第155集 — 倫常道德是永恆不變的真理

所以人不能沒有道德，不能不講倫常，倫是五倫，是人跟人的關係，要講清楚、要明瞭，大家要遵守，人與人之間一片和睦。人有做人的基本德行，就是五常，常是永恆不變，超越時空，在全世界無論什麼地方都行得通，都受人歡迎。

That’s why people cannot live without morals and ethics. The Five Ethical Relationships is about the relationships between people which must be well taught and understood. Everyone must adhere to it so that they can co-exist in harmony. The basic moral conduct of being a good person is the Five Constants ^[1]. Constantness denotes eternality or transcending time and space. In other words, it is effective and popular anywhere in the world.

常是永恆不變，過去三千年行，三千年之後的今天還行得通，往後三千年依然行得通。這個道理是真道理，是真理，禁得起考驗，只有五個字，仁義禮智信。仁者愛人，三千年前愛人是對的，今天愛人還是對的，往後三千年愛人依舊是對的，沒錯。

Since its truths are eternal, it was effective three thousand years ago and is still effective today after three thousand years, and will remain effective three thousand years in the future. It can thus stand the test of time. The Five Constants consist of only five words, namely, benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and trustworthiness. A benevolent person would always love others. That’s why it was right to love people three thousand years ago, and it is still right to love people today and three thousand years down the road.

義是循理，我們常說合情合理合法，這叫義，不能違背情理法。禮是禮貌、禮節，非常重要，人與人之間、人與天地萬物之間要有秩序，不可以亂來，禮有節度，不能不及，也不能過分。

Righteousness is being reasonable. We often say that being sensible, reasonable and ethical is called ‘righteousness.’ In other words, one cannot violate reasons, the truths and the laws. Courtesy is decency and etiquette, which are supremely important. There must be order between people, as well as between people and everything in the world; disorder and confusion must be avoided at all cost. Moderation must be applied when it comes to practising courtesy; there should neither be inadequacy nor excessiveness.

智是理智，告訴我們不可以感情用事，感情用事會出亂子，人要有理性。最後一個字是信用，要守信，不能妄語，更不可以兩舌，不綺語，不惡口，口的四德。

Wisdom is being rational. It tells us not to act emotionally as that will cause trouble. People must be rational. The last word is ‘trustworthiness’ which implies that one must honour one’s promise and cannot lie, let alone uttering divisive, enticing and abusive speech (i.e., the four virtues of speech).

再延伸出四維八德，千年萬世它不會改變。不是科學裡頭的定律，這個人發現了以為是真理，過個一、二十年別人發現你是錯誤的，把你推翻。所以現在科學家沒有敢說他發現的東西是真理，永恆不變不敢講。中國東西是真理，永恆不變，不能不知道。

The Five Constants are extended to the Four Anchors and the Eight Virtues. Unlike the law in science, they will never change for thousands of years. In the case of science, what this person discovered was thought to be the truth, but ten to twenty years later, someone else might discover that his findings are wrong. That’s why scientists now dare not claim what they discovered are eternal truths. We must know that these Chinese things are eternal truths.