1 00:00:00,304 --> 00:00:02,302 Wang Yangming's Enlightenment Chapter is fake 2 00:00:02,303 --> 00:00:03,734 so why does it hit harder than the real thing 3 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:06,351 have you ever on WeChat Moments or short videos 4 00:00:06,799 --> 00:00:09,239 or in some middle-aged person's WeChat signature 5 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:11,850 seen a passage like this dodge the will of heaven 6 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:12,471 escape cause and effect 7 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:14,850 all these shackles trap the true self 8 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:15,750 follow the will of heaven 9 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:16,710 fulfill cause and effect 10 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:19,050 only today do I know that I am me 11 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:20,911 doesn't it sound really profound 12 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:23,530 and underneath there's usually a title 13 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:25,751 called Wang Yangming's Mind Philosophy the Enlightenment Chapter 14 00:00:26,599 --> 00:00:28,038 let me give you the conclusion first 15 00:00:28,039 --> 00:00:29,070 you might freeze for three seconds 16 00:00:29,599 --> 00:00:30,190 this passage 17 00:00:30,439 --> 00:00:32,329 Wang Yangming never wrote a single word of it 18 00:00:32,547 --> 00:00:32,899 hello 19 00:00:33,107 --> 00:00:33,579 everyone 20 00:00:33,827 --> 00:00:34,879 I'm Leo Wang 21 00:00:35,569 --> 00:00:38,979 this text branded as Wang Yangming's Mind Philosophy Enlightenment Chapter 22 00:00:39,088 --> 00:00:41,859 is actually a complete forgery from start to finish 23 00:00:42,168 --> 00:00:43,887 it's not in the Chuanxi Lu 24 00:00:43,889 --> 00:00:45,340 not in the Inquiry on the Great Learning 25 00:00:45,368 --> 00:00:49,020 and not in any of Wang Yangming's letters home or memorials to the throne 26 00:00:49,289 --> 00:00:51,060 it was pieced together by modern people 27 00:00:51,249 --> 00:00:53,280 mixing in the Buddhist idea of cause and effect 28 00:00:53,529 --> 00:00:54,740 the Taoist idea of non-action 29 00:00:54,768 --> 00:00:57,780 and sprinkling in a little of the mind philosophy's innate knowing as seasoning 30 00:00:57,849 --> 00:01:00,487 then slapping on Wang Yangming's famous brand name 31 00:01:00,488 --> 00:01:01,780 and serving it up 32 00:01:02,557 --> 00:01:02,948 but 33 00:01:03,277 --> 00:01:05,108 pay attention I want to raise a more interesting question 34 00:01:05,677 --> 00:01:07,489 what I want to talk about today 35 00:01:07,517 --> 00:01:09,849 isn't that it's fake so don't believe it 36 00:01:09,918 --> 00:01:11,269 but a deeper question 37 00:01:11,798 --> 00:01:14,197 why can a piece of counterfeit text 38 00:01:14,198 --> 00:01:16,508 spread so widely across the Chinese internet 39 00:01:17,078 --> 00:01:19,829 why would we rather believe Wang Yangming wrote it 40 00:01:20,278 --> 00:01:21,069 have you ever thought about it 41 00:01:21,317 --> 00:01:22,917 when someone sees this passage 42 00:01:22,918 --> 00:01:25,189 the first reaction is to share it to like it 43 00:01:25,517 --> 00:01:26,888 to say it's so well put 44 00:01:26,998 --> 00:01:30,689 almost no one goes to check whether Wang Yangming actually wrote it 45 00:01:31,037 --> 00:01:32,728 this act of not checking 46 00:01:32,757 --> 00:01:34,808 is itself a huge signal 47 00:01:35,157 --> 00:01:35,909 what does it tell us 48 00:01:36,397 --> 00:01:38,308 it tells us this passage hit something 49 00:01:38,957 --> 00:01:41,129 it hit some emptiness inside us 50 00:01:41,957 --> 00:01:43,888 that emptiness is so strong 51 00:01:43,918 --> 00:01:47,088 that we don't even care who the author really is 52 00:01:47,237 --> 00:01:49,728 we just need it to be Wang Yangming and that's enough 53 00:01:50,117 --> 00:01:52,469 this is the first thing I want to show you today 54 00:01:52,957 --> 00:01:55,349 why do people need to be deceived by this kind of forgery 55 00:01:56,322 --> 00:01:57,574 let me ask you a question first 56 00:01:58,003 --> 00:01:58,994 if I told you 57 00:01:59,282 --> 00:02:00,922 dodge the will of heaven escape cause and effect 58 00:02:00,922 --> 00:02:03,134 all these shackles trap the true self this line 59 00:02:03,163 --> 00:02:06,134 was an original post by some guy named Zhang San on an online forum 60 00:02:06,363 --> 00:02:07,393 would you still share it 61 00:02:07,803 --> 00:02:09,234 would you still feel its power 62 00:02:10,082 --> 00:02:11,134 most likely not 63 00:02:11,603 --> 00:02:13,081 but if I told you 64 00:02:13,082 --> 00:02:15,673 this was written by Wang Yangming after his enlightenment at Longchang 65 00:02:16,003 --> 00:02:16,493 oh 66 00:02:16,683 --> 00:02:18,493 then the flavor is completely different 67 00:02:18,603 --> 00:02:20,893 you'd feel every word weighs a thousand pounds 68 00:02:20,922 --> 00:02:22,682 every word crystallizes 69 00:02:22,683 --> 00:02:25,433 five hundred years ago that man banished to the miasmic wilds of Guizhou 70 00:02:25,683 --> 00:02:29,373 the mind philosophy master who awakened overnight in a stone coffin all his blood and tears 71 00:02:29,843 --> 00:02:30,194 you see 72 00:02:30,683 --> 00:02:31,974 the same piece of text 73 00:02:32,003 --> 00:02:33,041 change the signature 74 00:02:33,042 --> 00:02:35,454 and its weight in your heart is worlds apart 75 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:37,751 this is the first cognitive trap 76 00:02:38,081 --> 00:02:40,052 we're not really reading the content 77 00:02:40,081 --> 00:02:41,531 we're reading authority 78 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:44,332 psychology calls this authority bias 79 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:46,519 to save computing power our brain 80 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:47,631 defaults to one logic 81 00:02:48,081 --> 00:02:49,440 what great people say 82 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:50,232 must be right 83 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:51,311 and in reverse 84 00:02:51,641 --> 00:02:52,1000 words that sound very right 85 00:02:52,1000 --> 00:02:54,612 must have been said by a great person 86 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:56,531 both directions hold 87 00:02:56,761 --> 00:02:59,332 so when you see a passage that sounds very reasonable 88 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:02,371 your brain automatically finds it a worthy author 89 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:06,992 Wang Yangming Laozi Socrates Einstein Lu Xun 90 00:03:07,481 --> 00:03:09,971 these names are the ATMs of wisdom 91 00:03:10,161 --> 00:03:12,359 any idea as long as it's under their name 92 00:03:12,361 --> 00:03:14,851 you dare to withdraw it use it share it 93 00:03:15,161 --> 00:03:17,892 there's an interesting phenomenon on the Chinese internet 94 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:19,071 tagged as Lu Xun said 95 00:03:19,321 --> 00:03:20,971 or Einstein said 96 00:03:21,081 --> 00:03:24,131 a good portion neither man ever actually said 97 00:03:24,161 --> 00:03:27,531 but these fabricated quotes still spread everywhere 98 00:03:27,601 --> 00:03:28,832 which proves exactly one thing 99 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:30,732 our demand for content 100 00:03:30,881 --> 00:03:33,012 far exceeds our demand for the truth 101 00:03:33,820 --> 00:03:36,299 and in today's age of algorithms this 102 00:03:36,301 --> 00:03:37,631 gets amplified even further 103 00:03:37,900 --> 00:03:40,552 the algorithm doesn't care whether a line is true 104 00:03:40,660 --> 00:03:42,731 the algorithm only cares whether you liked it 105 00:03:43,021 --> 00:03:45,231 whether you lingered whether you shared 106 00:03:45,581 --> 00:03:48,511 so a piece of feel-good soup under Wang Yangming's name 107 00:03:48,541 --> 00:03:51,411 gets pushed in front of millions within three days 108 00:03:51,981 --> 00:03:54,071 while a serious scholarly article 109 00:03:54,141 --> 00:03:55,672 telling you this is a forgery 110 00:03:55,780 --> 00:03:57,872 might not even reach a thousand reads 111 00:03:58,141 --> 00:03:58,971 this isn't a conspiracy 112 00:03:59,261 --> 00:04:00,312 this is math 113 00:04:00,541 --> 00:04:02,892 traffic has never rewarded the truth 114 00:04:03,220 --> 00:04:04,152 it rewards resonance 115 00:04:04,380 --> 00:04:05,052 and resonance 116 00:04:05,380 --> 00:04:07,312 is far cheaper than the truth 117 00:04:08,342 --> 00:04:08,533 alright 118 00:04:08,862 --> 00:04:09,861 that's the first layer 119 00:04:09,862 --> 00:04:11,052 let's set this layer aside for now 120 00:04:11,342 --> 00:04:12,473 and move to the second layer 121 00:04:12,742 --> 00:04:14,332 the question I want to ask on the second layer is 122 00:04:14,742 --> 00:04:16,552 since this text is a forgery 123 00:04:16,622 --> 00:04:18,973 should we then reject it entirely 124 00:04:19,427 --> 00:04:20,227 no 125 00:04:20,341 --> 00:04:24,013 this is the second mistake many people make after seeing through a forgery 126 00:04:24,302 --> 00:04:26,672 throwing out the baby with the bathwater 127 00:04:27,601 --> 00:04:30,291 I just spent a lot of effort telling you this is a forgery 128 00:04:30,481 --> 00:04:33,111 but now I'm going to say something that might overturn your view 129 00:04:33,681 --> 00:04:34,799 in this forgery 130 00:04:34,801 --> 00:04:35,471 there are a few lines 131 00:04:35,841 --> 00:04:37,772 that are genuinely penetrating 132 00:04:37,921 --> 00:04:40,212 not powerful because Wang Yangming said them 133 00:04:40,361 --> 00:04:43,332 but because they themselves hit a certain truth 134 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:44,479 do you remember 135 00:04:44,481 --> 00:04:45,752 there's a line in the Diamond Sutra 136 00:04:46,281 --> 00:04:47,452 all forms that exist 137 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:48,652 are illusory 138 00:04:48,1000 --> 00:04:51,012 Buddhism says rely on the teaching not on the person 139 00:04:51,241 --> 00:04:51,752 meaning 140 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:54,452 truth doesn't hold because of who said it 141 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:56,811 truth holds because it is truth 142 00:04:56,1000 --> 00:04:58,640 whether a statement is right 143 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:00,991 has nothing to do with whether it's Wang Yangming or Zhang San 144 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:02,240 or an AI 145 00:05:02,241 --> 00:05:03,252 nothing to do with it 146 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:07,132 so now let's tear off the Wang Yangming label 147 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:09,811 and restore this text to an anonymous piece 148 00:05:09,841 --> 00:05:11,731 let's see which parts in it 149 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:14,332 are really worth stopping to ponder 150 00:05:14,681 --> 00:05:16,332 I'll pick three lines to unpack with you 151 00:05:16,602 --> 00:05:17,033 the first line 152 00:05:17,401 --> 00:05:19,252 the poor read their fortunes the rich burn incense 153 00:05:19,282 --> 00:05:21,052 muddled and confused asking about yin and yang 154 00:05:21,242 --> 00:05:22,713 if you just do your own duty well 155 00:05:23,042 --> 00:05:24,973 why would you need gods to grant a remedy 156 00:05:25,321 --> 00:05:27,692 this sounds like a piece of worldly advice 157 00:05:27,802 --> 00:05:30,932 but behind it hides a very sharp observation 158 00:05:31,242 --> 00:05:32,333 by the way 159 00:05:32,441 --> 00:05:34,961 this line was originally a folk saying passed down among the people 160 00:05:34,961 --> 00:05:36,852 and has nothing to do with Wang Yangming 161 00:05:37,042 --> 00:05:38,641 pasted into the Enlightenment Chapter 162 00:05:38,641 --> 00:05:40,612 is just another reverse merger through a borrowed shell 163 00:05:41,051 --> 00:05:42,322 have you noticed a phenomenon 164 00:05:42,851 --> 00:05:44,411 the more unfortunate a person's life 165 00:05:44,411 --> 00:05:45,483 the more obsessed they are with fortune telling 166 00:05:46,051 --> 00:05:47,402 the richer a person already is 167 00:05:47,652 --> 00:05:49,022 the more obsessed they are with burning incense 168 00:05:49,332 --> 00:05:50,402 one is begging for the future 169 00:05:50,652 --> 00:05:52,262 the other is begging to keep the present 170 00:05:52,452 --> 00:05:53,762 but whether it's the poor one 171 00:05:53,892 --> 00:05:55,091 or the rich one 172 00:05:55,092 --> 00:05:57,043 essentially they're doing the same thing 173 00:05:57,491 --> 00:05:59,171 handing control of their own fate 174 00:05:59,171 --> 00:06:00,743 over to an external force 175 00:06:01,051 --> 00:06:03,450 the poor person thinks their life turned out this way 176 00:06:03,452 --> 00:06:04,522 because of a bad birth chart 177 00:06:04,811 --> 00:06:06,743 offending the year god a bad year ahead 178 00:06:06,811 --> 00:06:07,902 so he goes to have his fortune read 179 00:06:08,012 --> 00:06:08,923 to read out an explanation 180 00:06:09,212 --> 00:06:10,503 to read out a way out 181 00:06:11,171 --> 00:06:13,423 the rich person thinks they got where they are 182 00:06:13,532 --> 00:06:15,142 not entirely by their own ability 183 00:06:15,212 --> 00:06:17,342 there must be some god watching over them 184 00:06:17,371 --> 00:06:18,582 so he goes to burn incense 185 00:06:18,692 --> 00:06:20,883 the more expensive the bigger the earlier 186 00:06:21,171 --> 00:06:22,022 the more at ease he feels 187 00:06:22,452 --> 00:06:24,890 these two look like one's at the foot of the mountain 188 00:06:24,892 --> 00:06:25,943 and one's at the summit 189 00:06:26,092 --> 00:06:27,962 but really they're standing in the same place 190 00:06:28,452 --> 00:06:29,810 they both don't dare to believe 191 00:06:29,811 --> 00:06:30,522 that their own fate 192 00:06:30,811 --> 00:06:32,142 is decided by themselves 193 00:06:32,948 --> 00:06:35,039 this is what the line do your own duty well 194 00:06:35,068 --> 00:06:37,438 why need gods to grant a remedy is saying 195 00:06:37,748 --> 00:06:39,758 do what you should do today well 196 00:06:39,787 --> 00:06:41,558 fulfill the responsibilities you should fulfill 197 00:06:41,587 --> 00:06:44,998 keep the rules you should keep and eighty percent of your fate 198 00:06:45,027 --> 00:06:46,518 is already in your hands 199 00:06:46,707 --> 00:06:48,599 the remaining twenty percent you can't control 200 00:06:48,667 --> 00:06:50,426 burning incense won't give you more 201 00:06:50,428 --> 00:06:52,318 fortune telling won't give you less 202 00:06:52,995 --> 00:06:53,586 this principle 203 00:06:53,836 --> 00:06:55,026 did Wang Yangming never say it 204 00:06:55,595 --> 00:06:57,886 Wang Yangming actually said things with a similar meaning 205 00:06:58,316 --> 00:06:59,946 Wang Yangming taught the unity of knowledge and action 206 00:07:00,475 --> 00:07:01,795 if you know what's right 207 00:07:01,795 --> 00:07:02,687 then you go do it 208 00:07:02,795 --> 00:07:04,355 don't on one hand pray to gods and Buddhas 209 00:07:04,355 --> 00:07:05,547 and on the other act against your conscience 210 00:07:05,876 --> 00:07:07,286 that's fooling yourself and others 211 00:07:07,555 --> 00:07:10,235 so even if this passage wasn't written by Wang Yangming 212 00:07:10,235 --> 00:07:11,526 its spiritual core 213 00:07:11,555 --> 00:07:13,807 lines up with the foundation of mind philosophy 214 00:07:14,035 --> 00:07:16,747 this is also why this forgery can fool so many people 215 00:07:17,115 --> 00:07:18,874 although it wasn't written by Wang Yangming 216 00:07:18,876 --> 00:07:21,086 it really did borrow the soul of mind philosophy 217 00:07:21,945 --> 00:07:22,135 alright 218 00:07:22,385 --> 00:07:23,356 that's the first line 219 00:07:23,664 --> 00:07:24,956 let's look at the second line 220 00:07:25,224 --> 00:07:26,476 the second line is even sharper 221 00:07:26,745 --> 00:07:28,416 of ten who burn incense nine do it for wealth 222 00:07:28,945 --> 00:07:30,836 and how many sticks of true incense are there 223 00:07:31,185 --> 00:07:32,736 the gods aren't short of three sticks of incense 224 00:07:33,305 --> 00:07:35,435 a kind heart and kind thoughts and wealth comes on its own 225 00:07:35,911 --> 00:07:37,382 the first time I read this line 226 00:07:37,791 --> 00:07:38,802 I laughed out loud 227 00:07:38,992 --> 00:07:41,442 go to any temple thick with incense smoke and look 228 00:07:41,552 --> 00:07:42,951 the people kneeling on the prayer mats 229 00:07:42,951 --> 00:07:44,403 muttering under their breath 230 00:07:44,591 --> 00:07:47,031 if you could hear what they're thinking 231 00:07:47,031 --> 00:07:47,663 you'd find 232 00:07:48,031 --> 00:07:48,951 out of ten people 233 00:07:48,951 --> 00:07:51,242 nine are cutting a deal with the gods 234 00:07:51,391 --> 00:07:53,442 Bodhisattva bless my business to boom this year 235 00:07:53,471 --> 00:07:55,322 and later I'll regild your statue 236 00:07:55,552 --> 00:07:57,750 Buddha bless my child to get into Tsinghua 237 00:07:57,752 --> 00:07:59,523 and I'll donate ten thousand yuan of merit 238 00:07:59,672 --> 00:08:01,350 God of Wealth let this deal of mine close 239 00:08:01,351 --> 00:08:03,322 and I'll offer you three sticks of incense every day 240 00:08:04,234 --> 00:08:04,585 you see 241 00:08:04,915 --> 00:08:05,866 how is this faith 242 00:08:06,155 --> 00:08:07,605 this is investment recruitment 243 00:08:07,754 --> 00:08:11,126 this is a business negotiation across the mortal and divine realms 244 00:08:11,475 --> 00:08:12,545 burning incense is the deposit 245 00:08:12,955 --> 00:08:14,486 fulfilling the vow is the final payment 246 00:08:14,794 --> 00:08:16,066 the gods are the supplier 247 00:08:16,475 --> 00:08:18,045 the believer is the client 248 00:08:18,314 --> 00:08:19,626 and the client is especially shrewd 249 00:08:20,035 --> 00:08:21,513 you deliver for me first 250 00:08:21,515 --> 00:08:22,645 then I pay you 251 00:08:23,155 --> 00:08:24,225 but think about it carefully 252 00:08:24,554 --> 00:08:26,645 if the gods are really gods 253 00:08:26,715 --> 00:08:28,306 would they be short of your three sticks of incense 254 00:08:28,794 --> 00:08:30,874 would they because you slipped in an extra red envelope 255 00:08:30,874 --> 00:08:31,905 change your fate for you 256 00:08:32,595 --> 00:08:33,266 if they would 257 00:08:33,635 --> 00:08:34,626 then they're not gods 258 00:08:34,994 --> 00:08:35,966 they're corrupt officials 259 00:08:36,768 --> 00:08:37,438 a true god 260 00:08:37,768 --> 00:08:38,918 if one really exists 261 00:08:39,207 --> 00:08:39,999 looks at only one thing 262 00:08:40,408 --> 00:08:41,219 whether you as a person 263 00:08:41,248 --> 00:08:42,278 are good by nature 264 00:08:42,447 --> 00:08:43,379 or evil 265 00:08:43,488 --> 00:08:44,839 how you treat people day to day 266 00:08:45,167 --> 00:08:46,538 how you treat the weak 267 00:08:46,567 --> 00:08:49,538 whether you hold your bottom line when facing temptation 268 00:08:49,768 --> 00:08:51,619 these are what they look at 269 00:08:52,047 --> 00:08:53,407 your balance of character 270 00:08:53,408 --> 00:08:55,979 decides how much fate will deliver to you 271 00:08:56,248 --> 00:08:58,219 I'm saying this pretty bluntly 272 00:08:58,327 --> 00:09:00,579 but this is what the gods aren't short of three sticks of incense 273 00:09:00,687 --> 00:09:03,418 a kind heart and kind thoughts and wealth comes on its own truly means 274 00:09:03,848 --> 00:09:06,379 don't think the incense you burn is a bribe 275 00:09:06,488 --> 00:09:08,038 how you treat the people around you every day 276 00:09:08,287 --> 00:09:10,259 how you do business how you do things 277 00:09:10,327 --> 00:09:12,418 that's the incense you burn to heaven and earth 278 00:09:13,327 --> 00:09:13,839 that stick of incense 279 00:09:14,207 --> 00:09:15,259 burns every day 280 00:09:15,287 --> 00:09:16,379 and never stops 281 00:09:16,447 --> 00:09:19,379 it records who you really are as a person 282 00:09:20,468 --> 00:09:21,798 so the I Ching says 283 00:09:21,907 --> 00:09:23,839 a house that accumulates good will have blessings to spare 284 00:09:23,907 --> 00:09:25,959 a house that accumulates evil will have disasters to spare 285 00:09:26,187 --> 00:09:28,038 Buddhism says cause and effect never lies 286 00:09:28,307 --> 00:09:29,158 science says 287 00:09:29,268 --> 00:09:32,558 systematic patterns of behavior produce systematic results 288 00:09:32,667 --> 00:09:32,979 you see 289 00:09:33,388 --> 00:09:36,319 East West science religion 290 00:09:36,468 --> 00:09:38,538 going round and round they say the same thing 291 00:09:39,027 --> 00:09:40,387 your pattern of behavior 292 00:09:40,388 --> 00:09:41,999 is your pattern of fate 293 00:09:42,805 --> 00:09:42,996 alright 294 00:09:43,405 --> 00:09:44,483 that's the second line done 295 00:09:44,484 --> 00:09:45,935 let's look at the last line 296 00:09:46,005 --> 00:09:49,055 the one I find most powerful in this whole forgery 297 00:09:49,525 --> 00:09:51,036 we're all booked guests of the underworld 298 00:09:51,484 --> 00:09:53,175 why torment every single day 299 00:09:53,525 --> 00:09:55,496 the first time I read this line 300 00:09:55,685 --> 00:09:56,656 I froze for a long while 301 00:09:57,084 --> 00:09:57,975 savor it slowly 302 00:09:58,324 --> 00:09:59,236 every single one of us 303 00:09:59,685 --> 00:10:01,256 no matter how old you are today 304 00:10:01,364 --> 00:10:02,896 no matter how much you're worth 305 00:10:02,925 --> 00:10:04,835 no matter whether life is good or bad 306 00:10:05,484 --> 00:10:06,616 every single one of us 307 00:10:06,645 --> 00:10:08,455 is a booked guest of the underworld 308 00:10:08,724 --> 00:10:10,455 this booking isn't a metaphor 309 00:10:10,925 --> 00:10:11,975 it's a fact 310 00:10:12,324 --> 00:10:14,055 from the moment you were born 311 00:10:14,084 --> 00:10:17,795 your death date was already written on some page of time 312 00:10:18,204 --> 00:10:20,095 you just don't know which page 313 00:10:20,765 --> 00:10:22,736 every minute you live each day 314 00:10:22,765 --> 00:10:24,376 is walking toward that page 315 00:10:24,565 --> 00:10:25,675 today compared to yesterday 316 00:10:26,045 --> 00:10:27,616 you're one day closer to that page 317 00:10:28,560 --> 00:10:30,230 this sounds a bit heavy right 318 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:32,030 but flip it around 319 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:34,158 if the endpoint is certain 320 00:10:34,159 --> 00:10:35,630 then what's the biggest waste 321 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:37,150 the biggest waste 322 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:39,051 is tormenting yourself along the way 323 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:39,870 tormenting others 324 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:41,451 tormenting every single day 325 00:10:41,919 --> 00:10:43,971 today you had a fight with a coworker 326 00:10:43,999 --> 00:10:45,691 because he stole your credit 327 00:10:45,999 --> 00:10:46,990 at night you can't sleep 328 00:10:47,399 --> 00:10:48,571 tossing and turning 329 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:49,350 blood pressure rising 330 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:50,730 angry for three days 331 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:51,870 but think about it 332 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:54,610 thirty years from now lying on your deathbed 333 00:10:54,639 --> 00:10:55,870 will you remember this 334 00:10:56,519 --> 00:11:00,350 thirty years from now will you regret not winning that argument today 335 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:01,770 you won't 336 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:04,571 thirty years from now looking back at today 337 00:11:04,639 --> 00:11:05,990 the only thing you'll regret is 338 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:08,890 why did I take this precious day 339 00:11:08,919 --> 00:11:10,591 and waste it on something so small 340 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:13,610 this is what we're all booked guests of the underworld 341 00:11:13,639 --> 00:11:16,171 why torment every single day truly weighs 342 00:11:16,589 --> 00:11:18,679 you can also do a smaller experiment 343 00:11:18,908 --> 00:11:21,000 tonight lying in bed 344 00:11:21,109 --> 00:11:23,740 recall the thing that annoyed you most today 345 00:11:24,308 --> 00:11:26,639 maybe someone shoved you on the subway 346 00:11:26,749 --> 00:11:28,480 maybe your kid wouldn't do homework 347 00:11:28,509 --> 00:11:31,879 maybe your boss shot down what you wanted to say in public 348 00:11:32,149 --> 00:11:33,500 then ask yourself a question 349 00:11:34,149 --> 00:11:35,080 a week from now 350 00:11:35,109 --> 00:11:36,740 will I still remember this 351 00:11:37,308 --> 00:11:38,179 what about a year from now 352 00:11:38,708 --> 00:11:39,700 what about ten years from now 353 00:11:40,428 --> 00:11:42,028 ninety percent of things 354 00:11:42,028 --> 00:11:43,919 won't even survive a week 355 00:11:44,229 --> 00:11:45,940 the tears you shed for it today 356 00:11:46,188 --> 00:11:48,120 the anger the gritted teeth 357 00:11:48,308 --> 00:11:49,148 seven days later 358 00:11:49,149 --> 00:11:51,000 won't leave even a shadow 359 00:11:51,668 --> 00:11:52,340 but today 360 00:11:52,668 --> 00:11:53,960 just for something like this 361 00:11:54,229 --> 00:11:57,360 you turn your most precious day into a mess 362 00:11:57,828 --> 00:11:59,019 why is this line powerful 363 00:11:59,548 --> 00:12:02,240 because it uses death the sharpest knife of all 364 00:12:02,349 --> 00:12:05,139 and in one cut severs all our daily little tangles 365 00:12:05,469 --> 00:12:07,320 little anxieties little obsessions 366 00:12:07,589 --> 00:12:09,879 it lifts you out of the trivial 367 00:12:09,908 --> 00:12:11,840 and lets you from the underworld that endpoint 368 00:12:11,869 --> 00:12:14,360 look back at this moment and you'll see 369 00:12:14,428 --> 00:12:16,148 all your worries today 370 00:12:16,149 --> 00:12:18,440 ninety-nine percent aren't worth it 371 00:12:19,241 --> 00:12:20,931 the Stoics have a phrase 372 00:12:21,001 --> 00:12:22,372 called Memento Mori 373 00:12:22,481 --> 00:12:24,372 meaning remember that you will die 374 00:12:24,601 --> 00:12:25,511 there's a saying that goes around 375 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:27,612 when a Roman general won a victory 376 00:12:27,641 --> 00:12:29,011 during his triumphal parade 377 00:12:29,121 --> 00:12:31,000 a man would stand behind him 378 00:12:31,001 --> 00:12:32,031 constantly reminding him 379 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:33,240 you too will die 380 00:12:33,241 --> 00:12:33,911 you too will die 381 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:35,171 you too will die 382 00:12:35,680 --> 00:12:38,212 whether this scene is historical fact is debated 383 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:40,120 but as a method for training the mind 384 00:12:40,121 --> 00:12:41,511 its logic is clear 385 00:12:42,001 --> 00:12:44,651 people lose control most easily at their peak moments 386 00:12:44,680 --> 00:12:45,592 most easily get inflated 387 00:12:45,881 --> 00:12:47,692 most easily forget who they are 388 00:12:47,961 --> 00:12:48,832 the reminder of death 389 00:12:49,121 --> 00:12:50,612 can bring him back to the ground 390 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:51,592 so 391 00:12:51,841 --> 00:12:53,492 we're all booked guests of the underworld 392 00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:54,832 why torment every single day 393 00:12:55,241 --> 00:12:56,812 this line isn't negative 394 00:12:56,841 --> 00:12:58,411 it's the deepest kind of positive 395 00:12:58,680 --> 00:13:00,479 it lets you in every present moment 396 00:13:00,481 --> 00:13:02,251 stand at the endpoint and look back 397 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:04,931 and then make a choice you won't regret 398 00:13:05,170 --> 00:13:05,362 alright 399 00:13:05,771 --> 00:13:06,982 that's all three lines 400 00:13:07,170 --> 00:13:08,921 now let's return to the question at the start 401 00:13:09,491 --> 00:13:12,002 why can a forgery spread so widely 402 00:13:12,491 --> 00:13:14,382 by now you should understand 403 00:13:14,411 --> 00:13:16,209 because although it's pieced together 404 00:13:16,210 --> 00:13:17,882 it's pieced together just right 405 00:13:18,131 --> 00:13:21,530 it takes the deepest spiritual needs of the Chinese heart 406 00:13:21,531 --> 00:13:23,041 and packages them all up for you at once 407 00:13:23,419 --> 00:13:24,120 first 408 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:25,152 the need for authority 409 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:27,332 so it has to bear Wang Yangming's name 410 00:13:27,446 --> 00:13:28,201 second 411 00:13:28,201 --> 00:13:29,312 the need for liberation 412 00:13:29,721 --> 00:13:31,371 so it has to talk about letting go of obsession 413 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:32,201 third 414 00:13:32,201 --> 00:13:33,312 the need for irony 415 00:13:33,601 --> 00:13:35,971 so it has to mock the hypocrisy of burning incense for wealth 416 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:36,880 fourth 417 00:13:36,880 --> 00:13:38,192 the need for ultimate meaning 418 00:13:38,561 --> 00:13:41,292 so it has to bring out the booked guest of the underworld view of life and death 419 00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:42,572 this forgery 420 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:46,812 is actually a precisely customized product for the spiritual pain points of modern Chinese people 421 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:49,052 the reason it spreads so widely 422 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:50,1000 isn't because Wang Yangming wrote it 423 00:13:50,1000 --> 00:13:54,072 but because it hits the shared dilemma of a huge group of people 424 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:56,792 a group torn between material and spirit 425 00:13:57,160 --> 00:13:59,111 wavering between faith and disbelief 426 00:13:59,441 --> 00:14:01,891 and worn down between striving and letting go 427 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:02,511 so 428 00:14:02,841 --> 00:14:04,011 the popularity of a forgery 429 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:06,812 is itself a social psychology survey report 430 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:08,311 but pay attention 431 00:14:08,641 --> 00:14:10,040 I'm about to reach the final layer 432 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:11,472 and it's the most important layer today 433 00:14:11,881 --> 00:14:13,651 a forgery that can hit you 434 00:14:13,721 --> 00:14:15,411 can't actually make you change 435 00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:17,240 you might finish reading this text 436 00:14:17,241 --> 00:14:18,692 moved to pieces 437 00:14:18,721 --> 00:14:20,011 share it with three friends 438 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:22,319 change your WeChat signature to a line 439 00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:23,931 we're all booked guests of the underworld 440 00:14:24,241 --> 00:14:24,752 and then what 441 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:26,160 then the next day 442 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:28,439 you still lose sleep over that coworker's remark 443 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:30,732 still agonize half a day over ten thousand yuan 444 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:33,972 still feel a pang when you see someone show off a luxury car on WeChat Moments 445 00:14:34,001 --> 00:14:37,572 still silently bargain with the Bodhisattva while burning incense 446 00:14:37,905 --> 00:14:38,391 why 447 00:14:39,241 --> 00:14:39,992 because having read 448 00:14:40,401 --> 00:14:41,271 doesn't equal knowing 449 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:42,431 knowing 450 00:14:42,761 --> 00:14:43,671 doesn't equal doing 451 00:14:44,361 --> 00:14:44,832 doing 452 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:46,452 doesn't equal becoming 453 00:14:47,166 --> 00:14:48,858 Wang Yangming's real mind philosophy 454 00:14:48,887 --> 00:14:50,818 isn't about these pretty words 455 00:14:51,127 --> 00:14:53,257 when Wang Yangming taught the unity of knowledge and action 456 00:14:53,487 --> 00:14:54,318 what he meant was 457 00:14:54,767 --> 00:14:56,818 if you truly know something 458 00:14:56,926 --> 00:14:58,118 you're already doing it 459 00:14:58,686 --> 00:15:00,085 if you're not doing it 460 00:15:00,087 --> 00:15:02,618 it proves you never truly knew it 461 00:15:02,887 --> 00:15:04,578 after you finish watching this video today 462 00:15:04,767 --> 00:15:07,046 and feel that we're all booked guests of the underworld 463 00:15:07,046 --> 00:15:09,238 why torment every single day is so well put 464 00:15:09,686 --> 00:15:12,177 if that's your entire reaction 465 00:15:12,206 --> 00:15:14,177 then you haven't really known this line at all 466 00:15:14,326 --> 00:15:16,057 you've only heard of this line 467 00:15:16,326 --> 00:15:17,838 what does truly knowing look like 468 00:15:18,847 --> 00:15:20,098 truly knowing is 469 00:15:20,247 --> 00:15:23,377 tomorrow morning a coworker says something annoying again 470 00:15:23,487 --> 00:15:26,037 and in that instant a voice pops up in your head 471 00:15:26,487 --> 00:15:28,445 I'm a booked guest of the underworld 472 00:15:28,446 --> 00:15:29,257 it's not worth it 473 00:15:29,566 --> 00:15:31,218 and then you actually let it go 474 00:15:31,487 --> 00:15:33,218 not forcing yourself to let go 475 00:15:33,247 --> 00:15:35,218 not using reason to suppress emotion 476 00:15:35,326 --> 00:15:37,965 but the line has grown into your bones 477 00:15:37,967 --> 00:15:40,057 becoming part of your reflex 478 00:15:40,406 --> 00:15:42,297 this is what the unity of knowledge and action means 479 00:15:42,686 --> 00:15:44,257 this is what mind philosophy is 480 00:15:44,929 --> 00:15:46,260 you can understand it this way 481 00:15:46,568 --> 00:15:48,120 a sentence entering your body 482 00:15:48,369 --> 00:15:49,780 passes through four gates 483 00:15:50,169 --> 00:15:50,720 the first gate 484 00:15:51,129 --> 00:15:52,179 is called seeing 485 00:15:52,448 --> 00:15:53,939 your eyes sweep over it 486 00:15:54,049 --> 00:15:56,179 and you know this line exists in the world 487 00:15:56,649 --> 00:15:57,240 the second gate 488 00:15:57,608 --> 00:15:58,620 is called agreeing 489 00:15:58,769 --> 00:15:59,400 you nod 490 00:15:59,769 --> 00:16:00,860 and think it's right 491 00:16:01,328 --> 00:16:02,079 the third gate 492 00:16:02,448 --> 00:16:03,459 is called remembering 493 00:16:03,728 --> 00:16:04,839 you can at the dinner table 494 00:16:05,049 --> 00:16:07,260 or on WeChat Moments repeat it 495 00:16:07,608 --> 00:16:08,400 the fourth gate 496 00:16:08,769 --> 00:16:10,179 is what real possession means 497 00:16:10,328 --> 00:16:13,487 it's when the next time you're about to lose your temper 498 00:16:13,488 --> 00:16:14,360 the line jumps out on its own 499 00:16:14,649 --> 00:16:16,059 and holds down your heartbeat 500 00:16:16,568 --> 00:16:18,620 the first three gates don't count 501 00:16:18,728 --> 00:16:20,408 only when the fourth gate is passed 502 00:16:20,409 --> 00:16:22,179 do you truly gain it 503 00:16:22,929 --> 00:16:23,981 and this transformation 504 00:16:24,009 --> 00:16:26,461 can't be completed by reading a forgery 505 00:16:26,529 --> 00:16:28,568 it needs you in the life ahead 506 00:16:28,570 --> 00:16:29,969 again and again 507 00:16:29,970 --> 00:16:32,181 to practice in concrete situations 508 00:16:32,409 --> 00:16:34,500 remember it every time you're angry 509 00:16:34,529 --> 00:16:36,660 remember it every time you're anxious 510 00:16:36,689 --> 00:16:38,520 remember it every time you're greedy 511 00:16:39,009 --> 00:16:41,168 after a hundred times a thousand times 512 00:16:41,169 --> 00:16:42,981 it finally truly becomes you 513 00:16:43,730 --> 00:16:46,620 this is what's truly formidable about Yangming mind philosophy 514 00:16:46,769 --> 00:16:49,701 and where all forgeries ultimately fail 515 00:16:49,970 --> 00:16:51,520 a forgery can give you emotion 516 00:16:51,769 --> 00:16:53,260 but it can't give you practice 517 00:16:54,021 --> 00:16:54,211 alright 518 00:16:54,620 --> 00:16:55,211 at this point 519 00:16:55,421 --> 00:16:56,792 I'd like to hear your thoughts 520 00:16:56,941 --> 00:16:59,412 have you seen this kind of name-dropping forgery on WeChat Moments 521 00:16:59,941 --> 00:17:00,851 did you believe it back then 522 00:17:01,380 --> 00:17:02,591 looking back now 523 00:17:02,661 --> 00:17:05,471 do you think those so-called famous quotes that once hit you 524 00:17:05,500 --> 00:17:07,132 really changed anything about you in the end 525 00:17:07,639 --> 00:17:08,421 or is it 526 00:17:08,421 --> 00:17:10,711 they just set off a firework in your heart 527 00:17:10,901 --> 00:17:13,451 and then you went back to your old life track 528 00:17:13,901 --> 00:17:16,191 feel free to share your thoughts in the comments 529 00:17:16,500 --> 00:17:17,172 I'm Leo Wang 530 00:17:17,421 --> 00:17:18,172 see you next time