Before Thirty, Talent; After Thirty, Perseverance
Over four or five days, in bits and pieces, I finished watching the twelve-episode documentary The Journey of Xuanzang. I was quite moved after watching it, and conceived the idea of writing a book titled The Lives of the Wise, in which I would set down the legendary experiences and thought outlines of the life-sages I have admired in my lifetime, introducing to readers their main ideas and life experiences. Perhaps this may awaken in some readers a desire to read on, and prompt them to read deeply in the works of these sages; if this goal is achieved, my pains will not have been in vain.
The Journey of Xuanzang recounts the life of the Tripitaka Master Xuanzang. The master was precocious in childhood, unfortunate in youth, indefatigable in seeking learning in young manhood, and in his middle and old age poured out his heart and soul in translating the sutras and spreading the Dharma—none of which an ordinary person could do. He showed me the highest level a person's perseverance can reach.
Life cannot be smooth sailing. From a biological point of view, from the moment of birth a person is destined to gradually age. If a person wishes to accomplish something, he must consistently hold to his ideal and rely on perseverance to sweep away all manner of distractions. The Tripitaka Master Xuanzang sacrificed his life in search of the Dharma, almost to the point of death. The firmness of his perseverance and the sincerity of his resolve are both something to look up to as one looks up to a lofty mountain. Returning from India after completing his studies in his forties, Xuanzang, relying on resolute perseverance, like a simple-minded Forrest Gump, foolishly held to his dream, poured out his heart and soul, and stubbornly translated the several million words of Buddhist sutras into Chinese. He not only brought about cultural exchange between China and India, but with his outstanding intelligence and resolute character also opened up the great phase of Chinese Buddhism that lasted for more than a thousand years thereafter.
A person cannot rely on talent to eat for a lifetime. Around the age of thirty, the brain inevitably begins to decline. For the part of life after thirty, if one is not to waste it, one must rely on perseverance. Only perseverance can help us, in worldly life, transcend the world and hold to our dreams. Only perseverance can help us be diligent and frugal, overcome our various desires for comfort and our laziness, and accomplish our undertakings. As Professor Shi Yigong said, the least important quality in life is IQ. If a person does not strive, no matter how good his IQ is, it is all wasted. If a person is to strive, he can only rely on his own perseverance to push himself forward, like the Tripitaka Master Xuanzang, pressing on himself amid all manner of difficulties.
There are many excuses for not pressing forward, but there is only one reason for pressing forward: because of love! If one loves a cause, one ought to do it well and go on; even if one must endure every hardship, one should persist to the end. If not, we can only waste our years and accomplish nothing.