Confucian Cultivator Under One Person

Chapter 5: Cultivating one's body and manners

It is said that young people "look" forward and old people "look" backward.

On the one hand, it means that young people prefer to think about the future, while older people prefer to reminisce about the past.

But it can also be explained as young people liking trendy things and old people liking old things... In the past, people on the Internet often said that when people reach a certain age, their "bloodlines awaken" and they begin to like ancient styles, operas, and the like.

Isn't it true that as people get older, their hearts tend to calm down, and when their hearts are calm, they are less likely to hear those impetuous things.

Fu Yuan looks like a six-year-old child, but his mental age is enough to keep his mind calm.

So he was able to calm down and read those obscure ancient texts.

Unfortunately, some things cannot be achieved just by trying hard... He cannot understand many ancient texts.

You know every word in a sentence, but you can't understand the meaning of the sentence. The root cause is that you don't understand the meaning of the words.

In other words, Fu Yuan's understanding of the meaning of each word does not correspond to ancient Chinese at all.

Another day of obstacles from past life experiences!

Then start with literacy and learn again.

……

During dinner that day, Fu Yuan said to his grandfather, "Grandpa, I want to buy a book."

Fu Guojin was happy and said, "Okay, it happens that grandpa will get his salary tomorrow. Whatever book you want, grandpa will buy it for you."

Fu Yuan pondered and said, "I want a copy of 'Shuowen Jiezi', a book for learning to read."

Fu Guojin was stunned for a moment: "Don't you have a Xinhua Dictionary?"

Fu Yuan was just thinking about how to explain when his grandmother said, "Why are you asking so many questions? It's a good thing that Erxiao wants to learn to read. If you don't buy it, I will."

Fu Guojin smiled bitterly and said, "Okay, okay, I'll go to the Xinhua Bookstore in town tomorrow to have a look."

Fu Yuan grinned: "Thank you, Grandpa, thank you, Grandma."

"good……"

……

Fu Yuan was well aware that during the Republic of China period, Western learning flooded in and orthodox Confucianism suffered a severe impact, especially the "Criticize Lin and Criticize Confucius" during a special period, which plunged orthodox Confucianism into the abyss and completely cut off its inheritance.

Although there are many masters of Chinese studies in later generations, none of them has received orthodox education in Confucianism. At most, they only have a deep understanding of ancient Chinese.

Understanding is one thing, putting it into practice is another.

Fu Yuan can’t even understand it now, let alone put it into practice, so if he wants to learn Confucianism, the first step is to “exegesis”!

Understand the different meanings of each Chinese character in different eras and its changes in different eras.

If you can't do this, you won't be able to interpret the ancient classics at all, let alone put them into practice.

Therefore, Fu Yuan urgently needed a copy of "Shuowen Jiezi", even though he knew that the book was not cheap.

In fact, the price was beyond Fu Yuan's expectations.

The next afternoon, Grandpa Fu Guojin brought back a set of books. Before entering the door, he concealed the look of heartache on his face.

The complete set consists of four volumes, each priced at 47.8 yuan, totaling nearly 200 yuan.

This price made Fu Yuan unable to ask for other books. He could only hug his grandfather's thighs and comfort his grandfather's heartache with a happy smile.

"Thank you, Grandpa. You are so kind..."

The pain in Fu Guojin's heart suddenly disappeared, and he smiled with wrinkles on his face: "It's okay, grandpa has money!"

……

"If you need any books in the future, just tell me. How many books can your grandfather buy with that little money? He still has to pay for your study abroad."

Old Man Liu threw a bundle of books in front of Fu Yuan and said disapprovingly, "Besides, what kind of books can you buy in this small town?"

"The Book of Rites?"

Fu Yuan looked at the book and opened his mouth wide: "Grandpa Liu, you..."

Old Man Liu said calmly, "I asked someone to buy them. I've also arranged for people to collect the rest. Don't worry, I don't want your money. I just want to see how far you can go and whether you can really cultivate this great righteousness."

Fu Yuan stroked the set of "Book of Rites" in front of him, unable to say no, his face full of confusion.

Old Man Liu snorted and said, "Since you have the courage to cultivate your noble spirit, why are you being so coy? Tell me, where do you plan to start?"

Fu Yuan took a deep breath and said seriously, "Thank you, Grandpa Liu."

As he spoke, he opened the Book of Rites and said, "The Confucian way of doing things is nothing more than to do everything with a 'rect heart and sincerity'. To have a rectified heart, one must first have a rectified body... Grandpa Liu, your copy of the Book of Rites arrived just in time!"

"Rectify your body...rectify your mind..." Old Man Liu pondered and said, "That makes some sense. But how do we correct our body?"

Fu Yuan opened the "Quli" in the "Book of Rites" and said as he read, "Of course it is "ritual". Use "ritual" to restrain your body and then restrain your heart."

Old Man Liu shook his head and said, "The word 'constraint' isn't very nice. Taoism emphasizes letting go of constraints, but you're actually adding to them. How can your mind be pure? If your mind isn't pure, it's even harder to sense Qi."

Fu Yuan chuckled and said, "Why can't I feel pure when my mind is bound? Isn't it because my mind is not pure that I feel bound?"

There is no standard to judge whether the mind is pure or not, but it can be judged through "etiquette"... When you feel that etiquette is too complicated, it is when your mind is not pure, and it is time to cultivate your mind!

Isn’t the so-called “self-discipline and self-cultivation” actually for the purpose of cultivating the mind?

Old man Liu stopped talking and frowned in thought.

Fu Yuan stopped talking and looked at the book in front of him seriously. While reading, he compared it with the "Shuowen Jiezi" next to him.

The only sound in the quiet yard was the occasional sound of flipping pages.

After a while, Old Man Liu came back to his senses. Seeing Fu Yuan twisting and turning, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Fu Yuan pointed at the book and said, "I don't quite understand the meaning of 'If you sit like a corpse, stand like a corpse' in the Book of Rites... What does 'sitting like a corpse' mean?"

Old Man Liu was speechless, then laughed and said, "That's easy. Wouldn't it be better if we just lie straight and still like a corpse?"

Fu Yuan shook his head and thought, "Sitting stiffly like this is not only awkward, but also very tiring. In Shuowen Jiezi, the character 尸 (corpse) means 陈 (formation), which resembles lying down... The meaning of '尸' (corpse) was derived later."

Old Man Liu opened his mouth and said speechlessly: "What do you think?"

Fu Yuan said in distress, "The shape of an elephant lying down... I've never seen an elephant lying down. Have you ever seen one, Grandpa Liu?"

Old man Liu shook his head, he hadn't seen it either.

"I can only guess... When an elephant lies down, its back, neck, head, and trunk should form a smooth line, right?"

Fu Yuan raised his hand and pressed the back of his neck. After a moment's thought, he said, "The back of the head, cervical vertebrae, and spine are all in a straight line... Well, this will straighten the body. Also, relax a little..."

After continuous adjustments, Fu Yuan finally exclaimed, "Huh?" and said, "Sitting like this makes my breathing seem a little easier."

Old Man Liu also tried it and said, "Indeed, the flow of Qi has become slightly smoother... It seems that Confucian etiquette really has something to offer. What about 'Standing in an orderly manner'? Standing in an orderly manner?"

Fu Yuan shook his head and stood up, moving slowly to keep his body straight. He said, "Even, wheat and wheat ears are flat on top. Xu Yan said: Nothing grows evenly like wheat and wheat. Er, ground. The two sides are in the lower place.

So the emphasis is on the "two" under "qi", which requires calmness..."

As Fu Yuan continued to adjust his stance, his small body gradually seemed to take root in the earth. It seemed that no matter how his upper body swayed, as long as his feet were on the ground, he would eventually stand upright again...

"Good!" Old Man Liu blurted out, "Rooted in the earth, standing like a pine tree. Your stance is like that of martial artists who have practiced standing meditation for years, steady and weighty... Although I don't understand what 'standing like standing upright' means, looking at your stance, I now understand!"

As he spoke, he stood up and walked a few steps in the yard, then said, "Look at the way I walk. What's the difference between me and you?"

Fu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Grandpa Liu, you walk very lightly, as if you are about to float up at any moment, but you also feel very steady..."

Old Man Liu smiled and said, "Most extraordinary people emphasize 'subtle form and light spirit'. Your subtle form and light spirit are different from ours."

Fu Yuan wondered, "I shouldn't have done anything wrong, right?"

Old Man Liu was also undecided. After some thought, he said, "I don't know whether it's right or wrong. You can decide for yourself. But... if you can keep your feet on the ground, you shouldn't go far wrong."

"That's it!"

Fu Yuan made the final decision, maintaining his posture, walking slowly in the yard, adjusting his posture all the time.

It has to be said that manners have a huge impact on people's senses.

Without manners, a 200-pound fat man is just greasy. With manners, even if he weighs an extra 100 pounds, he can still be a handsome guy!

The Book of Rites says: "Be respectful in all things, be serious and thoughtful, speak calmly and steadily, and the people will be at peace."

You should not appear sloppy, but respectful, with a serious expression, and speak in an organized manner with intonation and clear rhythm.

When the mind is calm, the speech is steady and comfortable, the demeanor is respectful and the words are steady.

This is the demeanor, the image of a gentleman!

The so-called "self-cultivation" is to correct one's posture and movements from these small details of walking, sitting and lying down.

Only when your manners are right can your heart be right!

Chapter 6 Confucian Ambition

It is human nature to be lazy and hate to work. Bad habits will easily take over if one is not careful. In order to maintain posture, it is essential to "cultivate oneself" at all times.

Fu Yuan maintained the posture at all times, and adjusted it immediately if there was any deviation, until these postures became instinctive to his body.

Before this, he did not rush to look inward.

Once you become impatient, you can't help but think, "What's the point of these etiquette? What else do these movements do besides looking good? It's too tiring to keep them up all the time..." and other similar distracting thoughts.

With so many distracting thoughts flooding into my mind, how can my heart be “right”?

Self-discipline is for the purpose of self-cultivation.

……

As time passed from summer to autumn, the weather gradually became colder, and winter arrived before we knew it.

The old couple Fu Guojin spends every day with their grandson and has not noticed any subtle changes, but to other people in the village, Fu Yuan seems like a different person.

In the eyes of the children, their little playmate Fu Yuan seemed to have suddenly become an adult and majestic.

In the eyes of adults, Fu Yuan seemed to have become stupid and slow.

As a result, few people came to disturb him.

Fu Yuan was also happy about this. When the weather got cold, Fu Yuan went to the paper mill with his grandmother once and then never went there again.