Investigating Bamboo is Not Seeking Origins, Only Change is Unchanging

"Esteemed Uncle, Bo An passed through Guangxin earlier and paid his respects to Master Yizhai. Master Yizhai bestowed upon Bo An the 'Tracing Origins' doctrine of Song Confucianism."

"This doctrine states that 'things have internal and external, refined and crude; every blade of grass and tree embodies ultimate principle,' and that a sage can certainly be achieved through learning."

With that, he bowed slightly, humbly asking, "I wonder what your esteemed uncle's view is?"

Tai Yuan heard this, his expression calm, but he secretly thought that this doctrine leaned towards the School of Principle. So he asked, "Forgive this humble Daoist's impertinence, but who is this Master Yizhai...?"

Zhou Xun stroked his long beard, teasingly saying, "Master Yizhai is a great contemporary Confucian. Could it be that with Daoist Master's knowledge, you have never heard of him?"

Tai Yuan feigned a bitter smile, his expression sincere: "Old Master Zhou, please don't tease this humble Daoist. Although this humble Daoist inherits the Quanzhen Dao lineage and is said to have studied the three schools of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, I am ultimately still primarily a Daoist. It is inevitable that I have oversights regarding many Confucian luminaries."

Zhou Xun saw that Tai Yuan was finally no longer in that carefree, cloud-like state, and laughed heartily like an old child.

After laughing, he introduced, "Master Yizhai's original name is Lou Liang, his courtesy name is Ke Zhen, and his sobriquet is Yizhai. He is from Guangxin, Jiangxi, and is an old friend of this old man. Not long ago, we also studied together."

"Ke Zhen, from a young age, had aspirations for sagely learning, often seeking teachers in all directions. However, he believed that Master Zhu's ordinary learning was not a comprehensive scholarship. Later, he became the founder of the Wu Kang Zhai school, which venerated humanity. His doctrine takes 'calming the mind' as the entry point for practice, and 'purely letting nature take its course' as the main idea of reverence."

"However, Ke Zhen did not completely follow his master's teachings."

"At that time, he and his fellow student Hu Shu Xin believed that his doctrine was close to Lu Xiang Shan's, saying that he was a Confucian who had fallen into heterodoxy. But in reality, Ke Zhen was different from Master Lu. Master Lu did not exhaust principle, but he was willing to exhaust principle; Shizhai did not read books, but he needed to read books. It's just that when he exhausted principle and read books, he often used the words of sages to support his own views."

Tai Yuan could tell that when Zhou Xun spoke of this Master Yizhai, his emotions were particularly stirred. Perhaps he was recalling the years when they studied together, filled with lofty ideals, or perhaps he was proud of his old friend's achievements.

The common saying "bitter longing" generally refers to such feelings.

At this moment, Wang Shou Ren also praised, "Indeed, Master Yizhai was the pioneer of Yaojiang learning." His words and expression revealed utmost reverence.

Seeing Wang Shou Ren now looking like someone who had seen an idol, it seemed he was deeply captivated by this "Tracing Origins" doctrine.

Tai Yuan's mind couldn't help but recall the story of "Yangming's Investigating Bamboo" from his previous life.

"Unexcavated, it already has joints; reaching the clouds, it remains humble."

Chinese literati have always had a special fondness for bamboo, because it is resilient, slender, evergreen, unyielding in the wind, and unspoiled by frost. Bamboo, along with plum, orchid, and chrysanthemum, is also called the "Four Gentlemen."

It possesses certain characteristics that the Chinese people admire.

Its resilience encourages people to be as upright as it is.

Its joints remind people to uphold righteousness.

Tearing it open reveals its hollow interior, telling people to always be humble and open to new knowledge at all times.

Upon hearing of the new "Tracing Origins" doctrine, Wang Yangming couldn't wait and immediately began the Investigation of Things and Extension of Knowledge with his good friend.

Investigate what?

Given that his grandfather, Zhuxuan Gong, had planted so many bamboo trees around his house, he decided to investigate bamboo!

Thus, the story of Wang Yangming investigating bamboo was so casually and happily decided.

Wang Yangming's goal was very simple: to achieve sagehood by investigating bamboo. So he stared at the bamboo, watching it without sleep or rest. His friend persisted for three days and three nights before collapsing, but Wang Yangming did not give up.

After all, the path to sagehood was right before his eyes; how could he casually abandon it?

Thus, seven days and seven nights passed, but there was still no clue to the path of sagehood, and Wang Yangming's body, however, began to fail.

After this incident, Wang Yangming was disheartened and even more disappointed with Zhu Xi's "Tracing Origins" doctrine, feeling that the so-called tracing origins was all a deception.

After this incident, Wang Yangming gradually disagreed with the Cheng-Zhu School of Principle. Instead, he sought other paths to sagehood and enlightenment, eventually realizing "Mind is Principle," which is the core tenet of the School of Mind, "nothing exists outside the mind," thus embarking on a path different from Zhu Xi's.

His thoughts returned.

Zhou Xun said to Wang Shou Ren, "Bo An, Ke Zhen is not only an old friend of this old man, but also a great Confucian scholar. His knowledge and scholarship, and his conduct as a person, are all greatly admired by this old man."

"Ke Zhen loved books. Whenever he reviewed various texts and encountered words discussing the Dao that resonated with his heart, he would recite them endlessly, marking them all with red ink. He often read until late into the night before going to bed, never allowing himself a moment of laziness."

"He once said that the ancient sage Kong Zi wore a jade ring to symbolize the inner emptiness, and so he also kept a jade ring with him, never leaving his side, to signify the 'no-self' within."

"When he taught at Yun Ge, he often debated eloquently, inspiring wisdom in others, and his listeners forgot their weariness. There were also some who aspired to the Dao, who often visited his home to ask various questions, so much so that they were reluctant to leave all day. At that time, his Yun Ge was very lively."

Zhou Xun spoke, his expression tinged with melancholy, for the two had not seen each other for many years.

Memories, like withered leaves, drifted confusedly in the mortal world, bearing old stories like smoke, watching the bleak autumn wind, picking up fragments of memory.

"Therefore, Ke Zhen's guidance to you, Bo An, is utterly precious. You should use it as a whetstone to advance."

As if his own thoughts had been affirmed, Wang Shou Ren was invigorated, his face flushed.

"I will heed my esteemed uncle's advice, and Bo An will not fail Master Yizhai's teachings."

"A single horse on the dusty road, fragrant with flowers, regardless of the long path of the dragon's scales..."

"Who believes in the imperial cuisine before the throne, without the presence of imperial concubines, without immortal garments."

Outside Ziyang Academy, Tai Yuan and Zhou Xun watched Wang Shou Ren and his wife depart, becoming distant black dots.

Tai Yuan, in his green Daoist robe, stood with hands clasped, wondering if Wang Shou Ren, after his subtle hints, would begin to study his "School of Mind" earlier.

Tai Yuan felt it was unlikely. Although he possessed the demeanor of a sage, he was now in his youthful prime, coupled with his newlywed bliss, it was a time for enjoying life's triumphs.

The 'Meng Zi' states: "When Heaven is about to confer a great office upon a man, it first exercises his mind with suffering, and his sinews and bones with toil. It exposes his body to hunger, and subjects him to extreme poverty. It confounds his undertakings. By all these methods, it stimulates his mind, hardens his nature, and supplies his incompetencies. Men are constantly making mistakes, and then they are able to change. They are distressed in mind and perplexed in their thoughts, and then they arise. They are seen in their countenances, and they are heard in their voices, and then they understand."

Grand Historian Sima Qian also wrote in his 'Letter to Ren An': "Indeed, the Western Earl was imprisoned and deduced the 'I Ching'; Zhong Ni was in distress and compiled the 'Spring and Autumn Annals'; Qu Yuan was exiled, and thus composed 'Li Sao'; Zuo Qiu was blind, and thus completed 'Discourses of the States'; Sun Zi's feet were amputated, and his 'Art of War' was compiled; Kong Wei was impoverished, and his family transmitted 'Lü Lan'; Han Fei was imprisoned in Qin, and wrote 'Difficulties of Persuasion' and 'Solitary Indignation'; the 'Book of Poetry,' three hundred chapters, were mostly the works of sages and worthies striving."

It can be seen that only by enduring hardships and tempering oneself can one's thoughts ultimately achieve sublimation!

Wang Shou Ren's father, Wang Hua, was a talented top scholar, but Wang Shou Ren himself had not yet experienced multiple failures in imperial examinations; nor had he experienced the ups and downs of officialdom, or been demoted from the imperial court; much less had he quelled rebellions or found enlightenment amidst great turmoil.

Therefore, to reach his historical peak, he still had a long way to go.

Take his "Investigating Bamboo" incident, for example.

Wang Yangming was indeed a pragmatist. Regarding whether a theory was feasible, he would personally test it through practice to see if it was the truth.

And the "Investigating Bamboo" incident naturally proved that the so-called "Tracing Origins" seemed to be a farce. However, was Wang Yangming's failure truly all due to Master Zhu Xi's academic errors?

This blame, Zhu Xi would surely not bear, because Wang Yangming, from the very beginning, was mistaken.

Firstly, the Investigation of Things and Extension of Knowledge is truly the learning of sages, not invented by Zhu Xi.

The "Great Learning" contains "Eight Articles," and these eight main points are: "Investigation of things, extension of knowledge, sincerity of will, rectification of mind, cultivation of self, regulation of family, governance of state, and bringing peace to the world."

Clearly, the Investigation of Things and Extension of Knowledge is the starting point of everything.

However, Wang Yangming's mistake lay in his disregard for truly understanding Zhu Xi's philosophical principles.

Zhu Xi's explanation of the Investigation of Things and Extension of Knowledge is: "The 'Investigation' in Investigation of Things means to 'exhaust' one's mind and intent, to exhaust the principles of things. This is the Investigation of Things and Extension of Knowledge."

This means that principles exist in all things in heaven and earth. Therefore, everyone should genuinely "investigate" all things under heaven, understand their principles, and then, when accumulation reaches a certain level, there will be a sudden enlightenment, discovering the transcendent realm where all rivers flow to the sea, and all principles converge into one.

In simpler terms, it means achieving qualitative change through quantitative accumulation, thereby reaching the effect of shedding one's mortal coil and being reborn. This also somewhat resembles the feeling of "The Dao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things." Although Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism were full of competition during their development, they actually constantly learned from each other to perfect themselves.

Such an understanding can be said to be the core theoretical framework of Zhu Xi's ideology. The Cheng-Zhu School of Principle originated with Cheng Yi of the Northern Song Dynasty and was greatly developed by Zhu Xi, relying on such a "Principle is One, Manifestations are Many" theoretical system. In fact, this theory originally came from the Huayan School and Zen Buddhism, and was later borrowed and adopted by Zhu Xi.

Therefore, according to Zhu Xi's theory, if he himself were to investigate bamboo, he would explore its characteristics from its external appearance to its form, and then to its veins, and so on. Then he would be able to perceive its life form, comprehend the Dao contained within it, and establish the foundation for his own path.

Observing bamboo is not only an aesthetic enjoyment but also a method of using bamboo to cultivate one's own character, discovering the characteristics of bamboo and using them to refine one's own character can be considered "investigating" bamboo. Kong Zi said: "When the year is cold, then one knows that the pine and cypress are the last to wither."

But how did Wang Yangming do it?

Clearly, he was too reckless!

Zhu Xi's idea was that by investigating bamboo, one would attain the Dao of bamboo, and that would be the goal. However, Wang Yangming wanted to achieve sagehood and transcendence in one fell swoop from the act of investigating bamboo.

And this, precisely, is "a miss by a hair's breadth leads to a thousand li deviation" from the path of a sage.

Therefore, it can be said that Wang Yangming completely distorted Zhu Xi's meaning. What he did, rather than being Confucian "Investigation of Things and Extension of Knowledge," was more like a superficial Zen meditation, attempting to achieve the state of "Enlightening the Mind and Seeing One's True Nature" in one go, thereby seeing one's nature and becoming a Buddha.

However, according to Tai Yuan's memory, Wang Yangming's Investigating Bamboo occurred not long after his first imperial examination. At that time, his accumulated understanding and various factors were still far from reaching a level that could lead to such "enlightenment."

At the same time, Zen Buddhist thought places more emphasis on enlightenment, which means "using intent, not force." But Wang Yangming clearly had "force" in abundance but "intent" lacking. Thus, failure was inevitable.

To be fair, was Zhu Xi wrong?

In fact, no. It's just that his thoughts, with the changing times and the manipulation of the ruling class, inevitably developed some deviations and limitations. Just as Wang Yangming's School of Mind also saw various chaotic phenomena at the end of the Ming Dynasty, focusing only on the inner self without practical application, and emphasizing individual liberation of nature, which led to the prevalence of empty talk.

And should all of this be blamed on Wang Yangming? Clearly, the same cannot be said. Therefore, one must maintain a rational understanding of things.

Just as the "I Ching" states—"Only change is unchanging."

Tai Yuan murmured to himself, "Investigating bamboo is not seeking origins, only change is unchanging."

In his heart, a desire to leave also arose.

"What?" Zhou Xun, beside him, hadn't heard clearly.

"Nothing, Old Master Zhou. This humble Daoist has disturbed the academy for several months and gained much," Tai Yuan bowed and said, "But there is no feast that does not end; this humble Daoist also intends to take his leave."

"If Daoist Master has made up his mind, this old man will not force you to stay. After all, one reads ten thousand books and travels ten thousand li." Zhou Xun was very magnanimous, without the usual sentimental attachment of ordinary old people.

"But at the moment of parting, this humble Daoist has something to present. I hope Old Master Zhou will not refuse."