Essays on Life

刘义Feb 2025

2.9

Word count: 57K words
Chapters: 55

Summary

This book owes its beginning to a friend's remark. He said that life's hardships, the good and evil in human nature, and the difficulties of living could fill a book and strike a chord with others. I thought he was right: it was a meaningful thing to do, and worth doing. Then came three years of being shut indoors for certain reasons, so I took up my brush and let my thoughts wander, writing as they came. That I was able to keep at it owes much to my friend's encouragement and support, for which I am deeply grateful. The book is chiefly about the nature of the world—this world of endurance, where sorrow outweighs joy—and about life's birth, aging, sickness, and death, and the formation, duration, decay, and emptiness of things. It also covers the shaping of one's worldview, moral conduct, the ways of the world, judging and employing people, life experience, and more. If the knowledge in these pages adds something or broadens the reader's horizons, that is my greatest comfort and the book's reason for being.

Editor's review

Ren Sheng Sui Bi is a collection of essays that began with a casual conversation among friends and took shape over three years of staying indoors. With "this world of endurance, where sorrow outweighs joy" as its backdrop, the author, Liu Yi, brings grand themes—birth, aging, sickness, and death; formation, duration, decay, and emptiness—down to everyday experience: shaping a worldview, moral conduct, the ways of the world, judging and employing people. It offers both a broad understanding of the nature of the world and plain-spoken observations on the details of living. The book makes no claim to a rigorous system; it is written as thoughts arise and feelings move it, reading like someone who has been through it all sitting across from you and speaking slowly—plain in tone, seldom preachy. Its value lies in connecting personal hardship with the common predicaments of life, giving readers points of reference through shared feeling; its strength is that insights are scattered across the pieces, now broadening the view, now prompting self-reflection, making it well suited to reading in spare moments. If you are at a stage of confusion about life's direction or the proper measure of conduct, or want a bedside book that neither hurries nor dawdles, its pace and topics will suit you well.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Adult readers who enjoy essays and reflections and prefer plain-spoken narration
People going through life's ups and downs who need resonance and points of reference
Readers interested in topics such as worldly wisdom and judging and employing people
Readers who want to dip in and out during spare moments

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic philosophical argument or a rigorous framework
Readers who prefer strong plots and fast-paced narrative
Those with little interest in the essay form who need clear-cut conclusions

Reading tips

No need to read in order; start with the pieces that interest you, such as "Shaping a Worldview" or "The Ways of the World."
Pause every few pieces, note down the lines that move you, and reflect on them in light of your own experience.
Keep it by the bed or in your commuting bag and read a piece or two in ten-minute snatches.
When you meet a view unlike your own, resist the urge to dismiss it; treat it as a chance for self-examination.

版权信息
作者简介
堪忍世界
人生八苦
活着没有意思
打坐
仁义
富贵
文人
婚姻家庭
善行恶行
瘟疫
谋生
友谊
口过
无明痴迷
命运
分寸
人生三种重要学问
四恩
福慧
超前消费
四种人自带贵气
人分三六九等
人生三见
去靠近拥有正能量之人
信人别信嘴，交人要交心
有一种无耻叫跟穷人谈理想
不要伤害一个对你好的人
做生意，精明不如厚道
再善良，这五种忙也不要帮
心有道，茶为径
孤独
独处，静守心灵的美好
做最好的自己
一个人再有本事，也别炫耀这三样东西
内心强大的特征
青年时看远，中年时看开，老年时看淡
人的运气好坏，都有因果
四圣谛
三观
人类最大愚痴就是以为没有来生
十二种病药与贪淫之苦
戒淫
练精化气
浅说十一种盲修瞎炼永远不能成就
修与不修（虚云开示）
箴言悟语
缺点背后都是苦难
修行的思路
论心空无一法可得
八识的性质
走火入魔
修行之始
修心

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a collection of essays?

It is a collection of essays, not a novel. In his preface the author explains that he wrote it because a friend brought up life's hardships, the good and evil in human nature, and the difficulties of living; he took up his brush and wrote as his thoughts wandered. The content revolves around the nature of the world, worldview, moral conduct, the ways of the world, and similar topics, in a form of casual notes and reflections.

Can I read it without any background knowledge?

Yes. The author says the knowledge in the book may broaden the reader's horizons, but the writing rests mainly on personal reflection and life experience and does not depend on specialized knowledge. Ordinary readers can simply read at their own pace and linger over entries that interest them; no preparation is needed.

Is it suitable for reading in one sitting?

Not really. The pieces are relatively independent, with varying density and emotional pace, and reading them all at once can be tiring. It is better to read a few at a time over several sittings, leaving room to digest, so that the book's experience can more easily connect with your own circumstances.

What topics does the book mainly discuss?

According to the author, it touches on the nature of the world and the understanding that "this world of endurance, where sorrow outweighs joy"; life's aging, sickness, and death and the formation, duration, decay, and emptiness of things; and shaping a worldview, moral conduct, the ways of the world, judging and employing people, and life experience. The range is broad, linked together in the form of personal reflections.

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About the author

刘义 Author

Liu Yi is an author about whom little public information is available. Two works can currently be attributed to him: Notes and Collation on the Qinghe Huachuafang and Random Essays on Life, falling respectively into the categories of classic works and prose miscellany. The Qinghe Huachuafang is a Ming-dynasty compilation of painting and calligraphy records assembled by Zhang Chou; a work of "collation and discussion" of this kind generally points to textual criticism and verification, suggesting that Liu Yi's scholarly approach leans toward traditional documentary editing, with attention to comparing editions and examining historical materials on painting and calligraphy. Such work is unobtrusive but offers readers a more solid reference for understanding ancient catalogues of art. Random Essays on Life turns to prose miscellany, with subjects drawn from everyday observations and personal reflection in what appears to be a plain and unhurried style, forming a contrast with the former volume—one devoted to textual research, the other to personal expression. Because basic details such as dates of birth and death, native place, and profession cannot be verified, his life remains difficult to outline, and only his extant works can be briefly introduced.