《群书治要360》君道 - 修身 戒贪

修身 Character Building  

戒貪 Guard against greed

1. 自成康以來，幾且千歲，欲為治者甚眾，然而太平不復興者，何也？以其舍法度，而任私意，奢侈行而仁義廢也。（卷十九　漢書七 ）
1. “Almost a thousand years have passed since the heyday of King Cheng and King Kang, and many rulers having tried to attain the same glory. But this golden era of peace and prosperity never returned. Why has this been so? It is because rulers have forsaken the law and moral standards, and have instead pursued selfish desires, spoiling themselves with extravagance, and totally neglecting the practice of benevolence and righteousness.” (Scroll 19: Han Shu, Vol. 7)

2. 夫物速成则疾亡，晚就则善终。朝华之草，夕而零 落 ；松柏之茂，隆寒不衰。是以大雅君子恶速成。 （卷二十六　魏志下）

2. In general, anything that develops too fast will fall apart just as quickly, whereas a slow and steady development is more assured of yielding favorable results. Plants that unravel into full bloom in early morning may wither and fall by the evening, but the slow-growing pine trees will not wither even in the extreme winter cold. Hence, a superior person[4] does not hasten to achieve results. （Scroll 26: Wei Zhi, Vol. 2）

3. 夫榮公好專利而不知大難。夫利，百物之所生也，天地之所載也，而有專之，其害多矣。天地百物皆将取焉，何可专也？所怒甚多，而不备大难，以是教王，王其能久乎？（卷十一　史記上）
3. Duke Yi of the state of Rong was known for monopolizing wealth and profits for himself and for being oblivious to its adverse effects on the society. One should know that wealth and profits are the very sources of survival for hundreds of materials nurtured between heaven and earth. To monopolize them will give rise to an unbalanced situation thereby causing much harm. How can one monopolize the resources when they are needed by so many? To do so will arouse anger from the public. If we teach our lord to monopolize resources instead of urging him to take precaution against major disasters, can his reign last long? (Scroll 11: Shi Ji, Vol. 1)

4. 五色令人目盲 ；五音令人耳聋 ；五味令人口爽 ；驰 骋畋猎，令人心发狂 ；难得之货，令人行妨。 （卷三十四　老子）
4. Craving for visual splendor can distort our vision and impede our ability to see the truth about things. Basking in musical amusement can numb our hearing and impede our ability to appreciate the finer meanings in music. Excessive indulgence in fine cuisine can dull our taste buds and impede our ability to appreciate the food. Wallowing in the thrill of game hunting can make us reckless and lose our sanity. Being desirous of rare and precious objects can cause our greediness to grow and drive us to behave wickedly. Scroll 34: Lao Zi  

5. 训有之，内作色荒，外作禽荒。甘酒嗜音，峻宇雕墙。 有一于此，未或弗亡。 （卷二　尚书）
5. King Yu of antiquity said: “If a ruler is obsessed with womanizing and hunting, drinking fine wine, singing and dancing, living in lofty mansions with intricate wall paintings and carvings; any one of these will surely bring forth the ruin of his country.” Scroll 2: Shang Shu

6. 故乱国之主，务于广地，而不务于仁义，务于高位， 而不务于道德，是舍其所以存，而造其所以亡也。 （卷三十五　文子）
6. Hence, a ruler who can ruin a country will be a leader zealous about expanding his territory but unconcerned with his duty to advance benevolence. He is concerned with pursuing a position of great authority but does not care too much about promoting virtues. By doing this, he has in fact given up all the conditions that can assure his country’s survival. Inevitably he will lead the country to a path of destruction. Scroll 35: Wen Zi

7. 人主之大患，莫大乎好名。人主好名，则群臣知所 要矣。 （卷四十八　体论）
7. Nothing can do more harm to a leader than widespread knowledge of the fact that he craves adoration and popularity. Once a leader falls into the traps of wanting an inflated name for himself, his officials will know what he wants and conform to his wishes. Scroll 48: Ti Lun