Intensive Reading of the Book of Transmission: Eight Articles and the Consistent Way - Reading the Book of the Answering Luo Zhen'an Shaozai

Reprinted from Confucius 2017-11-08

"Things have an end, things have an end, and if you know what is in order, you are close to the road." "University" divides three programs from the inside and outside, and eight articles from the beginning. However, Confucius taught Zeng Zi that "my way has always been consistent." The learning of adults is the consistent way, so the "University" divides out the three principles and eight items only to facilitate the establishment of teaching for the purpose of receiving later learning, and the ultimate purpose is to clarify the consistent way.

The three principles and eight items of "University" are divided into a context and organization, and they belong to the consistent way. How to view the relationship between "eight eyes" and "consistency"? In the "Book of Answering Luo Zhen'an Shaozai", Mr. Yang Ming has a dialogue with Luo Zhen'an, which is worth playing with.

Luo Zhen'an asked, "If we must learn and not seek externally, but when we look at introspection as a matter of business, then why is there no end to the four words of righteousness and sincerity?" Why bother with a period of time when you start? ”

Mr. Yang Ming replied:

"Admittedly. If you want to say it, then the word self-cultivation is enough, so why say it with a correct mind? The word righteousness is also enough, so why say it sincerely? The word sincerity is also enough, why should we say what we know and what we say? But the details of its work, and the need for it is only one thing, so it is the study of refinement, and this is not to be thought of."

What is the study of Jingyi? Cf. Article 25 of the Book of Transmissions: "The only thing is the only idea, the only essence is the only kung fu, and there is only one outside the essence"; "Those who are knowledgeable, interrogative, prudent, discerning, and steadfast, all seek the only one for the sake of excellence.". Since the five links of erudition, interrogation, prudence, discernment, and perseverance in the "Mean" are the only fine work, the only fine work is done to verify the "only one". In the same way, the eight articles of the "University" ge zhi cheng zheng xiu and other eight items are also only fine work, and from the only fine work, the "only" idea must be realized. In other words, the distinction must be made from beginning to end, and it must be consistent and consistent. Only in this way can we sort out the order of the adult's learning and avoid falling into fragmentation.

Mencius said: "The way of learning is without him, and it is enough to ask him to rest assured." However, Mencius used medicine for ordinary people to indulge their hearts and cause diseases, and instructed a beginner to enter the door of morality with "asking for their peace of mind". Luo Zhen'an's understanding of Mencius's words will be biased, believing that the sincerity of the "University" is to reflect on introspection, only this is "learning", why should we do a period of lattice work at the time of entry?

Mr. Yang Ming said in the "Preface to the Ancient Books of the University": "Those who do not do anything about the qualities and are sincere in vain are called vain." If ordinary people let go of their hearts and do not know how to seek "outside", Luo Zhen'an is inside rather than outside, it is a kind of silence.

Mr. Yang Ming follows the temptation:

"There is no inside and outside of the husband, and there is no inside and outside of sex, so there is no inside and outside of learning." The lecture and discussion is not inside; on the contrary, introspection, it is not left behind. The husband means that learning must be external, that is, that one's own nature is external, that is, righteousness is also outside, and that it is also used by the wise; that is, to reflect on introspection is to seek within, to take one's own nature as one's own, to have oneself, and to be selfish. It is not known that sex is neither inside nor outside. Therefore, it is said: the essence of righteousness into the gods, so that it can be used; the use of tranquility, to worship virtue also; the virtue of sex, the way of harmony between the inside and the outside. This can be known as the learning of lattice objects."

"Looking at introspection, I have not tasted the outside", Mr. Yang Ming pointed out, Luo Zhen'an is to first separate the internal and external objects, and then the inside rather than the outside, in order to "seek its reassurance" instead of the "inside". In fact, Mencius's so-called "anti" is not anti-"within" in the spatial sense, but anti-"medium". The true self-reflexive mind must penetrate the inside and the outside, and the so-called "virtue of sex, the way of harmony between the inside and the outside" is also called in the "Middle Way".

Mencius said: "All things are prepared for me, reflexive and sincere, happy and happy." Mencius said that he studied with "reflexiveness and sincerity", pointing out a "reverse", and it should be noted that the sentence "All things are prepared for me" is added in front of it, which is "the adult and the heavens and the earth are one". This "big self" is the destination of self-reflexiveness, not "inside but not outside", and the reflexivity work falls on the selfish and limited "small self". Mr. Yang Ming saw it very clearly: "It is said that introspection is to seek the inside, to take one's own nature as the inside, to have me, and to be selfish."

Luo Zhen'an not only took the lattice work as an external request, but also broke away from items such as "lattice" and "sincerity and righteousness". Mr. Yang Ming used drugs due to illness and made different interpretations of the lattice:

"The person who is in the grid, the actual beginning of the "University", through the beginning, learns the most saints from the beginning, only this work, not only at the beginning of the entry, but also this paragraph. The husband is sincere and sincere, and he knows the qualities, so he cultivates the body and the qualities, and the strength of the people is visible every day. Therefore, the one who is in the right place, the thing that is in the heart, the thing that is in the right mind, the thing that is known is also the thing that is right; the one who is sincere, the one who is sincere, the one who is sincere in the meaning of his thing, the one who knows, the one who knows, the one who knows, the one who knows, the one who knows ”

Mr. Yang Ming believes that "body, mind, mind, knowledge, and things are just one thing", so knowledge, sincerity, righteousness, and self-cultivation are also qualities. "Lattice" is "everything is reasonable", then, "family Qi", "national governance" and "world peace" are also lattice work.

Since the eight articles are consistent and original and the opposite, then the articles must be interconnected with each other, and each article covers the rest. If you do sincere work and truly realize your sincerity, a "sincerity" word goes through and down, such as the so-called "sincere person, the way of heaven" in "Zhongyong". Through the "right mind" work to achieve the right heart, the heart is right", a "middle" word can be, to the vast and subtle, "The Middle" so-called "the middle also, the world's great ben also". Similarly, if "knowledge" is interpreted as "conscience", zhizhi gongfu includes all the other entries, such as Mr. Yang Ming said: "There is more ignorance outside the conscience, and there is no learning outside the knowledge." It is also said: "Confucius did everything without knowing it, and Yan Zi did not know that he was not good, this is the true bloodline of sacred learning."