Confucian Cultivator Under One Person

Confucius said, "I will tell you about fasting. If you do something with your heart, is it easy? If it is easy, then the sky will not be suitable for you."

Yan Hui said, "My family is poor, and I have not drunk alcohol or eaten meat for several months. Can this be considered fasting?"

He said, "This is a fast for sacrificial offerings, not a fast for the heart."

This is a conversation between Confucius and Yan Hui. The general meaning is that Yan Hui said that his realm had stagnated and he could not make any progress. Confucius told him that he needed to "fast" and do a thorough cleaning. His mind was full of "taken-for-granted" prejudices, and if he didn't clean them out, he would not be able to correct others.

Yan Hui said that his family was poor and he had not drunk alcohol or eaten meat for several months. Does this mean he was clean?

Confucius said that it was the "fasting" of sacrifice, not the "fasting of the heart"!

Do you know where this dialogue comes from? It's from Zhuangzi's "The Human World."

However, the concept of "fasting" does come from Confucianism, and the method of "adjusting the mind" is also something Confucianism is good at.

……

Zhao Fangxu brought a lot of information for Fu Yuan to review.

People bring food and drinks to the village every day, and trucks bring in materials from time to time, but after delivering the things, these people don’t stop at all and just leave.

While Fu Yuan was bored in the room reading some materials, the other three used the materials sent to them to build an altar in a valley in Changbai Mountain.

Whether it is Zhao Fangxu, Gao Lian, or Guan Shihua, they have all held high positions for many years, but now they are doing it themselves despite their age, which shows how much importance they attach to this matter and how much they keep it confidential.

Fortunately, they are all extraordinary people. Zhao Fangxu and Guan Shihua just talk and don't do anything most of the time, and Gao Lian is the main labor force.

After the altar was set up, Gao Lian looked obviously more haggard.

When Fu Yuan went out to relax, he saw Gao Lian's exhausted expression and couldn't help laughing: "You are a mess, yet you are organized. You have gone through hardships, yet your complexion remains unchanged. Mr. Gao, your state of mind is not up to standard!"

Gao Lian said unhappily, "Why don't you try it?"

Fu Yuan pointed at his face and said with a smile, "Look at me. I've been riding a bicycle and wandering around for almost two years, living in the open air. Besides being a little darker, am I as haggard as you?"

Gao Lian was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but look around.

Zhao Fangxu was also curious and asked, "Fu Yuan, do you have any tricks?"

Guan Shihua was also surprised after being reminded.

They all knew Fu Yuan's experience. He had been wandering outside for so long, and had to live under the sun most of the time. Logically, he should have become haggard and looked like a monster.

But apart from his slightly darker skin, Fu Yuan still looks gentle and handsome, and he is still a graceful and handsome young man.

In fact, to be honest, Fu Yuan's facial features are ordinary, but they give people a feeling of being pleasing to the eye and extremely pleasing to the eye. This is the "beauty" in "beauty, greatness, holiness, and divinity" as described by Mencius.

Because his temperament has surpassed his appearance - the righteousness fills his whole body, and his temperament and demeanor have long been engraved in his bones.

Fu Yuan pointed to his chest and said, "In the final analysis, it's still a matter of state of mind. You're impatient with these things, so your mind is naturally restless and your anger can't settle down. Isn't this what they call 'restless and irritable'?"

Gao Lian seemed to be thinking about something.

Zhao Fangxu said cheerfully, "Old Gao, I didn't expect you to have such thoughts. If you were impatient, you should have told us earlier. We could have done it ourselves... Hey, although Xiaohua and I are old and you are still young, as long as you tell us, can we force you?"

Guan Shihua also joined in the fun and said, "Boss Zhao, it's my fault. I'm a woman, an old woman at that. I don't have much strength, so all the hard work falls on Xiao Gao. It's normal for Xiao Gao to feel dissatisfied. In the final analysis, it's all my fault..."

Gao Lian's face turned dark when faced with the two people's jokes.

"..."

After some banter, Zhao Fangxu got down to business and asked, "Fu Yuan, what do you think?"

Fu Yuan exhaled and said, "It's not a big problem. I understand the process of deification, but I need someone to help protect the law."

Zhao Fangxu was stunned. "Protector? You mean someone's coming back to cause trouble?"

Fu Yuan shook his head and said, "It doesn't necessarily have to be a human... This is a divine seat, who knows what strange things might covet it."

Guan Shihua understood and said, "I can ask a group of immortals to come and help."

Fu Yuan grinned and said, "Please don't do that! What's the difference between this and asking Monkey King to guard the Peach Garden?"

Immortals? That's just a nice way of putting it. To put it bluntly, they are a group of elves and ghosts. When the time comes, they might be the ones who rob the most!

Zhao Fangxu nodded in understanding, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Fu Yuan, do you have any requirements for the guardian?"

Fu Yuan said seriously, "You must have a strong character and must not be deceived. This is the most important thing... As for the rest, the better you fight, the better!"

Guan Shihua and Gao Lian looked at each other, and a person appeared in their minds at the same time.

Zhao Fangxu also thought of it, nodded, and said, "Okay, I'll go negotiate. What about the others? How many guardians do you need?"

Fu Yuan said indifferently: "If you can fight, one is enough, just guarding the door. If you are not good enough, then send a few more, it's up to you."

"Sure." Zhao Fangxu asked, "When does it start?"

Fu Yuan calculated and said, "Ten days later, on the winter solstice, when yin reaches its extreme and yang is born, it's the day of yin and yang creation!"

Zhao Fangxu said decisively: "Okay, I'll invite someone here within ten days. What about the ten days in between?"

Fu Yuan took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, saying, "Do as you please, just don't disturb me. I'm fasting and bathing to adjust my body and mind."

……

If you have one mind, do not listen with your ears but with your heart; do not listen with your heart but with your breath. Listening stops with your ears, and your heart stops with the symbols.

Qi is emptiness, waiting for things to come. Only the Tao gathers in emptiness.

Emptiness means that the mind is empty.

If it is just a sacrifice, "physical fasting" is enough, as Yan Hui said, "don't drink alcohol or eat meat" to keep the body clean.

But Fu Yuan needed to preside over the Conferred God Ceremony, so in addition to "physical fasting", he also needed "mental fasting".

What does "Xinzhai" mean?

After Yan Hui consulted Confucius for several days, he said, "I have benefited." Confucius asked what kind of benefit he had gained. Yan Hui said that he had forgotten benevolence and righteousness. Confucius said that this was not enough.

A few days later, Yan Hui said that he had forgotten rites and music, and Confucius said that it was not enough.

When he saw him again one day, he said, "You have benefited greatly." Confucius asked, "What does that mean?"

Yan Hui replied, "Hui, I am in the state of sitting and forgetting." Confucius asked, "What does it mean to sit and forget?"

Yan Hui said: "To abandon the body, to discard intelligence, to leave form and knowledge, to become one with the great unity, this is called sitting and forgetting."

To fast and regulate the mind is to "sit and forget"!

However, Fu Yuan added "three self-examinations" to the basis of "sitting and forgetting".

Once ordinary people calm down, all kinds of distracting thoughts will arise, and these distracting thoughts are impossible to suppress.

In response to these various distracting thoughts, Taoists say "forget". You can have distracting thoughts, but don't think about them. For example, you may think of someone for no apparent reason, but don't think about how this person is related to you, or what this person has done. Just forget all of these things.

Confucianism advocates "calmness, tranquility, peace, and consideration", which means to calm the body and mind and guide distracting thoughts. For example, think about one thing specifically, and then think deeply and attentively about it, guiding all distracting thoughts to this thing.

Until you concentrate on thinking about this matter, until your mind is calm and your spirit is at peace, and you think clearly and carefully about every aspect of the matter.

Fu Yuan "examined himself three times a day", thinking clearly about everything he had experienced in the past, thinking clearly about every matter, and thinking clearly whether he had ever violated his original intention.

As long as you act in accordance with your conscience and in line with the principles in your heart, then you will be "right" and "confident"!

Every time you think something through, your anger will grow stronger!

……

Just as Fu Yuan locked himself in the house, meditating and adjusting his mind, a guest arrived from far away on Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi.

This guest is not an alien, nor is he from the Tourism Bureau, nor is he from the Taoist Association.

No one knew the identity of this guest, and as soon as he arrived he went to see the old Taoist priest of Longhu Mountain.

The two hid in the room and chatted for a long time. After the guests left, the old master began to retreat.

It was called seclusion, but in fact he avoided everyone and went down the mountain quietly.

At the foot of the mountain, he got on a car and disappeared without a trace.

Chapter 34: Conferred God Liu Kunsheng

There is a state in Taoism called the "Xiyi" state.

"Laozi"

To put it bluntly, all senses are external, ignore them and just stick to your heart.

The Book of Rites, Great Learning, also states: "If the mind is absent, one sees but does not see, hears but does not hear, and eats but does not know the taste."

Confucianism has a more detailed explanation: the so-called self-cultivation lies in rectifying one's mind. If one is angry, one cannot be rectified; if one is afraid, one cannot be rectified; if one is happy, one cannot be rectified; if one is worried, one cannot be rectified.

Anger, fear, joy, and worry are all senses outside of the original mind. The reason why the original mind cannot be correct is that it is influenced by these senses outside of the original mind.

The so-called "preserve the principles of heaven and eliminate human desires" is the same principle. All desires outside of the original heart should be eliminated, and only the principles of heaven in the heart will remain.

……

The winter solstice is the day when yin reaches its extreme and yang is born. At noon, the energy of the transformation of yin and yang reaches its peak.

Just before noon, Fu Yuan opened the door and walked out of the house, holding a ritual in his hand... Well, to put it bluntly, it was a tray with several documents on it, as well as the Qingci written by Fu Yuan himself, and writing materials left for supplementation.

After adjusting his mind, Fu Yuan's body and mind have reached the purest state at this moment. Moreover, after "examining himself three times", his righteous spirit has flourished to the extreme.

With a righteous heart and sincere intentions, Fu Yuan strode out of the room with his head held high.

Outside the house, Zhao Fangxu, Guan Shihua, Gao Lian, and the old Taoist priest had already been waiting there.

Seeing Fu Yuan coming out, his expression couldn't help but change.

The previous Fu Yuan gave them the impression that he was a decent person, kind to others and approachable.

But at this moment, Fu Yuan was so majestic and solemn, and his righteousness made people feel oppressed, guilty, and dared not look directly at him.

Who among many people has not done a few bad things in their life?

As long as you have done something wrong, you will feel uneasy when you think about it. Once your heart is uneasy, when you face the overwhelming righteousness, you will feel the heavy majesty and oppression.

Is it the righteous spirit that is oppressing them? No, it is their own heart!

Faced with the majestic and righteous spirit, Zhao Fangxu and others who were about to introduce the old Taoist priest subconsciously looked away and were speechless.

On the contrary, the old Heavenly Master had an extremely noble character. He looked at Fu Yuan without changing his expression and exclaimed: "The heaven and earth have righteousness, which is all-encompassing! Now I finally see it!"

Fu Yuan nodded slightly to the old Taoist priest as a greeting, then held up the tray and walked towards the altar first.

The other four followed behind.