Chapter 475: Beyond the Heart There Are No Things

"The humane see it and call it humaneness; the wise see it and call it wisdom; the common people use it daily yet know it not. Thus the Way of the noble man is rarely seen. It manifests in humaneness, conceals itself in utility, rouses all things yet does not share the sage's anxieties. How abundant it is! ※"

The small auditorium of Wendeng University was packed with people. Two rows of tables had been set up in the middle, with two rows of people seated facing each other, five on each side — just like a debate in later ages. A student dressed in a blue robe was speaking loudly, while the students gathered around to watch pressed in layer upon layer; people were even standing at the doorways.

Someone from the opposing School of Mind side stood up and interrupted: "This passage was long ago refuted by Master Yangming — it is not worth a single coin. Mencius also said that every person 'can become a Yao or a Shun; it is merely a matter of doing it.' Where the common people find order in daily use, that is precisely where the sage finds order. Yao and Shun are one with the passerby; the sage is one with the ordinary person. The so-called sage merely happens upon one or two principles of order — in the end, he is nothing more than a single person."

The one who had first spoken was a student of Confucian Learning, while the one who rose to refute him was a student from the Mechanics Department who also studied the School of Mind. The two factions clashed daily at Wendeng University, sharply opposed. Today's debate had actually been organized by the headmaster. The two factions had brawled many times in the school, so the headmaster had sought instructions from Liu Minyou and arranged for them to debate once a month, turning physical combat into civil contest.

Someone rose from the Confucian Learning side, around twenty years of age. With graceful bearing, he bowed to the instructors seated at the head, then addressed the School of Mind side: "Everyone may become a Yao or a Shun, yet it is not necessary that everyone become a sage or worthy. Master Yangming said that if one preserves innate moral knowledge in the heart, one may become a sage or worthy. Then what of the fierce peasant in the fields — if he too preserves innate moral knowledge in his heart, can he also become a sage or worthy?"

"The daily use of the common people is the Way. The fierce peasant in the fields toils at farming day after day — farming is learning, and farming is also the Way. What endeavor cannot produce a sage or worthy? Confucius spoke of teaching without distinction. How is it that when it comes to you, sir, the fierce peasant in the fields is suddenly distinguished against?"

"The Master said..."

The School of Mind man interrupted: "Always quoting 'the Master said' and 'the Odes say,' never inquiring into one's original mind, yet taking the sage's judgments of right and wrong as one's own. Has the gentleman not heard that believing everything in books is worse than having no books at all? You people say, 'Those of later ages can never match the Confucians of antiquity.' This is to not understand that creation produces human beings the same way past and present, and to measure all under heaven by one's own limited self — that is called slandering others. All of this is vulgar custom and accumulated habit — prizing the ear over the eye, relying on books rather than the mind and spirit. What hope is there of reaching the sage's realm of great breadth? Even Confucius is of the same kind as the common crowd. If the plowman, potter, and fisherman cannot be drawn upon, then can the goodness of a thousand sages and ten thousand worthies alone not be drawn upon? And why must one exclusively study Confucius to be considered the orthodox lineage?"

As soon as this man equated Confucius with the common and refused to accept Confucius's words as ultimate truth, the Confucian Learning side erupted in clamor. One instructor rose and cursed: "If one does not study the subtle words of the sages, how can one know the great principles? For a thousand years and more..."

"For a thousand years and more, where is the age of great order that Confucius spoke of? What you people say, over and over, always comes down to those few phrases: 'The principles of all under heaven were spoken by the former Confucians; all are good and complete; one need only study and uphold them.' This is a great fallacy. It is to not understand that the Way is ultimately inexhaustible — you are merely reckless and rash fellows. That is called slandering the Way."

What this School of Mind man was saying was that the Way is inexhaustible — even if there are sages and worthies, they cannot finish speaking of it. Another person rose from the Confucian Learning side and said to the School of Mind man: "All forms between heaven and earth decay; only principle alone is imperishable. Principle does not reside in the former Confucians as persons, but in the fact that the former Confucians illuminated this principle and recorded it in writing to transmit it down through the ages."

The School of Mind man replied unhurriedly: "After the yielding of the throne came punitive expeditions; after punitive expeditions came usurpation. The well-field system decayed and field boundaries took its place; feudalism was abolished and commanderies and counties were established. What worked in the past cannot work in the later age; what suited antiquity cannot suit the present. Principle adapts to the times; what has passed is but straw dogs. Is that not decay and obsolescence?"

What he meant was that the times are always developing, and a principle must also be constantly renewed to adapt to new social forms. This was said by the mid-Ming School of Mind master Wang Tingxiang. Compared to the self-satisfied stagnation of Confucian Learning, it held great progressive significance, and ran directly counter to Confucian Learning's veneration of the classics.

The standing Confucian debater, enraged and flustered, said: "If it is as you say, that there are no fixed principles under heaven, then why do the various lords of the court grow white-haired poring over the classics? Why select officials by the eight-legged essay? In your eyes, the sage and the fierce peasant are no different — are you saying that the various lords of the court are also fierce peasants of the fields?"

The School of Mind debater said smugly: "The various lords of the court — the moment they open their mouths to discuss learning, they say, 'You are for yourself, I am for others; you are selfish, I wish to benefit others,' as if they ever spare a thought for anyone else. In truth, they study to gain high examination rank, hold office to seek honor and eminence. Outwardly they pose as moral philosophers; in secret they pursue wealth and rank. Clad in Confucian elegance, their conduct is that of dogs and swine. Blowing their own horns, they are like the base posturing of an ugly 'woman.'"

The students listening around them buzzed with noise. The Taizhou School's reviling of court ministers was standard practice, but such vulgar abuse was rare. The entire small auditorium erupted into chaos. People from both sides rushed to the center to grapple, and the students responsible for keeping order hurriedly pulled them apart.

The leader of the Confucian Learning side, blocked from advancing, leapt onto a table in fury and shouted to the surrounding students: "Today everyone has witnessed the boundless arrogance of the School of Mind faction — every word is treason and heresy. There is no point in continuing this debate today!"

On the School of Mind side, someone also jumped onto a table, but he did not shout or yell. Instead, he threw back his head and laughed loudly — "Ha ha ha."

Once the students had quieted down, the Confucian Learning leader said to him angrily: "Jiang Pingyuan, what do you find so laughable!"

Jiang Pingyuan, standing on the table, sang out loudly: "Who is it that laughs? I do not laugh at the skeletons of the past, nor do I laugh at the ants before my eyes. First of all, I laugh at that old man Confucius — you prattle on and on about moral philosophy and literary essays, and for no good reason you've gotten so many living people killed."

The Confucian Learning leader froze for a moment, then his face flushed and his neck swelled as he bellowed: "You — you — you dare slander the Sage Confucius! I'll fight you to the death! Attack!"

The clamor from the auditorium drifted from afar. In the campus grove, sparse shadows stretched across, sunlight dappled the clearing, and waves of cicada song floated and rippled, yet only made the grove seem more secluded.

Some stone tables and stools had been set out in the grove. A few students sat reading among the trees. By the pond at the edge of the grove, several first-year students from the Navigation Department were tinkering with models.

In the pavilion at the center of the grove, Chen Tingdong had just picked up a black stone from the go bowl and slowly placed it on the stone board. He looked at the beggar-like figure seated across from him, swallowed, and said: "Instructor Ji, that day I could not restrain myself and struck a bit too heavily. I beg Instructor Ji's forgiveness."

The person seated across from him was one of the "monsters" Chen Xin had spoken of — Ji Ziyue. This fellow taught the theories of the School of Mind's Taizhou School at Wendeng University and had also studied Buddhism. He and Chen Tingdong had clashed the moment they met, each unable to convince the other. That day, Chen Tingdong had lost patience and given Ji Ziyue a thorough beating. Today he had come specifically to apologize.

Ji Ziyue was still dressed in the same beggar's garb he had worn back in Dengzhou. Holding a white stone, he did not look at Chen Tingdong. Only after placing it on the board did he say: "He Xinyin of the Taizhou School was beheaded at Wuchang; Li Zhi took his own life in the capital. That Instructor Chen did not parade my severed head through Wendeng already shows regard for a colleague's face."

Chen Tingdong suppressed his anger and said: "I have already said that I struck Brother Ji in a moment of rage that day. Today I have come specifically to apologize to Brother Ji. I ask Brother Ji not to speak with such sarcasm."

Ji Ziyue raised his eyes, a rare occurrence, to look at Chen Tingdong. Pointing at himself, he said: "Why does Brother Chen trouble himself to speak thus? The heart has long since resolved this matter. Whether you struck me or not — that lies in my own heart. It does not lie in whether Brother Chen comes to apologize."

Chen Tingdong said angrily: "Then by Brother Ji's reasoning, if I were to beat you again right now, you could likewise resolve it in your heart as if no beating had occurred. I do not mean to strike you — I merely pose this as a question."

Ji Ziyue gazed at the board and said leisurely: "Consider serving one's father — one does not go to the father to seek the principle of filial piety. Serving one's lord — one does not go to the lord to seek the principle of loyalty. Making friends and governing the people — one does not go to the friend or the people to seek the principles of trustworthiness and humaneness. Whether there is a beating or not — there is likewise no need for Brother Chen to come beat me to settle it. It all resides solely in this heart. The heart is principle."

Once again, they were talking past each other. Chen Tingdong could not get a hold on the situation. His face flushed deep red. He closed his eyes and muttered to himself, "Civil contest only, no physical combat." Suppressing his anger, he placed another black stone.

Chen Tingdong held back his anger and said: "If the heart is principle, then why, when Master Yangming investigated bamboo back then, did he fail to grasp any principle at all?"

Ji Ziyue looked at the board and said unhurriedly: "Whatever school or faction, one may survey them all. The so-called sage may have one or two words of ultimate truth, yet truth resides in my own heart. One cannot take whatever a certain person says and treat it wholesale as ultimate truth. Yangming's investigation of bamboo occurred in his youth — what of what came after? And speaking of Instructor Chen — you begin by saying 'What of Master Yangming?' Whether or not Yangming truly failed to grasp the bamboo, even if there were indeed errors and omissions, those too were merely Master Yangming's own heart. They have nothing to do with my heart. Instructor Chen has fallen into a petty manner."

"Then by Brother Ji's reasoning, no one can be your sage or worthy; right and wrong reside entirely in your heart. At present, the Jianzhou bandits have seized Liaodong. If in Brother Ji's heart there is no Liaodong, do the Jianzhou bandits then cease to exist?"

Ji Ziyue remained as unhurried as ever. "The myriad affairs of the world each have their distinct ways. The various lords of the court delve deeply into Confucian principle and philosophy — why then have the Jianzhou bandits been able to seize Liaodong?"

Chen Tingdong was momentarily at a loss for words. He turned and tossed the question to Ji Ziyue: "Then Brother Ji, enlighten me — what does the School of Mind have to say?"

"When heaven and earth produce living things, the momentum of things makes it unavoidably so. The strong consume the weak, the great prey upon the small, the cunning destroy the foolish — the momentum of things makes it unavoidably so (Note: Wang Tingxiang's Ming-era theory of evolution). The Jianzhou bandits are strong in arms, so they hold Liaodong by cruelty. We in Dengzhou strengthen military affairs and promote farming colonies; when our troops are strong and our people prosperous, we will retake Liaonan, and in the end there will come a time when Liaodong is recovered."

Chen Tingdong shook his head and said: "This is Wang Tingxiang's talk of the strong devouring the weak. Applied to beasts and birds, it may be acceptable, but man is the spiritual essence of heaven and earth — how can they be discussed together?"

"Since Instructor Chen knows it was Wang Tingxiang who said this, you should of course also know that there is a passage that follows: 'Man is more spiritual than other creatures; his intelligence, skill, and cunning are sufficient to exhaust all things and master them — driving them off to distant places, or capturing and enslaving them, or slaughtering and eating them. Is this the intent of heaven? It is simply the natural momentum of things.' Thus the strong oppress the weak, the many tyrannize the few, the cunning destroy the foolish — this holds true across all things, and even heaven can do nothing about it. Lord Liu once discussed this in a military dispatch, distilling it into two phrases — precisely these eight characters: 'Things compete, heaven selects; the fittest survive.'"

Chen Tingdong had always been rather critical of Liu Minyou's introduction of the Taizhou School. Hearing this, he said angrily: "Do not mention that Liu Minyou again."

"It is not for Instructor Chen to say 'do not mention' and have it go unmentioned. These eight characters are famous sayings in both the Military Academy and the vocational schools. In the Military Academy, some say: those unsuited to the present age are the corpse-feasters holding office in the capital; those suited to the present age are under Commander Chen's governance in Denglai, where all trades flourish, the people prosper, and the troops are strong. Who, then, is the strong one? Instructor Chen is tall and brawny and can beat me soundly — perhaps you might go to the Military Academy to display your prowess and give those military students a sound beating as well."

"The Military Academy is full of crude soldiers. I have no inclination to go and civilize them."

Ji Ziyue said smugly: "It is rather that Instructor Chen cannot defeat them. The Military Academy is full of valiant warriors; Instructor Chen fears going there and being soundly beaten himself, and fears even more being seized by the guards at the gate. So you only dare to bully a weak scholar like me, whose hands lack even the strength to truss a chicken, here at Wendeng University. This perfectly confirms Wang Tingxiang's principle of the strong devouring the weak."

Chen Tingdong's face flushed with stifled anger, and he ignored Ji Ziyue. But Ji Ziyue did not let him off. Still unhurried, he said: "Instructor Chen's silence is an acknowledgment of my argument. Then let me pose a question to Instructor Chen: to serve as a model oneself, to correct oneself and bring peace to others, to pursue both learning and conduct — this is the Way that those who teach others are to follow. Instructor Chen does not use virtue to win people over, but instead freely uses his fists on colleagues and students. The one you beat is not me — it is your own original heart. That day, the two of us debated the investigation of things and the extension of knowledge. For a thousand years there has been no settled conclusion. Why does Instructor Chen believe that what his own heart thinks is the ultimate truth?"

Chen Tingdong was so angry he abruptly started to rise, then suddenly remembered he was an instructor. Halfway up, he sat back down and kept repeating to himself: "Civil contest only, no physical combat. Win people over with virtue."

At that moment, Ji Ziyue placed another stone. Chen Tingdong froze, then could not help but grunt twice. His position on the board was quite unfavorable, so he hurriedly steadied his mind and focused on the game.

Ji Ziyue, holding the advantage on the board, smiled cheerfully and was about to speak again when Chen Tingdong waved his hand to stop him: "Today I will not argue with Brother Ji, lest conflict arise again. Brother Ji has delved deeply into Buddhist studies — your meditative composure is sufficient. Though I am untalented, I too have dabbled in Buddhism. Today, let us ignore that debate. Since you and I are competing in go skill, how about we also compete in composure?"

Ji Ziyue laughed heartily and said, wagging his head: "Every person possesses innate knowledge; every person possesses Buddha-nature. All ultimate truths under heaven reach the same destination by different paths. Buddhism, Daoism, the School of Mind, Confucianism — all may be employed by my heart."

Just then, waves of clamor came from the auditorium. Ji Ziyue laughed again: "There is a debate today, yet Instructor Chen, a stalwart of Confucian Learning, does not attend. Instead, you put on an air of unhurried composure to compete with me in go. A pity that your mind is not on the board — I fear you will lose on both fronts."

Chen Tingdong snorted and said: "Under heaven there is a public truth; it is not produced by debate. The words of the sages contain no errors or omissions — it is a truth that cannot be lost. Entrusting it to those young students, I am perfectly at ease. My mind is entirely on this board. When the time comes, I need only say, 'The young lads have thoroughly routed the bandits,' and that will suffice."

Ji Ziyue leisurely placed a stone. "Brother Chen is agitated and restless. This great dragon is in dire straits. And over there, the young lads may not necessarily rout the bandits. When the time comes for Brother Chen to leave, do not lose your shoes as Xie An did."

By now, a full-scale brawl had broken out in the auditorium. Groups of students from the two factions came grappling and charging out, many chasing and fighting their way into the grove.

Chen Tingdong did not glance sideways. Calmly, he said: "It is not the wind that moves, nor the people that move — it is the humane man's heart that moves."

Ji Ziyue held a stone aloft, serene as water: "Beyond the heart there are no things. Where does the heart's movement come from?"

The two of them continued playing go just like that. A crowd of students came brawling into the grove. These students had cast off their usual refined and courteous demeanor and were grappling with one another. The two factions were mixed throughout the various departments, and now that fighting had broken out, students kept joining in to help their close friends. Many students who had been reading in the grove joined the fray; several students from the Navigation Department who had been doing experiments also began wrestling with one another.

A few of them chased each other right up to the stone table where the two were playing go, rolling and grappling on the ground.

Chen Tingdong and Ji Ziyue could not bear it. Each swallowed, their eyes darting toward the ground over there.

Several of the brawling students nearby also noticed the two go players. These two were, respectively, the leading figures of the school's Confucian Learning and School of Mind factions, and they called out to them one after another.

Beside the stone table, a Confucian Learning student and a School of Mind student were rolling on the ground. The School of Mind student, cursing all the while, was using his fingernails to gouge the Confucian Learning student's face. The Confucian Learning student let out bursts of miserable shrieks and cried out loudly to Chen Tingdong for help: "Instructor Chen, help!"

Sweat beaded on Chen Tingdong's forehead. He stole a glance at Ji Ziyue across from him, and Ji Ziyue happened to be looking at him too. Both hurriedly dropped their eyes back to the board.

On the floor, the Confucian scholar wailed, "Instructor Chen, they insulted the ancient sages and said they'll come to your lecture hall tomorrow to question you! If this can be endured, what cannot? Ah! Don't claw my face!"

The School of Mind scholar doing the clawing also roared, "Didn't you lot say you were going to gang up and beat Instructor Ji? Ah! You dare use that move..."

Chen Tingdong held a black stone in his hand. His great dragon was beyond saving. Sweat streamed unceasingly from his forehead as he watched Ji Ziyue, seated across from him, from the corner of his eye.

Nearby, figures darted chaotically, shouts and cries merging into a din. The two men sat facing each other like wooden statues, sweat trickling down their foreheads, each warily tracking the other's movements from the corner of their eyes.

The wooden-statue act lasted only a short while.

"Ya... Fight!" With a great shout, the two instructors, who had been competing in composure, simultaneously grabbed their stone bowls and hurled them viciously at each other's faces.

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