Wisdom from the Enlightened Makes Life More Interesting
On a weekend morning I read at home, with dozens of potted green plants before my eyes, some in full bloom, and the winter sun falling warmly on me. My heart is both tranquil and faintly joyful; I am infinitely content with this kind of life.I am deeply grateful to fate for all it has given me: it has given me food and a healthy body, saving me from hunger and disease; it has given me the ability to read and think, and the passion for constant learning, so that my life is neither empty nor boring; it has given me a sense of humor and an easygoing disposition, so that with my family I am always laughing and enjoying myself; it has given me the power of reflection, so that I constantly examine my thoughts and deeds, correct my biases, and avoid major mistakes.Over the past week I have been reading both specialized medical books—such as Epidemiology, A History of Medicine, and Jinjian of Clinical Case Records by Famous TCM Physicians: Oncology Volume—and many books that seem unrelated to medicine, such as Xu Zhuoyun's Speaking of China, Speaking of America, and Rivers Without End; Zhongguo Fojiao Tongshi (Comprehensive History of Chinese Buddhism), edited by Lai Yonghai; Einstein's The World as I See It; Gowers's Mathematics in the Very Short Introductions series; Zhu Ziqing's Talks on the Classics; the Caigentan (Vegetable Roots Discourses), which I keep flipping through; and even Hong Sheng's play The Palace of Eternal Life.Some books I merely flip through at bedtime or on the toilet; others I read carefully. If I only studied medicine, my scholarly life would be dry. But if I devote part of my time to reading other, pleasant books, I am less likely, out of sheer tedium, to abandon the life I now lead; this is one way I keep my enthusiasm for learning. Of course, this method is less intentional than it is a matter of nature.Once, when a university teacher of mine was talking heart-to-heart with me, he asked: "Zhiyuan, you read so many books with such different viewpoints; doesn't that leave you at a loss?" Twenty years have passed; I remember his question vividly but not my own answer. If I were to answer him now, I might have a more mature answer than I did then, because my mind has matured somewhat over these years. In reading I have never blindly followed any author; I have always thought independently, and this independent spirit makes it impossible for me to fall into inner conflict from encountering different views.The benefits reading brings me are boundless. The authors of the classics through the ages are outstanding wise people among humankind, and their works offer us many insights—insights enough to keep us from an uninteresting life. That is reading's greatest value.I read five to ten books a week. My method is to read professional books according to a plan and read other books as I please; when a passage occasionally benefits me, I try to note it down. Reading this way is unconstrained and relaxed; at the same time it improves reading speed and broadens my range. Reading and writing are my main modes of interaction with the world; anyone who seems solitary is inevitably interacting with the world in all sorts of ways.Einstein was always an independent, unconventional man. He said he kept a certain distance even from his relatives, so that he could think completely independently without his reason being affected by caring about anyone's opinions. It was precisely this independent spirit that led to Einstein's great discoveries. But Einstein also said: "The life I live, both materially and spiritually, is largely built on the labor of others, some living and some dead. For all I have received and am receiving, I must strive to give in equal measure. I aspire to live simply, and I often feel deeply uneasy that I consume too much of the labor of others. I do not believe the class divisions of society are justified; in the last analysis they rest on coercion. I also believe that a simple and unassuming life is good for everybody, physically and mentally."I deeply agree with these words. However spiritually independent a person is, he must admit that a great part of the material and spiritual goods we enjoy were not created by ourselves but obtained from the society we live in. So Einstein said, "Philosophically speaking, mankind is not free at all; every person's behavior is constrained not only by external pressures but also by inner needs"—this is an honest attitude. To others Einstein is a great man, but to himself he is also someone who needs help from other members of society; with gratitude he serves the public in return for what others have given him.Whether for an individual or a people, drawing material and spiritual nourishment from the outside is no disgrace. Nourishment absorbed from without can promote the growth of each individual's body and mind, and can also promote the development of a nation. In his book Rivers Without End, Xu Zhuoyun wrote: "As history progresses, both the content of Chinese culture and the space it occupies keep changing: from a 'China' centered on the Yellow River basin, step by step toward a 'China' within world culture. At each stage, 'China' had to confront other peoples and the cultures they had created; through constant contact and exchange, welcoming or rejecting, it finally changed itself, and also changed the cultures of those neighboring peoples, and even fused 'self' and 'other' into a new 'self.' This interaction between 'self' and 'other' made Chinese culture grow continuously and occupy ever greater geographical space. From the Neolithic Age onward, over thousands of years, a pluralistic and complex Chinese cultural system finally took shape." So from a tiny individual to a huge people, nothing exists in isolation.Reading, too, is like a good medicine, healing me at any time. Occasionally I, too, grow agitated because of outside influences, and sometimes even become angry or sad. But such feelings can always be adjusted through reading; many wise people through the ages have endured the same sufferings we encounter in life, and they always use wisdom to dissolve the pain those sufferings bring.For me, the comfort of money cannot be compared with the enlightenment of these wise people. As Einstein put it: "Wealth cannot further the progress of mankind, even when it is placed in the hands of those who still desire that goal. Only the example of great and pure characters can inspire noble thoughts and actions. Money only breeds selfishness and leads its possessor, irresistibly, to abuse it." Money is unreliable because human desires are endless, yet society can satisfy only limited wishes. The philosopher Schopenhauer said: "A man can do what he wants, but he cannot will what he wants." If we see this essential truth of life, we will not set our expectations too high; it is precisely excessive self-expectations that cause many people's suffering.