofConfucius,Book1,Chapter6,whereConfuciussaid:
”Agoodstudentandchildmustfirstlearntobedutifultohisparents,andberespectfulandlovingtohissiblings.Nexthemustbecautiouswithallpeople,mattersandthingsinhisdailylife,andbeatrustworthyperson.Hemustbelieveintheteachingsoftheancientsaintsandsagesandputtheirteachingsintopractice.Thenhemustlearntoloveallequallyandbeclosetoandlearnfrompeopleofvirtueandcompassion.Onlyafteralltheabovedutieshavebeenaccomplished,ifhehasthetimeandenergy,heshouldthenfurtherstudyandlearnliteratureandarttoimprovethequalityofhisculturalandspirituallife.”
SincethemainoutlineofthisbookisbasedontheteachingsofConfucius,letusfindoutwhoheis.ConfuciuswasagreatChinesescholar,teacherandeducator.HewasborninChinaabouttwenty-fivehundredyearsago,aboutthesametimethatShakyamuniBuddhawasborninIndia.ConfuciusdeeplyinfluencedChineseculture,andthisinfluenceextendsthroughouttheworldeventoday.Hebelievedthatmoralprinciples,virtues,anddisciplineshouldbetheveryfirstlessonstobetaughttoachild,andthatachildneedstopracticethemdaily.Unlikemoderndayparentswhodisapproveofphysicalpunishment,ancientChineseparentsactuallyencouragedandthankedtheteacherwhentheirchildrenwerepunishedformisbehaving.ItwasmostimportanttoancientChineseparentsthattheirchildrenlearnedthemoralprinciplesandvirtuesfirst,beforeanyothersubject,becausewithoutmoralprinciplesandvirtuesasafoundation,thelearningofallothersubjectswouldbefutile.
ThesequenceofancientChineseeducationalsystembasedontheConfucianteachingsisasfollows:
FirstachildlearnsthesubjectonVirtues,afterwhichhestudiesLanguage,thenMethodsinDealingwithPeople,MattersandThings,andlastlyLiteratureandArt.WeneedtounderstandthatConfuciusandShakyamuniBuddhasharedalmostthesameprinciplesandteachingmethods.Theybothtaughtusthatbeingdutifultoone’sparentsandbeingrespectfultoone’steachersarethebasisofaperson’sgoodvirtues.IfwecanappreciatethefactthatthestudyofVirtueswasachild’sfirstsubjectinschool,thenwewillrealizehowimportantitwasforachildtobedutifultohisorherparentsathome.
IfyouaskastudentwhofollowsConfucianteachingswhetherheorshecanexplaininashortsentencewhatConfucianteachingsareallabout,thestudentwilltellyouthis:
TheprinciplesofConfucianteachingsmakeitaperson’sdutytostrivetobefullyenlightened,topracticeuniversalloveandtobeaperfectlygoodperson.ThisisthesummationofConfucianbeliefs.Forapersontopracticeuniversallove,heorshemustbeginathome,andlearntobeadutifulchildandalovingsibling.IfyouaskafollowerofShakyamuniBuddhawhetherheorshecanexplainBuddha’steachingsinonesentence,youwillgetthefollowingreply:
ShakyamuniBuddha’sforty-nineyearsofteachingneverdeviatedfromtheprinciplethatapersonhastobedutifultohisorherparents,andberespectfulandbeofservicetohisorherteachers.Thispersonmustbealllovingandmustnotkillanylivingbeings.Heorshemustbeaferventpractitionerofthetengoodconducts.Therefore,bothConfuciusandShakyamuniBuddhasharedthesamebeliefsandfeltthatfollowingtheseprinciplesareouronlydutieshereonearth.
TheimportantdutiesstatedinAnalectsofConfuciuswereusedaschaptersinthisbook.Altogethertherearesevenchapters,witheachchapterlistingoneduty.TheyarepresentedinsequenceaccordingtotheancientChineseeducationalsystem.TheoriginaltextwritteninclassicalChineseisintheformofversesthatcanbeeasilyrecitedandmemorizedbyyoungChinesestudents.
Thecontentsofthisbookwereactuallycompiledandeditedoveraperiodstretchingthousandofyears;itcontainstherecommendedstandardsofbeingagoodstudentandchild.TheoutlinestartsoutbytellingusthatthosestandardsweretaughtbyConfucius,MenciusandallthepastChinesesaintsandsages.Theyallagreedthatthosedutiesaretheverybasicdisciplinesachildshouldlearnandpracticeeverydaywhilestillyoung.Eventhoughtheyseemstringentbytoday’sstandards,itisapparentthatthepeopleofthattimefeltitwasimportantthatthechildshouldbewelldisciplinedandtaughtmoralprinciplesandvirtuesatanearlyage.Theyfeltthatwithoutstrictdisciplineandmoralstandards,achildwouldamounttonothing.Withoutknowingwhatitmeanttobedutifultoone’steachers,achildwouldgrowupnotlisteningtoorrespectinganyone.Suchachildwouldbecomeapersonwithoutvirtues.Atthattime,”apersonwithoutvirtue”wasnotqualifiedtoserveintheimperialcourt,therebydeprivingthatpersontheopportunitytoservehiscountryandhispeople.
Ironicallytoday,theeducationalsystemisjusttheopposite.Manyparentslistentothechildinsteadoftheotherwayaround.Additionally,teachersareafraidtoteachanddisciplinechildrenbecausetheyarefearfulofviolatingthechildren’slegalrights,orevenbeingsuedbytheparents.Currently,weliveinaworldwheretherelationshipsbetweenpeople,betweenpeopleandtheirenvironment,betweenparentsandchildren,betweenhusbandsandwives,andbetweenemployersandemployeesaredisintegrating.Parentsnolongeractlikeparents.Childrendonotactlikechildren.Withoutpropereducationourmindsbecomepollutedandourfamilysystemdisintegrates,asevidencedbyanever-increasingdivorcerate.SoonplanetEarthwillnolongerbefitforustoliveon.Manyofusarefearfulforourfuturesandthefuturesofourchildren.Wehopethatbyreintroducingthisbook,itwillprovideguidanceforparentsandchildren.Inthisway,futuregenerationswillbenefitfromitandourworldandsocietyatlargewillbemoreatpeace,andwewillallhaveabetterplacetolive.
Asmentionedbefore,Confuciussaid:
”Agoodstudentandchildmustfirstlearntobedutifultohisparents,andalsoberespectfulandlovingtohissiblings.”InaccordwiththeancientChineseeducationalsystem,thisbookstartsbyteachingushowtobeagooddutifulchildwhenweareathome,andhowtobearespectfulandlovingsiblingwhenweareawayfromhome,includinghowtoberespectfultoourelders.Therefore,thesetwodutiesaretheheadingsforthefirsttwochapters.Thefirstchapterison”Xiao,”whichisaChinesewordthatmeansbeingdutifultoone’sparents.Alltheancientsaintsandsagesthought”Xiao”wasthemostimportantdutyinaperson’slife.Thischapterteacheschildrentheproperconductonhowtotalktoandbehaveinfrontofparents,andwhattheircorrectattitudesandmannersshouldbe.
Thesecondchapterstatestheprincipleandstandardofconductfortheyoungersiblingtowardstheoldersiblingwhentheyoungersiblingsareawayfromhome.InChinese,theword¨Ti,”whichmeanssincerefraternallove,describesthelovebetweensiblings.InBuddhism,itsmeaningextendsfurthertoincludeconducttowardsallpersonswhoareolderandasthesamegenerationasourselves.Thischapterthenfurtherexpandsthisconcepttowardsourelders.Itteachesushowtoshowrespecttotheeldersandwhatourcorrectattitudesandmannersshouldbe.
Eventhoughinthisbookthereisnoseparatechapteronthestandardofconducttowardsourteachers,itisunderstoodthatalltheprinciplesandstandardstaughtinthisbookshouldalsobeappliedtoourteachers.
Thethirdchapterteachesushowweshouldbecautiousinwhateverwedodaily,whetherweareinteractingwithpeople,mattersorthings.Thefourthchapterteachesushowtobeatrustworthyperson.Itteachesusthatweneedtobecautiousinthelanguageweuse,inourbehavior,andinourthoughts.Wemustalsobelieveintheteachingsofthesaintsandsages.Asaintisapersonwhotrulyandthoroughlyunderstandsthefactsaboutlife,andaboutthisuniverse.InChinawecallthemsaints.InIndia,peoplecallthemBuddhas.InwesternculturepeoplecallhimGod.Actuallywearealltalkingaboutthesamething.Alltheirteachingscomefromheartsthatweretrueandpure.Theyhaveallseenthetruthandthistruthwillneverchangewithtime.Therefore,nomatterwhotheyareaslongastheyaresaints,BuddhasorGod,theyspeakthesametruthandifitisthetruth,thentheirmessagesarethesame.
Thefifthchaptertellsusthatapersonmustloveallequally.Theloveittalksaboutisuniversallove,notworldlylove.Itteachesusthatashumanbeings