Ming Zuo

Chapter 256 The Great Master

Liu Zongzhou left the barracks alone without any servants.

The cold wind howled all around, and the night was like ink, so dark that no light could be seen, it was as impressive as his current state.

He studied under his grandfather Zhang Ying since he was a child, and later under Xu Fuyuan.After years of study, ideas have been formed.

However, since he met Zuo Menggeng, he has been under shock.

Zuo Menggeng's materialist views are very different and contradictory from his idealism.

But just like the trend of history, idealism is really vulnerable to materialism.

With Liu Zongzhou's Confucian cultivation, he can only constantly improve himself, hoping to find a solution.

It is naturally impossible to be swayed by people's few words for something that has been believed in for a lifetime.

Liu Zongzhou never felt that there was any problem with his knowledge, and he was always trying to convince Zuo Menggeng and Huang Zongxi, the two youngest but most rebellious students.

But everything collapsed after witnessing what the Kong family did today.

I can't distinguish things in the dark, but it doesn't matter anymore.

Because Liu Zongzhou couldn't find a way to advance his thinking.

The road was rough, and after walking a few steps, his feet slipped suddenly, causing him to fall.

There was tingling pain in every bone in his body, but it couldn't compare to the hollowness in his heart.

He struggled to get up and continued to walk, but he didn't know how far away, and fell again.

Get up again, but have no strength.

He happened to touch a stone next to him, and Liu Zongzhou sat down slowly with his support, all kinds of thoughts came to his mind like a tide, surging and turbulent.

What he has learned in his life can be divided into three stages.

Because he studied under Xu Fuyuan, Xu warned him to "preserve the principles of nature and curb human desires."

Liu Zongzhou has never dared or forgotten, and has always been a respectful, neat and serious person when he entered the Tao.Every time there is a selfish intention, it will be painful and restraint.

After stepping into the official career and becoming an official, Xu Fuyuan encouraged him to "learn not to be ignorant, but to practice."

This had a great influence on Liu Zongzhou's ideological development.

Liu Zongzhou "did not like the studies of Xiangshan and Yangming in his early years", and believed that Lu and Wang Xinxue "both believed in the original heart to prove the sage, and did not like to talk about self-restraint, let alone the matter of learning and speculation", which could easily lead to Zen.

So he once said: "Wang Shouren's study of conscience is neither good nor evil, and its disadvantages must be that the Buddha is obtuse and shameless."

But in middle age, especially after he was dismissed from office during the reign of Tianqi, he studied behind closed doors. If he realized something, he had a new understanding of learning, and began to turn to Lu Wang Xinxue.

It was also at this time that Liu Zongzhou established his view of establishing the world of "cautious independence" and "sincerity".

Starting from this point, he also criticized Zhu Xi, Lu Jiuyuan, Wang Yangming and others, and was highly praised by the world.

"Zhu Zi was confused by Zen and developed Zen, so his loss is also branched; Lu Zi entered Zen and avoided Zen, so his loss is also gross; Wencheng is like Zen but not Zen, so you might as well use Zen, and his loss is also mysterious."

Although I reflect on myself three times a day, and guard against arrogance and impetuosity, Liu Zongzhou is still very happy with his intellectual progress.

I think that Confucianism is the most profound, and there is nothing more than this.Educate the world in this way, and the world will not be far away from great rule.

But the performance of the Kong family today gave him a solid blow.

The descendants of the sages who should have followed the way of Confucius and Mencius the most, but with a greedy and vicious face, they harmed the world, and used the way of Confucius and the saints to maintain their families, standing still, and proud of themselves.

Why can't even the descendants of saints be educated by such Confucianism?

His mind was chaotic, always echoing Zuo Menggeng's extremely mocking picture.

"Is this the way you have followed for thousands of years?"

Is this the way he seeks?

Is this the way that scholars in the world strive to maintain?
If not, why did the descendants of Confucius and the saints succeed?
If not, why do dynasties rise and fall, and people cry?
Where is the problem?
Is the teaching of the sage wrong, or is the orthodoxy collapsing?
In today's world, where does Confucianism go?
If possible, he really wants to go through the vicissitudes of the millennium and ask the sage himself, what kind of Tao should you spread?
Liu Zongzhou's thinking couldn't help but diverge.

Thousands of years ago, how did Confucius do it?
As a master of Confucianism, he didn't need to read the classics about Confucius' deeds, they were all engraved in his mind.

The miraculous thing is that when he read the deeds of saints who were so precious in the past, he had a different feeling when he went to see them now.

It turned out that thousands of years ago, the journey of the sage to spread his thoughts was so unsatisfactory that the emperors and generals were not interested in his knowledge.

In that chaotic era, the sage and his knowledge did not bring any change to the world.

Once this idea arises, it grows wildly in my mind like a devil.

Liu Zongzhou was terrified, and tried his best to browse through his mind, trying to find available evidence to eliminate these evil thoughts.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find it.

Not only did Confucius' theories fail to end the chaotic times of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, even after he became an official, he did not achieve any outstanding achievements in governing the country with his own knowledge.

It was Xiqin, who upheld Legalism, that truly ended the troubled times.

Although later generations speak many words, Qin died because of Kufa II, and used this to criticize Legalism.But it is undeniable that it is the Legalists who bring the world back into unity and condense the soul of China.

Why did Confucianism become a prominent school and dominated Chinese thought for thousands of years?
For a power like Liu Zongzhou, it is easy to understand.

Depose a hundred schools of thought, and only respect Confucianism.

Why did Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty support Dong Zhongshu, and why was Confucianism favored by the emperor of the Han Dynasty?

Liu Zongzhou knew where the key was with almost no effort.

Great unification, interaction between heaven and man, and the three cardinal principles and five constant principles...

These three theories proposed by Dong Zhongshu are not original to Confucianism.That is to say, Confucianism before and after the exclusive respect for Confucianism is completely different in thought and content.

Since later generations tampered with Confucian teachings, is it inevitable that the world will collapse and morality will decline?

After thousands of years of Confucianism, Liu Zongzhou gradually calmed down, and he was no longer confused and hopeless as before.

For a moment, the light awakened his eyes.

He raised his head slightly, only to realize that it was dawn in the east.

"Nian Taigong, you can make it easy for us to find!"

In the distance, Lu Shanji, Li Banghua, Sun Qifeng, Huang Zongxi and others rushed over.

Liu Zongzhou left in a daze, they were all terrified, they searched all night, and finally found it.

An old man in his fifties is prone to accidents in this icy winter night.

Seeing them, Liu Zongzhou smiled slightly, and stood up without any fatigue.

"Everyone, please bear with me."

When everyone came to see him and saw his state, they couldn't help being stunned for a moment.

No one could understand why he didn't freeze to death after spending the night in the wild?

Liu Zongzhou didn't know what they were thinking, but asked, "How is Zhongheng? Have you ever sent troops?"

Li Banghua sighed and shook his head.

"No troops were sent. He was still in the big tent, guarding Zuo Hua all night."

Liu Zongzhou looked up to the sky and smiled, then bowed to everyone.

"Congratulations everyone, the world...is saved!"

Lu Shanji and Sun Qifeng were very confused, but Li Banghua was surprised, and if he realized something, he bowed in return.

"Happy together."

Lu Shanji thought he had lost his mind and went crazy, so he felt sorry for him and tried to comfort him.

"After the Confucius family pretended to be saints, they turned their backs on the teachings of saints. We must seek justice."

"justice?"

Liu Zongzhou is as tall and straight as a mountain.

"Who can give us justice? Who can give justice to the world?"

Sun Qifeng tried his best to say euphemistically: "We will uphold the way of saints, and we must correct people's hearts..."

Liu Zongzhou smiled slightly and interrupted: "Tao is Tao. Tao exists between heaven and earth and is transformed into the principles of all things. Tao will not be destroyed by hundreds of schools, nor will it be enhanced by Confucius and Mencius. What we do is to educate and spread the way of heaven. Since this is the case, why should we look far away from the near, wouldn't it be better to respect the way of heaven directly?"

A torrent suddenly awakened everyone, and when they looked at Liu Zongzhou again, they found that this person was a little strange.

Is this still the master Shendu who is always moving people's hearts and saying what he says?
What he said broke through the barriers of Confucianism, and even Confucius treated him as an equal?

At this time, the sun leaped out of the horizon, and sprinkled the red light like blood all over the earth.

Liu Zongzhou gazed at the bright land and chanted slowly.

"The dismissal of a hundred schools of thought meets the king's will, and Cheng Zhu Xiansheng defeats the hearts of the people. King Qin ruled Confucianism and destroyed it. Why should we talk about Zhongni in troubled times."

All the people present were well-educated, and they understood the deep meaning of the poem in an instant.

But just because they understood, everyone was pried off their solidified bodies, as if seeing a brand new world.

Liu Zongzhou leaned over and picked a decayed weed, put it in his hand and stared at it for a moment, then turned his head to look at everyone.Niancao smiled and said in a loud voice: "In the troubled times of the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucianism was not clear; what is the use of Confucianism in today's troubled times? Gentlemen, only the way of heaven, that is, Confucianism and Taoism, can save people and ourselves."

The bright sun shines from the east, covering Liu Zongzhou with a layer of holy brilliance.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the weeds in his hands are full of tall and straight, green and bold, and come back to life!
Everyone's minds are cleansed, and there is no longer any shackles in their state of mind.Qi Qi paid tribute to Liu Zongzhou, sincerely.

"Meet the great master!!!"

　Thank you for the reward that it is so difficult to get a name casually!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)