Self-struggle starting from Douluo

Qinghuan finally understood that the Confucian way of walking, sitting, lying down, speaking, eating, facial expressions and movements, every move must have its own rules.

For example, when walking, the upper body must remain stable and motionless, with only the two legs moving. Moreover, the steps cannot be too big or too small, and the rhythm must not be chaotic... Running with arms swinging wide is something that a Confucian cannot do.

And whether you are eating, sleeping, walking or running, your back must be straight, your shoulders must be open, and your head cannot be tilted casually, it must be straight...

This is what is said in the Book of Rites: "If you sit like a corpse, stand like a straight man, you will not be crooked or slanted. If you sit like a corpse, stand like a straight man, you will not be long or short. If you stand like a straight man, you will not be long or short.

You can't even talk too much. You must "stop when you have conveyed your meaning" and you can't repeat yourself. "Qu Li" says: "It is not proper to speak nonsense about others, and one should not refuse expenses."

As for the facial expression, one must also be "respectful and serious as if thinking". One must not be disrespectful or not serious, and one must maintain a thinking expression at all times.

"Steady words bring peace to the people." The speech is organized, with ups and downs and clear rhythm, so that the listeners can understand it clearly.

Just reading the book "Quli" was enough to make Qinghuan suffer.

But the effect was extremely significant. After only three days, Qinghuan was clearly different from others!
……

The old man was fishing, and Qinghuan stood behind him with his back straight. He looked calm and upright, and with luxurious clothes on, he no longer looked like a "monkey in a human form".

The villagers watched from afar, their original envy and jealousy had now turned into awe. Qinghuan now was really no longer a dog boy!
Qinghuan was like a little adult, with one hand behind his back and the other hand reciting "Qu Li".

As he completed each one, he also learned the words and had no trouble reciting them.

The old teacher looked pleased. Qinghuan's intelligence was beyond his expectations. He didn't even need to teach him how to read because he could summarize and learn on his own.

When Qing Huan finished reciting what he knew, the old master asked, "What is "ritual"?"

Qing Huan thought for a moment and said, "The Book of Rites says: Rites are to humble oneself and respect others!"

Etiquette means humble yourself and respect others.

The old man said with relief: "Do you feel that it is too complicated? Many things are not necessary at all?"

Qing Huan said truthfully: "I do have this idea, but as long as I can read and understand etiquette, I am willing to do so."

The old man turned his head and looked at him, saying, "Don't you feel annoyed?"

Qing Huan thought for a moment and said, "I sometimes feel this way, but I can control it."

The old master's mouth twitched. The student was too smart, which made him lose a lot of the fun of teaching. He said: "The fundamental purpose of the forty-nine chapters of "Book of Rites" is not these cumbersome etiquette, but to correct oneself!"

Qing Huan was stunned: "Teacher, what is "true body"?"

The old man smiled and said: "The reason why you feel cumbersome and irritable is because you can't calm down and your mind is restless... The cumbersome etiquette is to restrain your "body" in order to restrain your "mind"!
Ordinary people have a messy mind, so their body language is also crooked. Restrain the body and make it straight, and then the mind will be right as well!
When your heart is right, you won’t have so many cluttered thoughts and can concentrate on doing what you are doing at the moment!

Focus on doing the task at hand well, don't have any random thoughts, don't be absent-minded, and devote your whole heart to it, this is called "sincerity of intention"!
Only with sincerity can your learning efficiency improve by leaps and bounds! "

Qing Huan thought for a moment, nodded, and said: "No matter what you do, once you get obsessed with it and immerse yourself in it, it will be extraordinary!"

The old man laughed and said, "It's better if you understand this principle. The core of Confucianism is "learning", but there are too many things to learn in the world, and it is impossible to learn them all in a lifetime.

Moreover, the more you learn, the more disorganized it becomes, and the harder it will be to master it. Therefore, the key to improving learning efficiency lies in "being sincere and upright"!
This is also the core trick of Confucianism to learn, learn well, learn more and learn thoroughly! "

Qing Huan bent down and said, "Student has made note of this."

The old man smiled and said, "When you finish studying the Book of Rites, you will understand it."

...The complexity and detail of "The Book of Rites" is far beyond imagination. From the words and deeds of a person to the sacrificial ceremonies of a country, strict requirements are recorded.

This is an expansion from "rectifying oneself" at the personal level to "rectifying the country" at the national level... Many emperors who came to power illegitimately would often strictly follow the "Book of Rites" in order to make their country "rectified".

The more Qinghuan learns, the more insights she gains. Not only should her eyes learn, but her body and mind should also learn. She should learn it into her bones and her heart.

Many people say that scholars have elegant temperaments because they read a lot of books. In fact, this is not true. Just reading books cannot cultivate temperament. Only when you read the contents of the books into yourself and into your heart, can you cultivate temperament!
Qing Huan was just like this. He studied the forty-nine chapters of "Book of Rites" one by one, and made changes almost every day.

The original clay monkey and puppy gradually developed a certain temperament, and the luxurious clothes on his body gradually became pleasing to the eye.

Despite his young age, he always gives people a feeling of being neither humble nor arrogant, but calm and upright, whether he is walking, sitting, lying down, or communicating with others.

When Qinghuan learned "The Book of Rites, Great Learning", he finally understood the origin of "rectifying one's mind and being sincere in one's intentions".

The "Great Learning" says: If you want to cultivate yourself, you must first correct your mind. If you want to correct your mind, you must first make your intentions sincere. If you want to make your intentions sincere, you must first acquire knowledge.

No matter what you do, you must first know how to do it and understand the tricks. This is called "knowing it".

Then, devote your whole heart to it and be as focused as possible. This is what is meant by "being sincere in your intention."

While the body is focused, the mind must also be upright, without a lot of distracting thoughts or wandering off. This is what is meant by “rectifying the mind.”

And this process is the Confucian "self-cultivation"!
"The Book of Rites" is about "self-control" in order to "cultivate oneself"!
As long as you can "extend your knowledge" and "be sincere and upright in your heart", you can do things to the best of your ability and achieve "perfection"!
This is the secret of Confucian "learning".

It's not just the Book of Rites, nor is it just Confucianism, but everything in the world is like this!
That is why Confucianists can “learn more” and “be more sophisticated”!
……

After understanding the meaning of "being sincere and upright", Qinghuan no longer felt impatient. His heart became completely calm, but his learning efficiency increased at a terrifying speed.

In just one year, Qinghuan had learned all forty-nine chapters of "The Book of Rites" and memorized them firmly.

It also means that he has completed the steps of literacy.

The old master was very satisfied with Qing Huan's progress and said with a smile, "Now that we have finished studying the Book of Rites, can we put it aside now?"

Qing Huan shook his head and said, "Some sacrificial etiquette can be abandoned, but "self-cultivation" is a lifelong learning, and it can never be abandoned."

The old master was pleased and said, "Yes, Confucian self-cultivation is a lifelong task! So how far do you want to go?"

Qing Huan thought for a moment and said, "If I learn from my teacher, I can do whatever I want without breaking the rules!"

The old man laughed and said, "Most people have to wait until they are seventy to reach this state, right?"

Qing Huan smiled and said, "Teacher is definitely not like that."

The old man does not have any of the manners and behaviors that are regulated by the Book of Rites.

It’s like the old man who staggers when he walks or sits crookedly when fishing, but no matter how he sits crookedly or sways, he always gives people a feeling of “righteousness”!

Ordinary people don’t understand what is “righteous”, but after seeing the old master, they will subconsciously realize that he is different from themselves and worthy of respect… Zhuangtou doesn’t count, he is blinded by greed and power.

It lies in the old master's "righteousness", which is no longer on the surface, but has been engraved into the heart, and can be used at will and freely!
Qinghuan had finished learning the Book of Rites, but he had only learned it physically. He was learning it into his bones. When he had completely learned it into his heart, he would no longer need to sit straight.

He also needs to constantly demand "sincerity and integrity" in his words and deeds until it becomes an instinct, just like the fruit that has been planted, which will one day bloom and bear fruit.

Just like the old master, he follows his heart but does not go beyond the rules. (End of this chapter)