I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 23 Preparing the Sage
After Yuan Shu finished speaking, the place fell into silence.

Even quieter than before.

It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

The reason was simple. The contrast between Yuan Shu's words was so great that no one could react for a while.

I said before that everyone's excuses were too high-sounding, but then he threw a bomb directly in front of everyone, and it exploded with a bang, catching no one off guard at all.

Everyone was stunned.

Although saying something shocking is an art of speaking, art should be down-to-earth, not down-to-earth. When you say this, aren't you afraid that the sage will come out from the ground to greet you?

Yuan Shu was really not afraid.

He spoke eloquently to the frightened people.

"Do you think this is incredible? Do you think I am very arrogant? Gentlemen, this is just an appearance. If you only pay attention to this point, then you are completely wrong. Gentlemen, let me ask you, why did the ancient saints teach and impart knowledge?

Why did the ancient sages accept disciples? What was the purpose of accepting disciples? Was it so that the disciples could learn their knowledge and then pass on this knowledge? Then I have to ask, who are the disciples who have learned this knowledge? What do the disciples who have learned the knowledge of the sages become?
Aren't they just the second and third generations of saints and sages? Saints and sages accept disciples to pass on knowledge. Do they hope that their disciples will always be disciples of the saints and not the next generation of saints and sages? Saints and sages are called saints and sages because of their knowledge, so how can people who have learned this knowledge not be considered saints and sages?

Confucius is a sage, so are there no sages among his disciples and successors? The former Grand Commandant Yang Zhen was also called Guanxi Confucius, and he was very knowledgeable. If I were to ask him, he was also a sage. Is it possible that there is only one sage, and that he only existed in the pre-Qin period?"

Yuan Shu asked a series of questions, which made everyone dizzy and dazzled. Their heads were in a mess and they had no idea how to respond to Yuan Shu's barrage of questions.

But Yuan Shu's "attack" was not over.

“The saints and sages teach and accept disciples for no other reason than to hope that among their disciples there will be more outstanding people who can be called saints and sages. This is their expectation and their desire.

Someone will surely ask, is it so easy to become a saint? I would say it is both easy and not easy. Why do I say it is easy? Because the saints themselves became saints because they learned it. They also studied various knowledge tirelessly, and then they were recognized and became saints.

Otherwise, how did saints come about? Born? Falling from the sky? Growing from the ground? So, there may be other ways, but learning must be a way to become a saint. So why do I say it is not easy to become a saint?

The reason is very simple. If becoming a saint is that easy, there must be at least 300,000 or 500,000 saints in the world. But why are there no saints? Because even if one is determined to learn, there are still differences between individuals. Some people are naturally gifted and can learn quickly, while others are not so gifted and need to learn for a long time before they can learn.

Human life is limited. Smart people learn quickly and accumulate enough knowledge to become sages. However, some people cannot accumulate enough knowledge in their entire lives, so they cannot become sages. Unfortunately, there are more mediocre people in the world than talented people, which means that there will not be many sages.

You can think about it carefully. People are not born with knowledge. Saints are also people. They also need to learn to accumulate knowledge and become great scholars. Then they become saints. If saints can do it, why can't we? We are not learning the knowledge of saints.
In this case, I would like to say that since we started reading the first scripture, we have been on the road to becoming saints and sages. I am, you are, and every scholar is. From the moment we read the first scripture, we have been preparing to become saints and sages! "

Yuan Shu slammed a big hat on everyone's head like a tomahawk slam dunk. Everyone who was caught off guard and became a candidate for saints all changed their expressions and were shocked.

Yuan Shu was really a man who would not stop until he made shocking remarks, so much so that even the Thirteen Guardians, who respected him the most and were most willing to acknowledge him, were shocked.

Wei Jia from Qinghe swallowed hard, stood up tremblingly, and saluted Yuan Shu.

"Mr. Yuan, the word sage is too heavy. Even if it is a preparation, I dare not take it."

"Wrong! Big mistake!"

Yuan Shu's face changed, and he pointed at Wei Jia: "Why don't you dare to take responsibility? You study and go to school, and come from afar to study. If not to become a saint, then what is the reason? If not to become a saint, why do you study? Why do you go to school? You can bear it! You can definitely bear it! All of you can bear it!
Reading books of sages, learning the principles of sages, but in the end, not daring to become a sage? What kind of bullshit is this? If you don’t have the ambition to become a sage, why read books of sages? Isn’t this a contradiction? If you don’t know why you read books of sages, what will you become in the end? "

Yuan Shu pointed his finger to the east.

That is the direction of Luoyang.

"If you don't read sage books for the purpose of becoming a sage, you will end up becoming someone who fawns on relatives of the emperor and eunuchs. They really have never thought about becoming a sage, nor do they dare to become one. They have a lot of knowledge, but cannot stand poverty and humbleness. In the end, they can only become treacherous and flattering! What we hate the most! Treacherous and flattering!"

Yuan Shu looked straight at Wei Jia, his eyes as sharp as a sword, piercing through Wei Jia's psychological defenses.

He fell to the ground with a pale face.

There were many people like Wei Jia who had pale or horrified faces. It could even be said that most of the more than 500 people who came to listen to Yuan Shu's lectures were the same.

"The country is in turmoil, the court is weak, and we often worry about state affairs and discuss government affairs here, looking down on those treacherous villains. As a result, we have no ambition to become saints. In the end, even if we enter the court, we will become treacherous villains like them! Gentlemen, are you studying to become treacherous villains?!"

Everyone was dumbfounded and speechless. Seeing that it was almost time, Lu Zhi, who had been waiting outside to enter, straightened his clothes and prepared to enter.

This was an agreement between him and Yuan Shu.

Yuan Shu also knew that he would never stop until his words shocked the world. He would definitely scare this group of people so much that they would be speechless or afraid to speak. However, if he had to drive all the topics forward, it would be too deliberate and embarrassing.

So at this time, you need a supporting actor, a second person to act opposite you.

Lu Zhi is the most suitable candidate.

Then, Lu Zhi, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, made a grand appearance.

"Mr. Yuan is so arrogant!"

He laughed out loud: "I just happened to pass by, and I never expected to hear Yuan Jun's shocking words! Studying is to become a sage? Such words, even Master probably wouldn't say it. Yuan Jun has such a grand ambition at such a young age, it's really amazing.

But I don't know, is it that simple to become a sage? As long as you study, as long as you simply study, you can become a sage? Master is a sage, can he be a sage? Zheng Kangcheng has profound knowledge, can he be a sage? I ask myself, can I be a sage with my small achievements? "

Seeing the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King coming, Yuan Shu smiled knowingly and continued his conversation.

"Of course it's not that easy. Learning is only the necessary path to becoming a sage, but there are other difficulties and obstacles along the way that need to be overcome before you can reach the ultimate position of a sage."

"What difficulties and obstacles?"

"Desires, the pursuit of delicious food and fine wine, the pursuit of wealth, the pursuit of beauty, the pursuit of power, these are all difficulties and obstacles. If you can't overcome them, you will degenerate into a treacherous villain."

"Human desires are natural, and who doesn't have desires? Yuan Jun opens his mouth and says to resist human desires. Isn't this too arrogant? Yuan Jun said so, do I have any way to deal with it?"

"To a conscience."

Yuan Shu said seriously: "It is not about denying desires, but about restraining desires. Desires exist in the heart, and conscience also exists in the heart. What people know without thinking is their conscience. Conscience and desires coexist in the human heart.

Discover conscience, know conscience, act according to conscience, achieve unity of knowledge and action, restrain excessive desires with conscience, control desires instead of being controlled by desires, and in this way, you can open the door to the great road of saints and enter with dignity! "

"To your conscience?"

Lu Zhi pretended to be surprised, and then looked puzzled.

"Mr. Yuan's remarks are indeed brilliant, but how should we do it?"

The question he asked was actually a question for everyone present.

When Lu Zhi came in just now, he attracted everyone's attention. Everyone temporarily forgot the shock they had just felt and focused on the debate between the two.

Through the conversation between the two, Yuan Shu slowly advanced the topic and explained what he wanted to express, thereby achieving the purpose of his lecture.

By teaching in the form of debate and finally convincing Lu Zhi to accept this knowledge, the impact on the students would be greater and the effect would be better.

Lu Zhi readily accepted this. Not only did he not think Yuan Shu was a scheming boy, but he felt that Yuan Shu was very smart and always had good ways to do things. He said that he wanted to learn from Yuan Shu.

Hence, now the two of them are singing the same tune.

Through the two of them singing the same tune, Yuan Shu elaborated on what he had said to Lu Zhi.

What is conscience, how to understand conscience, how to treat conscience correctly, why is it important to integrate knowledge and action, why saying no means knowing.

Then, the argument between the two naturally transitioned to the issue of "how to appeal to conscience."

"Mr. Yuan said it very well, but how to do it is another problem. As Mr. Yuan said, knowing but not doing is the same as not knowing. But I don't know what Mr. Yuan wants to do?"

Lu Zhi asked this question very smoothly.

(End of this chapter)