到治国,小到管理一家公司,如果要搞什么“德治”,要靠管理者提升自己的思想觉悟,靠他们自觉,这是根本不可能的。谁不知道修桥补路是行善,杀人放火是作孽啊,这还用全国上下掀起多大的学习热潮啊?学归学,做归做,如果利益巨大,监督巨松,惩罚巨轻,这就是赤裸裸地鼓励大家去杀人放火谋私利呢。我们读读《左传》,会看到那年头满是“臣弑其君,子弑其父”的勾当,难道这些“臣”和“子”就不知道自己是在为非作歹么?那真是一个动荡的时代啊!
不过大家也别把以往的时代想得过于恐怖了,牟宗三当年讲解《周易》,谈“卦之德方以知”的时候,说过:“权力斗争的时候也要有相当的限制呀。以前的大皇帝政治斗争起来谁也不让谁,但它有一定范围。李世民争皇位的时候把他的兄弟都杀掉了,但与老百姓没有关系呀。他只与跟他有政治冲突的那几个人有关系,跟其他人没有关系,跟儒、释、道三教也没有关系呀!他杀他的兄弟,那是争皇位。现在政治斗争牵连很多……”牟老师这话虽然过于乐观了些,但在一定程度上还是适用于春秋时代的,越到后来,就越有“一将功成万骨枯”的事情了。顺便一提,“卦之德方以知”,“知”字通“智”,晚明时期有著名的“四公子”,其中一人姓方,名字就叫方以智,正是脱胎于此。
再看《文言》,说“臣弑其君,子弑其父”这种重大悲剧的形成“非一朝一夕之故”,正是坤卦初六爻“履霜,坚冰至”的道理,冰冻三尺非一日之寒。相应的,如果真要解决这种问题,最好别等到冰冻三尺的时候,而是一看到地面上刚刚结霜就早做准备。这种见微知著的能力并不见得就是什么特异功能,或者是靠算卦算出来——你如果走路踩着霜就知道将来会冰冻三尺,那你为什么就没可能预知几十年后的社会发展呢?
这可不是耸人听闻,具备这手本领的不乏其人,别说中国人行,外国人也行。f.a. hayek早就做到了,虽然他从来没研究过《周易》。
很多人都读过f.a. hayek的the road to serfdom,其实还有人就这本书编过一个漫画版,把作者的高超预见明确地分成了十八个步骤,简单明了。我们可以把第一个步骤看作是“履霜”,然后根据已知的规律一步一步地推知以后的情况。我这里就只引步骤,不放漫画了——
1-war forces “national planning”
to permit total mobilization of your country‘s economy, you gladly surrender many freedoms. you know regimentation was forced by your country’s enemies.
2-many want “planning” to stay ...
arguments for a “peace production board” are heard before the war ends. wartime “planners” who want to stay in power, encourage the idea.
3-the “planners promise utopias ....
a rosy plan for farmers goes well in rural areas, a plan for industrial workers is popular in cities -- and so on. many new “planners” are elected to office ...
4-but they can‘t agree on one utopia
with peace, a new legislature meets; but “win the war” unity is gone. the “planners” nearly come to blows. each has his own pet plan, won’t budge.
5-and citizens can‘t agree either ....
when the “planners” finally patch up a temporary plan months later, citizens in turn disagree. what the farmer likes, the factory worker doesn’t like.
6-“planners” hate to force agreement ...
most “national planners” are well-meaning idealists, balk at any use of force. they hope for some miracle of public agreement as to their patchwork plan.
7-they try to “sell” the plan to all ...
in an unsuccessful effort to educate people to uniform views, “planners” establish a giant propaganda machine -- which coming dictator will find handy.
8-the gullible do find agreement ....
meanwhile, growing national confusion leads to protest meetings. the least educated -- thrilled and convinced by fiery oratory, form a party.
9-confidence in “planners” fades ....
the more that the “planners” improvise, the greater the disturbance to normal business. everybody suffers. people now feel -- rightly -- that “planners” can‘t get things done!
10-the “strong man” is given power ...
in desperation, “planners” authorize the new party leader to hammer out a plan and force its obedience. later, they’ll dispense with him -- or so they think.
11-the party takes over the country ...
by now, confusion is so great that obedience to the new leader must be obtained at all costs. maybe you join the party yourself to aid national unity.
12-a negative aim welds party unity ...
early step of all dictators is to inflame the majority in common cause against some scapegoat minority. in germany, the negative aim was anti-semitism.
13-no one opposes the leader‘s plan ...
it would be suicide; new secret police are ruthless. ability to force obedience always becomes the no.1 virtue in the “planned state.” now all freedom is gone.
14-your profession is “planned” ....
the wider job choice promised by now defunct “planners” turns out to be a tragic farce. “planners” never have delivered, never will be able to.
15-your wages are “planned” ....
divisions of the wage scale must be arbitrary and rigid. running a “planned state” from central headquarters is clumsy, unfair, inefficient.
16-your thinking is “planned” ....
in the dictatorship, unintentionally created by the planners, there is no room for difference of opinion. posters, radio, press -- all tell you the same lies!
17-your recreation is “planned” ....
it is no coincidence that sports and amusements have been carefully “planned” in all regimented nations. once started, “planners” can’t stop.
18-your disciplining is “planned” ....
if you‘re fired from your job, it’s apt to be by a firing squad. what used to be an error has now become a crime against the state. thus ends the road to serfdom!
厉害吧,人家这可能就叫“善《易》者不卜”,一个卦没排,就推演出了几十年后的社会发展,现在几十年过去,我们回头一看,八九不离十啊!
回到《文言》,下一句:“‘直’其正也,‘方’其义也。君子敬以直内,义以方外,敬义立而德不孤。‘直、方、大,不习无不利’,则不疑其所行也。”——这是解释六二爻的爻辞的,把“直方大”好好发挥了一回。
“敬以直内,义以方外”,这是后儒非常推崇的一句话,意思是说,自己的个人修养要做到内心端正(这是对内),待人做事要有原则(这是对外)。“敬”这个字很神奇,不大好解释,大体来说,就是要有恭敬之心,要拿自己当回事。接下来,做人如果做到“敬以直内,义以方外”的份上,也就不会有太多犹豫不决的问题了,自然“不习无不利”,坦坦荡荡做人,踏踏实实做事。
“阴虽有美,‘含’之以从王事,弗敢成也。地道也,妻道也,臣道也,地道无成而代有终也。”——这是阐发六三爻的爻辞“含章,可贞,或从王事,无成有终”,说坤卦所象征的阴柔虽然是很好的,但要收敛自己,甘做默默无闻的老黄牛,事要自己来干,风头要让领导去出,这是大地之道,妻子之道,人臣之道,虽然风头全给了天(丈夫、领导),但自己也能落些好处。
女同志可能该有意见了:这不是赤裸裸的性别歧视么!可我们要知道,在古代男权社会里就是这个样子啊。还别说古代中国,就连当代西方,又何尝真正男女平等了?女作家jane smiley问过一个掷地有声的问题:“在黑暗房间里独处的女人是不是女人?”
这话得捉摸一下才能明白,她的意思是,女性是依附男性而存在的,女人只有作为“男人身边的女人”时才有意义,他们之间的关系是藤缠树的关系,所以,“在黑暗房间里独处的女人是不是女人”这个问题就等同于“没有缠着树的藤是不是藤”。
当然,个案并不说明问题,可贝姆性别角色调查表(bsri)可是心理学的权威工具,它在当代美国白人中产阶级家庭的调查结论是完全支持smiley的那个问题的。我们还是接受现实吧,直到另一个母系氏族社会来临。
“天地变化,草木蕃。天地闭,贤人隐。《易》曰:‘括囊,无咎无誉’,盖言谨也。”——这是阐发六四爻的爻辞的:天地变化,草木茂盛,天地闭塞,贤人隐居,爻辞所谓“括囊,无咎无誉”,大概是说要谨慎吧。
《文言》的作者很老实,最后一句“大概是说要谨慎吧”(盖言谨也),意思是说自己对这句爻辞也拿不大准。连《易传》有时候都拿不准《易经》的意思,两千多年后的我不就更拿不准么。
《易传》拿不准《易经》的意思,这在《周易》里可不是绝无仅有的例子,而且,有时候《易传》明显把卦爻辞的意思解释歪了,十篇《易传》之间也有互相矛盾的地方。所以《周易》是本很难读的书啊。
“君子黄中通理,正位居体,美在其中而畅于四支,发于事业,美之至也。”——这句是阐发六五爻的爻辞“黄裳,元吉”的,前边已经介绍过了。回忆一下:“黄中”说的是黄色的内衣。
【打 印】 【来源:读书之家-dushuzhijia.com】