People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

"Today, let's begin with these four sentences and debate them with you, Gongsun."

Gongsun Long frowned, realizing that things were not so simple.

He couldn't help but glance at Cao Ze.

Cao Ze's eyes widened in surprise. Could it be that Kong Chuan was going to...?

Gongsun Long said, "Say those four sentences."

Kong Chuan slowly said, "The mind in its original state is neither good nor evil; the movement of the mind can be either good or evil. Knowing good and evil is conscience; doing good and eliminating evil is the investigation of things."

Gongsun Long had some understanding of Confucianism and roughly grasped the meaning of these four sentences.

What is the topic of debate?

"When mind and reason are one, mind is reason; when mind and reason are not one, mind is not reason."

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Long was completely stunned, as it touched upon a blind spot in his knowledge.

Not only Gongsun Long himself, but also the disciples and students of the Hundred Schools were all dumbfounded.

What kind of heart? What kind of reason?

Li Si, representing the Legalist school, glanced at Cao Ze with a somewhat bewildered expression.

Did the world develop to the point where he couldn't understand human speech during the years he studied at Xiaoshengxianzhuang?

The black and white sisters stood beside Cao Ze and asked curiously, "Sir, what are mind and reason?"

"Mind and reason... this is a bit complicated to explain."

Cao Ze didn't expect Kong Chuan to bring up this topic. The other party was stunned. How could they possibly argue this point?

Gongsun Long took a deep breath. "You go first."

Kong Chuan smiled and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

Zhao Yan thought for a long time, then asked Han Cang, "What's your mindset?"

Han Cang smiled sinisterly and said, "No matter what your mindset is, it must be in accordance with Your Majesty's mindset."

Kong Chuan slowly began to talk about Cao Ze and the concepts of heart and reason he mentioned.

The explanation is simple, but it is clear that Kong Chuan believed that the mind is the truth.

Half an hour later.

After listening to Kong Chuan's explanation, Gongsun Long was even more dumbfounded.

I didn't completely misunderstand; I understood part of it.

But some of it made him very frustrated.

He was initially quite pleased with himself, thinking that with Cao Ze's logic, his path to becoming a grandmaster was just around the corner.

But unexpectedly, this old fellow was quietly studying the so-called philosophy of mind.

With his limited knowledge, he could clearly see that this philosophy of mind was very much in line with the old man's taste.

Kong Chuan said, "Gongsun Long, did you understand? If you didn't understand, I can explain it to you again, the kind that guarantees you'll learn it."

Cao Ze glanced at Gongsun Long with a pang of pity and shook his head.

The philosophy of mind is something that even if you understand it, you might still be completely lost, let alone not understand it.

No wonder Kong Chuan has been looking for him so frequently these past few days.

So that's what they were up to.

When Gongsun Long saw Cao Ze shaking his head with pity in his eyes, his heart sank.

Cao Ze certainly knew his skill level, but even so, he still felt sorry for him.

Holy crap! Kong Chuan is such a scoundrel!

Seeing Gongsun Long's gloomy expression, Kong Chuan urged, "Hurry up, start once you understand."

Gongsun Long sneered, "Kong Chuan, don't think I don't know what you're thinking."

"I admit that I only understood part of what I heard."

"However, don't be smug. I can tell that you only have a superficial understanding of the philosophy of mind."

Kong Chuan chuckled and said, "Having a little knowledge is enough."

Gongsun Long almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Finally, with a helpless sigh, he said, "Fine, I'll let you win this time. I concede defeat."

"Wait a minute! Brother Gongsun, let's discuss this first!"

Kong Chuan was surprised that Gongsun Long had surrendered immediately; he hadn't even had a chance to criticize him yet.

Gongsun Long snorted, "If you don't admit defeat, do you expect me to trample on you like this?!"

He bowed to Zhao Yan and said, "Your Majesty, I concede defeat."

Kong Chuan panicked when he saw that Gongsun Long had really admitted defeat.

"Brother Gongsun, the outcome of the debate is not important; participation is what matters!"

Zhao Yan did not expect that this debate would start strong but end weakly.

"Since Mr. Gongsun admits defeat, then..."

Zhao Yan said to Kong Chuan, "Master Zigao, please explain your philosophy of mind in detail. I would also like to learn about it."

Gongsun Long mercilessly exposed the shortcomings, saying, "Your Majesty, Kong Chuan's philosophy of mind is nothing but parroting others' ideas; Cao Ze is the true master."

"A perforated hole, is that right or wrong?"

Kong Chuan was a gentleman, not a villain, and directly admitted, "Your Majesty, Gongsun Long is right."

Zhao Yan said, "Then let's invite Mr. Cao Ze to the Hundred Schools Forum to talk about the philosophy of mind."

Cao Ze, sitting in the audience, smiled helplessly.

I came here today to watch the excitement, but...

He once again appeared on the "Lecture Room" program.

He bowed to King Zhao and the disciples of the Hundred Schools.

Before I begin to discuss the philosophy of mind, I'd like to tell you a story that I hope you will reflect upon.

Two friends went on an outing. One friend pointed to a flowering tree growing among the rocks and asked, "Since there is nothing outside of the mind, what does this flowering tree, blooming and withering in the deep mountains, have to do with my heart?"

The other person replied: 'Before you saw this flower, it and your mind were both in a state of stillness; now that you see it, its color suddenly becomes clear, and you know that this flower is not outside your mind.'

After Cao Ze finished telling the story, everyone fell into deep thought.

Chapter 102 There is a sequence to learning the Way.

Kong Chuan glanced at Cao Ze with some surprise.

Cao Ze had never told him this story.

I simply told him about the core tenet of the philosophy of mind: the attainment of innate knowledge.

He naturally knew what conscience was.

This was mentioned by Mencius, the patriarch of the Mencian school who was on good terms with Zisi, a Confucian scholar.

In Mencius, Book 7, Part 1, Mencius said: “What people can do without learning is their innate ability; what they know without thinking is their innate knowledge.”

If we want to get to the root of it, it is the “three guiding principles” (manifesting one’s bright virtue, loving the people, and abiding in the highest good) and “eight items” (investigating things, extending knowledge, making one’s will sincere, rectifying one’s mind, cultivating one’s character, regulating one’s family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world) proposed by Zengzi in his book “The Great Learning”.

This is also their own unique realm of cultivation within Confucianism.

Each of the other schools also has its own level of internal cultivation.

Examples include the Mohist school's concept of universal love and non-aggression, the Daoist school's practice of cultivating qi and spirit, and the Yin-Yang school's practices of alchemy and astrology.

However, in the martial arts world, for convenience, the common realm is divided into Acquired Innate Half-Step Grandmaster, and strength is divided into Second-Class, First-Class, and Super First-Class.

Kong Chuan closed his eyes and pondered for a long time.

Seeing that things had gone on for a while, Cao Ze continued, "From this story, you can clearly feel the role of the mind."

"What is the 'mind' in the philosophy of mind?"

“The mind is the master of the body. Although the eyes see, it is the mind that sees; although the ears hear, it is the mind that hears; although the mouth and limbs speak and move, it is the mind that speaks and moves.”

"Wherever there is perception, there is mind."

"That is, there is nothing outside the mind, and there is no principle outside the mind."

Cao Ze first put forward the concept of the philosophy of mind.

Kong Chuan suddenly realized that the mind actually had several levels of meaning, and the conscience he was pondering was just one of them.

Gongsun Long frowned and said, "Psychology, psychology, what is meant by 'reason'?"

Just as he expected, that old fellow Kong Chuan had only learned a tiny fraction of what he knew.

Cao Ze said, "The principles governing all things are nothing more than the mind itself."

"The mind is principle; are there things or principles outside the mind?"

"This is the theory of the mind as the fundamental principle of the philosophy of mind."

In this era that is largely dominated by "liberal arts," few people can truly understand and master logic.

As for the "humanities" such as the philosophy of mind, which originated from Confucianism, they can basically understand a few sentences.

But it was precisely because I understood a few words that I was even more confused and surprised. It was something I had never heard of before, yet it made perfect sense.

Seeing that everyone looked confused, Cao Ze smiled helplessly. This was not something that could be explained in just a few words.

He needs to think carefully and sort out the lineage of Neo-Confucianism.

"Gentlemen, the philosophy of mind is profound and complex, and cannot be fully explained in a short time. We will soon finish discussing logic; at that time, I will revisit the philosophy of mind with you all, shall I?"

Gongsun Long said, "Very well! I can wait."

Kong Chuan said, “Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me. I am a great Confucian scholar, yet I never knew that Confucianism could extend to such profound meanings. My young friend’s teacher is a scholar who has mastered both heaven and man.”