弟子规英文版学习国学.docx

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

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