Chapter 58: 139 chapters, suddenly thought of the 'ox'

139 chapters, suddenly thought of the 'ox'....

139 chapters, suddenly thought of the 'ox'......

Liu Guozong

Remember that Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai, when passing through Shandong, wrote a satirical 'rustic old man' Classic of Poetry; at that time Li Bai greatly disliked those scholars who pursued fame and profit through dead passages.

Those 'rustic old men' immersed in classic texts to the point of obsession, 'single-mindedly read the sages, ears closed to outside affairs.'

Their purpose in reading the sages' books is to use this 'stepping stone' to knock on the door of fame and official career. Thus 'studying the classics' became their sole life hope and pursuit. Those who knock open the door of fame naturally become superior people.

And those who have not knocked open the door of fame are unwilling to accept it.

Some hold a grudge for life, still like the great poet's satire of the rustic, clinging to 'dead passages'.

This 'classic' can both 'benefit people' and 'harm people'.

Southern Song's Wen Tianxiang, having studied the classics, attained the rank of top scholar; the Wen Tianxiang who attained top scholar could not tolerate those corrupt officials, and was consequently dismissed by the court. When returning to farm the fields, the poet seeing the realm on the brink of collapse again raised troops to serve the nation. The result was defeat and capture. When he was escorted by Yuan soldiers to Lingding Ocean, he attributed all his life's experiences to studying the classics:

"Through hardship and encounter, I rose with one classic; amid war's desolation, stars surround on all sides."

Rivers and lands shattered, wind blows fluff; my life adrift, rain beats duckweed.

On Panic Beach I speak of panic; in Lingding Ocean I sigh loneliness.

Since ancient times, who can escape death? Leave your paintings to shine upon history.

The poet, facing imminent death, realized that all this was due to studying the classics.

Studying the classics to the point of sacrificing one's life to fulfill the truths in the books, studying to devote oneself to the classics shows how great the allure of the 'classic' is.

No matter what classic, its passages are dead, but the essence within the books is alive.

This essence often changes the character and fate of those who study the classics. But how many throughout history can actually discern the essence in the books? People study the classics for fame and profit; studying for immediate gain is also quite wise.

Lu Xun once said: 'If you want China to be good, it might be better not to know how to read; once you learn characters, you acquire a sickness akin to studying the classics.' I don't know whether Mr. Lu Xun was speaking in anger; could the 'classic' really be that hateful?

Mr. Lu Xun said: 'Only a few utterly muddle-headed stubborn oxen would sincerely advocate studying the classics.' Mr. Lu Xun likened true students of the classics to 'stubborn oxen'; isn't that meaning clear?

Studying the classics requires the 'spirit of the ox' and the 'strength of the ox'. Mr. Lu Xun himself greatly admired the ox, once comparing himself to an ox: 'Frowning fiercely at a thousand pointing fingers, willingly bowing to serve as an ox for the young.'

Lu Xun said he had once used the ox's spirit and strength to 'read the Thirteen Classics'.

But nowadays, does anyone still use the ox's spirit to undertake those laborious tasks?

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