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.
中国所有的哲学家在不知不觉中认为唯一重要的问题是：我们要怎样享受人生？谁最会享受人生？我们不追求十全十美的理想，我们不寻找那些得不到的东西，我们不要求知道那些不得而知的东西；我们只认识不完美的、会死的人类的本性，那我们要怎样调整我们的人生，使我们可以平和地工作着，旷达地忍耐着，幸福地生活着呢？
我们是谁呢？这是第一个问题。这个问题几乎是无法答复的。可是我们都承认在我们日常活动中那么忙碌的自我，并不完全是真正的自我；我们相信我们在生活的追求中已经失掉了一些东西。当我们看见一个人在一片田野里跑来跑去寻找东西时，智者可以弄出一个难题给所有旁观者去解答：那个人失掉了什么东西呢？有人猜是一只表；有人猜是一枝钻石胸针；还有人作着其他的猜测。智者也不知道那个人在寻找什么东西；当大家都猜不中的时候，他会对大家说：“我告诉你们吧。他失掉了一些气息。”没有人会否认他的话的正确性。所以我们在生活的追求中常常忘掉了真正的自我，像庄子在一个美妙的寓言里所讲的那样，一只鸟为了捕捉一只螳螂而忘记了自身的危险，而那只螳螂为了捕捉一只蝉也忘记了自身的危险。