Where does "无欲则刚" come from? What does "无欲则刚" mean?

The sea is vast because it can accommodate hundreds of rivers, and the cliff is strong because it has no desires. I believe that everyone is familiar with this poem, and we also know that we need to have a broad mind and not be greedy. It can also be used to describe a person's broad mind and generosity, that is, to have a tolerant character and be upright, without any selfish desires, to be selfless, so that you can stand firm and walk upright, and be fearless if you are selfless. Only by being free from delusion and desire can you cure the root cause and reach the state of selflessness and non-attachment, so that you can enter the way of sincerity. Please see the following encyclopedia knowledge introduction about it for details.

Contents of this article

1. Where does the phrase "no desire means strength" come from?

2. What does "no desire means strength" mean?

3. What does "no desire leads to strength, tolerance leads to greatness" mean?

Where does "no desire" come from?

The phrase "no desires, no strength" comes from "The Analects of Confucius - Gongye Chang Chapter 5": Confucius said, "I have never seen a man who is strong."

The ancients often said: "The sea accommodates hundreds of rivers, and tolerance makes it great; the cliff stands a thousand blades, and desirelessness makes it strong." This is a praise for the majesty of mountains and rivers, which shows the vastness of the sea and the uprightness of the mountains. It can also be used to describe a person's broad mind and generosity, that is, to have a tolerant character, to be upright, not to have any selfish desires, to be selfless, so that you can stand firm and walk upright, and selflessness makes you fearless.

What does "no desire, no strength" mean?

Without desire, one will be upright. Explanation: Without desire, one will be upright and incorruptible. From "The Analects of Confucius: Gongye Chang".

"No desire means strength", which means that the reason why a thousand-foot cliff can stand tall is because it has no worldly desires. It is a metaphor that only when people have no worldly desires can they reach a state of righteousness. Lin Zexu has a couplet: "The sea is vast because it can accommodate hundreds of rivers, and the cliff is strong because it has no desires." "No desire means strength" comes from "The Analects of Confucius". From few desires to no desires, no desire means strength, and no desires can adapt to things inside and outside. No delusion and no desire are one. Only no delusion and no desire can cure the root cause, and only then can we achieve the state of happily studying a thing, forgetting ourselves, and having no other intentions, so that the way of utmost sincerity can be entered. Quoted from "The Way of utmost sincerity" by Yueyashanren.

What does "no desire leads to strength, tolerance leads to greatness" mean?

The meaning of "no desires make one strong, and tolerance makes one great" is: the sea can accommodate hundreds of rivers because of its broadness; the mountains are so tall because they are free of worldly desires. It is a metaphor that only when people are free of worldly desires can they achieve a state of righteousness.

"The sea embraces a hundred rivers; it is great because it is tolerant; the cliff stands thousands of feet high; it is strong because it has no desires." This couplet was written by Lin Zexu, a politician in the late Qing Dynasty, in the Governor-General's Office when he was the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi.