Chapter 2493 The birth of a saint
Whether it is a curfew or martial law, it will naturally not be able to restrain people of Xiao Yu and Kong Yingda's status.
It was a crisp autumn day today, and the two of them met in the pavilion at the back of the academy to enjoy the latest new tea on the market. They had a panoramic view of the country and scenery, and they were very interested.
Kong Yingda took out a few snacks from the food box he carried, placed them on the stone table in the pavilion, and invited Xiao Yu to taste them.
Xiao Yu just picked up a piece of pastry when he heard a chorus of shouts. He turned to look and saw young people dressed in student uniforms lined up in a spacious courtyard halfway up the mountain among the trees. ……
He couldn't help but shook his head and said: "It's so strange to have an academy and make it look like a military camp. It's so nondescript, but your majesty just lets it go. Fang Erlang, a holy family member, is unmatched in the world!"
The words are inevitably filled with sourness.
When Li Yuan raised troops in Jinyang and Qin King Li Shimin led his troops to attack Xue Ju, he came to recruit Li Yuan and took out Li Yuan's letters. Xiao Yu abandoned the Sui Dynasty and returned to the Tang Dynasty without saying a word. After the "Xuanwumen Incident", all the older generation of courtiers in the court were wiped out, except for Xiao Yu, who has always been active in the center of power.
Even so, Xiao Yu was very impressed by His Majesty Li Er's favor and trust in Fang Jun. How could he be an uncle? Not even my own son has such trust!
Kong Yingda didn't take it seriously. He took a sip of tea, ate a piece of pastry, rubbed the scraps on his hands, and said: "Raising the country's sons in the Tao is the sixth art of teaching. This is the law passed down from the ancestors. While students are studying literature, they must also Practicing military preparation is the way to cultivate talents. ”
Xiao Yu looked puzzled: "Since Confucianism became Zhengshuo, Yanwu Xiuwen has become the mainstream. You are an orthodox Confucian. Now that you have said this, what will the Confucian children in the world think?"
Kong Yingda was stunned for a moment and said helplessly: "A good man can teach the people for seven years before he can become a soldier... This is what the master said back then. The descendants are unworthy and abandon the laws of their ancestors. What can be done?"
Ever since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty "deposed hundreds of schools of thought and respected Confucianism alone," Confucians have advocated practicing martial arts and cultivating literature, but they have completely forgotten that their founder, Master Kong, even regarded the art of archery as important as the education of rituals and music. In the era when Confucius was alive, people regarded the level of military skills as a sign of whether a person was virtuous or not. As the saying goes, "If you shoot the enemy with enough strength, you are virtuous"!
A person who has no power to tie a chicken, no matter how outstanding his knowledge is, cannot be called a "virtuous" person!
As a result, in order to suppress the generals and elevate the status of literati to a supreme position, his disciples and disciples actually abandoned the ideas of their ancestors... How could this not embarrass Kong Yingda, who was both the Wen Zong of the world and the direct descendant of Confucius? ?
Xiao Yu laughed, put the pastry into his mouth, chewed it, and said nothing more.
But the shouts and shouts that came from time to time halfway up the mountain made him feel uneasy...
After eating cakes and drinking tea, Xiao Yu finally couldn't help but ask: "In Fang Erlang's academy, the method of promoting both civil and military education is implemented. While students are doing academic work, they must also practice military preparation and diligently practice the art of archery and imperialism. In the long run, , wouldn’t it be true that the civil service was abolished and the military was rebellious? If the court was filled with warriors dressed as literati, it would be a blessing to the empire!”
After all, he is a traditional scholar, and although he does not reject warriors, it is absolutely unacceptable if officials above the court draw swords and fight with blood at every step.
Although warriors could open up new territories and pacify the world, it still took literati to manage this vast empire.
This is not because Xiao Yu is ignorant. In fact, the Central Plains has experienced wars for a long time and all life has been devastated. Everyone has a preconceived misunderstanding of the warriors. They believe that the reason why the world is in chaos and wars are everywhere is precisely because the warriors are causing trouble and cannot be contained.
If all the scholars in the world were in power, even if they had different ideas, they could still talk to each other, so why would they fight with each other and kill people?
After all, people are really frightened by the killings that have occurred since the Southern and Northern Dynasties...
However, what he didn't know was that after the fall of the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty neutralized the country in the midst of turmoil. It learned the lessons of the past but overcorrected, blindly emphasizing culture and suppressing military force, and finally developed a group of impassioned people in the court and the formation of the two armies. The former useless bureaucrats, who were bloody but had no ability to kill the enemy, could only make China sink and shatter the country.
It is tense but not relaxed; civil and military skills are incompetent. Relaxed but not relaxed; civil and military actions are incompetent. One piece and one piece of relaxation; the way of civil and military affairs.
The ancestors all understood the truth, but these self-proclaimed elites still can't understand it...
Kong Yingda laughed loudly, picked up the tea cup and said to Xiao Yu: "I'm afraid Song Guogong doesn't know Fang Junzhi's plan. Not only does he want the students here to learn both civil and military skills, but he also wants to build a Gwu Yuan... Do you know what this Gwu Yuan is for? ?”
This was really the first time Xiao Yu heard about this, and he said curiously: "The way to know is to study things, and to understand things later. The study of things is one of the 'Three Cardinal Guides and Eight Eyes' advocated by "The Great Learning", and practicing the study of things is what students should do. , why is it surprising? ”
"The Great Learning" says at the beginning: "The way of a great university lies in being virtuous, being close to the people, and striving for perfection."
This is the "Three Programs" of "The University" respected by literati all over the world.
The so-called "bright morality" refers to the bright morality that promotes the inherent talents of adults. The so-called "being close to the people" means to make people abandon the old and pursue the new, to abandon evil and do good. The words "close" and "new" here mean innovation, abandoning the old and seeking the new. The so-called "stopping at the highest good" refers to the requirement to reach the highest good state of Confucian feudal ethics.
"Being a king should end with benevolence, being a minister should end with respect, being a son should end with filial piety, being a father should end with kindness, and communicating with the people of the country should end with trust."
This is the educational program and training goal proposed by "The University" and has been adhered to for generations.
"In ancient times, if you want to manifest virtue in the world, you must first govern your country. If you want to govern your country, you must first regulate your family. If you want to regulate your family, you must first cultivate your body. If you want to cultivate your body, you must first rectify your mind. If you want to be righteous, If you want to be sincere in your intentions, you must first know things. ”
Observing things, seeking knowledge, sincerity, upright mind, self-cultivation, ordering the family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world, these are the "Eight Items" of "The Great Learning", which are the specific steps to realize the "Three Programs".
The central link of the "Eight Items" is self-cultivation. Investigating things and seeking knowledge are the external ways of self-cultivation. Sincerity and integrity are the internal prerequisites for self-cultivation. Organizing the family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world are self-realizations at a higher level of self-cultivation. Therefore, "The University" At the end of the first chapter, it says, "From the emperor to the common people, they all put self-cultivation first."
This is the essence of the entire Confucian spirit.
Kong Yingda stroked his beard with a smile, and said with a smile: "The boy said that what the Institute of Objects practices is the principles of heaven and earth, such as why water flows to high places, why fire is extinguished in water, and why people can't join birds. Soaring in the sky, such as why clouds gather into rain, the sun rises and the moon sets..."
Xiao Yu was stunned.
People go to higher places and water flows to lower places. This is the ultimate principle of heaven and earth. What is there to study?
Water restrains fire, and the five elements restrain each other. What else is needed for this?
Why can't people soar like birds... Isn't this nonsense? Are those flying all over the sky still people?
Why do clouds gather into rain, the sun rises and the moon sets... This has been the case since the beginning of time. Who can figure out why? Why do we need to find out why?
There’s nothing to do when you’re free!
Kong Yingda laughed loudly, poured a full cup of tea for Xiao Yu, and gasped: "When I first heard about it, I was as baffled and at a loss as you. But can you forget that Fang Er asked for help on Lishan Mountain back then? When the rain comes, a pile of sand and earth are used to bake a crystal There are really unpredictable ways to use the bright glass, and Fang Er once said that all the secrets in it lie in the way of investigating things. As long as you understand the principles of investigating things, even a three-year-old child can do it. He can turn everything into gold! ”
Xiao Yu became more and more unbelievable and said nonchalantly: "Let's not say whether this statement is true or not. Even if it is true, how can such unpredictable skills be shown to people, let alone teach them?"
Kong Yingda sighed and said leisurely: "This is what is unusual about Fang Er. He often says that learning can only be achieved by one person. It is not advisable to work behind closed doors. Instead, like-minded people should gather together." In one place, one person is counting on the shortcomings and two are counting on the strengths. Only by learning from each other's strengths and making up for the shortcomings can we be successful. Improve yourself to a higher level. At that time, the Master did not care about the common people, and there was no distinction between education and distinction. How is it similar to our disciples who cherished their knowledge and hid it for fear that outsiders would learn it? I feel so guilty that people can have such a big heart.”
Xiao Yu was speechless.
If Fang Jun really had this intention, he indeed deserved Kong Yingda's praise.
This is more than just having a mind as big as the ocean and a boundless spirit?
This is simply a saint! (End of chapter)