The essence of the Chinese philosophy of "finding one’s rooting and establishing a purpose in life." (Part 1)

Chinese philosophy is knowledge of life. So what is the meaning of life? What is to "finding one’s rooting and establishing a purpose in life "?

Chinese philosophy declares knowledge of life, and the biggest issue is "finding one’s rooting and establishing a purpose in life?" How can people find a way of real life that allows them to live with peace of mind and then break through the finite body to realize eternal value? As a person, it is a never-ending pursuit throughout life.

"Life is less than a hundred years old," and there is always more chasten than joy, and birth, aging, illness, and death are inevitable in just a few decades of years. But what is the value of life? What is the significance? Is life bitter or joyful? Is it luck or misfortune? And we know that people always have an attachment to life without giving up. Many of these issues are "Finding one’s rooting and establishing a purpose in life." that Chinese philosophy attempts to solve.

This entry point is entirely different from the knowledge system emphasized in the Western tradition--the Chinese believe that solving knowledge problems is not equivalent to resolving spiritual issues. Knowledge tradition cannot replace humanistic tradition. The establishment of the value of knowledge is mainly aimed at the "cognitive self" and cannot meet the life needs of the "emotional self" and "moral self." Therefore, Chinese philosophy does not evade the answer to the life issue, regardless of individual schools.

What is "finding one’s rooting "?

Having a physical form is in terms of this life in the real world, while this is what medicine calls life. The "establishing a purpose in life" is not just a medical reference to the life and is a kind of meaning and value of life that can achieve eternal life. It means people can break through the finite body and leave a long, endless, and infinite life value in the universe. It is from the spiritual sense of the metaphysical world, not the practical sense of the empirical world.

Thus, what is "finding one’s rooting "? Here, what factors can cause the body's "unrooting."

What is the most considerable pain in life-- It's losing, especially forfeiting everything you once had, which is a bit close to what Buddhism calls "impermanence". For example, people will lose their youth, health, wealth, friends, love..., and even the death of their closest relatives. Finally, they lose their lives. Therefore, those as talented as Li Bai can't help but sigh, "Can't you see the water of the Yellow River rushing from heaven? The waves rolled straight toward the East China Sea and never returned. Do you not see the mirrors bright in chambers? Grieve over your snow-white hair, though once it was silk-black?" Therefore, we can't help but ask whether happiness is subjective or objective. Can one break free from the limitations of fate? Although physical life cannot be eternal, can the value of life be everlasting? Therefore, the purpose of finding one’s rooting in Chinese philosophy is to help us become independent and self-sufficient. No matter what we face, we can all live happily.

How can we establish a sense of "rootedness"? We need to understand the significance of our mindset in establishing rootedness. How can we get the power of rootedness？?

Zai Wo once asked Confucius if people needed to observe the "three-year mourning" for parents. Confucius used "feudal system collapses, and rites and music deteriorate" as the reason for opposing "long mourning" -- "If the superior man abstains for three years from the observances of propriety, those observances will be quite lost. If he abstains from music, music will ruin for three years." Confucius asked back when his parents died, but you have beautiful dresses and fine food. Will you feel at ease? --" If you were to eat good rice and wear embroidered clothes, would you feel at ease?" Confucius also explained the inner sorrow of mourning, which makes people's food not delicious, and listening to music is not happy. This kind of mourning is meaningful. Why bother with false mourning if you don't feel it at all? --"A superior man, during the mourning period, does not enjoy pleasant food which he may eat, nor derive pleasure from music which he may hear. He also does not feel at ease if he lodges comfortably. Therefore, he does not do what you propose. But now you feel at ease and may do it." So Confucius said, do it if you can feel at ease! Confucius was not a formalist.

Confucius used the "sincerity" of appealing to individuals to ask themselves, "are they peace or not?"  as the criterion of conduct.

For example, although Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River, he was full of enthusiasm and blood. "I'd not regret a thousand times to die!" He would still enjoy bitter as if it were malt sugar, even if he made a new choice.

Du Fu also had a poem saying, "even the sunflower leaves are facing the sun, how can I easily get rid of my loyal nature." It is the nature of sunflowers and bean vines to chase the sun, and the nature of things cannot change. Things are still like this, let alone people. Du Fu's loyal and loving nature of worrying about the country and the people made him think in his heart when he experienced the sadness of his child starving to death and the autumn wind thatched hut, "Where can I get a big broad shelter a thousand, ten thousand spans wide, huge roof that all the world's poor people can share with smiling faces?" Selfless great love is the "rootedness" of his mind!

Also, a well-known writer in Taiwan, Yi-Jia Wang, gave up his soon-to-be-acquired career as a doctor. Instead, he devoted himself to the early stage of medical education in Taiwan, where medical concepts were still very backward then, and founded the magazine "Health World". He left in completing the task stage and invested in the Wild Goose Publishing establishment to publish his perfect works. "It is better to fly high for wild geese than to roam only the years for tame geese!"

Such a passion for life that "you can live for and die for" instead of making a living is "rootedness." It is the realization of life value.

Which positioning can I place myself in to face any stage of my life with peace of mind? A kind of calm that makes people willingly and without complaint or regret, and can turn their hearts from competing in the world of mortals to being steadfast and persistent -- to be honest and courageous in facing themselves.