Cai Gen Tan was written by Hong Yingming, a Taoist at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. It is a collection of quotations that discuss cultivation, life, life, and birth. The author named it after "caigen", which means "human intelligence and cultivation can only be obtained through hard training." There is another explanation: "Vegetables are things that are indispensable for daily use, so they have flavor. But the flavor comes from the roots, so anyone who grows vegetables must cultivate their roots thickly, so that the flavor will be thick. This is the book What he said about the taste of the world and the taste of the transcendent world is Bacon’s theory. Hong Yingming named Tan after a vegetable root, turning the commonplace into elegance, turning decay into magic, elegance and transcendence. While gaining insight into the world, he also illuminates everything in the world.
The ancients said: "The peace of mind makes the hut stable, and the nature is stable and the roots are fragrant." By explaining the meaning of the roots, the author melts Confucianism's benevolence and justice, Taoism's inaction to know destiny, and Buddhism's Zen detachment into one furnace. Strategies for living in the world, summarizing the wisdom of success or failure, instructing the essence of self-cultivation, distinguishing between true and false pursuits of knowledge, and pointing out the mysteries of life and death, fame and fortune; it not only advocates the enterprising spirit of actively participating in the world, running the world, benefiting the people, and benefiting future generations, It also advocates the reclusive purpose of being close to nature, leisurely traveling in mountains and rivers, being alone, and being quiet and inactive. At the same time, it also advocates the transcendent realm of compassion for heaven and earth, saving all living beings, thorough meditation, and boundless emptiness.
In terms of the form of this book, the text is composed of short sentences with parallelism and contrast. A quotation has not many words, but it is very insightful.
In addition to the author's own experiences, some of them are derived from sages' mottos, Buddhist Zen sayings, famous quotes from ancient books, and folk proverbs, so this book is very easy to memorize and spread.
From the content point of view, the author restores the original appearance of life with an optimistic attitude and a straightforward way, and is full of flexible philosophy of life. The scope of this book is extremely broad. It can be said that it elaborates on all the major issues that can be encountered in life. It covers so many aspects, but its themes are numerous and not scattered. There are only two themes, one is joining the world and the other is emerging from the world. .
This book is profound and profound, and its beauty is difficult to express in words. Only those who are willing to brew a cup of fragrant tea and taste it quietly after work will make the roots more fragrant and their minds brighter and brighter.
"Common clothes are warm, vegetables are fragrant, and reading is the most enjoyable." Not only people in adversity should read it, but people in good times should also read it carefully. Only by reading "Cai Gen Tan Quan Jian", which "quietly meditates, can you get the purpose", can you truly appreciate the hundreds of tastes of life, and can you "stand firm where the wind is slanting and the rain is urgent. Where the flowers are thick and the willows are bright, you can stand still." If you have a sharp eye, you will have to look back early when you are on a dangerous path."
——Excerpted from the preface of "Cai Gen Tan Quan Jian" by the Central Compilation and Translation Publishing House.