Top Scholar

Chapter 414 Instant Fame (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

On the stage, Su Lu bowed and then sat up straight, his gaze slowly sweeping over the large audience below.

I felt no fear whatsoever; on the contrary, I was a little excited.

Giving lectures is what he excels at!
He then spoke in a loud and clear voice:

"Distinguished guests, friends. I have come here today not to discuss scriptures, but to pass on a teaching from my teacher—a teaching called 'Songxue'! It is what I assisted Master Yangming in his enlightenment at Longchang..."

The audience couldn't help but chuckle to themselves. Su Jieyuan had quite the audacity to claim that he was there to preach, and that it was the doctrine he and Master Yangming had created!
To be honest, they've seen plenty of people like this. In a place like Nanjing, every now and then, some desperate scholars come along claiming to have founded a new school of thought…

But without exception, they were all parroting others' ideas or talking nonsense, things that made people burst into laughter. Over time, everyone just treated it as a source of amusement.

The reason no one laughed out loud was because everyone had made arrangements before entering, and no one was allowed to undermine the beloved top scholar!

So everyone tries to hold back their laughter, unless they can't help it...

"What is '惣'?" At this moment, Xu Ai, who was serving as the lecturer, held up a piece of white cardboard with a large character '惣' written on it.

Everyone suddenly realized that it was this Sogaku.

At present, the study of the Song school is only spreading in the southwest region, and at most it has only spread to Hubei and Sichuan. It is already quite good if scholars in Nanjing have heard of this name. Many people even think it is the "General School"...

People couldn't help but take a liking to this strange name.

"Sō means integration! Heaven and earth and all things never exist in isolation, and the way of sages is never transmitted in a fragmented manner. The core of Sō studies lies first and foremost in the 'integration of mind and matter'—the mind is guided by conscience, and matter is based on principles to build a solid foundation. 'Practice' is the linchpin connecting the two. The three complement each other, and the absence of any one of them will lead to failure!"

"What arrogance..." The crowd below the stage buzzed and whispered among themselves.

"This is a revision of 'investigating things to acquire knowledge'!"

"Isn't that overestimating themselves?" someone couldn't help but whisper.

Nanjing was the academic center of the Ming Dynasty, and the debate among scholars about "investigating things to acquire knowledge" had long existed. Those who frequently attended lectures knew that the biggest predicament of Neo-Confucianism at that time was its inability to achieve "the connection between mind and matter"!
Zhu Xi's famous proposition on this matter is—"Investigate one thing today, investigate another thing tomorrow, and suddenly you will understand everything." But this is actually a correct but meaningless statement. It's like someone saying, "If I take one step a day, I'll eventually reach the horizon."

Using Zhu Xi's methodology, the investigation of things to attain knowledge can easily fall into fragmentation, that is, a disconnect between "investigating things" and "enlightening the mind." Yangming's illness after seven days of investigating bamboo is the best example. This is also the fundamental reason why Yangming wanted to break with the old and establish the new.

It wasn't just Mr. Yangming who had opinions about Zhu Xi. Countless great Confucian scholars followed Zhu Xi's advice, investigating one thing today and another tomorrow, exhausting their minds and bodies to study the classics, yet they still could not understand the principles behind things and comprehend the hearts of sages.

After countless people encountered setbacks, the drawbacks of this fragmented approach to investigation had been widely criticized by contemporaries. Therefore, Su Lu's immediate address of this societal pain point naturally provoked a strong reaction from the crowd—

He said that there is a method in Zen Buddhism that connects mind and matter, which is 'action'!
But the two of them, master and apprentice, were both under fifty years old. How could they possibly solve such a big problem that even Zhu Xi couldn't solve?

Isn't that incredibly audacious? How could the audience not be eager to join in? If it weren't for Mr. Shi Cong's cold gaze sweeping around, some people would have already started to jeer.

Su Lu, however, remained completely unaffected and continued his lectures in a clear and accessible manner:

“In the past, Shennong was walking in the wilderness when he saw wild rice with drooping ears. He had a thought in his mind: ‘If we can tame it, we can save all people’—this is ‘mind’; then he worked hard, planting day and night, understanding the soil and observing the seasons—this is ‘action’; finally, he achieved a bumper harvest of grains, saving people from famine—this is ‘things’.”

"It is 'action' that connects the mind and the matter, and this is the first principle of the study of Taoism—the mind, action, and matter are constantly generating and cycling, which is the fundamental principle for success!"

This simple example resonated with many people, making them begin to believe that this kind of philosophy had some merit...

However, Su Lu, who has been teaching for many years, knows that it is not advisable to instill too much theory in the first lesson, otherwise it will cause students to have "indigestion". Therefore, he did not talk about the other two integrations, but instead changed the subject and started to attack the whole picture.

The best way to elevate oneself is to criticize one's competitors.

"But in this world today, there are two types of corrupt scholars who have severed the iron triangle of Taoism and scholarship, turning them into people who mislead themselves and the country!"

Then Su Lu emphasized his words and spoke with great passion:

"One type is 'virtuous but incompetent.' These people have a conscience but lack the ability to distinguish between basic agricultural knowledge and practical skills. They constantly complain about the country's poverty and the rampant problems, but when it comes to governing the country, they can't come up with any solutions. They are unwilling to try anything and only engage in empty talk that harms the country—what's the difference between such people who 'have a conscience but lack knowledge and practice' and clay puppets?"

Hearing this, Yang Yiqing, sitting in the audience, nodded repeatedly, secretly praising, "Well said!"

"The other type is 'capable but immoral.' These people are a minority, but their harm is just as severe. They possess extraordinary skills but have abandoned the fundamental principles of morality! Some are skilled in both literature and martial arts, yet they defect to enemy countries and become traitors, helping foreign tribes attack their own country. Some are proficient in mathematics, yet they use it to falsify accounts and embezzle public funds—how are these people, 'knowledgeable but without conscience or bottom line,' any different from bandits and treacherous villains?" He paused, then concluded, "These two types of people are like those who build ships but refuse to launch them, or those who forge swords but use them for evil! They seem to be on opposite sides, but in reality, they have committed the same mistake—severing the connection between heart, matter, and action. Ultimately, this will only make knowledge harmful and disrupt the peace of the world!"

"Excellent!" The audience cheered, thoroughly enjoying the scathing remarks. Before they knew it, everyone had been completely absorbed in the speech.

So if you want to get traffic, you have to become a troll...

~~
Su Lu then incisively expounded on the wonders of the unity of mind and matter, and subsequently verified them with the Four Books and Five Classics. Surprisingly, they all fit perfectly, as if tailor-made for Confucius and Mencius. He even revitalized the long-stagnant Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism!
The room fell silent. All the students held their breath, afraid of missing a single word he said. Some even took out their notebooks and quickly took notes with pencils.

Before we knew it, two hours had passed, and the scheduled end time was fast approaching.

Teacher Su never had the habit of going overtime, so she gave her concluding remarks:
"Therefore, true learning is not empty talk; its value lies in putting knowledge and conscience into practice in the world. We scholars should understand these three righteous paths:"

"First, the way of scholarship! Use conscience as the yardstick to distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and do not associate with the corrupt; use cognition as the tool to cultivate practical knowledge—whether it be a thorough understanding of classics and history, knowledge of agriculture and sericulture, or expertise in water conservancy; use practice as the path to apply principles to real-world situations, and correct any deviations between knowledge and action. This is true scholarship!"

Halfway through this statement, a deafening cheer erupted, clearly because his refusal to "mingle with the corrupt" stirred the crowd's emotions and reminded them of the real reason they had come to support him!

"Secondly, the way of being an official! Guizhou officials all went to Longchang to learn from him, because learning from him could remedy the ills of the time! An official should follow the principles of things, uphold the goodness of his heart, and bear the weight of responsibility. Remember to uphold conscience and adhere to the bottom line, develop good strategies through understanding, and achieve results through practice!"

"Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!" The officials, including Yang Yiqing, all gave it a thumbs up. This is indeed the way of being a good and capable official! The summary is so accurate.

"Thirdly, the way to help the people! To help the people through learning means to teach them how to fish, not just to talk about pity—when you see famine, you should have the thought of helping them, learn agricultural methods and teach them how to cultivate the land, and when the harvest is plentiful, the people will respect and trust you. This is 'doing good without harming yourself, and virtue can transform customs'!"

Teacher Su concluded with his earnest hope: "Please remember, the study of Taoism is not merely about establishing a school of thought or engaging in empty talk, but about pursuing the practical effects of 'cultivating oneself, regulating one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world'! We scholars should not be pedantic Confucianists confined to our studies, but should learn from what Yangming said:"

"Light the lamp with your heart to illuminate the road ahead, and build the path with your hands to open up all things."

Only by using reason as a mirror to correct oneself can one become a truly free and at ease person in the universe!

"Finally, I would like to share fourteen words with you all for encouragement: 'The unity of mind, matter, knowledge, action, power, and responsibility is the first step in the journey of life!'"

After the lecture, thunderous applause lasted for a long time, ringing out in waves, for a total of nine rounds!

This is the highest courtesy that discerning scholars of Nanjing would bestow upon a lecturer!

The nine ministers in the front row also stood up to pay their respects. Yang Yiqing also stood up, clapped his hands, and laughed loudly: "Excellent! Excellent! Scholar Su's speech was truly wonderful!"

"You're quite the actor..." Wang Hua, standing to the side, clapped while muttering a complaint under his breath.

"I'm not acting, I genuinely think it's good." Yang Yiqing shook his head and exclaimed, "I feel like everything I've practiced in my life is contained in this study. Many things I didn't understand before have suddenly become clear today. I need to go back and study this subject carefully..."

"Hehe..." Old Scholar Wang chuckled, everything was understood without words.

“However, I feel like today’s lecture has only just begun,” Yang Yiqing asked again.

“Not bad, you have a good eye for knowledge.” Old Scholar Wang nodded and said, “There are three principles of learning, and today I only talked about one of them. There are also the three pillars of personality, the hypothetical-deductive method, the action chain... If we really talked about them, it would take at least ten or eight sessions to finish.”

“Then let’s continue with Su Jieyuan’s performance! I’ll cover the next round!” Yang Yiqing immediately said enthusiastically. Then he sighed and said, “I’m too poor right now, otherwise I could cover the round after that.”

"It's alright, I'll take care of it next time," said Huang Xun, the Minister of Personnel in Nanjing, with a smile.

“Then I’ll take the next round…” He Jian, Minister of War in Nanjing, said with a smile.

“I will handle the fifth round,” said Hong Zhong, Minister of Justice in Nanjing.

"And I……"

"Count one from our academy..." Several ministers, vice ministers, and censors took turns assigning Su Lu to more than ten rounds.

Xu Ai, who was now serving as Su Lu's teaching assistant, was completely convinced and immediately bowed and acknowledged him as her junior brother: "Senior brother, please accept my bow!"

P.S. This is a post I'll edit later. Please vote with your monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)