Confucian Cultivator Under One Person

Until this moment, the Conferred God Ceremony has not ended.

The snake spirit Liu Kunsheng transformed into the god of heaven and earth!

Chapter 35 Zhengyi Dao

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Deng Xi, a minister of the Warring States Period, once proposed the "Theory of Two Possibilities", the core idea of ​​which is "to take what is wrong as right, and what is right as wrong, with no limit to right and wrong, and what is possible and what is impossible changing every day."

What does this mean? The same thing, viewed from different perspectives or under different conditions, often has different or even opposite properties, leading to different or even contradictory viewpoints.

What is right can be wrong, and what is wrong can be right. There is no absolute right or wrong, and it can change at any time.

The Wei River flooded, and a wealthy man from Zheng was swept away and drowned. Someone salvaged the man's body. When his family learned of the situation, they tried to buy the body back, but the buyer demanded too much. So, the family went to Deng Xi for advice.

Deng Xi said to the rich man's family, "Don't worry! That man can only sell the body to you, no one else will buy it." As a result, the rich man's family no longer looked for anyone who could buy the body.

The man who got the body was anxious and asked Deng Xi for advice. Deng Xi said to him, "Don't worry! The rich man's family has no other choice but to buy the body from you."

Deng Xi viewed the same issue from two different perspectives and offered arguments that benefited both sides. Logically and sensibly, both of his contradictory statements were correct and lacked any refutation.

But the problem was that Deng Xi did not have his own position, nor did he choose a side, which led to a stalemate between the two sides, which was not beneficial to either side.

Therefore, Deng Xi was very annoying in history because he had no stance of his own, no measure of his own, and no "ritual" of his own in doing things!

A man of small mind is not a gentleman, and a man without measure is not a man!

……

In the house in the village, five people sat in a corner, each thinking to themselves, and no one spoke.

Everyone is thinking about the corresponding issues based on their own standpoints.

Fu Yuan himself only deepened his understanding of the Conferred God Ceremony, and began to look at everyone.

Through their respective positions, Fu Yuan could easily guess what they were thinking. For example, as a director of the company, Zhao Fangxu must be thinking about the impact of "Conferred Gods" on the current order and its subsequent applications.

As the leader of the "Chu Ma Xian" lineage, Guan Shihua must be thinking about making profits for the "Chu Ma Xian" lineage. Of course, due to the unbearable performance of Mrs. Bai, the impact of this must also be considered.

As for Gao Lian, referring to the original novel, he was able to quit the Ten Lords and join the company for his daughter... What people are thinking about is probably his daughter Gao Erzhuang, as a special existence, can she also be deified?

The old Taoist priest was probably thinking about something related to "Tianshi's salvation".

Does it sound like "mind reading"? In fact, these are all inferences based on the current clues.

It’s just that after becoming “wise and clear-minded”, this judgment becomes clearer and more accurate, similar to “the way of utmost sincerity can predict the future”!

Ordinary people can also do this. When encountering something, as long as they think more from the other person's perspective, they can generally guess what the other person is thinking.

Just “put yourself in other people’s shoes”.

……

The room was silent for a long time. Finally, Zhao Fangxu was the first to come back to his senses. He stood up eagerly, probably wanting to report to his superiors. However, when he saw Fu Yuan, he paused and finally remembered what he had missed.

He immediately introduced: "Fu Yuan, this is one of the Ten Great Masters of the Alien Realm, the leader of the Zhengyi Sect, the 65th generation Heavenly Master of the Heavenly Master Mansion in Longhu Mountain, the old Heavenly Master Zhang Zhiwei."

Fu Yuan stood up and saluted, saying, "Fu Yuan, I meet the old Heavenly Master."

The old Taoist priest smiled and said, "You are a gentleman with a bright mind, well-versed in Confucianism and profound knowledge. You are not an ordinary young man!"

Fu Yuan said modestly, "You're too kind."

Zhao Fangxu smiled and said, "Old Heavenly Master, Fu Yuan, I have something to do here, so I have to leave first. Would you two like to go together, or chat first?"

Fu Yuan thought for a moment, looked at the old Taoist priest, and was about to speak.

The old Taoist priest spoke first, "It's rare to meet a young man like this, so of course we have to have a good chat."

Zhao Fangxu nodded and said, "Okay, the car that will take you back to Longhu Mountain is waiting outside the village. The same goes for Fu Yuan... Then I'll be leaving first. I don't need to emphasize the confidentiality of this matter, right?"

"Of course!" They both nodded at the same time.

Gao Lian and Guan Shihua also stood up and said, "Then we'll go ahead and chat later."

After everyone left, only Fu Yuan and the old Taoist priest were left in the room.

Before Fu Yuan could speak, the old Taoist priest said, "Fu Yuan, you are a learned man. Do you know the history of our Longhu Mountain?"

Fu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "I only know a little bit. It seems to have been founded by Zhang Daoling during the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty..."

The old Heavenly Master shook his head and said, "The founder of the sect, Zhang Daoling, was originally named Zhang Ling. He founded the Five Pecks of Rice Sect at the end of the Han Dynasty and called himself the 'Heavenly Master'. His son Zhang Heng was the 'Successor Master', and his grandson Zhang Lu was the 'Senior Master'. The three generations of the sect passed down the teachings and were known as the 'Zhang Heavenly Master' lineage.

The first three generations of "Zhang Tianshi" were all, without exception, Confucian scholars. However, due to the chaotic world and the lack of governance, their ambitions could not be realized, so they abandoned Confucianism and studied the way of immortality, which has been passed down from generation to generation since then.

Fu Yuan was a little surprised. Was Zhang Daoling actually a Confucian disciple? I had no idea! And Zhang Daoling was born in the late Han Dynasty... There were several hundred years between the late Han Dynasty and the Tianbao period.

The old Heavenly Master continued, "As early as the 20th year of Jian'an, the 'Three Zhangs' were granted titles by Emperor Xian of Han. At that time, it was Zhang Lu, the 'Master of the Family', who accepted the title and presided over the sacrifices...

After that, the lineage continued until the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty, when he was once again ennobled to lead the Zhengyi Sect, and sacrifices were continuously offered throughout the dynasties!

Fu Yuan suddenly understood, nodded, and said, "I understand."

Although the old Taoist priest spoke vaguely and was clearly talking about other things, his words and deeds explained the issue of "Tianshi's salvation".

The "Three Zhangs" who were granted titles, presided over sacrifices, and abandoned Confucianism to pursue Taoism... Isn't it very similar to the scene today?

Of course, there is “action” only when there is “knowledge”!

In this situation, only Fu Yuan could understand the old Taoist priest's words, because he had experienced it and had the "knowledge".

No matter how delicious or amazing a dish may be described by others, only those who have actually eaten it and have the knowledge can understand it.

Or maybe you accidentally ate a certain food, and later through other people's descriptions, you finally knew what you ate.

Without knowledge, one cannot act; without action, one cannot know. Only knowledge and action can be unified!

……

After getting the explanation, Fu Yuan no longer paid attention to the "Tianshi Degree". Instead, he sincerely asked the old Tianshi for advice.

Since studying Confucianism, Fu Yuan has been pondering and understanding it on his own through "philological interpretation".

Although Zhengyi Sect is a Taoist sect, its founder was born into a Confucian family. I think it would be possible to apply the ideas of Zhengyi Sect to other similar situations by learning their philosophy.

The old Taoist priest was not stingy and told the story in detail.

The Five Pecks of Rice Sect, the origin of the Zhengyi Sect, comes from Zhang Daoling's "Laozi Xianger Notes" which he compiled while annotating the "Tao Te Ching".

The ideological content of Xianger Zhu mainly includes three parts:

The first is about observing the precepts of the Tao, which advocates that seeking the Tao requires concentration, sincerity, and tranquility.

Before Zhengyi Dao, all Taoist studies only focused on the "Tao" itself, rather than the process of seeking the Tao. Only Confucianism emphasized the process.

The second is the method of longevity, which advocates the harmony of the qi of the five internal organs and the five elements. Harmony means mutual generation, while conflict means mutual restraint. The essence condenses into spirit. If you want to make the spirit immortal, you should condense the essence to protect yourself.

In order to protect oneself, one must be free of desires, inaction, and fame, not be greedy for fame and favor, not be competitive, and not do evil things.

The third is that the emperor practices Taoism and advocates the use of Taoism as a means of transformation, starting from the highest and descending to the lowest. It refers to the king, so there is only one person who is respected and there can be no two kings. Therefore, the king should always practice Taoism and then extend it to the officials and people. It is not only the Taoists who can practice it, and the king will abandon it.

Zhengyi Taoism has many similarities with Confucianism.

Chapter 36 Discussion

Nowadays, people often hear things from others, saying things like "Tao Te Ching" and "De Dao Jing"... I wonder if they themselves can understand what "Tao" and "De" are?

What is Tao? It is a path, a process, a vast, inexpressible, and vague concept.

Virtue, as explained by Taoism, is nature, law, and a cold, indifferent nature that is free from any human interference.

Water flows to lower places, this is the "virtue" of water; flames burn and emit light and heat, this is the "virtue" of fire, without any human interference!

What Taoists call "morality" is nothing more than a variety of cold and rigid laws of nature under a huge and vague concept!

Judging from this explanation, which one makes sense, "morality" or "virtue"?

Taoism is not Confucianism.

Confucianism’s “virtue” has been subject to various human interventions.

Crows repay their parents, which is praised by Confucianism as the virtue of "benevolence". Deer call to their flocks when they find grass, and bees gather when they see flowers, which is praised as the virtue of "righteousness". Lambs kneel to suckle, and horses do not bully their mothers, which is praised as the virtue of "propriety". Spiders weave webs for food, and ants plug their holes to avoid water, which is praised as the virtue of "wisdom". Roosters do not crow unless it is dawn, and swallows do not come unless they are gathering, which is praised as the virtue of "faithfulness".

After all, this is just the behavior of a natural phenomenon, which has been artificially endowed with "virtue".

This is a reversal of cause and effect.

……

Fu Yuan talked with the old Taoist priest for a long time, from the differences and similarities between the various concepts of Zhengyi Sect and Confucianism to the "Tao Te Ching" itself.

"Tao De Jing"

Different people hold different philosophies, so naturally they have different interpretations, and even different punctuation leads to different understandings.

The old Heavenly Master said: "The so-called 'normal way' is to nourish the spirit with inaction, to contain light and hide brilliance, to eliminate traces and conceal ends. As for the 'normal name', it should be like a baby who has not yet spoken, an egg that has not yet been hatched, a pearl in a clam, a beautiful jade between stones. Although it is bright inside, it looks like stupidity on the outside.

So the core meaning of the first sentence, "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name," is simply "hide"! What is hidden? To hide the essence, energy, and spirit, and not let it leak out!

Fu Yuan nodded in approval.

The old Taoist priest continued, "Nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth, and named is the mother of all things. This is a process from nothing to something. Without concealing your essence, energy, and spirit, you cannot cultivate the Tao. Only by concealing it can you give birth to the Tao of all things.

Just like the love between a man and a woman, which was created by the beginning of heaven and earth, and then breathed out and spread, and was born from nothingness, only then could a child be born and grow up to maturity.

This was different from Fu Yuan's understanding, but Fu Yuan did not rush to refute it. Instead, he asked, "Then what does the old Taoist think is the right way to hide?"

The old Taoist priest said: "There are two ways. One is to always be free of desire in order to see its wonders. To put it bluntly, it is abstinence. This desire is not an instinctive need, but an unnecessary desire beyond the needs! Just like when a person is hungry, he needs to eat. This is a very normal need, but wanting to eat delicious food is "desire"!

By concealing your energy and spirit and suppressing all desires, you will gradually be able to understand the key points.

Always have desires to observe their limits. Indulge your desires, but do not indulge in them. Indulgence is not the same as letting go. Have desires but control them. In the world of mortals, the "degree" is the most difficult to grasp.

You Confucians should be able to understand this the most.”

Fu Yuan nodded and said, "Self-discipline and self-cultivation are both tests of one's heart. Being able to control oneself is the most difficult thing to achieve. If you are not careful, you will fall into the abyss."

The old Heavenly Master continued, "What is Xuan? Xuan refers to Heaven and Tao. Whether it's 'constant desire' or 'constant absence of desire', in the final analysis, it's all about cultivating one's original mind and the experience of seeking the Tao. Therefore, these two things come from the same source but have different names. Both are called Xuan. Xuan is the door to all wonders."

Fu Yuan frowned and thought without saying anything.

The old Taoist priest waited quietly, and only when Fu Yuan's brows relaxed did he smile and gesture with his hand.

It's Fu Yuan's turn.

Fu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "The Tao, which can be spoken of, is not the eternal Tao. The name, which can be named, is not the eternal name."