Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 269 The Opportunity to Change the World

On the 18th day of the 12th month of the first year of the Jiayou era, there was less than a month left before the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites.

The cold wind of Kaifeng, carrying the damp chill of the Cai River, blew through the somewhat empty corridors of the Imperial College, easily penetrating the thin wooden walls of the corridors, then swirled in the courtyard, swirling up a few withered yellow leaves, before slamming them hard onto the frost-covered blue brick ground.

In Lu Beigu's residence, the old locust tree in the courtyard had long since lost all its leaves. Its gnarled branches stretched out under the leaden sky, adding to the desolation of winter.

At the foot of the courtyard wall, several clumps of hardy black chrysanthemums also lost their spirit, their petals drooping listlessly.

The chill was penetrating; even with the doors and windows tightly closed, the biting cold could still seep in through the cracks in the bricks and the window frames.

Inside, Lu Beigu was sitting at his desk.

He was wrapped in the new silk robe issued by the Imperial Academy, with a thick padded jacket over it. In the corner of the table, a small brass charcoal brazier was burning brightly with the finest charcoal, emitting a warm glow that barely created a cozy area in the small space.

The thin afternoon sunlight filtered through the window paper, mingling with the charcoal fire and casting hazy shadows inside.

The light and shadow reflected on his focused face, as well as on the open book, "A Critical Analysis of the Spring and Autumn Annals on Honoring the King".

Now that Zhang Fangping and Fan Xiang had promised him a future, he had no more worries and focused solely on improving his academic performance to ensure he could pass the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites and achieve a high ranking.

After all, for the candidates, the palace examination in the Song Dynasty no longer eliminated people, so passing the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites was actually equivalent to passing the palace examination. Moreover, the ranking in the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites was often not much different from that in the palace examination.

Therefore, including his daily visits to Song Xiang's house for lessons, Lu Beigu was basically in a "two-point line" state.

Under the constant guidance of Song Xiang and a group of great Confucian scholars from the Imperial Academy, Lu Beigu could clearly feel that his strength had broken through to a new level.

“Knock! Knock!”

Just as Lu Beigu was studying diligently as usual, there were a few knocks on the door, which seemed particularly abrupt in the quiet afternoon.

Who is it?

Lu Beigu, who was immersed in the ocean of knowledge, frowned slightly and had no choice but to put down his book and get up to open the gate to the courtyard.

A chilling aura rushed in instantly, and unexpectedly, Zhang Zai was standing outside the courtyard gate.

Zhang Zai wore a faded hemp robe with an outer jacket over it, and a plain scholar's cap on his head. His expression was very serious, as if the winter chill had been frozen in his tightly furrowed brows.

"Brother Zihou?" Lu Beigu was slightly surprised and quickly stepped aside to make way. "Please come in! It's freezing cold outside."

Zhang Zai walked through the courtyard and stepped into the warm interior.

Seeing that Lu Beigu was somewhat puzzled, Zhang Zai was not one to beat around the bush, and he got straight to the point and explained his purpose.

"I apologize for bothering you today, but I have a problem that is stuck in my throat and I have to get it out. I don't know who I can discuss it with in the capital, so I have come here to find a solution."

Lu Beigu knew that Zhang Zai must have encountered an extremely difficult problem to come so urgently, braving the severe cold.

“Brother Zihou, please speak freely,” he said.

Lu Beigu still attached great importance to Zhang Zai.

On the one hand, Zhang Zai was a person of noble character and a friend worth making. On the other hand, Lu Beigu always believed that if he could help Zhang Zai improve his "theory of Qi as the foundation" and guide the future of philosophy toward a direction that could "promote the emergence of natural science" rather than the Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism, it would be a very meaningful thing.

Lu Beigu picked up the fire tongs, stirred the charcoal fire to make it warmer, and poured Zhang Zai a cup of hot water that had been simmering in the copper kettle next to the brazier.

Zhang Zai took the hot water and let it cool naturally. He placed his fingertips on the cup to feel the warmth, remained silent for a moment, as if organizing his thoughts, and finally spoke.

"Recently, I had several discussions with Master Qisong, a master of the Ming Cult."

"A master of the Ming Cult?"

Although Lu Beigu spent most of his time studying diligently at the Imperial Academy, he had still heard of this "Master of the Ming Cult" who had recently become famous in Kaifeng.

"Master Mingjiao" refers to Qisong, a monk from Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou.

He was a representative figure of the Southern Chan (Zen) school, a high-ranking monk who was commended by the emperor, bestowed with a title, and ordered to enter Tibet. He wrote articles advocating the "harmony between Confucianism and Buddhism," such as "Fujiao Bian," "Zhengzong Ji," and "Chanzong Dingguo Tu," and was one of the standard-bearers of Chan Buddhism in the current trend of Confucian-Buddhist integration. Not long ago, Qisong came to Kaifeng again, and the emperor bestowed upon him a purple square robe. He is currently residing temporarily at Minxian Temple in Kaifeng.

Because Qi Song was so famous, people flocked to Minxian Temple to visit him every day, causing traffic jams on the road in front of the temple, which became a topic of conversation among the common people.

“Exactly.” Zhang Zai nodded, his brows furrowing even more. “The Ming Cult Master is a man of profound learning and eloquence. He is particularly adept at using Buddhist principles to connect with Confucian classics. His essay on filial piety, which states that filial piety is the foundation respected by both Buddhism and Confucianism, is indeed reasonable.”

"However, when I discussed with him the origin of the universe and the creation of all things, and explained that 'the void is qi,' and that the gathering, dispersing, stretching, rising, falling, floating, and sinking of qi, and their interaction and turbulence, gave rise to all things, the Mingjiao master said that my theory was close to the Taoist 'Tao gives birth to all things' mystery. Even worse, he bluntly said that this theory was 'absurd and unfounded,' like a castle in the air, and could not be verified!"

"Unverifiable?"

Lu Beigu repeated the sentence, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Qi Song's questioning hits the common weakness of all scholars in this era who are trying to construct a cosmological ontology.

In an era lacking modern scientific empirical methods, how could we "prove" the existence and operating principles of the formless and all-encompassing "qi" or "dao" that filled the heavens and earth?

This is a problem that philosophical speculation itself can hardly solve completely.

Qi Song sharply pierced the heart of the matter with the Buddhist concept of "dependent origination and emptiness"—Zhang Zai talks about "qi," how can you prove that it is not a subjective conjecture?
"Exactly!"

Zhang Zai took a sip of hot water, his hand unconsciously gripping the cup tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white, revealing his inner turmoil.

"He said that Buddhism teaches 'all phenomena are consciousness-only,' meaning that all phenomena are manifestations of consciousness, arising when conditions come together and ceasing when conditions disperse, inherently without self-nature. This is the true nature that can be 'personally witnessed' in meditation and cultivation. But this 'qi' of mine fills the heavens and earth, yet it is formless and imageless, gathering and dispersing, bending and stretching. How can I know it? How can I prove it? Can I determine that it is the origin of the universe based solely on a few profound words in the Book of Changes? What essential difference is there between this and the Daoist concepts of 'Tao' and 'nothingness'? They are all merely speculative conjectures!"

Zhang Zai laid bare his troubles to Lu Beigu with unparalleled clarity.

This distress stems not only from Qi Song's sharp criticism, but more profoundly from the immense pressure faced by a solitary explorer confronting fundamental challenges.

He devoted himself to trying to forge a "new path" for Confucianism that directly points to the origin of the universe, but was completely rejected by the most influential monk of his time, and this rejection was based on a philosophical system that he considered more "ethereal".

While Qi Song's "all phenomena are consciousness-only" is indeed profound, Zhang Zai believed that it dissolved the reality of the world, which was precisely the core foundation of his "theory of Qi as the fundamental element".

—The universe is real, and it is composed of material gas!

“Master Mingjiao further stated,” Zhang Zai’s voice carried a barely perceptible hint of frustration, “Our Confucian school speaks of ‘investigating things to attain knowledge,’ yet regarding the existence and operation of this most fundamental ‘qi,’ we can only resort to abstract speculation, unable to ‘investigate’ or ‘attain’ it. Isn’t this a self-contradiction? If this theory cannot be empirically verified, it will ultimately be a castle in the air, with a fragile foundation. How can it stand?”

Zhang Zai looked up at Lu Beigu, his eyes filled with deep confusion.

“Brother Lu, you once helped me glimpse the key to the circulation of Qi with your theory of ‘contradiction,’ which enlightened me greatly. But today, Qi Song’s questioning goes straight to the root! How should we respond to the reality of this ‘Qi,’ the existence of this ‘Great Void,’ and the laws governing the circulation of Qi? How should we prove it? I have pondered this for several days, but I cannot find an answer that will convince him and satisfy myself. These four words, ‘absurd and unsubstantiated,’ are like a heavy stone pressing on my heart, making me restless and unable to eat or sleep!”

Qi Song's questioning precisely exposed the gaps in Zhang Zai's "theory of Qi as the fundamental principle" in epistemology and ontology that had not yet been fully bridged.

How can we prove the existence of "qi," which is formless yet incredibly real and dynamic? How can we prove that "Tai Xu" is neither empty nor nothing, but rather the inherent state of qi? How can we prove that the contradictory interaction of yin and yang qi is the fundamental driving force behind the continuous generation of all things?
In the Song Dynasty, which lacked sophisticated observation and experimental methods, this was something that pure philosophical speculation could not achieve.

Looking at Zhang Zai's furrowed brows and the pain in his eyes caused by the questioning of his thoughts, Lu Beigu understood.

This future Mr. Yokoku is currently experiencing the most difficult step in building his grand ideological system: laying a solid philosophical foundation for it that can respond to all questions.

Qi Song's criticism of "absurdity and lack of evidence" was not a simple matter of personal feelings, but a fierce collision between two completely different worldviews and two philosophical systems on fundamental paths.

Zhang Zai's theory of Qi emphasizes the reality and materiality of the universe, while the Buddhist school represented by Qi Song, especially the Chan school, focuses more on the enlightenment of mind and the "emptiness" of the world, believing that the essence of all phenomena is the manifestation of the illusory "consciousness".

The former seeks an objective and knowable picture of the universe, even if such knowledge is acquired through speculation and experience, while the latter points to an ultimate enlightenment that transcends the subject-object dichotomy.

Just then, Lu Beigu's gaze swept over the charcoal brazier used for heating inside the room.

The charcoal fire in the basin was glowing red, and the heat distorted the air above.

At that moment, he was just like Newton in the story, who was hit by an apple falling from a tree.

A thought flashed through Lu Beigu's mind like lightning.

He suddenly realized something.

The opportunity to change the world is right now!
(End of this chapter)