Moreover, all life philosophy, art of living, and moral values are deeply expressed in 8 simple, understandable, and extremely simple words:
1. “Learn how to eat” as the foundation for becoming a good person
Eating is a necessary activity for every human being because with food, we grow, have the energy to do great things in the future. However, eating to live and living to eat are two completely different things, which will bring completely different values in life. That is why people must learn how to “eat”. Eating is the most basic and essential need for any living creature.
From an early age, children are taught to eat neatly, without dropping food around. Especially because rice is the “jewel of heaven”, it should not be left over in the bowl, it must be finished. It’s not because of hunger or regret, but not leaving rice in the bowl is a form of saving in the simplest things in life.
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People in the past also taught that eating a lot is not as good as eating enough because “chewing well for a long time is good for digestion”. If eating is focused and meticulous, food will be better converted into energy than eating too much and disturbing, even potentially harmful to the body, leading to stomach pain.
Furthermore, the act of eating has been elevated to eating in a beautiful and meaningful way, to demonstrate that one is an educated person. When chewing sounds create a “crunchy” sound, when eating and gnawing, and the mouth is not closed, it will create a very bad impression for the opposite person.
Not only that, ancient people also taught that one should “look at the pot while eating, look at the path while sitting”, “if there is food, there is a place to eat”. Eating and drinking need to be thoughtful, measured, both guests and hosts must have a polite manner in order to gain the respect of those at the same table. By learning how to eat, people both understand the value of others and respect their own value.
2. “Learn how to speak” is self-awareness
Compared to “learning how to eat”, “learning how to speak” is more sophisticated and complex. Speaking is not only the activity of making sounds from the throat but also reflects the way of thinking. Ancients did not have a simple notion of “learning how to speak” like the speaking practice of “children learn to speak when they reach three years old”. Instead, they aimed to learn how to think, how to think. The more eloquent and profound the words are, the more they demonstrate intelligence and the depth of thought.
Behind the functions of conversation such as information exchange, persuasion, and expression… learning how to speak ultimately is the act of expressing oneself as a unique individual. In fact, humans communicate not only with others but also with themselves. Therefore, “learning how to speak” involves delving deep into self-consciousness, thereby understanding the true value of oneself.
3. “Learning how to package” is not the same as “covering up good and showing off”
“Learning how to package” is to learn how to express the spiritual value, the sincere and educated self of a person who does the “packaging” job.
From another perspective, the ancients believed that “packaging” at a higher level is about self-awareness. Packaging oneself within limits, restraining desires in life, knowing oneself enough, and knowing when to stop. The viewpoint of “knowing oneself enough is enough” of the ancients can be considered the philosophy of “packaging”.
A person living in society, knowing how to be content with oneself, satisfied with what one has, that person will always be balanced and receive the respect of those around. If one does not know enough, does not know how to “package” their desires under control, it will easily lead to mistakes because desire easily overwhelms reason, causing chaos.
4. “Learning how to open” is learning how to deal with people and situations
In contrast to “packaging”, “opening” means removing oneself from the structure that has been shaped by packaging. Ancient people believed that when the Buddha taught people to know “give, love, make people happy, and learn to let go”, it was also teaching the realm of “learning how to open”. These four words are the philosophy of the concept of “opening”.
The sparkling sunlight, the fresh air, people who know how to “open” will see themselves always loved and protected in the heavens and the earth, knowing that they still have much more grace than others and that they are in a position of freedom. Likewise, when you see a painful look or a happy smile, if you know how to “open”, you will be more profound and tolerant.
Not knowing how to “open”, the miracles will be hidden even though they are right in front of you, and life will become monotonous and dull. Learning how to “open” correctly will never lose oneself, on the contrary, it is to create opportunities to become oneself, to recognize one’s own value in life and creation.
