Xian Yu answered the reader's question: How do you understand the unity of knowledge and action?

foreword

Recently, I launched the "Xian Yu Answers Reader's Questions" activity. If you have any questions you want to ask, please leave a message and I will answer them in order.

text

The unity of knowledge and action should be the motto of many people. Tell yourself not only to know, but also to do it. However, too many people stay at the level of "knowing". How can we bridge the gap from "knowing" to "doing it"?

The first thing to analyze is, why do we know but not do it?

The most fundamental reason is that you just "know" but don't believe it. This "knowledge" just stays at the level of your thinking, just like Newton's first law, it is your knowledge, but it is not your motivation for action.

Just like when we were students, both parents and teachers would tell us to "study hard", which can change our lives. But how many people really believe that "studying hard can change your life"? Only when you come to an unsatisfactory university, you are surrounded by unbearable roommates and an environment, your resume is not heard from, and you are repeatedly confronted during interviews. Rejected, disliked at work, a few people really believe that "you need to study hard to change your life".

Why do we say minority here? Because most people's conclusion may not be "I have to study hard", but "If I studied hard then, I will not be like this now" or "I am a dish, I am stupid", they may realize When it comes to the importance of learning, they mostly stay in a state of blaming others, self-blaming, or simply lying flat. At most, they can be good teachers to their younger generation, and tell them from personal experience to study hard, and learn from themselves. In other words, the motivation to study hard is still not formed.

So how does one move from knowing to forming motivation? First you have to dissect the real reason behind the behavior:

Ask: "I studied today, what is my real reason?"
A: "Because I want to be a better version of myself."
Ask: "Why do I want to be a better version of myself?"
Answer: "Because I want to be recognized and respected by everyone."
Q: "Why do I want to be recognized and respected by everyone?"
Answer: "Because I am vain"
Ask: "Then what is the purpose of your vanity?"
Answer: "Because I want to gain everyone's affirmation and respect..."
Q: "Why do I want to be recognized and respected by everyone?"
Answer: "Because I feel insecure inside"
Ask: "Why do you feel insecure inside?"
A: "This reminds me of my childhood experience, when I didn't have much money at home, I felt very sad to hear other people's gossip about me."
Ask: "Why do you feel sad when others say you?"
Answer: "Being slandered and misunderstood, naturally you will not be happy"
Ask: "Why do you feel unhappy when you are misunderstood by others?"
Answer: "Because I don't want to be rejected by everyone"
Q: "Why don't you want to be rejected by everyone?"
Answer: "Because I hope to be happy with everyone"
Ask: "Why is it fun to be with everyone?"
Answer: "Because of a sense of belonging"
Q: "Does it have to be through learning to build a sense of belonging?"
answer:"……"
Ask: "I learned today, what is the real reason for me? Is there any more?"
Answer: "I will be very happy after learning"
Ask: "Why is learning fun? Don't you hate learning the most?"
answer:"……"

In business, there is also a 5WHY analysis method, which refers to asking a question point with 5 "whys" in a row to investigate its root cause. Of course, the purpose of the specific implementation is to find out the root cause, which may be far more than 5 times. For self-questioning, no matter how many times it is necessary to ask.

In self-questioning, be honest with yourself, write down your true thoughts, even dark thoughts, it doesn’t matter, this is human nature, and everyone will have such thoughts. If you are unwilling to face your heart when you are alone, when will you be able to examine yourself?

When asking questions, you can ask a question repeatedly, trying to traverse the answers of the first layer, and then continue to ask the answers of the first layer. In the process of questioning, there may be more and more answers, which may make you feel more and more chaotic, but it doesn’t matter. The reason is clearer and clearer. , I feel uncomfortable, and it will pop up from time to time to make you upset. When you ask, you are combing this pile of ropes, but the process of combing is not necessarily smooth, it may be complicated, and the more you comb, the more messy you are, but don’t be afraid, Just like we untie the rope every day, once the knot is found and untied, the rest will be sorted out quickly. When you encounter something that upsets you, you might as well have the idea of "once you break through, you will soon be able to see the sun." Keep combing. Finally, after combing the ropes, straighten each rope, and lay it out clearly, you will feel an indescribable satisfaction and confidence.

But looking at yourself doesn't necessarily bring about a shift in motivation, you also need the power of knowledge, which is why we need to read and act. For example, about the "sense of belonging", how can we have a sense of belonging? Do we have a sense of belonging just by being in one place? Do I feel a sense of belonging when I keep asking others for what I want? Will I feel a sense of belonging when I exchange equivalents with people in the community? Another example is "happiness". Is happiness divided into high and low levels? Why is it that sometimes happiness is empty, and sometimes happiness is full? What are the components of a fulfilling happiness?

You can think about these questions by yourself and draw conclusions from your own actual experience. You can also inspire yourself and draw your own answers from many books and the answers of others. No matter which one is, practice or reading, you need to think about it, that is, to integrate, judge and sort out information through your own consciousness, and come to your own conclusion. Because of the accumulation of past knowledge, your understanding of the conclusion will be more profound. Some, and the deeper it is, the more it touches the heart.

Even if it is the conclusion drawn by your own logical thinking, it still stays at the level of knowledge. The key is whether you accept it in your heart, and it depends on your "empathy" ability. People often say "forty is not confused", I think it is because of 40 years of experience, I have enough questions about myself, and I have accumulated a lot of knowledge. In addition to so many past experiences, I am thinking about one thing. When he gets to the truth, it will bring back memories of his past or pain or happiness, and then he will have a feeling of epiphany, and he will see a lot of things clearly, and naturally he will not be confused.

Constantly learning, constantly examining your heart, and adding the emotional feelings brought about by past experiences, you will really have an epiphany, and then you will deeply believe in a truth. After that, you no longer need to maintain deliberately, it will become A quality of you, an attitude.

Now let's ask ourselves again, why do we "know" but not "do"?

In addition to the motivation problem, there may also be a problem of ability, that is, it is too difficult, so it is not done.

It's about the comfort zone. "Get out of your comfort zone", we should have listened to this advice hundreds of times, but it's like telling me not to stay at home, and it doesn't tell me what to do. I think a lot of people feel the same way. So what is outside the so-called comfort zone? Out of comfort zone? In fact, there are two areas outside the comfort zone, one is the stretch zone and the other is the difficult zone. The so-called stretch zone is the place that can barely be obtained. The so-called difficult zone is the place where we will fail when we do it. Let us stay away from the comfort zone, not Let's go straight to the hard zone, but let's go to the stretch zone.

To give a practical example, you want to write, but you don’t usually take notes, and you don’t think about things, so you just go straight to writing, and often give up when you can’t write much. At this time, writing is a difficult area for you. , what is the stretch zone for you? The stretch area can be reading. With input, there will naturally be output. So you go to read classics. As a result, classics seem to you to be stinky and long, and you start to feel sleepy after reading a few pages. Language is also a difficult zone, so what is the stretch zone for you? It may be a literary novel. If you can’t read literary novels, you can go down a little bit. Short stories, Borges, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Maupassant, Chekhov, O’Henry, Kafka, there will always be someone you like Yes, if you still can't read it, you may want to just read online novels, but think about online novels, it is obviously something in your comfort zone, reading these things is just like reading short videos, no what meaning. So at this time, you can think, is it because of the content? Or is it because of the length of reading? For example, if I stipulate that I read for an hour each time, can it be adjusted to 15 minutes of reading every day? Just keep thinking and adjusting in this way, and finally find a degree that suits you. After adapting to the stretch zone, the stretch zone becomes the comfort zone, then look for the next stretch zone, and finally change the writing from the difficult zone to the stretch zone. extension area.

So don’t always be anxious and think about achieving it overnight. There is never a shortcut to growth. As long as you have your own goals, even if you encounter difficulties, take a step back and make adjustments. As long as you continue to act, you are moving towards your goals.

In addition to motivation and ability, there is also a reminder. For example, if your cell phone rang, but you didn't answer it, it may be a motivation problem, such as a salesman's call that you don't want to answer. It may be a problem of ability. He can only hear the sound, but can't find the mobile phone, and he has to rummage around, and his ability is limited. It may also be the reason for the reminder, you didn't hear the phone ringing at all, and naturally you won't answer it.

Many times, we just lack a reminder, and by extension, an atmosphere. Just like our 21-day training camp, everyone is punching in every day. You see others are trying to punch in. Even if you want to give up in your heart, you will still be patient and read books. Once you read a little, you will soon be immersed in it. Among them, the punch-in task was finally completed. This is a kind of reminder, so many times you have to not only rely on yourself, but also find a suitable group atmosphere.

Having said so much, I am actually telling everyone about the Fogg Behavior Model. Fogg believes that three elements are essential to make people act. First, sufficient motivation; second, the ability to perform the action; and third, the trigger that motivates people to act.

The Fogg behavioral model can be presented with the formula, namely B = MAT. B stands for behavior, M for motivation, A for ability, and T for trigger. Motivation, ability, and triggering are all necessary for people to perform certain behaviors. Otherwise, people will not be able to cross the "line of action", that is, will not carry out a certain behavior.

Therefore, when we want to realize a behavior, we can think about what we have not done and what we are lacking from the perspective of motivation, ability, and reminder, and then formulate corresponding measures to improve.

Seriously, if the question is "how to achieve the unity of knowledge and action", I will write the answer here, but this question is "how do you understand the unity of knowledge and action", if we want to understand, we need to talk about A very important figure in Chinese philosophy is Wang Yangming and his psychology. We know Wang Yangming mostly from the idealism in textbooks. Due to the comparison with the materialism supported by Marx, many people think that idealism is one-sided, subjective and conscious, which makes many people underestimate Wang Yangming as a master. In fact, I don't know much about the so-called idealism and materialism. I would like to talk about Wang Yangming and his psychology that I understand.

Let’s briefly introduce Wang Yangming’s life:

Young and promising, he showed his talents when he was young, but his first career was not smooth, he failed twice, and finally got the title on the gold list in the third time (27 years old). At that time, it was still an uncivilized area, but Wang Yangming was not discouraged. He taught the local people according to the customs, and was loved by the people. Later, the situation changed, Wang Yangming was promoted, and he was ordered in danger. First, he broke the thieves in Nangan, then pacified the rebellion of King Ning. At the age of 55, he went to Guangxi again, and finally died of illness and returned home.

He was one of the three civil ministers in the Ming Dynasty who were awarded the title by virtue of military merits, and was appraised as the three immortal saints in Chinese history who made virtue, meritorious deeds, and made speeches. He is a master of mind learning. He is not only proficient in Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, but also able to lead the army in battle. In addition to his illustrious military exploits, he has also received a wide range of disciples. He is an outstanding thinker and writer of the Ming Dynasty. , military strategist, educator.

From the text alone, we may not be able to imagine what kind of achievements this is a person, but according to the current environment, you can actually imagine the rebellion of thieves and the chaos of King Ning as an epidemic, and maybe you can understand its greatness place.

Looking back at Wang Yangming's ideological development, whether it is the "heart is the truth" that he realized in Longchang, the "unity of knowledge and action" later, or the "conscience" that he put forward in his later years, these propositions are all based on people's hearts. . Since this question asks "how to understand", then I will share my views on Wang Yangming's "heart is reason", "the unity of knowledge and action", and "to conscience".

"Mind is the truth", when all the scholars in the world are "checking things to gain knowledge", Wang Yangming said to everyone: "Seek truth in the heart, and then you will get true knowledge." From the thing to the "case", but first from their own heart to "case".

Wang Yangming even wrote a poem: "The Tao is inherently inactive and only in people, so why don't you need neighbors to live on your own? Sitting in the middle is Tiantai Road, and you don't need to be more concerned about it."

In this poem, Wang Yangming told his disciples how to seek the Tao more clearly: the Tao is in the heart, there is no need to go to the fairyland on that day, and there is no need to die in the paradise, everything depends on self-enlightenment.

When we feel confused and confused, we always keep looking for answers, searching for some answers, reading a good book, asking some big men, and delusionally thinking that we can find the so-called answers in this way. And when we're alone and don't need to concentrate, our consciousness is even more idle, like a runaway horse, often stuck on distressing or disturbing thoughts.

The so-called heart is the truth, it is telling us that instead of tirelessly trying to understand things, it is better to face our hearts calmly, rectify our thoughts, and find out the attitude towards all things and the truth of life from our hearts.

For example, loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, righteousness, our filial piety to our parents, is it because you do it because it is written in the book? We get angry when we see a good person being bullied. Is it because the book teaches you to be angry? These principles do not exist in the outside world, they do not exist in books. As long as you pay attention, the principles will come out naturally.

All the principles of heaven, truth and life that you think are circulating in the world are actually in our hearts, but some people have turned them into actions and words from their hearts. The reason why many people feel right when they hear some principles is because it fits with your heart, and the reason why it fits with your heart is because you already have it in your heart.

Next, let's talk about the unity of knowledge and action. Before Wang Yangming proposed "the unity of knowledge and action", the ancients have always divided knowledge and action into two, thinking that knowledge and action are two different things, and people need a prophet to act later. By the time of Zhu Xi, he had analyzed this issue very clearly and nuancedly. He proposed the theory of "prophecy later". He believed that the principle of all things must be recognized first, and then practiced, otherwise practice would have no foundation. This statement was considered reasonable by the readers of the time.

Wang Yangming believes that the two are carried out at the same time. Knowledge exists in action, action exists in knowledge, knowledge is the idea of action, and action is the work of knowing; knowledge is the beginning of action, and action is the result of knowing.

The unity of knowledge and action as I understand it is not to warn us to achieve the unity of knowledge and action, but: Knowledge and action are one body . For example, we all know that we need to read, which is our "knowledge", but I didn't choose to read today, but chose game animation. At this time, my real "knowledge" is actually "reading is boring", So drive your behavior, that is, give up reading. Your knowledge and action are actually one.

The idea of this concept is to remind us to think about what is the true knowledge behind our actions. Knowledge is the beginning of action, and to speculate what the true "knowledge" is from the perspective of specific actions, which will give us the ability to introspect. But I think "the unity of knowledge and action" is not only reminding us of the true knowledge behind our thinking, but also telling us that knowledge and action are integrated, and action can also change knowledge. For example, I did not choose game animation in the end, but chose reading. Behavior will drive the change of our "knowledge". At this time, the "knowledge" becomes "the boredom of reading can be endured. After reading, I will reap greater happiness". The next time we encounter the same situation , because "knowledge" has changed, it is possible for us to behave the same as today. In the long run, action will eventually bring about a complete change in "knowledge".

I used to cite the allusion of "do more than that and become a gentleman", which means that if a person keeps doing things according to the standard of a gentleman, even if he has some dark thoughts in his heart, then he is also a true gentleman. I just thought it was right before, but Wang Yangming's combination of knowledge and action gave me a deeper understanding of this allusion, that is, only behavior can reflect the true "knowledge" behind us.

Finally, Wang Yangming put forward "to conscience" in his later years. What is conscience, there are many explanations, here is the explanation in the book "Wang Yangming's Mind Learning":

In the context of Confucianism, "liangzhi" is often equated with "liangneng". Conscience and good ability refer to the moral consciousness and moral ability that everyone is born with. As Mencius said: "What a person can do without learning is his good ability. What he knows without thinking about it is his conscience." However, although this kind of moral consciousness and moral ability is a kind of talent, it is very easy Lost in the life of the day after tomorrow.

The road is simple, and conscience exists in everyone's heart. As long as people act according to the conscience in their hearts, they can have peace and happiness in their hearts. There are too many people in the world, it is not that they have no conscience in their hearts, but that they are blinded by their own desires and betray their conscience, and they finally embark on the path of evil.

"To the Conscience" tells us not only how to behave as individuals, but also how to behave in society:

In the "Biography of Practice", Wang Yangming wrote:

"The sage of Yao, Shun, and the three kings, who speaks and the people do not believe, speaks to his conscience; does what he does and the people do not speak, and acts because of his conscience."

The sages such as Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, etc., the people did not distrust what they said, because what they said only pushed their conscience, and the people did not dislike what they did. Because what they do is only pushing their own conscience. Follow public opinion and conscience, and everyone will naturally believe you.

So if you look at Wang Yangming's psychology course, starting from "mind is reason", he tells us not to look outside, but to examine our own heart, and "the unity of knowledge and action" tells us the methodology of doing things, that knowledge and action are integrated, thinking and action are integrated. The knowledge behind it, but also to change our knowledge with action, and finally return to the basics, "to conscience", and treat people and things according to one's own conscience.

The above is my superficial understanding of Wang Yangming's psychology. I am not an in-depth researcher of psychology, just sharing some of my own thoughts.

Wang Yangming once publicly opposed Zhu Xi's "learning by examining things", but I personally think that whether it is Zhu Xi or Wang Yangming, no matter how different the content of their doctrines, they are both sages in the eyes of the world. As the saying goes: People are not sages, and whoever can have no faults. In fact, there are no people without fault in this world. The reason why sages can become sages is that they are more introspective than ordinary people, and they are more likely to accept corrections in the face of their own faults. Wang Yangming was like this, and so was Zhu Xi. In his middle age, Zhu Xi vigorously promoted the theory of judging from things to know, and taught the world to seek reason in reading and in all things. In his later years, he found that these theories of his were misleading, so he regretted and reflected on his own thoughts and theories. Correction. Wang Yangming read Zhu Zi's theory of middle age in his middle age, and he was full of doubts about it. When he reached the later years of his life, he realized that he only understood the first half of Zhu Zi's theory, and he also began to repent and reflect. In this sense, Zhu Xi and Wang Yangming have a beautiful quality in common, that is, self-examination, and it is this beautiful quality that makes them sages in the eyes of the world.

So no matter what your understanding of the unity of knowledge and action is, the more introspection in your daily life is the correct way to lead to a better version of yourself.

The last chapter of the book "The Unity of Knowledge and Action: A Biography of Wang Yangming":

On the 29th, Wang Yangming once again summoned his disciple Zhou Ji to his sickbed. At this time, he was so angry that he could hardly even open his eyes. After a long time, he slowly opened his eyes and calmly spit out three words to Zhou Ji beside him: "I'm going!"

Zhou Ji's tears flowed down, he gently held Mr. Yang Ming's hand and asked, "What's the last word?" Mr. Yang Ming smiled, a very light smile, like a splendid morning glow, blooming in his On Zhang's pale and bloodless face, he used all his strength to say to Zhou Ji, "This heart is bright, what else can I say!"

After saying that, Wang Yangming slowly closed his eyes and said goodbye to the world.

May every reader have a bright heart and no regrets at the beginning!

series of articles

The full list of Xian Yu's answers to readers' questions: https://github.com/mqyqingfeng/Blog

If you like or have inspiration, welcome to star, which is also an encouragement to the author.