The Way of Restraint

Chapter 167: Minglun’s Seven Words

“Old Headmaster, according to my physiognomy, it’s impossible for me to be enemies with Su Jie. But you’re saying this because you’ve discerned something?” Zhang Jinchuan knew Liu Guanglie was a learned man, possessing profound knowledge and insight into worldly affairs. Although his words were cryptic, Zhang Jinchuan still vaguely sensed something amiss. 

“You studied physiognomy under Luo Weiji, didn’t you?” Liu Guanglie asked instead of answering, “Do you feel you’ve grasped some of his essence?”

“Master Luo’s physiognomy is incredibly accurate, but he doesn’t subscribe to it. Instead, he focuses on architectural research. I only learned half of his skills; he refused to teach me the other half, saying I was too ambitious and might cause problems in the future,” Zhang Jinchuan said. “As far as I know, he passed on all his knowledge to Su Jie, considering him a worthy successor. Actually, I’m not jealous, really not, because we live in the information age, and individual research is nothing compared to the overwhelming tide. Also, I admit I’m very driven, but it’s not ambition, and I haven’t done anything illegal. I’ve been honestly doing business, building my wealth—is that wrong?”

“Whether it’s wrong or not, only heaven knows,” Liu Guanglie said, “You’ve mastered my Minglun Daoyin Technique, but you’re still lacking in mental fortitude compared to Su Jie. Do you know where that gap lies?”

“I don’t know.” Zhang Jinchuan shook his head. “I think our spiritual levels are about the same. We’ve both reached the state of ‘seemingly existent yet nonexistent,’ which is neither thinking nor not thinking. I’m trying to break through to the realm of the living dead. Once I break through, I’ll completely surpass Su Jie in mental fortitude and become one of the few strong individuals in this world.”

“You’re far from it.” Liu Guanglie shook his head. “The classification of mental states—coarse thinking, fine thinking, neither thinking nor not thinking, the living dead—is a theory developed by Ma Fengnian, but it’s not detailed enough, nor very precise. I haven’t told you these things before because I’m also researching and exploring them, and this is closely related to the Minglun Daoyin Technique. Now listen to me.”

Zhang Jinchuan pricked up his ears, not wanting to miss a single word. 

“Minglun Daoyin Technique is a training method that coordinates the mind and body. It emphasizes slowness, and the initial stages are the most arduous. However, once you grasp the basics, progress will be rapid. I have taught thousands of talented disciples, and you are the only one who has truly mastered it.” Liu Guanglie looked at the pond and rice paddies. “Take mental fortitude, for example. Ordinary people’s minds are indeed like a tangled mess, never still for a moment, constantly expending a great deal of energy, leading to a faster decline in lifespan and an inability to maintain health. The first key to Minglun Daoyin Technique is to calm oneself and suppress gross thoughts. Once you succeed, this skill of ‘calmness’ is achieved, and you become a person.” 

“The practice has entered a state of deep thought, which is called ‘calming the mind.’ But ‘calming’ represents forced suppression; once vigilance is relaxed, the mind will revert to its previous restless, chaotic state, and one will revert to being an ordinary person. In Buddhism, this is called ‘regression.ʼ”

“So, the first word in the Minglun Daoyin Technique is ‘calming’?” Zhang Jinchuan seemed to have a sudden inspiration: “Then, is the next step ‘stillness’? The Great Learning says, ‘Only after calmness can one achieve stillness; only after stillness can one achieve peace.ʼ”

“That’s right, only after calmness can one achieve stillness. Sages throughout history have all focused on cultivating these two words: calmness and stillness.” Liu Guanglie nodded. His student really was a genius, one in a million. 

“Psychological qualities are like this. A person uses hard work to forcefully calm their mind, like tethering a wild horse. If you don’t let it move, it will eventually calm down. ‘Calm’ is forced stillness, ‘stillness’ is natural stillness; the difference is obvious. First comes calmness, then stillness. After stillness comes peace, and peace is stability. After the whole person calms down, over time, a profound accumulation of strength will make one as stable as Mount Tai, incomparably majestic—that is peace. Reaching this state is actually close to being a master, like Mount Tai and the Big Dipper, unmoved by the eight winds. You are now at that level. Your mental state is still a level below Su Jie’s.”

“What comes next?” Zhang Jinchuan asked. “The saying in university is: ‘Only with composure can one achieve tranquility; only with tranquility can one achieve peace; only with peace can one contemplate; only with contemplation can one attain understanding.’ But I think the old principal must have his own insights.”

“The two characters ‘明伦’ (minglun) are Confucian terms. ‘明’ (ming) means insightful understanding, and ‘伦’ (lun) means ethics. Achieving ‘明伦’ means having a thorough understanding of human relationships and the principles of heaven and earth. But my knowledge is not limited to Confucianism; it also contains the essence of Buddhism and Taoism. Therefore, I believe that after ‘安’ (an), there is ‘断’ (duan),” Liu Guanglie said. 

“Severance?” Zhang Jinchuan asked, “Old Principal, what does this word mean?”

“Severance, it’s about being without sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and thought. The Buddhist theory of the nine consciousnesses is actually very important. You can study it. Once a person is as stable as Mount Tai, there are no peaks to climb for further progress. One must break with the old and establish the new, a complete self-revolution. Therefore, the Buddhist concept of ‘severance’ is the ‘Revolution’ hexagram in the Book of Changes. In my opinion, Su Jie has already reached this level, so his mental fortitude is higher than yours.” Liu Guanglie’s insight was sharp.

If Su Jie were here, hearing these words would be like a thunderbolt, instantly comprehension of all his thoughts, because Liu Guanglie had clearly explained what he was currently pondering.

But Liu Guanglie only told Zhang Jinchuan this, not him.

“Severance…how does one sever?” Zhang Jinchuan was somewhat confused.

“This is the difficulty of spiritual cultivation; it can only be understood intuitively, not explained in words, and certainly cannot be taught by example. Unlike martial arts movements, which have standardized rules,” Liu Guanglie said. “Those who can grasp it will understand immediately; those who cannot will spend their entire lives going in circles, unable to escape that cycle.”

“After the word ‘severance,’ is the realm of the living dead?” Zhang Jinchuan didn’t dwell on it but continued to ask.

“I summarize the realm of the living dead in one word: ‘Ming.’ The ‘Ming’ of ‘Minglun,’ the ‘Mingwu’ of ‘Mingwu’ (enlightened understanding),” Liu Guanglie said. “The moment a person enters the realm of the living dead, their mind becomes extremely clear. How so? It’s like the moment a person dies—actually, it’s when they see through everything most clearly in their entire life, when their heart is most enlightened. All the grudges, loves, hates, and passions of their life are clearly and distinctly understood. Everything is let go, everything is seen through. This state is the living dead; I call it ‘Ming.ʼ”

“I see,” Zhang Jinchuan said, surprised that Liu Guanglie explained it so clearly. In the final moments before death, a person experiences a brief period of lucidity, a fleeting recollection of their life—the clearest and most lucid moment.

“Old Principal, how did you reach this level?” Zhang Jinchuan asked.

“I entered this realm thirty years ago. Do you know how I did it? I volunteered at the hospital, caring for critically ill patients and the elderly, observing their state of mind in their final moments. After seeing hundreds of terminally ill patients pass away in three years, I suddenly understood this realm.” Liu Guanglie revealed his most secret. “Of course, my enlightenment may not be suitable for you. You can try it too. Even if you don’t understand, doing good deeds is planting seeds of good fortune, which will greatly benefit your character development.”

“I understand,” Zhang Jinchuan asked. “Stability, stillness, peace, severance, clarity. These five words represent five stages of the mental journey from an ordinary person to a living dead, or five realms. Are there higher realms beyond these? Old Principal, what realm have you reached?”

“After clarity comes enlightenment. True enlightenment means understanding before you can truly awaken. I can’t describe the state of enlightenment; it’s a difficult emotion to articulate. Did you ever have a toy you longed for as a child, and then suddenly get it? That feeling of immense joy?” Liu Guanglie asked. 

“Yes,” Zhang Jinchuan said. “I remember it clearly. When I was three years old, I really wanted a toy airplane. I wanted it for a whole semester, but my parents just wouldn’t buy it for me. When a classmate of mine took it out to play, all the other kids were watching. I wanted to touch it, but he put it away. Later, I got perfect scores on my final exams, and my parents gave me a box. When I opened it, inside was the toy airplane I had been longing for. At that moment, I was overjoyed beyond words. I rolled around on the ground for several minutes with happiness. Even now, even if my company raises hundreds of millions in funding, even if I achieve great success in martial arts, even if…I did win the heart of the girl I liked, but the joy wasn’t even a tenth of the happiness I felt when I got a toy airplane as a child. I can no longer find that genuine childlike joy, and there’s no joy that makes me roll around on the ground.”

“After enlightenment, the joy in one’s mental state is a hundred times stronger than that genuine childlike joy you had as a child, and this joy accompanies you throughout your life; you can feel it at all times.” Liu Guanglie seemed to recall something: “Therefore, I cannot describe it in words; I can only use a metaphor.”

“What comes after ‘enlightenment’?” Zhang Jinchuan pulled his thoughts back from his memories.

He knew that this was Liu Guanglie’s guidance before the great battle, an extremely rare opportunity that he probably wouldn’t have again.

“The realm after ‘enlightenment’ I haven’t reached either; I’ve only guessed based on some ancient texts. I guess it’s emptiness.” Liu Guanglie smiled.

“Emptiness?” Hearing the word, Zhang Jinchuan thought of the monkey.

“That’s right, it’s emptiness. The word have a very profound meaning,” Liu Guanglie said. “Only by comprehending that emptiness can one truly possess great supernatural powers. Merely understanding oneself is not enough; one must also comprehend that emptiness. If I’m not mistaken, the person behind Su Jie is very likely about to enter that realm. This realm may also be the Confucian concept of the unity of heaven and man. As for what realm comes after emptiness, perhaps that is the Dao, but I have no way of touching or reaching that realm.”

“Stability, stillness, peace, severance, clarity, enlightenment, emptiness,” Zhang Jinchuan said to Liu Guanglie. “Old Principal, is this your ladder-like division of psychological qualities?”

“Yes,” Liu Guanglie said. “These are the seven levels of the Minglun Daoyin Technique. You need to work hard on these seven words. You’ve reached the level of ‘peace,’ but Su Jie has already reached the level of ‘severance.’ You are not as good as him. I must make you understand this so that you can catch up.”