加密数字货币交易所-《论语》详解：给所有曲解孔子的人-孟武伯问孝。子曰：父母在，不远游，游必有方。

The Master said: “While your parents are alive, do not travel far; if you must travel, have a proper destination.”

Yang Bojun: Confucius said: “When parents are alive, do not go on distant journeys. If you must go far, you must have a definite place to go.”

Qian Mu: The teacher said: “When parents are alive, do not undertake long trips. If unavoidable, you should have a specific direction.”

Li Zehou: Confucius said: “When parents are alive, do not fly far away. If you do go, it should be in a certain direction.”

Detailed explanation:

All three interpret “方” as “direction, orientation, place,” but here “方” is a phonetic loan for “谤” (slander). This is not an isolated case in the Analects; for example, the phrase “子贡方人” also carries this meaning. “远” does not refer to distance, but to remote and dangerous places; “游” here refers to “studying abroad.”

The meaning of this sentence is that, when parents are still alive, even meaningful activities like “studying abroad” are not recommended if they involve risking danger. If one must go, then there will be “谤,” meaning curses or slanders—possibly from others or from fate. The curses here could be from others or from destiny; the saying “those who commit many injustices will perish by themselves” is also a form of curse.

Confucius speaks plainly here: for a family, the inheritance of the family line is very important. Don’t think this is feudal thinking—imagine if everyone’s descendants were to cease; would humanity still exist? The only correction needed is that family inheritance does not necessarily rely on males; females are equally important. In ancient times, lifespan was shorter, and when parents are alive, the most important thing for the family is to cherish the time to continue the family line. Any activity involving risking danger is undesirable. Even if the family line continues, if risking one’s life causes white hair to turn black, that is the greatest disobedience to parents. This applies equally to men and women.

Plain translation of Chan Zhong’s Zen talk:

The Master said: “While your parents are alive, do not travel far; if you must travel, have a proper destination.”

Confucius said: “When parents are alive, their age must be remembered at all times. On one hand, because of their longevity, one feels joy; on the other, because of their longevity, one feels fear.”

Yang Bojun: Confucius said: “You must always keep in mind your parents’ age: on one hand, because of their long life, you feel happy; on the other, you feel worried.”

Qian Mu: The teacher said: “Your parents’ age must be kept in mind constantly! Thinking of it, you feel both joy and worry.”

Li Zehou: Confucius said: “You must not be unaware of your parents’ age. On one hand, joy; on the other, worry.”

Detailed explanation:

“Filial piety” is a present, directly felt emotion, and this chapter is a straightforward description of it. “Know,” from “mouth,” with a “dart” beside it, means “sharp recognition, so that what is known can be spoken quickly like an arrow.” “Parents’ age” refers to their age; “must be known” means it must be spoken out. Can you immediately, without hesitation, say your parents’ age? Most people cannot.

What can be spoken out easily? Of course, those things that are constantly on your mind, connected to your body, mind, and emotions. Our bodies come from our parents, nurtured by them, naturally making us emotionally and physically connected. If you cannot even speak your parents’ age, how can you be filial? Here, “age” not only indicates age but also includes related dates, such as their birthdays, our own birth dates, etc. Some may wonder, how is our birth date related to our parents? In fact, our birth date is a苦日 (hard day) for parents, especially for mothers. In ancient times, this was more obvious because mothers who died due to childbirth difficulties were not rare. Just being alive, the pain endured during childbirth was one of life’s great苦 (suffering).

This present emotion is “joy and worry,” a mixture of悲欣交集 (bittersweet feelings). In fact, all of life’s affairs are like this: “joy and worry,” “bittersweet.” People are neither purely苦 (suffering) nor purely樂 (joy); both coexist, making us human. According to the six realms of reincarnation, the ghost realm and hell are purely苦, heaven is purely樂, and neither is suitable for cultivation or enlightenment. Only the human realm contains both苦 and樂, with悲欣交集, which is why human life is precious. To obtain this rare human body and then fail to follow the correct path is like a blind turtle encountering a piece of wood and abandoning it—how can one avoid sinking into苦海 (the sea of suffering)? If even the most basic emotion of filial piety is absent, how can one be truly human? How can one walk the righteous path? While the Analects and Confucius are not exhaustive treatises, starting from this fundamental aspect is the most practical and straightforward approach.