Volume 2: Ren Ping Sheng Chapter 36: Enlightening the Mind

  In the book review section, some readers quoted classics and said that Hao Ran's spirit is this and that, and what it should be like to be considered authentic... But in fact, there has never been a consensus on this concept. Maybe you think you understand, maybe he thinks he understands, but to be honest, I really don't get it. So, those who understand can go cultivate themselves, while I, not understanding, can only write and fantasize, that's all!

  The next day, Chen Jianchen got up early as usual, not feeling tired at all. After washing and dressing, he went to the college cafeteria for breakfast and then attended classes.

  Today's lecture is on Chapter 8 of "De Shu", which talks about how to be a person with high moral character and become a junzi. It says, "A junzi is modest and courteous, does not overstep boundaries, does not contend with others, does not struggle with the world, and follows the will of heaven..."

  Chen Jianchen was left speechless, unable to refute these words of great principle. However, the greater the principle, the more empty and devoid of substance it becomes, with little practical value to be gained. If one were to conduct oneself entirely according to such grand principles, they would become rigid and inflexible, unable to adapt, essentially a fossilized relic; whereas if one were to say one thing but do another, they would become hypocritical and cunning.

  Therefore, it is necessary to adapt to changing circumstances in a timely manner and keep pace with the times.

  For example, as stated in "Li Shu", "A gentleman's attire must be proper, and his clothes and hats must be properly worn." This means that a gentleman's etiquette should conform to the teachings of the sages' books, and his clothing and headwear must be meticulous and dignified.

  These words are well said, but if in times of crisis one still pays attention to these trivialities, then it is courting disaster.

  Is it worth losing one's life over a matter of whether a hat is on straight or not?

  The gentleman mentioned in "San Li Zhen Zhang" is not like that, but rather "investigating things to extend knowledge", "keeping the original heart as a rule". The so-called "keeping the original heart as a rule" means that the fundamental principle cannot be shaken, there is no room for compromise, once compromised, once retreated, then the original position is lost, and there is no basis for speaking.

  Just like the reading atmosphere of the Tian Tong dynasty, everyone says "the child does not speak of strange powers and gods" with their mouths, but every time a festival comes, they all go to worship ghosts and gods, burn incense and paper, and ask for wealth and fortune.

  This is a case of inconsistency between words and deeds, that is, the faith is not firm enough, not pure enough. In this way, even if one reads tens of thousands of books, how can one achieve the effect of writing with divine inspiration?

  The way of Confucian cultivation is that there should be no ghosts or gods in one's heart, no faith, no worship, and no fear. Only then can one achieve the correct path and cultivate a vast and upright energy - this vast and upright energy is the spiritual power of Confucianism, which is the foundation for protecting oneself and establishing one's destiny. What is called cultivating one's mind and nurturing one's nature, what is called extensively studying various books, are all processes that one goes through for the sake of this spiritual power. It is the same principle as Buddhist monks striking bells and reciting scriptures every day in order to attain enlightenment.

  But in this process, if one's understanding is not proper, people will often go astray. Cultivating one's mind and character can become a pedantic exercise, while reading extensively can lead to being filled with dogmatic thinking, or other miscellaneous things.

  How can one understand "All worldly affairs are learned through inquiry, and human emotions are practiced in writing"?

  Therefore, although there were many scholars in the Tianyun Dynasty, those who could truly cultivate their spirit and become a real master were extremely rare, one in ten thousand.

  In this regard, Chen Jianchen undoubtedly took a shortcut to heaven, with a brush that opened up the truth, and directly opened up the Mud Pellet Palace, obtaining the true transmission.

  Even so, he needs to adhere to his original principles in order to make progress and breakthroughs. So when the first time that Jingyang Village land spoke with arrogant words to question him, how could Chen Jianchen admit defeat?

  This recognition is equivalent to overthrowing all his beliefs derived from "The Three-Character Classic".

  There is a way of ghosts and gods, and Confucianism also has its own way. In terms of beliefs and stance, the two are fundamentally opposed.

  Scholars destroy temples and smash idols, which is not unjustifiable in itself. Let scholars go to the grand temple to worship gods and Buddhas, but it would be absurd. Moreover, the yin spirit comes uninvited, invading his dreams, which already constitutes a kind of violation. If lightly, he will be frightened; if severely, his soul will be damaged. In this situation, asking Chen Xiangchen to be polite to the land's yin spirit is truly ridiculous and absurd. If it were another ordinary scholar, he would probably kneel down and beg for mercy, allowing the other party to dispose of him as they please.

  Afterwards, Yin Si, in order to maintain his own dignity, did not hesitate to send Ox Head and Horse Face again. At this point, there was nothing more to say.

  It's a complicated and confusing situation, with everyone having their own reasoning. No matter how you calculate it, it doesn't add up. The officials have their logic, the common people have theirs, and different perspectives lead to different opinions. In the end, it all comes down to who has more power. As the saying goes, "a scholar meets a soldier, reason can't prevail." No matter how eloquent you are, able to talk your way out of anything, someone with a knife can still cut you down; no matter how righteous and impartial you think you are, someone can still cut you down with one stroke.

  Good people often have no good reward, the root cause is not in kindness, but in having no means of self-protection!

  Chen Jianchen is a seasoned veteran, so he naturally understands this principle very well. Since the contradictions have no room for reconciliation, there is simply no need to reconcile, and it's enough to stick to one's own principles. If Yin Si comes again to stir up trouble and provoke him, he won't shrink back either.

  With this in mind, Chen Jianchen was deeply disgusted by the various lectures given by his teachers in class. They would often state a small point of view and then go on and on, citing classics and quoting extensively, making it even longer and more tedious than an old woman's bound feet cloth. This reminded Chen Jianchen of a classic anecdote: A scholar bought a donkey, but the deed was written on three sheets of paper without mentioning the word "donkey".

  It's probably like this.

  It seems that the path of studying eight-part essays to take the imperial examination is no longer viable.

  The Tianyun dynasty established a rigid eight-part essay format to constrain the scholars of the world, with the intention of petrifying their thoughts and fixing their ideas, so that they could serve the dynasty wholeheartedly.

  This point, Chen Jianchen had long been aware of it clearly, how could he still fall into this trap? Moreover, reading these so-called sacred and wise books is not only useless but also harmful to the cultivation of positive energy, and will even affect the independence of one's mind.

  Chen Jianchen is no longer worried about the issue of not being able to take the imperial examination path, and in front of him, the world is much more vast than he imagined, with many more paths to take. And when the opportunity is ripe, he will even elaborate on the main ideas and doctrines of "The Three Orthodox Chapters" one by one, writing them into articles and disseminating them throughout the world.

  This is what is meant by "establishing words"!

  Of course, at this stage it is impossible for him. He does not have the qualifications and foundation yet. If he speaks out rashly, he will soon be criticized and attacked by others, and may even be accused of "heresy" by the imperial court and executed directly.

  But as long as Chen Jianchen himself has fully grasped and understood the "Three-Character Classic", that opportunity will definitely arise.

  ……

  Sitting in a dull and lifeless classroom, Chen Jianchen's mind suddenly cleared up, and he felt a surge of energy in his Muddy Pellet Palace. In that originally gloomy world, a burst of light shot out, and a large piece of text suddenly flew out, suspended in mid-air - it was the full text of "The True Scripture of the Three Principles", with each character as big as a fist, flying and dancing in the air, carefree and unmatched.

  Righteousness!

  In an instant, Chen Jianchen finally felt the existence of the righteous energy, it had appeared on his own body, although the feeling was very weak, but it was already a major breakthrough.

  A gap has appeared in this world!