He had three times ascending to the position equivalent to the status of the Prime minister of the nation, and his seven sons all occupied the high rank-and-file at the Emperor’s court. With the tremendous success in his life time, possessing power, wealth, prestige to the immeasurable extent, he propounded the concept of "pre-determinism" based on his theatrical life experiences.
From both the official history and popular legends, he was born into a wealthy family. However, his father
believed in a fortune-teller who told him that his son would be a superstar in
the officialdom through twist and turns. To reach that level of success, his son needed to go through
dramatic life challenges. Thus, before
his death, the father sold out all his fortunes and donated some to a temple. After
his parents passed away, He- 呂蒙正 lived in a shed via a
rough life as a poor student (落魄的書生.) Gradually he stopped by and stayed at the temple for a basic
survival. People looked down up him for his untidy, low-life style of living.
Finally he was kicked out of the temple, living as a beggar on the street (from a princelike life turning into a pauper). As legends said that one night, 呂 dreamt of the
god of Tai-bai (the current North Star, or the Venus?) who informed him that he was destined to
marry the local genteel Liu’s daughter. There would be a festival held for her to select a husband via the ritual of
tossing-the-wedding ball. Tai-Bai urged him not to missing this great
opportunity. So, He went.
On the other side of the story was Miss Liu 富家女劉月娥, the precious daughter of the rich genteel landlord, who had a gut feeling that someone special would pick up her wedding-ball. She waited for that person to show up. Then she identified 呂 because behind him she saw the god of Literature. She made sure that 呂was the promising guy, and threw the wedding ball to his direction. Suddenly, 呂 found he got the ball (as legends said that the god of Tai-Bai helped make it happen.) Thus, 呂 brought forth the ball to the rich father, but the local community despised 呂 and beat him up. Miss Liu believed in him who was her future, insisting to marry him and challenged her father’s brutal treatment to her future husband. Unable to deal with his doted daughter’s anger, finally the father succumbed to her rebellious behaviors and let them go.
One day. 呂 accidentally found a melon. He was hungry, so he put it on the rail
of a bridge and tried to break it into two, one for himself, and saving the
other half for his wife. Unfortunately, upon breaking the melon, it just fell
into the river. Frustrated, he fell his
life was so miserable that even a melon would fail him. Then he intended to
drown himself by jumping into the river. Suddenly the god of Tai-Bai appeared
again and saved his life. 呂 went home and told the story to his wife who comforted him and gave
him a bag of gold.
The reality was that, though they were forced out of the town, the rich mother of Miss Liu, secretly giving the daughter
money. The wife, Miss Liu informed 呂 that the national officialdom examination was approaching. She urged
him to participate in the National competition held at the Capitol. Then, what
a great success, he earned the highest score and entered into the most
desirable career of the man: the rank-n-file bureaucrat at the King’s court.
His wisdom and talent won him a popular minister. One episode depicted an aspect of his personality. When he was old, the King asked to recommend one of his sons to be a successor. But he replied to the king, “All my sons are mediocre. None of them is capable to take on such a big role. But if I have to recommend, then there is an appropriate person whom I think is the best to take on this job - 呂夷簡.” 呂夷簡 is his nephew.
His wisdom and talent won him a popular minister. One episode depicted an aspect of his personality. When he was old, the King asked to recommend one of his sons to be a successor. But he replied to the king, “All my sons are mediocre. None of them is capable to take on such a big role. But if I have to recommend, then there is an appropriate person whom I think is the best to take on this job - 呂夷簡.” 呂夷簡 is his nephew.
In
呂’s life time, he wrote great poems, mottos, and axioms. The common
theme underscoring them is the concept
of naturalistic pre-determinism, close to pessimism, fatalism and defeatism, defying any bit of human agency which is the capacity of an actor to act in a given environment.
Since the concept of agency has much broader definitions involving in philosophy as well as many natural and social sciences, in this informal writing, I focused on the Sociological Relevance (sociology is one of my majors): the ideas of human agency vs. social structure.
Here is a simplified distinction between agency and structure: agency is the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices, while structure, is factors or variables of influence, such as, race/ethnicity, social class, gender, sexuality, ability/physicality, religions, nationality, language, ancestry, and the rest of ascribed bio-psycho-socio-economic, even ecological attributes that determine or limit an agent and their decisions. But to what extent an agent's actions or the level of reflexivity constrained is varied from culture to culture under the specifically constructed social system. In short, the decision-making processes of humankinds are determined by many visible variables and invisiable forces, whether by chance, by free choice, by circumstances, by design, or other processes involved in specific intersections among individuals, history, and social structures/systems. (More info, refer to https://www.thoughtco.com/agency-definition-3026036.)
Since the concept of agency has much broader definitions involving in philosophy as well as many natural and social sciences, in this informal writing, I focused on the Sociological Relevance (sociology is one of my majors): the ideas of human agency vs. social structure.
Here is a simplified distinction between agency and structure: agency is the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices, while structure, is factors or variables of influence, such as, race/ethnicity, social class, gender, sexuality, ability/physicality, religions, nationality, language, ancestry, and the rest of ascribed bio-psycho-socio-economic, even ecological attributes that determine or limit an agent and their decisions. But to what extent an agent's actions or the level of reflexivity constrained is varied from culture to culture under the specifically constructed social system. In short, the decision-making processes of humankinds are determined by many visible variables and invisiable forces, whether by chance, by free choice, by circumstances, by design, or other processes involved in specific intersections among individuals, history, and social structures/systems. (More info, refer to https://www.thoughtco.com/agency-definition-3026036.)
Based on the above understanding, 呂蒙正's most famous proses, poems and maxioms were posted at the bottom of this article (will be translated in English later). Across the board, the repeated notions of success-n-failure succumbed to chance and destiny permeate in his elegant, yet powerful writing.
Most Far-Eastern people know his stories and thoughts. For me, this time, I probed into what the fatalism is. As to why it is everlastingly appealing to many people in this specific culture, but not others is another topic to render.
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Most Far-Eastern people know his stories and thoughts. For me, this time, I probed into what the fatalism is. As to why it is everlastingly appealing to many people in this specific culture, but not others is another topic to render.
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Fatalism is not unfamiliar to many people. It is a philosophical doctrine that stresses the subjugation of all events or actions to destiny. It is also a belief that an impersonal destiny against which human agency is powerless.
There are different interpretations and understanding regarding fatalism and its relatives -
pre-determinism, defeatism, and pessimism. I selected some of the relevant ideas and attached below for your reference. Since this is not an academic paper, I only provided some sources that help this informal writing: https://www.greek-gods.org/ancient-greece/olympia.php; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliad ; https://www.britannica.com/topic/Providence-theology ; http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/edwards1754.pdf; https://www.britannica.com/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419 http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199606214.001.0001/acprof-9780199606214
Fatalism derives from the term Fate which exists in many cultures (will be mentioned in the subsequent sections below). Such as in the Greek and Roman mythology, the three
goddesses determine human destinies, and in particular the span of a person’s
life and his/her allotment of misery and suffering. Homer speaks of Fate (moira) in the singular
as an impersonal power. In the Yoruba religion (Nigeria), the god Eshu represents the principle of chance and uncertainty which cannot be foreseen.
Fatalism generally refers to any of the following ideas:
a. a view that people are powerless to do anything other than what we actually do, including humans having no power to influence the future and their own actions. For this, it is close to pre-determinism. A highly relevant study conducted by Oscar Lewis’ Culture of Poverty depicted such a social phenomenon regarding race/skin color reinforcing this type of fatalism. And the sources of being powerless come from many forms: isolation, indoctrination/brainwash, false consciousness, deprived opportunities for knowledge and information, rigidly stratified societies based on ascribed statuses (such as race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexualtiy, ability... and the rest of intersectionality), and other institutionally unjust practices. The structural factors directly relate to (confine) the individual and group agency.
b. an mindset of resignation in the face of some future event or events which are thought to be inevitable. The concept of Turkish Fatalism illustrated by Nietzsche can be found in his book - The Wanderer and His Shadow. Peter Berger referred it as the bad faith which is a philosophical concept first coined by existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre to describe the phenomenon wherein one denies one's total freedom, instead choosing to behave inauthentically.” The question is under what kind of condition that people deny their total freedom, if they are fully aware of the meaning of freedom. Berger explains it with different aspects of “bad faith” practices performed in society. It can be a racial prejudice or discrimination. Either way he describes them as “one’s own counter image of the despised group”.
c. that acceptance (such as, the option of surrender, giving-up/treason, in wartime) is appropriate, rather than resistance against inevitability. This idea is similar to defeatism, which is the acceptance of defeat without struggle, often with negative connotations. It can be linked to pessimism in psychology, which is a mental attitude toward undesirable outcome and anticipates it from a given situation.
d. this perspective recognizes that no matter what people do or how people struggle, the outcome is only what fate has predetermined it to be. Each person will only rebel and fight as far as he/she has been predetermined to fight or rebel.
Following this vein, the
motivation for action is to unfold or reveal the truth of the course of one's
own life, which has limitless potential, determined by the strength of efforts
exerted on a moment by moment basis. From the sociological viewpoints in terms of the fluidity of individuals in the stratified society, it
explained the margin of upward social mobility tends to be small. One thereby lives to prove his/her fate by
strength of actions, but no outcome can be which is not fated to be.
In human history, the
concept of fate has been written and discussed paralleling between
people’s position and planet, star,
moon, solar system, as well as the galaxy in the universe. In sociology, the
ideas of role vs. ascribed statues (the opposite is the Achieved statuses)
explain the circumstances of one’s own birth ascribed with race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, disability, their intersectionality and other genetic or physically-culturally predetermined characteristics, as well as statused assumed involuntarily beyond birth under various visible and invisible social-genetic forces.
In Sanskrit, Ajivika (also written Ajivika or Ajivaka, literally meaning
"living" ) was a system of ancient Indian philosophy and an ascetic movement of the Mahajanapada period in the Indian subcontinent. Ājīvika followers
believed that a cycle of reincarnation of the soul was determined by a precise
and non-personal cosmic principle called niyati (destiny or fate) that was
completely independent of the person's actions.
The same sources
therefore make them out to be strict fatalists, who did not believe in karma. "If all future
occurrences are rigidly determined ..., coming events may in some sense be said
to exist already. The future exists in the present, and both exist in the past.
Time is thus on ultimate analysis illusory". According to Makkhali
Gosala, born in 484 BCE, and was a contemporary of Siddhartha
Gautama, was an ascetic teacher of ancient India, pointing out that nothing
is destroyed and nothing is produced. ... Not only are all things determined,
but their change and development is a cosmic illusion.
Back to the ancient Greek and Roman mythology, we see how gods involved and intervenes in human life and struggles.
Back to the ancient Greek and Roman mythology, we see how gods involved and intervenes in human life and struggles.
In order to understand
the concept of fatalism, here, let’s probe into a fundamental concept of
providence. It is the quality in divinity on which humankind bases the belief
in a benevolent intervention in human affairs and the affairs of the world.
In sociology, the concept of providence
functions as an important part of informal social control, guiding the mass to
conform the social norms. Durkheim pointed out the basic functions of faith/religions, which are to affirm the moral boundary, enhance cohesiveness and communication, and stimulate social change.
When early human beings observed the vast sky, enormous stars, the whole timeless, unbounded universe, s/he was conscious of his/her own insignificance. In particular, when facing the mystery of the unknown births and the inevitable mortality. The fears of own and beloved ones’ death and facing uncontrollable natural and man-made catastrophes, some psychosocial mechanisms were needed to comfort the weary body and console the anxious mind.
When early human beings observed the vast sky, enormous stars, the whole timeless, unbounded universe, s/he was conscious of his/her own insignificance. In particular, when facing the mystery of the unknown births and the inevitable mortality. The fears of own and beloved ones’ death and facing uncontrollable natural and man-made catastrophes, some psychosocial mechanisms were needed to comfort the weary body and console the anxious mind.
Thus, the concept of
providence, divine care of human beings and the universe is called upon to serve
human beings to assure individually and collectively in the forms of art (one of my majors, visual arts) and religion. This is a main reason why art and religion are culturally universal
phenomena. It offers a transcendental, holistic, or supernatural presence/order
to afford humans’ psycho-physical-social well-being. Some researchers suggest that providence as
used in Christianity is thus a dogmatic term
rather than a biblical term. It indicates that God not only created the world
but also governs it and cares for its welfare. A well-known German reference
work, Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart (1908; “Religion Past and Present”),
elaborates it as follows:
God keeps the world in existence by his care, he rules and leads the world and mankind deliberately according to his purpose, and he does this in his omnipotence as God the Creator, in his goodness and love as revealed by his son Jesus Christ, and to further the salvation of mankind through the Holy Spirit.
God keeps the world in existence by his care, he rules and leads the world and mankind deliberately according to his purpose, and he does this in his omnipotence as God the Creator, in his goodness and love as revealed by his son Jesus Christ, and to further the salvation of mankind through the Holy Spirit.
Confucianism and Daoism convey a similar impersonal cosmic
order. The Dao (道), literally means the
“Way,” which is constantly generating the universe and the cosmic order
itself. Tian (天), often translated as
“heaven” and literally meaning “sky,” to indicate an impersonal, cosmic moral
order to which human beings should attune their personal behavior. Mozi (墨子) (flourished
4th century BCE) regards tian (天)
as a personal god. Confucius (孔子 5th century BCE)
and Mencius (孟子 3rd century BCE) taught and advocated them.To early Daoist and Confucian thinkers (4th–3rd century BCE), such as Zhuangzi (莊子) and Xunzi (荀子), tian (天), also indicated the natural world. There are many sayings related to the above schools of thoughts, such as "天行健, 君子以自強不息," "君子有三畏：畏天命，畏大人，畏聖人之言," "天網恢恢, 疏而不漏," "天道無親, 常與善人," "舉頭三尺有神明," ”不是不報, 是時候未到,” “富不過三代,”已及 “30年風水輪流轉"...etc.
The other significant concept
regarding providence is that it needs not operate in
a direct way. It may operate or manifest through many intermediary and indirect
beings, such as the ancestors, spirits in nonliterate religions, and the angels in Christian, such as this saying, “the father’s sin visits the son." In Islamic belief, the concept may be expressed by a fixed world
order. Furthermore, a cosmic order could make human life possible biologically,
socially, and spiritually and that guarantees its existence in the future. But, if
the starting point of a benevolent and just divine being is lost sight of or if
it is consciously denied, then providence becomes fate. Most religions show a certain ambivalence,
for fate and providence do not always form a clear-cut
contradiction.
But why does providence significantly affect most people in different cultures? As mentioned in the previous section, here are some thoughts based on my observations and experiences. When human beings confront the most powerless, hopeless and helpless moments, what could they do? For examples, at the macro level, confronting the natural disasters: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, drought, famine, tsunamis, and pandemic
diseases, as well as made-made catastrophes, e.g., wars, genocide, inequality in many forms, hopeless and helpless poverty and
violence, are constantly plaguing in human societies. At an individual level, when facing the fear of one’s own mortality and the sorrow toward the loved one’s death, people desperately need a general psycho-social welfare
of comfort. In most cultures, an
omnipresent, almighty symbol, in the form of gods serves this role. The other line of understanding to believe in
providence arrives from the observation the orderly heaven body – the cosmic
order. This order sometimes is perceived as a divine order that is intended
toward human
beings ethically and socio-psychologically.
The relationship between fate and providence is that the belief in the
existence of a blind and inexorable fate can also lead to a conflict with the belief in a
benevolent providence. For example, in the Greco-Roman world, where fatalistic
belief was strong and where it found a popular expression in astrology. In
astrology, the belief that the whole world, but particularly the human realm,
is governed by the stars was contested by Judaism and Christianity.
The Talmud, the authoritative collection of Jewish tradition, teaches that Israel
is subject to NO star but only to God. Another example is also found in the
novel The Golden Ass by Apuleius, a 2nd-century-CE philosopher and rhetorician deeply
interested in Hellenistic mystery cults,
which taught a faith that liberated adherents from the power of the stars.
Contrasted with the cosmic
order is the disorder of chaos. The cosmic order is a total order (whether intelligently
designed, or evolutionarily happened?)
It is a comprehensive form of all natural things, social orders, and ethical rules. The cosmic order, nevertheless, may become inexorable and thus lead to fatalism, the belief in an
impersonal destiny against which human agency is powerless. From this perspective, without facilitating the theories and actions of human agency, whether via unconscious, involuntary behavior, or purposeful, intentional action as the dynamic part of sociology (vs. static sociology), such as the empowering individual agency in the daily decision making and the social movements, then where is the tunnel light of sociology as a social science discipline ?
Regarding the concept of human free
will versus cosmic order, in all religions that human
beings are expected to work with the cosmos by inserting themselves into the
cosmic order. Human behavior in society is governed by a set of norms, beliefs
and values that are all based on similar principle: to act and to be in harmony
with the order of the world, which is paralleled and natural with cosmic
order/divinity at the same time.
Some critical issues
regarding fate/divine will vs. human will when the latter is conceived as free, or free under certain circumstances.
As saying goes, “The heaven/god assists those who help themselves.” Human agency in terms of social activism, such as from the grand scale of revolutions, reforms, picketing, protests, and the rest of social activism intend to change or alter at least part of
social order has been constantly happening in most part of human societies. And
this is the dynamic topic of sociology, philosophy, and some part of political
science. Though, compared to the eons of the grandiose cosmic domain, the human will/agency, and how free (reflexivity) it could be is relying on an unfathomable imagination with a universe-is-the-limit space for human endeavors.
以下是我的中文淺見, 僅供參考.
我記得小時候媽媽用 ”呂蒙正” 這名辭來教訓小孩衣衫不整與不當的行為. 那時候你也許也不了解什麼叫做呂蒙正, 只是知到呂蒙正就是代表不好的行為. 長大了 我開始懷疑媽媽到底了解不了解誰是真正的呂蒙正. (早期的台灣社會, 95%的女性沒有機會受教育. 所以, 我的母親 沒有上過一天學校.)
呂蒙正 是一位 非常具有傳奇性的人物. 他的一生, 若用正面的思考, 他代表的是一種大宇宙觀 小宇宙觀 和人在天地之間的一種相生, 相剋, 與相成的迷思 – 所谓的原始的天地人一體之說. 比如孔子的 “君子畏天命,” “男命天庭，女命地閣.” 雖說, 人定勝天, 但是孔子又說 ”不知命，無以為君子."
相傳伏羲氏一劃天地之陰陽, 創先天八卦, 其後又有周文王, 再創後天八卦, 於焉是有易經一書, 它也被用來 解生命之碼. 為了 ”奪天命、改造化”, 陸陸續續發展出了風水, 命相, 面相, 種種非科學信念, 導致不問蒼生問鬼神 的現象 (包括執政者以及一般黎民百姓.)
諸如此般聽任天命, 天高皇帝遠, 人人自掃門前雪的習性, 遲緩民主素養的進展. 當民主政治概念普遍缺乏, 民眾參與公共事務的能力低弱, 這正是滋養貪官污吏, 集權暴政的溫床. 其結果的愚民政策, 就是既得利益者, 圖利己眾, 排擠他人, 用以維持現狀的最佳武器.
從另一個非正面的觀點來看,他的人生觀與經驗則代表一種很根深蒂固的宿命觀. 比如像俗話說中所說的: “命中有時終須有, 命中無時莫強求.” 這就是在他在”破窯賦”, "命運賦" 與 “勸世文” 中一再強調的觀點. 這種自從古代希羅中印文明以及諸多宗教信仰當中具體的宿命論 (as mentioned in the English part of this writing), 用現在民主社會的觀點, 難免讓我們思考到現代政府的功能, 以及民衆参與社會革命與社會政策的存在與運作, 對個人家庭的公平與福祉, 具有什麼樣的影響與效益意義呢?
正史記載他如何成從一個飢寒交迫, 被人歧視, 毫不起眼的窮書生, 卻三度拜相, 坐擁 榮華富貴權勢名利於一 身. 這名相的背後, 到底是怎麼麼一回事的呢?
以下一些有關於呂蒙正的歷史, 野史, 與典故, 也許可以幫助我們了解, 為什麼呂蒙正可以從一個 貧賤落魄的書生而能夠扶搖直上, 三度拜相? 其中一個基本原因, 可能是他的父親的深謀遠慮, 或者是從社會學的觀點 : 一種對呂蒙正所設定的 “迷你社會工程學” (超乎呂蒙正個人所能主宰, 也就是他父親與 ”太白神仙”(夢見與遇見太白 - 彿洛依德夢潛麌意識觧析? 或者超神力的迷思,以簡釋複雜的社會現象) 代表一種宿命的決定論. 但他父親這種具有相當魄力人生規劃, 僅止於這種富足家庭中一個父親對兒子的無限期望, 而不是超於家庭主義外的社會政策, 以舒解絕大多數人受制於於貧困, 缺乏機會的人力與才力之無奈.
再者, 呂蒙正成長在一個富足的大家庭, 他的父親對他有相當的期望. 他不太可能是一個普通的升斗小民. 這可以從他的破窯賦以及勸世文等等著作中以發現他的天資穎異, 以及學國閱歷基礎雄厚基礎, 加上富家千金劉月娥的財力資助與精神鼓勵進京趕考，果然一舉高中狀元，此後步步高升.
從社會學的觀點, 呂蒙正的著作是從他個人的人生歷練經驗與學識以表達他對宿命論的發舒. 或者是表達種一灑脫豁達觀的價值觀, 體認生命的無常與人力無法抗衡的天意. 這是一種很普遍的現象. 一般人難得開展視野, 或者缺乏機會學習如何去觀照個人與社會之間的連帶關係 (這是學習社會學的最基本的一個素養,) 以及文化社會制度對家庭個人的深度影響. 比如呂蒙正的父親以及太白神仙無所顯示的一種潛隱的力量, 以及他的富家妻子劉月娥所代表的家族社會力 (如同俗話所說的, 娶一房有財有勢的好老婆, 省你20年無謂的奮鬥. 就像是郭台銘之於前妻林淑如, 陳水扁之於吳淑珍, 只是換個不同的時空背景), 並不是破窯賦和勸世文所能論及. 因此, 一般人對個人的的成敗訴諸於命運與能力, 很少透視社會文化之間的關係, 與文化/社會制度 對個人的模塑與影響.
能夠透視, 或者意識到個人與社會制度之間的連帶關係, 透過集體行動來改革社會政策政, 減少不理想, 或者不公不平的社會現狀, 以達正德利用厚生的目標, 方有可能. 這就是 Human Agency vs. Social Structure 中人定勝天 (Agency) 這一部分的一個基本概念. 人是可以改變現狀的, 但需要意識的覺醒, 加上機會的創造, 透過集體行動, 一步一步達成 改革現狀的目標.
Agency 的理論深信, 即使社會制度冥頑龐大, 透過 人們的覺醒與有計畫的改革, 社會是可以變得更好. 人們所需要的是一大群 不愚的愚公, 以移窒礙難行, 阻礙幸福平等的山!
最後, 呂蒙正有意無意的用他的微觀宿命論, 以解釋以他的成功是偶然的, 命定的, 並非人力所可以改變的. 如此一來, 可以舒緩眾多追求名利而不得者的一種可釋懷的方式, (比如盛行已久的 "瀂舌" 哲學,) 也可能避免樹大招風之嫌, 與才/財大招忌之危. 呂蒙正的處事圓融, 無論是有心或是無意, 也可能為他的子女來日仕途. 鋪下順暢之路. 例如 宋真宗咸平四年 (1001年) 呂蒙正第三次擔任宰相, 當朝 要推薦他的兒子擔任高職. 他很含蓄的說他的孩子都不管用, 但是他的姪兒呂夷簡才是真正的宰相之材. 然後呢, 我們可以很 "宿命地" 預測, 並且必然地實現了人他的七個兒子都有封官授爵的機運 (果然七子出仕：呂從簡、呂惟簡、呂承簡、呂行簡、呂務簡、呂居簡、呂知簡.)
小插曲一樁: 呂蒙正嗜喝雞舌湯. 每餐必喝. 呂家廚房一天要殺成百上千隻雞, 才能供一湯之用. 如果一天要殺一千隻雞做出一碗湯, 那麼一個禮拜, 一個月,一年, 有多少的雞可以榮登呂家的餐桌?
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以下是呂蒙正 破窯賦 勸世文 命運賦
呂蒙正 's writings were attached as follows:
宋朝時，有位書生名叫呂蒙正家住洛陽，原本家財滿貫，只因呂蒙正的父親，聽算命師之言：「雖然以後會有功成名就，但是少年要勞碌」所以呂蒙正的父親就在臨終之前，就變賣所有的家產，捐給尼庵寺，好當呂蒙正的住所，父母過世後，呂蒙正只得屈身在洛陽城外北山的破窯裡，剛開始的時候，呂蒙正常去尼庵寺居住，日子一久，尼庵寺的住持開始嫌惡呂蒙正、叼難呂蒙正，最後，呂蒙正只好流落街頭，乞食為生。
某年的中秋節，呂蒙正午睡時，夢見太白神仙指點，他到城西街綵樓下接劉相爺的千金劉月娥的繡球，只因他和劉月娥有宿世姻緣，所以太白神仙要呂蒙正趕快前往西街綵樓下接繡球，呂蒙正半信半疑，決定前往城西探個究竟。
到了城西，許多公孫王子在綵樓下準備接繡球，劉月娥則在綵樓上求蒼天保佑，希望繡球能讓有緣的人接到，她看見文魁星捧著墨斗緊緊跟著呂蒙正身後出現，劉月娥知道這乞丐模樣的呂蒙正日後必定有成就，於是決定將繡球拋給呂蒙正，文魁星則暗中將繡球接放在呂蒙正的袋子裡。
呂蒙正興高采烈拿著繡球前去相府認親，劉相爺一看見呂蒙正的模樣，非常生氣，命呂蒙正交還繡球，呂蒙正不肯，劉相爺命家人取銀一百兩，交代家人用一百兩和呂蒙正交換繡球，如果還不答應，就將他趕出去，結果，呂蒙正仍執迷不顧，家人動手就打，劉月娥趕緊出來制止，並請呂蒙正在外頭稍待；劉月娥則進大廳向父親求情；劉相爺為女兒終身著想、怕女兒受苦，寧願要回繡球、做一個背信忘義的人，而堅持不肯接納呂蒙正，劉月娥為此不惜與父親決裂，毅然脫下鳳冠蟒袍，追隨呂蒙正到破窯居住，呂蒙正不忍心千金小姐受苦，劉月娥反而鼓勵呂蒙正不可喪志，將來一定有出頭的機會。
一年後某一天，呂蒙正好不容易要到一條瓜，走到石橋上，把那條瓜放在欄杆上，準備動手斬成兩半，一半自己先吃、一半帶回去給劉月娥吃，誰知道那條瓜竟然掉下河裡飄走了，呂蒙正心想蒼天要絕他的生路，連一條瓜也不讓他吃，愈想愈絕望，便投江自盡了。這時，太白神仙再度出現，將呂蒙正救起，並指點呂蒙正，說他受苦的日子到當天為止，要呂蒙正趕快進京趕考，必定能榮登金榜。呂蒙正醒來後，半信半疑回破窯去了。
呂蒙正非常沮喪地回到家裡，將剛才投江自盡、神仙搭救的事情告訴了劉月娥，只見劉月娥取出一些防寒衣物、以及三百兩白銀，做為進京赴考的盤纏，原來這些東西是劉月娥的母親心疼女兒，偷偷叫丫環送來的。呂蒙正辭別劉月娥進京趕考，果然一舉高中狀元，衣錦榮歸後，偕同劉月娥回相府，劉相爺才覺悟當初不該以貌取人，於是承認了這門親事，圓滿收場。
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破窯賦（宿命論）呂蒙正
蓋聞、天有不測風雲，人有旦夕禍福。
蜈蚣百足，行不如蛇；
雉雞兩翼，飛不如鳥。
馬有追風之雄，無人不能自往；
人有凌雲之志，非運不能騰達。
貧賤不能移，富貴不能屈。
文章蓋世，孔子尚困於陳邦；
武略超群，太公垂釣於渭水。
盜跖長生，豈是善良之輩；
顏回命短，實非凶惡之徒。
堯帝稱聖，卻生不肖之子；
瞽眅頑呆，反生大孝之兒。
張良原是布衣；蕭何曾為筆史。
晏子身形短劣，封為齊國首相；
孔明臥居草蘆，能做蜀漢軍師。
李廣有射虎之威，到老官無半封；
馮唐有安邦之志，白髮終生不遇。
楚霸英雄，難免烏江自刎；
漢王雖弱，享有萬里山河。
伍員乞食於吳市，
韓信受辱於跨下，及至運到，腰懸王印，
一旦時衰，傷於陰人之手。
王翦收趙，統領百萬雄兵，
主上猜疑，卒至身首兩分。
人生在世，有先富而後貧，
有先貧而後富，有少壯而老衰。
有少年得志、有中年得志、有老年得志。
青年美婦卻配愚蠢之夫，
俊俏才郎卻配粗醜之婦。
才疏學淺，少年登科及第；
滿腹文章，皓首仍在深山。
青樓妓女時來配作夫人，
閏閣嬌娥運舛反為娼妓。
蛟龍未遇，潛身於魚蝦之中；
君子失時，拱手於小人之下。
初貧君子常存禮義之容，
乍富小人不脫賤寒之體。
時雖不足，只宜守分安心，
心存不欺，必有榮華之日。
天不得時，三光失曜；
地不得時，草木不生；
海不得時，風浪不平；
人不得時，運道不通；
人若不依根基，誰不欲富貴也。
吾昔日被困破窯，日則求於僧膳，
夜則宿於破窯，思衣不能遮其體，
思食不能充其飢，
上人憎，下人厭，人道吾賤，非吾賤也，此乃時也、
運也、命也，非吾之所能也。
今日官居極品，位列三台，
有打百僚之杖，有斬小人之劍，
屈膝於一人之下，立身於萬人之上，
思衣有羅絹千箱，思食有珍饈百味，
上人趨，下人羨，
人道我貴，非吾貴也，亦乃時也、運也、命也，非吾之所能也。
蓋、人生各有其時，
富貴不可享盡、
貧窮不可欺盡、
權勢不可使盡，
此乃天理循環，
終而復始者也。
人能知足，不怨天地，
順天理立善造命運也。
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嘆世詩一首：
鶉衣百結不堪縫，
一片飛西一片東，
朝怕嶺頭雲蔽日，
暮驚洞口鵲呼風。
半斤米栗無能買，
滿腹文章總是空，
幾度欲投江海去，
術人許我有三公。
貧窮如虎，
驚走六親，
心正無虧，
亦得安康。
人貧志短語言低，
馬瘦毛長無力嘶，
得意貓兒雄似虎，
失群鸞鳳不如雞。
龍游淺水遭蝦戲，
虎落平陽被犬欺，
命裡未逢君且待，
寬宏大量成富貴。
認命、知命、然後聽天可也。
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呂蒙正（946年－1011年），字聖功。洛陽人。
太平興國二年（977年）丁丑科狀元。授將作監丞，通判升州。太平興國五年（980年），拜左補闕，知制誥。端拱元年（988年），罷李昉，拜為宰相。淳化二年（991年），因諫官宋沆事，被罷貶為吏部尚書。淳化四年復相。至道元年（995年），再度罷貶，以右僕射出判河南府。
宋真宗咸平四年（1001年）第三次擔任宰相。咸平六年，封萊國公。以知人著稱，呂夷簡、富弼等人皆受其賞識，自道：「諸子皆不足用，有侄呂夷簡，真乃宰相器也！」，嗜「雞舌湯」，每餐必喝，呂家廚房一天要殺成百上千隻雞，才能供一湯之用。大中祥符四年（1011年）病逝。贈中書令。有七子出仕：呂從簡、呂惟簡、呂承簡、呂行簡、呂務簡、呂居簡、呂知簡。
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October 22 (T), 2018
My friend who shared 呂蒙正's articles with me responded to my Fatalism vs, Human Agency post.
The following one is my friend's response. My reply followed this post at the bottom.
Crystal：我認同您的看法，如孔子的命宮就很差，三歲喪父，少年喪母，中年喪妻，晚年喪子，好在孔子很好學，吾十又五而志於學，三十而立，四十而不惑…，當魯司寇後，因墮三都、齊餽贈女樂惑魯君、及郊祭不合禮儀等問題，對魯君及政治感到失望後，決定去魯，周遊列國（十四年），其中遇削跡伐檀、匡國之變、陳蔡絕糧等都快沒命了，依然堅持生命立場，太史公在史記上稱孔子周遊列國，推行王道仁政如喪家之犬（把聖人形容成流浪狗），但「知其不可為而為」的神態，不向命運低頭的不屈精神，太史公形容「高山仰止，景行景止。雖不能至，然心嚮往之。」連太史公都嚮往孔子的生命境界。
我是相信有宿命（這與因果有關），但我也反對宿命論，台灣歌曲，不也常唱三分天註定，七分可打拼，愛拼才會贏。我們學道之人雖承認有命運之說，但修道是要「運命」，而非「被命所運」，若如此則不用修了，至於命的長短就其次了，好好善用盡用就有價值，孟子引《詩經》云：『永言配命，自求多福。』 」 又說：「存其心， 養其性，所以事天也。夭壽不貳，修身以俟之，所以立命也。」
命理書上的定理說：「一命二運三風水四積陰功五讀書。」這是錯誤的命題（是一般没在修德的人，很無奈無法跳脱的宿命）；應改為「一德二命三風水四機運五讀書」才是，因一德可轉二命…，依順序類推。因此我在學校常與學生聊此，就開玩笑地說：（順便會勉勵他們）若由一到四都不佳，再不好好把握最後的五讀書，人生就沒望了！
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Here is my response to my friend's post:
Dear Mr. Chen, 言之有理。社會學有理論解釋東方社會的命 (ascribed statuses) 與運 (achieved statuses)。”命”中注定，比方生為黑人(尤其是在一個歧視非白色種族的國家)，先天性殘疾，有些社會生為女兒身要注定一輩子勞苦⋯⋯等等的生物基因決定論是難以用”運” 解 ”命”。
生入貧困的環境（命, one of the two most powerful categories of ascribed statuses : social class - 社會階級)，靠個人努力可適度改運。有人命大運小，有人運大命小。所以人各有命 (ascribed social positions/statuses, by birth or assumed involuntarily later in life)，個人的百分比也都不相同. 比方說 有人是兩分命八分運, 有人是九分運一分命等等. 理想的是, 根據我的個人經驗是五分命加上五分運, 但是這種情況不多. 並且不是人人可有渴求到的運, 即使不斷的奮發向上. 這就是需要有好的政府與政策來彌補先天之不平等。
至於孔子，是官宦之後，(孔子有素王或無冕王之美譽，司馬遷將孔子放在世家，尊崇孔子遠祖是殷商王室.) 武王克殷後，他的祖先分封到宋國。其十六世祖是殷商帝乙，十五世祖為宋國第二任國君宋公仲，十二世祖是宋前閔公，十一世祖弗父何讓位給弟宋厲公，拜為宋國上卿。七世祖孔父嘉是宋國大夫，曾為大司馬，在宮廷內亂中被殺，孔父嘉子木金父避災逃到魯國的鄒邑定居，作魯國的大夫。
孔子的父親叔梁紇居於魯昌平鄉鄒邑，為鄒邑大夫。叔梁紇與原配施氏連出九個女兒，他望子心切，於是續娶一妾，得一子名孟皮，卻腳有殘疾。叔梁紇在七十二歲時三度娶妻，娶了十八歲的顏徵在，由於婚姻不合禮制，被史書稱為野合，約在魯襄公廿二年（前551年）生下孔丘。顏徵在曾私下至尼丘山祭祀尼丘山神以求子，故取名丘.
雖然孔子命途多舛 (或官運不暢)，想想看那時知識學問壟斷於千百萬分之一的人口. 學問就是力量。尤其是在一個 “萬般皆下品, 惟有讀書高”的 傳統社會, 標榜 “書中自有黄金屋, 書中自有千鍾粟, 書中自有顏如玉” 等等, 利用書本知識以攀登社會階梯的現象處處可見. 後來的 罷黜百家, 獨尊儒術, 更是鞏固讀書人在社會上的崇高的地位與聲望.
孔子的地位 (素王或無冕王) 相當於今天的愛因斯坦。如果孔子不是出於菁英世家，沒有機會認識字，那些困於陳蔡事件也難以発生。想想在那種階級分明的社會, 數以千萬計的黎民百姓, 困在無知無識, "順帝之則" 的庸暗社會中. 到了二十到ニ十一世紀, 我的父母, 居然還是那個漫漫長亱, 昏黯歴史下的無奈見証. 還好我有讀書的機會. 因為要幫助學生增進理性思考與辯證的能力, 這樣子我也就跟著學習, 也學會了思考社會現象的種種百態與來龍去脈.
而且, 我必須要誠實的說, 在台灣讀大學與研究所的時候. 我從來就沒有了解過, 也没能力如何 去"適度的" 思考與辯解現象與問題.
社會學家用求學的機會與程度, 以及工作的機運與職業声望, 這兩個基本指標, 來判斷一個人可能改造命運的機率。 教育與工作是社會制度的問題，結構性的糾結非單獨個人可以改造。所以集體公民教育，民主素養, 民主政治參與，與監督政府, 是改變大眾命運的關鍵。一些西方國家発展民主運動，改變貧困，觧放黑奴運動，男女平權運動，創造就業機會與提升教育機會與水平...等等措施, 就是一個有效率政府存在的理由。
這可能就是我們教育的目的: 獨善其身與兼善天下, 並駕齊驅, 以盡公民的責任與承擔知識份子開闊視野, 引導社會前進的重責大任.
