读书笔记_成圣

There are all kinds and conditions of men. With regard to any one of these kinds, there is the highest form of achievement of which any one kind of man is capable. For instance, there are the men engaged in pratical politics. The highest form of achievement in that class of men is that of the great stateman. So also in the field of art, the highest form of achievement of which artists are capable is that of the great artist. Although there are these different classes of men, yet all of them are men. What is the highest form of achievement of which a man as a man is capable? According to the Chinese philosophers, it is nothing less than being a sage, and the highest achivemnet of a sage is the identification of the individual with the universe. The problem is, if men want to achieve this identification, do they necessarily have to abandon society or even to negate life?

人是各式各样的。每一种人，都可以取得最高的成就。例如，有的人从政，在这个领域里，最高成就便是成为一个伟大的政治家。同样，在艺术领域里，最高成就便是成为一个伟大的艺术家。人可能被氛围不同的登记，但他们都是人。就做人来说，最高成就就是什么呢？ 按中国哲学说，就是成圣，成圣的最高成就是:个人和宇宙合二为一。问题在于，如果人追求天人合一，是否需要抛弃社会，甚至否定人生呢？