佚名/Anonymous
The only problem unconsciously assumed by all Chinese Philosophers to be of any importance is: How shall we enjoy life, and who can best enjoy life? No perfectionism, no straining after the unattainable, no postulating of the unknowable, but taking poor, mortal human nature as it is, how shall we organize our life so that we can work peacefully, endure nobly and live happily?
Who are we? That is the first question. It is a question almost impossible to answer. But we all agree that the busy self occupied in our daily activities is not quite the real self. We are quite sure we have lost something in the mere pursuit of living. When we watch a person running about looking for something in a field, the wise man can set a puzzle for all the spectators to solve: What has that person lost? Someone thinks it is a watch; another thinks it is a diamond brooch; and others will essay other guesses. After all the guesses have failed, the wise man who really doesn't know what the person is seeking, tells the company,“I'll tell you. He has lost some breath.”And no one can deny that he is right. So we often forget true self in the pursuit of living, like a bird forgetting its own danger in pursuit of a mantis, who again forgets its own danger in the pursuit of another prey, as is so beautifully expressed in a parable by Chuangtse.
中國所有的哲學家在不知不覺中認為唯一重要的問題是：我們要怎樣享受人生？誰最會享受人生？我們不追求十全十美的理想，我們不尋找那些得不到的東西，我們不要求知道那些不得而知的東西；我們隻認識不完美的、會死的人類的本性，那我們要怎樣調整我們的人生，使我們可以平和地工作著，曠達地忍耐著，幸福地生活著呢？
我們是誰呢？這是第一個問題。這個問題幾乎是無法答複的。可是我們都承認在我們日常活動中那麽忙碌的自我，並不完全是真正的自我；我們相信我們在生活的追求中已經失掉了一些東西。當我們看見一個人在一片田野裏跑來跑去尋找東西時，智者可以弄出一個難題給所有旁觀者去解答：那個人失掉了什麽東西呢？有人猜是一隻表；有人猜是一枝鑽石胸針；還有人作著其他的猜測。智者也不知道那個人在尋找什麽東西；當大家都猜不中的時候，他會對大家說：“我告訴你們吧。他失掉了一些氣息。”沒有人會否認他的話的正確性。所以我們在生活的追求中常常忘掉了真正的自我，像莊子在一個美妙的寓言裏所講的那樣，一隻鳥為了捕捉一隻螳螂而忘記了自身的危險，而那隻螳螂為了捕捉一隻蟬也忘記了自身的危險。