Wang Shouren's experience was indeed wonderful. In the following time, Zhang Yanling heard the story that Wang Shouren traveled to Juyongguan, Shanhaiguan and other border towns at the age of fifteen, and encountered Tatar soldiers and horses fighting several times.
Finally, Zhang Yanling also heard the real-person narrated version of the famous allusion "Shou Ren Gezhu". For Zhang Yanling, this is of course the topic that interests him the most. Because it was from then on that this story was laid.
The ideological starting point of a future master of mind science who will shine on future generations.
"When Shouren was young, I listened to my grandfather's lectures on the deeds of the sages. It was my ambition to cultivate my family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world. After traveling to the border towns, I was deeply touched. I have a heart for the world and a livelihood for the people.
I have established a destiny to carry on the unique knowledge for the past saints and create peace for all generations. I have a benevolent heart and yearn for it, but I can't reach it."
"When I was eighteen years old, I returned to my hometown in Yuyao with my wife. When we were passing by Guangxin, we met the person I respected most in my life, my teacher Master Lou. Although it only lasted a few days, from Master Lou, I learned the principle of studying things to achieve knowledge.
Theory. Later I read Zhu Xi all over
The article is about meditating on the principles of investigating things. Zhu Zi said, "Things have their exterior, interior, essence and roughness, and every plant and tree has their principles." In order to practice Zhu Zi's principle of investigating things to gain knowledge, I sat in the bamboo forest in the backyard for seven days and seven nights. Unfortunately,
I didn’t realize any truth.”
"I was thinking at the time, whether my cultivation was not enough, or whether I was eager for quick success. I imitated the behavior of the sages and sages, but did not follow the sages' intentions. I looked up at the high mountains and could not find the way to enter. I was a layman. But later, I
But I have some doubts. The so-called method of investigating objects is the object outside the body. It is nothing more than the experience of observing its appearance, observing its changes, knowing its prosperity and decline, and gaining some knowledge about external objects."
"When I study bamboo, I just see the bamboo shoots breaking through the ground and the leaves whistling. I understand the principles of its growth and accumulate understanding of bamboo. The improvement of my inner heart is really limited. All things in the world are as numerous as the number of sands in the vast sea. They are ever-changing and unpredictable.
Test. Every plant and tree has its own reason. Then
How much accumulation and improvement can I gain and how much truth can I comprehend through the method of studying things in my whole life? If studying things is the only way to obtain the great road, then how did the sages reach such a high level? In life,
There is an end and a limited lifespan, how can we reach it?"
"To be honest, I fell into extreme confusion and conflict. I didn't know what to do. It seemed that I had gone astray and embarked on a long road that was impossible to reach. The road ahead was unclear and I didn't know where to end. I spent my whole life.
, can you know geometry?”
Zhang Yanling listened to Zhang Shouren speaking these words softly, and her heart was full of emotions. Wang Shouren spoke softly, as if the wind was calm. But Zhang Yanling knew how painful it would be if a person fell into confusion and a dead end on the road of pursuit.
and contradictions. Especially when he discovers that the methods taught by the sages simply don’t work, he will fall into self-doubt. Or he will fall into doubts about the sages. Both of these thoughts will make people crazy.
of.
Zhang Yanling also had other emotions at the same time. From a normal person's perspective, hearing Wang Shouren say these words and doing these things, he would probably think that he is a madman. If he didn't know Wang Shouren's subsequent achievements, listen to
Until someone did this
If something like this happens, I'm afraid they will be called crazy and be ashamed to associate with them. This may be the difference between sages and masters and ordinary people. How can ordinary people understand the inner world of these figures who stand at the pinnacle of human thought?
, how can we understand their behavior.
"I originally didn't plan to take the imperial examination. My idea is that the imperial examination is not the most important thing. The first important thing is to study and become a sage. You must think this idea is ridiculous. My father is the number one scholar and he can't stand it.
own son
Doing nothing. He said to me, since you want to be a sage but can't, then do the second most important thing, go to the imperial examination to prove yourself. When I thought about it, I had reached a dead end, so I would go to the imperial examination, at least
It won’t be a waste of time.”
"I failed the imperial examination at the age of twenty-two, and failed again at the age of twenty-five. It was not until I was twenty-eight that I passed the seventh place in the second class. Many people laughed at me when I failed, saying that I was ambitious but not talented.
, they are simply too ambitious. I have nothing to say to them. I don’t think it is shameful to fail in repeated exams. However, the imperial examination does give me something to do, at least I will not get stuck in conflicts and cannot extricate myself. "
Wang Shouren drank up the tea in front of him. This was his third cup of tea. Zhang Yanling stood up and refilled Wang Shouren's tea.
Wang Shouren smiled and said, "I'm afraid you'll doze off after listening to me talk about these things. Do you think I'm a lunatic? I actually dream of becoming a sage."
Zhang Yanling shook his head and said: "Brother Shou, I don't think so. Although I am not a scholar, I know the ambitions of you scholars. Cultivating yourself, harmonizing your family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world is the ideal that everyone pursues. Becoming a sage is also what you pursue.
Realm, what is there to ridicule? You are not pursuing becoming a murderer or a flying thief. It is not a shame to have a bright mind."
Wang Shouren nodded and said: "I didn't expect Brother Trillium to say such a thing. To be honest, this is the first time in the past ten years that someone is willing to listen to my voice, and the first time someone has not ridiculed my ambition. Even me
Dad, you still can’t understand me to this day.”
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Brother Shou, just go your own way and don't care what other people think. On the road of pursuit, you may be lonely and not understood by others. So what? Brother Shou is a determined person. I
You don’t need my understanding or other people’s thoughts.”
Wang Shouren shook his head and said: "Despite this, I still hope to have colleagues. There is no one to tell me about the many anguish in my heart."
Zhang Yanling said: "Brother Shou, I can be your listener. You can talk to me at any time."
Wang Shouren smiled and said, "Is it really okay?"
Zhang Yanling said: "Unless you feel that I, Zhang Yanling, cannot understand your thoughts and feel that you are playing the piano to others. If you can't get resonance, I'm afraid it's meaningless."
Wang Shouren smiled and said nothing. He did mean this. If you can't get real feedback by talking to someone who doesn't understand your thoughts, it would be better to talk to a bamboo.
"Brother Shou Ren, what I am concerned about now is whether you have found the answer to the difficult problem in your mind? Have you found a solution in the past few years?" Zhang Yanling asked.
Wang Shouren sighed: "I have some ideas, but there are still many difficulties and contradictions. I have to think about it myself and understand it."
Zhang Yanling nodded slightly. Wang Shouren suddenly asked: "I wonder what your opinion is. It seems that you understand my troubles."
Zhang Yanling was stunned, not knowing how to speak for a moment. Of course he knew Wang Shouren's final thoughts, but could he say it directly? Breaking through that layer of window paper? Wouldn't that not only disgrace the scenery, but also seem to reveal a huge secret, greedy
God's work? If you do that, wouldn't you be a person who deceives the world and steals your reputation? I'm afraid you will be punished by God.
Moreover, I have no interest in becoming a master of Neo-Confucianism, nor do I have the ability. The superficial knowledge I know cannot withstand scrutiny at all, because it is completely the crystallization of other people's ideas. It would be too shameless to steal Wang Shouren's ideological crystallization in person. Even if
I am a time traveler and have such abilities, but this will never be my advantage, and it also deviates from the direction I want to move forward.
Seeing Zhang Yanling's thoughtful expression, Wang Shouren smiled and said: "I shouldn't ask, who would be bored thinking about these things? Don't worry, I just asked casually."
Zhang Yanling wanted to become friends with Wang Shouren in her heart. He was not only a great master admired by later generations, but also a strong man of this era. Making friends with him and becoming a good friend would be extremely beneficial to him. Even if it is not for utilitarian reasons,
Even from a vanity point of view, it is something to be proud of being able to become friends with such a person at the pinnacle of wisdom and thought.
To truly become Wang Shouren's friend, it is natural to make Wang Shouren really think highly of him. Perhaps the secret does not need to be completely leaked, but only a little bit is leaked, which is the way to make Wang Shouren look at him differently.
"Brother Shou, Yanling has little knowledge and hasn't read many books. If I express my opinion, if there is anything wrong with it, please don't laugh at me," Zhang Yanling said.
Wang Shouren smiled and said: "How can I laugh? Just tell me."
Zhang Yanling looked like he was thinking, and said: "That's what I think. Brother Shouren said that if you use the method of studying things to gain knowledge, you may not be able to reach the realm of sages in your lifetime. I won't comment on this because I don't understand the method of studying things to gain knowledge.
I don’t dare to disagree or agree with it. But from Brother Shou’s description, I have another idea.”
Wang Shouren smiled and nodded: "Okay, I don't follow what others say. This is indeed the right attitude. I am also wondering whether my understanding of studying things to achieve knowledge is biased, or whether it is a path that is not suitable for me. I cannot deny what Zhu Zi pointed out.
This road. So what do you think?"
Zhang Yanling said: "Since this road doesn't work, then just find another way. There are so many things in the world, there are as many as the sands of the Ganges River, and it is indeed impossible to fit them all together. However, there is only one heart, so why not check the heart?"
Wang Shouren looked at Zhang Yanling with wide eyes in shock and said, "Gexin? You mean, Gexin?"
Zhang Yanling said: "Yes. How big your heart is, how big the world is. Everything in the world, everything you see, ultimately comes down to your inner feelings. No matter how much they are, they will eventually be reflected and understood in your heart. So, maybe there is no need to go
When studying things, what you should care about is your inner self-experience. Dissipate your inner experience into external objects and understand the principles of external objects. Although the world is big, it is all in the heart. The heart is the world and everything."
Wang Shouren stood up and stared at Zhang Yanling blankly, his eyes shining with light, as if they wanted to penetrate Zhang Yanling's body.
Zhang Yanling originally wanted to say a few more words, "There is no good or evil in the heart, there is good and evil is the movement of the will, knowing good and evil is conscience, doing good and eliminating evil is the investigation of things" to fill the scene and strengthen Wang Shouren's
Impression. But seeing Wang Shouren's reaction, he knew that he didn't need to say any more.
"I... am vulgar and ignorant, talking nonsense. Brother Shouren, don't pay attention and don't listen to my nonsense." Zhang Yanling said hurriedly.
Wang Shouren laughed out loud, reached out, grabbed Zhang Yanling's arm and patted it hard twice, and said in a deep voice: "Brother Yanling, I wish I had met you earlier."
[Author's digression]: Some of the views and descriptions about studying things and psychology in this chapter are my own nonsense and far-fetched understanding and reference. I am actually not proficient in these, but I have to write them for the sake of the story and characters.
.Please forgive me for making you laugh. I hereby explain.