1 00:00:00,266 --> 00:00:01,012 Fan Jin did not go mad 2 00:00:01,385 --> 00:00:03,313 The whole society had gone mad 3 00:00:03,505 --> 00:00:04,812 A man in his fifties 4 00:00:05,185 --> 00:00:06,392 Who spent his whole life taking exams 5 00:00:06,546 --> 00:00:07,793 Finally passed 6 00:00:07,985 --> 00:00:09,333 When he saw the notice of his success 7 00:00:09,705 --> 00:00:10,625 He first stood frozen 8 00:00:10,625 --> 00:00:11,292 Then burst out laughing 9 00:00:11,705 --> 00:00:12,712 And then went mad 10 00:00:12,945 --> 00:00:15,313 His father in law slapped him back to his senses 11 00:00:15,545 --> 00:00:16,213 From that moment on 12 00:00:16,585 --> 00:00:18,393 Everyone in the county came to flatter him 13 00:00:18,967 --> 00:00:19,593 You have probably read this story 14 00:00:19,807 --> 00:00:21,814 In a Chinese literature class 15 00:00:22,087 --> 00:00:23,206 Your teacher may have told you 16 00:00:23,206 --> 00:00:25,894 That Fan Jin is both ridiculous and tragic 17 00:00:26,166 --> 00:00:28,334 But today I do not want to talk about Fan Jin 18 00:00:28,486 --> 00:00:31,645 I want to talk about the deeper madness 19 00:00:31,647 --> 00:00:33,133 That nobody notices from beginning to end 20 00:00:33,401 --> 00:00:33,708 Hello 21 00:00:34,001 --> 00:00:34,468 Everyone 22 00:00:34,721 --> 00:00:35,807 I am Leo Wang 23 00:00:36,081 --> 00:00:38,447 I first read The Scholars in college 24 00:00:38,681 --> 00:00:40,687 Back then I found the story of Fan Jin hilarious 25 00:00:40,761 --> 00:00:43,687 How could a piece of paper make someone delirious with joy 26 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:45,319 After many years in the working world 27 00:00:45,321 --> 00:00:48,447 I slowly realized his reaction was not exaggerated at all 28 00:00:49,135 --> 00:00:52,522 Have you ever seen someone receive an elite university offer 29 00:00:53,096 --> 00:00:56,083 Or an entrepreneur secure funding 30 00:00:56,616 --> 00:00:59,455 Or someone hear that they have been promoted 31 00:00:59,455 --> 00:01:01,043 And become unable to contain their excitement 32 00:01:01,575 --> 00:01:02,202 That expression 33 00:01:02,535 --> 00:01:04,142 And the look on Fan Jin after passing the exam 34 00:01:04,175 --> 00:01:05,543 Are really no different 35 00:01:05,776 --> 00:01:07,523 We simply call one excitement 36 00:01:07,776 --> 00:01:08,823 Instead of madness 37 00:01:09,175 --> 00:01:11,222 When Wu Jingzi wrote The Scholars 38 00:01:11,376 --> 00:01:12,323 He probably never imagined 39 00:01:12,656 --> 00:01:13,862 That what he wrote 40 00:01:13,975 --> 00:01:16,582 Would remain relevant word for word two centuries later 41 00:01:16,776 --> 00:01:17,922 He was not writing about the Qing dynasty 42 00:01:18,216 --> 00:01:19,103 He was writing about the human mind 43 00:01:19,376 --> 00:01:21,823 At its deepest level the book reveals this 44 00:01:22,055 --> 00:01:23,862 The pursuit of status is not one persons illness 45 00:01:23,895 --> 00:01:26,034 It is a shared symptom of society 46 00:01:26,228 --> 00:01:28,394 Let us begin with the most obvious layer 47 00:01:28,868 --> 00:01:31,115 Fan Jin kept taking exams into his fifties 48 00:01:31,308 --> 00:01:33,594 That fact alone tells us something 49 00:01:34,188 --> 00:01:35,475 He was not unintelligent 50 00:01:35,627 --> 00:01:37,594 He was trapped by a standard 51 00:01:37,828 --> 00:01:38,894 That standard told him 52 00:01:39,308 --> 00:01:40,995 Whether he had any worth 53 00:01:41,067 --> 00:01:43,075 Did not depend on what he could do 54 00:01:43,108 --> 00:01:45,075 But on whether he held the proper status 55 00:01:45,507 --> 00:01:47,754 Buddhism calls this attachment to status 56 00:01:48,228 --> 00:01:49,534 It is not greed for money 57 00:01:49,907 --> 00:01:50,954 Or fear of death 58 00:01:51,147 --> 00:01:52,954 It is a more hidden form of attachment 59 00:01:53,228 --> 00:01:54,995 What it clings to is not something outside 60 00:01:55,267 --> 00:01:57,635 But an answer to the question of who I am 61 00:01:57,987 --> 00:02:00,514 Fan Jin wanted to prove only one thing in his life 62 00:02:00,627 --> 00:02:01,754 I am not worthless 63 00:02:01,987 --> 00:02:03,415 And the only way to prove it 64 00:02:03,707 --> 00:02:04,715 Was to pass the exam 65 00:02:05,372 --> 00:02:06,298 Look closely 66 00:02:06,411 --> 00:02:09,258 He did not want the power or money that came with office 67 00:02:09,612 --> 00:02:11,938 He did not even know what an official should do 68 00:02:12,211 --> 00:02:13,959 All he wanted were those three words 69 00:02:14,371 --> 00:02:15,378 I passed the exam 70 00:02:16,012 --> 00:02:17,598 What did those words change 71 00:02:18,091 --> 00:02:19,258 Nothing at all 72 00:02:19,612 --> 00:02:20,719 His learning did not change 73 00:02:20,971 --> 00:02:22,251 His body did not change 74 00:02:22,251 --> 00:02:23,978 His understanding of the world did not change 75 00:02:24,211 --> 00:02:25,938 Only one thing changed 76 00:02:26,051 --> 00:02:29,138 The label in his mind that defined who he was 77 00:02:29,452 --> 00:02:31,131 Changed from a failed scholar 78 00:02:31,132 --> 00:02:32,978 Into a successful provincial graduate 79 00:02:33,332 --> 00:02:34,839 That single change of label 80 00:02:35,132 --> 00:02:36,179 Drove him mad 81 00:02:36,491 --> 00:02:36,999 Why 82 00:02:37,491 --> 00:02:41,619 Because his entire identity had been built around that label 83 00:02:41,931 --> 00:02:43,418 The instant he obtained it 84 00:02:43,531 --> 00:02:46,219 The whole structure collapsed and rebuilt itself at once 85 00:02:46,371 --> 00:02:47,578 It was more than he could bear 86 00:02:47,883 --> 00:02:50,370 Buddhism has a concept called manas consciousness 87 00:02:50,644 --> 00:02:53,882 You can understand it as the deepest part of the mind 88 00:02:53,883 --> 00:02:55,691 That clings desperately to the self 89 00:02:56,124 --> 00:02:57,310 It does not care about facts 90 00:02:57,603 --> 00:02:58,851 Or truth 91 00:02:58,923 --> 00:02:59,990 It cares about only one thing 92 00:03:00,203 --> 00:03:00,971 The self 93 00:03:01,443 --> 00:03:02,110 My identity 94 00:03:02,323 --> 00:03:03,203 My dignity 95 00:03:03,203 --> 00:03:05,171 How I appear in the eyes of others 96 00:03:05,524 --> 00:03:09,090 Throughout his life Fan Jins manas did one thing 97 00:03:09,124 --> 00:03:10,971 It used status to define him 98 00:03:11,443 --> 00:03:11,951 If I fail 99 00:03:12,244 --> 00:03:13,330 Then I am not myself 100 00:03:13,524 --> 00:03:14,110 If I pass 101 00:03:14,284 --> 00:03:15,370 Only then can I exist 102 00:03:15,763 --> 00:03:17,071 So when he finally passed 103 00:03:17,284 --> 00:03:18,890 He did not go mad from happiness 104 00:03:19,084 --> 00:03:21,571 His sense of self was finally validated 105 00:03:21,844 --> 00:03:25,131 He waited most of his life to confirm that he existed 106 00:03:25,244 --> 00:03:27,107 How could that shock not be overwhelming 107 00:03:27,141 --> 00:03:30,420 But the true brilliance of The Scholars is not Fan Jin 108 00:03:30,421 --> 00:03:32,188 It is the people around him 109 00:03:32,581 --> 00:03:34,988 Do you remember his father in law Butcher Hu 110 00:03:35,340 --> 00:03:36,868 Before Fan Jin passed 111 00:03:36,900 --> 00:03:38,787 Butcher Hu insulted him to his face 112 00:03:38,900 --> 00:03:40,127 Calling him sharp mouthed and monkey faced 113 00:03:40,381 --> 00:03:41,827 And unworthy of being a scholar 114 00:03:42,060 --> 00:03:43,547 After Fan Jin passed 115 00:03:43,581 --> 00:03:46,028 The same Butcher Hu praised him to everyone 116 00:03:46,220 --> 00:03:49,780 Calling his son in law learned and handsome 117 00:03:49,780 --> 00:03:51,708 A man of natural distinction 118 00:03:51,940 --> 00:03:52,287 Look 119 00:03:52,740 --> 00:03:54,547 Fan Jin himself had not changed 120 00:03:54,581 --> 00:03:56,907 What changed was how everyone reacted to him 121 00:03:57,301 --> 00:03:58,127 What does that tell us 122 00:03:58,581 --> 00:04:01,227 Fan Jin was not the only one attached to status 123 00:04:01,261 --> 00:04:04,868 The whole society used status to label people 124 00:04:05,180 --> 00:04:06,287 With that label 125 00:04:06,581 --> 00:04:07,507 You counted as a person 126 00:04:07,661 --> 00:04:08,248 Without it 127 00:04:08,460 --> 00:04:09,428 You did not 128 00:04:09,856 --> 00:04:12,143 Buddhism calls this collective karma 129 00:04:12,495 --> 00:04:14,502 Collective karma is not a mystical idea 130 00:04:14,576 --> 00:04:16,862 It describes a very simple fact 131 00:04:17,176 --> 00:04:20,302 When everyone in a society believes in the same standard 132 00:04:20,335 --> 00:04:22,463 That standard becomes the air 133 00:04:22,775 --> 00:04:24,455 You spend your whole life inside it 134 00:04:24,455 --> 00:04:27,182 Never realizing that you are breathing it 135 00:04:27,616 --> 00:04:29,422 The imperial examination was that air 136 00:04:29,816 --> 00:04:30,682 Across the entire Qing dynasty 137 00:04:31,015 --> 00:04:32,575 From the emperor to the villagers 138 00:04:32,576 --> 00:04:34,182 Everyone lived within one shared belief 139 00:04:34,576 --> 00:04:35,883 Pass the exam and you stood above others 140 00:04:36,176 --> 00:04:37,742 Fail it and you were worthless 141 00:04:38,015 --> 00:04:40,494 No single person invented this belief 142 00:04:40,496 --> 00:04:42,463 Everyone sustained it together 143 00:04:42,655 --> 00:04:43,854 You grew up inside it 144 00:04:43,855 --> 00:04:46,302 Never imagining another possibility 145 00:04:46,911 --> 00:04:49,959 Wu Jingzi writes of a young man named Kuang Chaoren 146 00:04:50,312 --> 00:04:52,399 When he first appears he is a good person 147 00:04:52,551 --> 00:04:54,959 Devoted hardworking and diligent in study 148 00:04:55,312 --> 00:04:56,918 Then he enters the system 149 00:04:56,952 --> 00:04:58,279 Begins cultivating officials 150 00:04:58,312 --> 00:04:59,139 Learns to flatter 151 00:04:59,471 --> 00:05:00,558 Learns to deceive 152 00:05:00,632 --> 00:05:03,279 And learns to present himself as a man of status 153 00:05:03,471 --> 00:05:04,219 Did he become corrupt 154 00:05:04,671 --> 00:05:06,238 On the surface yes 155 00:05:06,392 --> 00:05:08,159 But from another perspective 156 00:05:08,231 --> 00:05:09,630 A more accurate description is this 157 00:05:09,632 --> 00:05:12,959 The system reprogrammed his deeper consciousness 158 00:05:13,351 --> 00:05:14,390 Within that system 159 00:05:14,392 --> 00:05:16,959 Your self worth equaled your rank 160 00:05:17,151 --> 00:05:19,950 Once your deeper mind accepted that formula 161 00:05:19,952 --> 00:05:23,918 You would automatically do whatever it took to preserve your rank 162 00:05:24,911 --> 00:05:26,998 Lying betrayal hypocrisy 163 00:05:27,072 --> 00:05:29,279 Not because Kuang Chaoren was evil by nature 164 00:05:29,431 --> 00:05:32,519 But because the system welded the self to status 165 00:05:32,911 --> 00:05:35,918 Once your identity is bound to an external standard 166 00:05:36,072 --> 00:05:37,430 To preserve that standard 167 00:05:37,431 --> 00:05:39,233 You will do anything 168 00:05:39,586 --> 00:05:41,793 Apply that logic to the present day 169 00:05:41,867 --> 00:05:43,074 Does it sound familiar 170 00:05:43,307 --> 00:05:46,514 I have seen people compete for a graduate place at an elite university 171 00:05:46,667 --> 00:05:48,833 Giving up the best four years of their lives 172 00:05:48,906 --> 00:05:50,754 Doing something they did not enjoy 173 00:05:50,867 --> 00:05:52,514 Just to obtain that piece of paper 174 00:05:52,706 --> 00:05:53,733 I asked one of them why 175 00:05:54,067 --> 00:05:55,586 He said without that paper 176 00:05:55,586 --> 00:05:57,153 I fear that others will look down on me 177 00:05:57,466 --> 00:05:58,374 Listen to those words 178 00:05:58,706 --> 00:06:00,134 How are they different from Fan Jin 179 00:06:00,667 --> 00:06:01,994 The only difference is 180 00:06:02,067 --> 00:06:04,233 Today status has a different name 181 00:06:04,307 --> 00:06:06,194 It is no longer provincial graduate or presented scholar 182 00:06:06,227 --> 00:06:10,954 It is 985 211 big tech executive or a million yuan salary 183 00:06:11,107 --> 00:06:11,934 The labels changed 184 00:06:12,187 --> 00:06:13,793 The structure is exactly the same 185 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:17,807 And todays collective karma is more sophisticated than before 186 00:06:18,161 --> 00:06:20,608 In the Qing dynasty you could farm if you failed 187 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:22,007 Nobody would starve you 188 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:22,747 But today 189 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:24,848 Without the right label 190 00:06:24,961 --> 00:06:26,728 You do not even get an interview 191 00:06:27,081 --> 00:06:29,447 Algorithms filter you out across society 192 00:06:29,521 --> 00:06:31,127 Without even telling you why 193 00:06:31,761 --> 00:06:32,719 Think carefully 194 00:06:32,721 --> 00:06:35,887 Is this not a more sophisticated form of collective madness 195 00:06:36,359 --> 00:06:37,967 Sometimes I scroll through my social feed 196 00:06:37,999 --> 00:06:39,638 And see someone showing off a diploma 197 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:41,087 With a pile of likes underneath 198 00:06:41,280 --> 00:06:43,126 I am not saying the diploma is unimportant 199 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:44,287 I simply wonder 200 00:06:44,359 --> 00:06:47,527 Why someone needs so many people to see that piece of paper 201 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:48,986 Are they sharing their joy 202 00:06:49,479 --> 00:06:50,787 Or waiting for others to confirm 203 00:06:51,119 --> 00:06:52,186 That now I am good enough 204 00:06:52,840 --> 00:06:53,907 If you observe closely 205 00:06:54,159 --> 00:06:55,607 You will notice a pattern 206 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:57,679 The more someone needs external validation 207 00:06:57,679 --> 00:06:59,607 The less certain they are about who they are 208 00:06:59,919 --> 00:07:02,046 That is attachment to status at work 209 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:04,527 It keeps you searching for a mirror 210 00:07:04,559 --> 00:07:07,407 Hoping to see yourself in the reactions of others 211 00:07:07,599 --> 00:07:08,946 But a mirror reflects light 212 00:07:09,439 --> 00:07:10,414 Not you 213 00:07:10,767 --> 00:07:12,935 The book also has a man named Yan Jiansheng 214 00:07:13,087 --> 00:07:14,075 He does not pursue status 215 00:07:14,207 --> 00:07:15,455 He pursues money 216 00:07:15,888 --> 00:07:18,414 On his deathbed he holds up two fingers 217 00:07:18,488 --> 00:07:19,815 And refuses to die 218 00:07:20,008 --> 00:07:21,527 Everyone keeps guessing what he means 219 00:07:21,527 --> 00:07:25,775 Until his wife asks if two lamp wicks are wasting too much oil 220 00:07:25,928 --> 00:07:26,714 She removes one wick 221 00:07:26,928 --> 00:07:28,494 And only then does Yan Jiansheng die 222 00:07:28,727 --> 00:07:29,034 Look 223 00:07:29,368 --> 00:07:31,327 Even in the final moment of his life 224 00:07:31,327 --> 00:07:33,294 He was not clinging to money itself 225 00:07:33,327 --> 00:07:36,054 He clung to the identity of someone who must never waste 226 00:07:36,327 --> 00:07:37,815 Money was simply his form of status 227 00:07:37,967 --> 00:07:39,407 Everyone has a different form of status 228 00:07:39,407 --> 00:07:41,534 But the structure of attachment is the same 229 00:07:41,568 --> 00:07:42,914 Fan Jin clung to social rank 230 00:07:43,167 --> 00:07:44,967 Yan Jiansheng clung to family wealth 231 00:07:44,967 --> 00:07:46,734 Kuang Chaoren clung to respectability 232 00:07:47,527 --> 00:07:49,974 Their manas consciousness clung to different things 233 00:07:50,327 --> 00:07:52,710 But the act of clinging was exactly the same 234 00:07:53,464 --> 00:07:55,270 The book also has a man named Zhou Jin 235 00:07:55,703 --> 00:07:56,991 He is an elderly examination candidate 236 00:07:57,144 --> 00:07:59,551 Who failed even the lowest degree after decades of exams 237 00:07:59,762 --> 00:08:00,503 One day 238 00:08:00,503 --> 00:08:02,830 He passes an empty examination cell 239 00:08:03,303 --> 00:08:04,650 He looks at the tiny room 240 00:08:04,904 --> 00:08:06,310 And suddenly begins to weep 241 00:08:06,383 --> 00:08:07,650 He slams his head against the partition 242 00:08:07,904 --> 00:08:09,031 Nearly killing himself 243 00:08:09,303 --> 00:08:10,890 Do you know what Zhou Jin was crying about 244 00:08:11,464 --> 00:08:13,070 He was not crying over poor results 245 00:08:13,464 --> 00:08:15,022 He was grieving that for his entire life 246 00:08:15,024 --> 00:08:17,590 The system had never recognized him 247 00:08:18,024 --> 00:08:20,190 His whole identity was left hanging in midair 248 00:08:20,383 --> 00:08:21,411 He had lived for decades 249 00:08:21,664 --> 00:08:23,022 Under that standard 250 00:08:23,024 --> 00:08:24,756 He might as well not have existed 251 00:08:25,109 --> 00:08:26,256 When I read this passage 252 00:08:26,628 --> 00:08:27,876 It deeply unsettled me 253 00:08:28,148 --> 00:08:29,987 Try closing your eyes 254 00:08:29,989 --> 00:08:31,076 And ask yourself a question 255 00:08:31,470 --> 00:08:36,075 If your degree title and position all vanished tomorrow 256 00:08:36,148 --> 00:08:37,615 Would you still know who you are 257 00:08:38,350 --> 00:08:41,276 If that question brings a slight tightness to your chest 258 00:08:41,469 --> 00:08:43,956 That feeling is the touch of attachment to status 259 00:08:44,628 --> 00:08:46,355 Many people spend their entire lives 260 00:08:46,388 --> 00:08:49,756 Waiting for an outside voice to tell them 261 00:08:49,989 --> 00:08:51,355 You may exist now 262 00:08:51,548 --> 00:08:53,956 This is the deepest layer of attachment to status 263 00:08:54,268 --> 00:08:55,137 It makes you believe 264 00:08:55,469 --> 00:08:57,708 That some system must certify you 265 00:08:57,709 --> 00:08:58,875 Before you become real 266 00:08:59,110 --> 00:09:00,056 Without that certification 267 00:09:00,350 --> 00:09:01,716 You are left hanging 268 00:09:01,830 --> 00:09:02,456 You are alive 269 00:09:02,788 --> 00:09:04,336 But you do not count 270 00:09:04,810 --> 00:09:05,357 Buddhism says 271 00:09:05,728 --> 00:09:06,776 This is inversion 272 00:09:07,128 --> 00:09:09,536 You mistake something that is not you for yourself 273 00:09:09,690 --> 00:09:12,576 Then spend your whole life maintaining what is not you 274 00:09:13,128 --> 00:09:15,257 Status is that thing which is not you 275 00:09:15,648 --> 00:09:16,916 It is a social convention 276 00:09:17,128 --> 00:09:18,617 A shared illusion 277 00:09:19,050 --> 00:09:19,757 Is it useful 278 00:09:20,248 --> 00:09:22,137 Within that system of course it is 279 00:09:22,410 --> 00:09:23,357 But is it you 280 00:09:23,930 --> 00:09:24,976 Never 281 00:09:25,811 --> 00:09:27,658 When Zhou Jin struck the partition 282 00:09:27,691 --> 00:09:30,778 His body was actually speaking for him 283 00:09:30,971 --> 00:09:32,891 He could not say the words himself 284 00:09:32,892 --> 00:09:34,610 But his body said them 285 00:09:34,612 --> 00:09:36,138 I cannot accept this 286 00:09:36,571 --> 00:09:37,479 I have lived an entire lifetime 287 00:09:37,691 --> 00:09:39,498 I cannot accept never being seen 288 00:09:39,811 --> 00:09:40,898 But think about it 289 00:09:40,931 --> 00:09:44,038 Who decided that passing the exam was the only way to be seen 290 00:09:44,811 --> 00:09:46,378 The system decided 291 00:09:46,691 --> 00:09:47,439 And that system 292 00:09:47,811 --> 00:09:50,417 Was sustained by everyone together 293 00:09:50,970 --> 00:09:53,050 Yet the most interesting thing about The Scholars 294 00:09:53,051 --> 00:09:54,570 Is that it does not only portray madmen 295 00:09:54,570 --> 00:09:56,218 It also portrays a few people who are awake 296 00:09:56,450 --> 00:09:59,017 The first chapter introduces Wang Mian 297 00:09:59,411 --> 00:10:00,397 He herds cattle 298 00:10:00,690 --> 00:10:01,817 And paints beautifully 299 00:10:02,051 --> 00:10:04,258 Many officials try to recruit him into public office 300 00:10:04,291 --> 00:10:05,417 He refuses to see any of them 301 00:10:05,771 --> 00:10:07,338 He is not pretending to be above worldly concerns 302 00:10:07,411 --> 00:10:09,657 He simply sees one thing naturally 303 00:10:10,051 --> 00:10:12,417 Official status has nothing to do with who he is 304 00:10:12,730 --> 00:10:15,697 He needs no title to prove that he can paint 305 00:10:16,171 --> 00:10:18,657 The act of painting itself is everything 306 00:10:19,335 --> 00:10:20,422 Then there is Du Shaoqing 307 00:10:20,855 --> 00:10:21,641 He comes from a privileged family 308 00:10:21,975 --> 00:10:22,861 And holds an official degree 309 00:10:23,015 --> 00:10:24,741 But treats status like waste paper 310 00:10:25,095 --> 00:10:26,521 When the court summons him to office 311 00:10:27,054 --> 00:10:28,542 He feigns illness and declines 312 00:10:28,735 --> 00:10:29,842 Others think he is mad 313 00:10:30,255 --> 00:10:31,942 For throwing away a brilliant future 314 00:10:32,294 --> 00:10:34,021 But his answer is simple 315 00:10:34,215 --> 00:10:35,621 I do not need these things 316 00:10:36,375 --> 00:10:37,861 From a Buddhist perspective 317 00:10:37,934 --> 00:10:40,062 These two men share one quality 318 00:10:40,495 --> 00:10:43,501 Their deeper consciousness is not bound to status 319 00:10:43,934 --> 00:10:45,221 Their answer to who am I 320 00:10:45,294 --> 00:10:47,582 Does not need to come from an outside system 321 00:10:47,975 --> 00:10:48,721 Wang Mian paints 322 00:10:49,215 --> 00:10:51,221 And knows for himself whether his work is good 323 00:10:51,534 --> 00:10:52,822 Du Shaoqing lives 324 00:10:52,934 --> 00:10:55,182 And can feel for himself how well he lives 325 00:10:55,534 --> 00:10:58,861 They need no label to confirm their existence 326 00:10:59,255 --> 00:11:01,661 This is what liberation looks like 327 00:11:02,173 --> 00:11:03,013 Honestly 328 00:11:03,013 --> 00:11:06,421 When I first read about Wang Mian I saw nothing remarkable 329 00:11:06,773 --> 00:11:08,080 A cattle herder who refuses office 330 00:11:08,413 --> 00:11:09,860 Why was that worth writing about 331 00:11:10,173 --> 00:11:11,860 Only later did I gradually understand 332 00:11:11,934 --> 00:11:14,373 His greatness lay not in what he refused 333 00:11:14,373 --> 00:11:16,100 But in never needing it 334 00:11:16,613 --> 00:11:18,172 His sense of self was whole 335 00:11:18,173 --> 00:11:20,700 It needed no external layer pasted on top 336 00:11:20,934 --> 00:11:23,381 Buddhism calls this being inherently complete 337 00:11:23,854 --> 00:11:25,493 You are already whole 338 00:11:25,493 --> 00:11:27,781 Nothing external is needed to complete you 339 00:11:28,054 --> 00:11:29,120 Status cannot complete you 340 00:11:29,334 --> 00:11:30,700 Money cannot complete you 341 00:11:30,773 --> 00:11:32,781 Nor can the approval of others 342 00:11:33,054 --> 00:11:34,340 Because nothing is missing from you 343 00:11:34,734 --> 00:11:36,381 You only believe that something is missing 344 00:11:36,413 --> 00:11:39,908 Then spend your whole life filling a hole that does not exist 345 00:11:40,262 --> 00:11:41,888 Liberation does not mean leaving society 346 00:11:42,142 --> 00:11:43,220 It does not mean refusing to work 347 00:11:43,221 --> 00:11:44,388 Or refusing to take exams 348 00:11:44,701 --> 00:11:46,181 Liberation means you still act 349 00:11:46,181 --> 00:11:48,428 But do not let the outcome define you 350 00:11:48,701 --> 00:11:49,528 If you pass 351 00:11:49,821 --> 00:11:50,308 Good 352 00:11:50,542 --> 00:11:51,249 If you fail 353 00:11:51,662 --> 00:11:52,349 That is fine too 354 00:11:52,542 --> 00:11:54,021 Because you know clearly 355 00:11:54,022 --> 00:11:56,679 That label was never you 356 00:11:56,712 --> 00:11:57,679 I often think 357 00:11:57,712 --> 00:12:00,150 That Wu Jingzi may have been the first in Chinese literature 358 00:12:00,151 --> 00:12:02,558 To recognize collective karma 359 00:12:02,911 --> 00:12:03,899 He was not a philosopher 360 00:12:04,192 --> 00:12:05,198 Or a monk 361 00:12:05,391 --> 00:12:09,238 But through fiction he expressed what Buddhism debated for two millennia 362 00:12:09,511 --> 00:12:11,438 He did not write about one persons attachment 363 00:12:11,511 --> 00:12:14,638 But an illusion sustained by an entire society 364 00:12:15,032 --> 00:12:16,999 Everyone believes they are wide awake 365 00:12:17,351 --> 00:12:19,839 Fan Jin believes he is pursuing a legitimate goal 366 00:12:20,191 --> 00:12:22,798 Butcher Hu believes he is simply speaking plainly 367 00:12:23,191 --> 00:12:25,638 Kuang Chaoren believes he is adapting to society 368 00:12:25,951 --> 00:12:27,151 But seen from outside 369 00:12:27,152 --> 00:12:29,599 They are all trapped in the same enormous dream 370 00:12:29,951 --> 00:12:32,439 This is what makes collective karma feel so inescapable 371 00:12:32,831 --> 00:12:34,678 It is not one person dreaming 372 00:12:34,752 --> 00:12:36,999 Everyone is sharing the same dream 373 00:12:37,392 --> 00:12:38,178 Within that dream 374 00:12:38,512 --> 00:12:39,839 Nobody can wake anyone else 375 00:12:40,111 --> 00:12:42,031 Because the person trying to wake you 376 00:12:42,032 --> 00:12:44,355 Is also inside the dream 377 00:12:44,628 --> 00:12:48,115 Think again about the scene where Fan Jin passes the exam 378 00:12:48,548 --> 00:12:49,215 He went mad 379 00:12:49,428 --> 00:12:49,914 Yes 380 00:12:50,388 --> 00:12:53,394 But what about those around him who instantly changed their attitude 381 00:12:53,428 --> 00:12:54,794 Were they not mad too 382 00:12:55,227 --> 00:12:55,975 The only difference is 383 00:12:56,347 --> 00:12:57,995 Fan Jins madness was visible 384 00:12:58,067 --> 00:12:59,635 Theirs was invisible 385 00:13:00,554 --> 00:13:03,602 The entire novel is really saying one thing 386 00:13:03,915 --> 00:13:07,442 If a society ties human worth to a single standard 387 00:13:07,554 --> 00:13:10,482 Everyone becomes a prisoner of that standard 388 00:13:10,875 --> 00:13:13,041 Some suffer because they cannot meet it 389 00:13:13,155 --> 00:13:15,401 Some become inflated because they do 390 00:13:15,594 --> 00:13:18,362 Some become corrupt to protect their position 391 00:13:18,674 --> 00:13:21,122 Everyone struggles beneath that standard 392 00:13:21,234 --> 00:13:23,641 Yet nobody questions the standard itself 393 00:13:23,875 --> 00:13:26,446 Even though the standard is the cause of the illness 394 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:27,926 More than two centuries ago 395 00:13:27,999 --> 00:13:30,286 Wu Jingzi wrote all this down 396 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:31,186 More than two centuries later 397 00:13:31,479 --> 00:13:32,767 We have changed the labels 398 00:13:32,800 --> 00:13:33,426 And changed the arena 399 00:13:33,680 --> 00:13:35,247 But reenacted the same story 400 00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:36,518 So if you ask me 401 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:38,786 What is the greatest lesson from The Scholars 402 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:41,127 It is not seeing how ridiculous Fan Jin is 403 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:45,235 It is seeing the collective sleepwalking that we participate in 404 00:13:45,667 --> 00:13:46,215 Once you recognize it 405 00:13:46,547 --> 00:13:48,235 You do not necessarily have to leave at once 406 00:13:48,587 --> 00:13:49,866 But at least you know 407 00:13:49,868 --> 00:13:51,874 That the system placing labels on you 408 00:13:51,988 --> 00:13:53,453 Has never been you 409 00:13:53,886 --> 00:13:54,752 But one question remains 410 00:13:55,205 --> 00:13:56,972 I still have not figured it out 411 00:13:57,486 --> 00:13:59,772 If we all know it is a dream 412 00:14:00,006 --> 00:14:01,593 Why is waking up so difficult 413 00:14:02,227 --> 00:14:02,973 I am Leo Wang 414 00:14:03,013 --> 00:14:04,251 See you next time