Confucius Analects – Side tracks – 孔子论语 – 小道

19.1 Superior man avoids side tracks

子夏曰、雖小道、必有 可觀者焉、致遠恐泥、是以君子不為也。

Zixia said, ‘Even in inferior studies and employments there is something worth being looked at; but if it be attempted to carrythem out to what is remote, there is a danger of running into mud. Therefore, the superior man does not practise them.’

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What are side tracks?  In Confucius Analects, side tracks refer to pathways that does not lead people directly to personal cultivation or social harmony.  E.g. all technologies and skills such as farming, engineering, commerce, medical exploration, etc.  Pursuing these skills are not bad, but they don’t necessarily make you a better person, and help one grows in spirit.

For spiritual students, pursuing practices for the sake of mere curiosity and glamour can be dangerous, or in less severe case wasting time and energy.  As the Analects described, while many practices can yield some effect in the short run,  indulging one’s self in unknown practices can prevent or trap practitioners from making progress in the core spiritual path.

In the Taoist tradition, Master Li Daochun had drawn together a comprehensive list describing different levels of side tracks (The Book of Balance and Harmony, Chapter 2).  In the Buddhist tradition, the Buddha himself described the different levels of phenomena/tests one will face in advanced state of meditation (Shurangama Sutra, Chapter 9).  These are very valuable references to serious spiritual students whose goal is self-transcendence and spiritual enlightenment.

Side tracks are not to be afraid, they just need to be seen as what they are, then one can proceed safely through them.

As enlightened master described: Straight and narrow is the path, waste no time.

19.1 小道

子夏曰、雖小道、必有 可觀者焉、致遠恐泥、是以君子不為也。

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什么是小道，在孔子“论语”中，小道指，与个人修养或社会和谐并没有直接关系的道路或修行。例如如农业，工程，商业，医疗等技术或技能。修这些小道不是坏，只是它不一定能帮你成会一个更好的人，或帮助你心灵成长。

对心灵学生而言，如果为了单纯的好奇，而去胡乱盲目学习和修练各种小道法门，可以是危险的。虽然很多小道可以在很短的时间内产生一定的效果，但很多小道会令人沉迷，偏离正道，甚至有害身心和他人。

在道家的传统中，中派祖师李道纯描述了不同层次的小道（中和集，第2章）。

在佛家傳統中，佛陀自己也描述了冥想中出現的不同層次的現象和境界（楞严经，第9章）。认真的心灵学生应该在潜心修炼之前，就认清这些小道。

我们不需要害怕小道，当我们认清它们的面目和性质后，就能于它们中前进。知己知彼，就能百战百胜。

正如心灵大师所说：直理的路是直和窄的，不要浪费你宝贵的时间。