1 00:00:00,345 --> 00:00:01,094 The Uncharted Path 2 00:00:01,665 --> 00:00:03,024 Walking three paths at once 3 00:00:03,024 --> 00:00:04,354 Yet reaching none of them 4 00:00:04,865 --> 00:00:06,314 Have you ever felt this way 5 00:00:06,745 --> 00:00:08,093 You enroll in three courses at once 6 00:00:08,464 --> 00:00:09,593 Buy five books 7 00:00:09,664 --> 00:00:11,073 Follow seven creators 8 00:00:11,265 --> 00:00:13,234 And download a dozen meditation apps 9 00:00:13,664 --> 00:00:15,513 Every one of them seems convincing 10 00:00:15,664 --> 00:00:17,634 Yet you only skim the surface of each 11 00:00:17,905 --> 00:00:19,024 Six months pass 12 00:00:19,024 --> 00:00:21,794 And you have not truly begun any of them 13 00:00:22,144 --> 00:00:23,114 You are not lazy 14 00:00:23,344 --> 00:00:24,353 You work hard 15 00:00:24,504 --> 00:00:26,353 You are more serious than most people 16 00:00:26,664 --> 00:00:27,993 Yet you still cannot arrive 17 00:00:28,705 --> 00:00:29,015 Hello 18 00:00:29,265 --> 00:00:29,734 Everyone 19 00:00:30,146 --> 00:00:31,195 I am Leo Wang 20 00:00:31,705 --> 00:00:32,894 The book we are discussing today 21 00:00:33,346 --> 00:00:34,794 Is one you probably have never read 22 00:00:35,185 --> 00:00:36,915 It is called The Uncharted Path 23 00:00:37,385 --> 00:00:40,595 But it is not the American tale of a girl going to the Emerald City 24 00:00:40,906 --> 00:00:42,754 This was written during the Qianlong era of the Qing dynasty 25 00:00:42,785 --> 00:00:44,394 By a man named Li Baichuan 26 00:00:44,425 --> 00:00:46,135 It is a long chapter based novel 27 00:00:46,546 --> 00:00:47,434 With one hundred chapters 28 00:00:47,785 --> 00:00:51,754 It blends the supernatural social life and history 29 00:00:51,946 --> 00:00:54,995 Some scholars place it beside Dream of the Red Chamber and The Scholars 30 00:00:55,026 --> 00:00:57,555 As the three great novels of the mid Qing dynasty 31 00:00:57,946 --> 00:00:59,535 Yet today very few people 32 00:00:59,906 --> 00:01:00,995 Know this book 33 00:01:01,723 --> 00:01:02,832 Why is it so obscure 34 00:01:03,403 --> 00:01:07,132 Because its title was eclipsed by the American fairy tale 35 00:01:07,364 --> 00:01:08,733 Whenever people hear The Uncharted Path 36 00:01:08,763 --> 00:01:11,772 They think of Dorothy and her little dog 37 00:01:12,364 --> 00:01:14,093 But this Chinese novel 38 00:01:14,123 --> 00:01:16,293 Predates the American book by over a century 39 00:01:16,563 --> 00:01:18,763 It holds its own place in literary history 40 00:01:18,763 --> 00:01:21,309 It is simply little known today 41 00:01:21,741 --> 00:01:23,789 When I first opened this book 42 00:01:23,821 --> 00:01:26,030 I thought it was just an old novel 43 00:01:26,140 --> 00:01:29,630 Full of Taoists making elixirs and immortals fighting 44 00:01:29,901 --> 00:01:31,910 But the more I read the stranger it felt 45 00:01:32,340 --> 00:01:33,929 What this book is really about 46 00:01:34,181 --> 00:01:35,229 Is not immortals 47 00:01:35,741 --> 00:01:37,429 It is a state of mind 48 00:01:37,821 --> 00:01:41,589 One that nearly all of us experience today 49 00:01:42,101 --> 00:01:42,929 What state is that 50 00:01:43,420 --> 00:01:44,970 Believing a little of everything 51 00:01:45,461 --> 00:01:47,030 Yet committing fully to nothing 52 00:01:48,443 --> 00:01:50,452 The protagonist is Leng Yubing 53 00:01:50,723 --> 00:01:52,092 A scholar from a wealthy family 54 00:01:52,404 --> 00:01:54,252 Bright and studious in his youth 55 00:01:54,443 --> 00:01:57,812 An imperial examiner saw in him the talent of a top candidate 56 00:01:58,163 --> 00:02:00,013 An official career seemed close at hand 57 00:02:00,323 --> 00:02:02,493 But he lived through a dark age 58 00:02:02,803 --> 00:02:05,293 The corrupt chancellor Yan Song controlled the court 59 00:02:05,523 --> 00:02:09,252 Leng Yubing watched him purge rivals and frame loyal officials 60 00:02:09,404 --> 00:02:13,093 His own first place ranking vanished with a note from Yan Song 61 00:02:13,204 --> 00:02:14,973 Then his mentor died 62 00:02:15,164 --> 00:02:17,212 He did not simply see through fame and fortune 63 00:02:17,364 --> 00:02:21,492 He lived through power crushing them before his eyes 64 00:02:21,764 --> 00:02:23,093 It was this despair 65 00:02:23,164 --> 00:02:25,253 Together with the shock of impermanence 66 00:02:25,324 --> 00:02:28,973 That drove him to a choice others found extreme 67 00:02:29,243 --> 00:02:30,973 He abandoned his home 68 00:02:31,724 --> 00:02:32,552 After settling his wife and children 69 00:02:32,924 --> 00:02:34,212 He left to seek immortals and the Way 70 00:02:34,803 --> 00:02:35,513 Up to this point 71 00:02:35,724 --> 00:02:37,293 The story sounds decisive 72 00:02:37,644 --> 00:02:39,193 A man was shattered by reality 73 00:02:39,563 --> 00:02:40,193 He despaired 74 00:02:40,523 --> 00:02:41,253 And left 75 00:02:41,604 --> 00:02:42,633 But the real entanglement 76 00:02:42,884 --> 00:02:44,234 Only begins here 77 00:02:44,465 --> 00:02:45,984 After Leng Yubing left home 78 00:02:45,984 --> 00:02:47,954 You might expect him to devote himself to Taoist practice 79 00:02:48,025 --> 00:02:49,063 Find a master 80 00:02:49,064 --> 00:02:51,593 And quietly cultivate inner alchemy and longevity 81 00:02:51,865 --> 00:02:53,753 He did that for a while 82 00:02:53,984 --> 00:02:56,663 The book says he became the disciple of an extraordinary adept 83 00:02:56,664 --> 00:02:58,304 And learned Taoist cultivation and esoteric arts 84 00:02:58,305 --> 00:02:59,674 Practicing deep in the mountains 85 00:02:59,865 --> 00:03:00,533 During that period 86 00:03:00,705 --> 00:03:02,554 He truly lived as a recluse 87 00:03:02,745 --> 00:03:03,614 But before long 88 00:03:03,745 --> 00:03:04,913 He could no longer sit still 89 00:03:05,025 --> 00:03:05,853 Why not 90 00:03:06,145 --> 00:03:08,153 Because he heard news from the human world 91 00:03:08,224 --> 00:03:09,014 Of wrongful cases 92 00:03:09,305 --> 00:03:11,103 Of bullies oppressing ordinary people 93 00:03:11,104 --> 00:03:12,674 Of disasters and calamities 94 00:03:12,784 --> 00:03:13,903 Whenever he heard these things 95 00:03:13,905 --> 00:03:15,984 The passion of the scholar surged within him 96 00:03:15,984 --> 00:03:16,903 He came down the mountain 97 00:03:16,905 --> 00:03:17,834 He went to save people 98 00:03:18,585 --> 00:03:19,973 Using the powers he had cultivated 99 00:03:20,345 --> 00:03:21,463 He punished evil and upheld good 100 00:03:21,465 --> 00:03:23,042 And rid the people of harm 101 00:03:23,393 --> 00:03:25,241 This was more than a brief episode 102 00:03:25,553 --> 00:03:26,841 The entire narrative 103 00:03:26,873 --> 00:03:29,802 Moves back and forth between cultivation and helping the world 104 00:03:30,153 --> 00:03:32,001 After Leng Yubing mastered his arts 105 00:03:32,192 --> 00:03:35,121 Much of the book follows him subduing demons among ordinary people 106 00:03:35,273 --> 00:03:36,102 Taking on disciples 107 00:03:36,512 --> 00:03:37,602 And helping those in distress 108 00:03:37,993 --> 00:03:40,281 He was practicing a Way beyond the worldly realm 109 00:03:40,472 --> 00:03:43,121 Yet doing the most grounded work within it 110 00:03:43,393 --> 00:03:44,102 This tension 111 00:03:44,352 --> 00:03:46,247 Runs through the entire novel 112 00:03:46,599 --> 00:03:48,568 Pull this tension into view 113 00:03:48,678 --> 00:03:52,327 And you can see at least two forces pulling him apart 114 00:03:52,838 --> 00:03:54,408 The first is the force of Confucianism 115 00:03:54,799 --> 00:03:57,047 Leng Yubing had already left official life 116 00:03:57,239 --> 00:04:01,448 But never lost the instinct to take responsibility for the world 117 00:04:01,799 --> 00:04:02,908 Much of what he did along the way 118 00:04:03,199 --> 00:04:04,927 Was meant to help society 119 00:04:05,398 --> 00:04:06,147 He took disciples 120 00:04:06,398 --> 00:04:07,107 Meddled in affairs 121 00:04:07,398 --> 00:04:08,527 And defended the weak against the strong 122 00:04:08,878 --> 00:04:11,718 The book even shows him helping someone falsely accused 123 00:04:11,718 --> 00:04:14,448 By using supernatural powers to enter a human dispute 124 00:04:14,878 --> 00:04:16,888 That is not how a renunciant behaves 125 00:04:17,278 --> 00:04:19,608 It is a Confucian scholar wearing Taoist robes 126 00:04:20,089 --> 00:04:21,777 The second force is Taoism 127 00:04:22,008 --> 00:04:23,118 He practiced Taoist arts 128 00:04:23,568 --> 00:04:25,657 Seeking longevity and transcendence 129 00:04:25,928 --> 00:04:28,538 Taoism gave him a complete method 130 00:04:28,849 --> 00:04:29,318 How to cultivate 131 00:04:29,688 --> 00:04:30,457 How to refine 132 00:04:30,529 --> 00:04:32,538 How to transform himself step by step 133 00:04:32,688 --> 00:04:34,887 This path had a clear goal 134 00:04:34,889 --> 00:04:36,418 And a clear cost 135 00:04:36,649 --> 00:04:39,608 He had to release his worldly attachments 136 00:04:39,608 --> 00:04:40,818 And devote himself fully 137 00:04:41,448 --> 00:04:44,217 Stories of cultivating immortality follow a familiar pattern 138 00:04:44,409 --> 00:04:46,217 The master always warns the disciple 139 00:04:46,289 --> 00:04:48,378 That divided attention is the greatest danger 140 00:04:48,448 --> 00:04:50,238 Once worldly affairs entangle you 141 00:04:50,568 --> 00:04:51,777 All previous effort is lost 142 00:04:52,248 --> 00:04:54,137 But Leng Yubing could not do it 143 00:04:54,409 --> 00:04:56,368 Whenever he touched human affairs 144 00:04:56,368 --> 00:05:00,091 He snapped back like a rubber band 145 00:05:00,403 --> 00:05:02,052 There is also a third perspective 146 00:05:02,363 --> 00:05:03,752 It is not inside the book 147 00:05:03,963 --> 00:05:05,091 But outside it 148 00:05:05,283 --> 00:05:08,091 Look at how scholars evaluate the novel 149 00:05:08,483 --> 00:05:10,572 Many say it quite directly 150 00:05:10,723 --> 00:05:12,961 That The Uncharted Path favors Taoism 151 00:05:12,963 --> 00:05:14,692 And often mocks Buddhism 152 00:05:15,043 --> 00:05:17,812 Most monks in the book are portrayed negatively 153 00:05:17,963 --> 00:05:19,891 Either cheating people or breaking precepts 154 00:05:20,163 --> 00:05:21,151 And the path Leng Yubing follows 155 00:05:21,403 --> 00:05:22,851 Is not a Buddhist one 156 00:05:23,163 --> 00:05:24,572 But have you noticed 157 00:05:24,762 --> 00:05:27,572 The obstacles he meets on his Taoist path 158 00:05:27,843 --> 00:05:28,711 His inability to release status 159 00:05:29,043 --> 00:05:30,252 His inability to release saving the world 160 00:05:30,363 --> 00:05:33,252 Even longevity itself becoming an attachment 161 00:05:33,562 --> 00:05:35,362 Give these things another name 162 00:05:35,363 --> 00:05:37,372 And they are what Buddhism calls attachment 163 00:05:38,002 --> 00:05:39,151 Releasing every attachment 164 00:05:39,483 --> 00:05:41,411 Means more than releasing fame and fortune 165 00:05:41,442 --> 00:05:43,771 It includes attachment to longevity 166 00:05:43,843 --> 00:05:45,572 And attachment to saving the world 167 00:05:45,803 --> 00:05:46,432 In other words 168 00:05:46,762 --> 00:05:48,812 The two things he had pursued 169 00:05:49,002 --> 00:05:50,372 Were themselves obstacles 170 00:05:50,642 --> 00:05:52,851 Leng Yubing could not see this layer 171 00:05:53,163 --> 00:05:55,132 But from more than two centuries later 172 00:05:55,202 --> 00:05:56,743 We can see it for him 173 00:05:57,055 --> 00:05:58,144 You might ask 174 00:05:58,175 --> 00:06:01,123 Did the ancients not speak of uniting Confucianism Buddhism and Taoism 175 00:06:01,695 --> 00:06:03,063 It sounds harmonious 176 00:06:03,135 --> 00:06:05,574 As if blending the finest parts of all three 177 00:06:05,575 --> 00:06:06,623 Without obstruction 178 00:06:06,854 --> 00:06:08,743 But the path Leng Yubing walked 179 00:06:08,774 --> 00:06:10,784 Was never harmonious 180 00:06:11,175 --> 00:06:13,464 He did not complete even the two paths inside the book 181 00:06:13,774 --> 00:06:18,144 Confucian engagement and Taoist withdrawal fought within him all his life 182 00:06:18,454 --> 00:06:21,543 And when we look back through a Buddhist lens 183 00:06:21,735 --> 00:06:25,763 We find he never understood what that fight was truly about 184 00:06:26,195 --> 00:06:27,143 Reading this passage 185 00:06:27,395 --> 00:06:28,763 Suddenly reminded me of something 186 00:06:28,955 --> 00:06:30,513 You may know someone like this 187 00:06:30,515 --> 00:06:31,883 Or perhaps you are that person 188 00:06:32,114 --> 00:06:35,193 Believing in Buddhism tarot and mindfulness meditation 189 00:06:35,195 --> 00:06:37,604 Manifestation and traditional Chinese wellness 190 00:06:37,635 --> 00:06:40,044 And a spiritual link to quantum mechanics 191 00:06:40,314 --> 00:06:42,963 Each brings a moment of comfort 192 00:06:43,195 --> 00:06:44,763 But have you seriously considered 193 00:06:44,835 --> 00:06:46,664 That these ideas actually conflict 194 00:06:47,275 --> 00:06:49,563 Mindfulness tells you to accept the present 195 00:06:49,794 --> 00:06:52,443 Manifestation tells you to actively create the future 196 00:06:52,674 --> 00:06:54,724 Buddhism tells you to release desire 197 00:06:54,874 --> 00:06:57,443 Some spiritual courses tell you to embrace it 198 00:06:57,595 --> 00:07:00,124 They cannot all point in the same direction 199 00:07:00,354 --> 00:07:02,203 Yet you do not address the conflict 200 00:07:02,874 --> 00:07:05,924 You simply place them all on your spiritual shelf 201 00:07:06,114 --> 00:07:07,844 Taking whichever one you need 202 00:07:08,114 --> 00:07:09,304 Like walking through a buffet 203 00:07:09,754 --> 00:07:10,833 Taking a little of this 204 00:07:10,835 --> 00:07:12,044 And tasting a little of that 205 00:07:12,314 --> 00:07:14,403 You think you are exploring broadly 206 00:07:14,754 --> 00:07:17,403 But your plate is already overflowing 207 00:07:17,674 --> 00:07:21,355 You cannot properly taste a single dish 208 00:07:21,946 --> 00:07:23,634 That is the state Leng Yubing was in 209 00:07:23,905 --> 00:07:26,304 He was far more serious than most people today 210 00:07:26,306 --> 00:07:27,475 And far more extreme 211 00:07:27,706 --> 00:07:29,134 He truly risked his life in practice 212 00:07:29,545 --> 00:07:30,874 It was not empty talk 213 00:07:31,146 --> 00:07:32,434 But even so 214 00:07:32,506 --> 00:07:34,515 He never solved the fundamental problem 215 00:07:35,069 --> 00:07:35,535 What problem 216 00:07:36,186 --> 00:07:37,574 Where do you actually stand 217 00:07:38,386 --> 00:07:40,015 Buddhism offers a way of observing this 218 00:07:40,266 --> 00:07:41,434 Called the three natures 219 00:07:41,826 --> 00:07:42,655 They are not three paths 220 00:07:43,025 --> 00:07:45,795 But three depths of seeing things 221 00:07:46,185 --> 00:07:48,315 The first is imagined nature 222 00:07:48,826 --> 00:07:49,714 Consider an analogy 223 00:07:49,906 --> 00:07:51,435 You walk into a bookstore 224 00:07:51,545 --> 00:07:55,315 And see shelves labeled philosophy psychology and religion 225 00:07:55,586 --> 00:07:58,754 You assume the three categories are entirely different things 226 00:07:59,226 --> 00:08:02,435 But these are labels the bookstore has applied 227 00:08:02,625 --> 00:08:04,514 Not the true boundaries of knowledge 228 00:08:04,985 --> 00:08:06,714 Leng Yubing made this mistake 229 00:08:07,105 --> 00:08:09,355 He encountered only two labels in the book 230 00:08:09,505 --> 00:08:10,675 One was engagement with the world 231 00:08:10,706 --> 00:08:11,875 The other was longevity 232 00:08:12,065 --> 00:08:14,795 We bring a third label from outside the book 233 00:08:14,826 --> 00:08:15,795 Liberation 234 00:08:16,226 --> 00:08:18,915 He kept jumping between the first two labels 235 00:08:19,065 --> 00:08:21,154 Without ever looking through them 236 00:08:21,226 --> 00:08:24,315 To ask what these directions mean at the deepest level 237 00:08:24,586 --> 00:08:27,755 He mistook the bookshelf for all of knowledge 238 00:08:28,106 --> 00:08:29,836 The second is dependent nature 239 00:08:30,106 --> 00:08:33,146 Nothing exists independently 240 00:08:33,146 --> 00:08:35,875 Everything appears when conditions come together 241 00:08:36,346 --> 00:08:38,516 The Confucian Buddhist and Taoist sides of Leng Yubing 242 00:08:38,627 --> 00:08:40,756 Are not three unrelated iron plates 243 00:08:41,026 --> 00:08:44,156 They grew together in Chinese culture for over a thousand years 244 00:08:44,306 --> 00:08:45,225 Each exists within the other 245 00:08:45,227 --> 00:08:46,276 And the other within each 246 00:08:46,426 --> 00:08:47,705 The boundaries between them 247 00:08:47,707 --> 00:08:49,996 Are far less distinct than their labels suggest 248 00:08:50,426 --> 00:08:52,356 But Leng Yubing could not see this layer 249 00:08:52,587 --> 00:08:54,145 He saw only the labels 250 00:08:54,576 --> 00:08:56,544 The third is perfected nature 251 00:08:56,976 --> 00:08:58,084 When you see through labels 252 00:08:58,376 --> 00:09:00,105 And perceive the network of conditions 253 00:09:00,135 --> 00:09:02,145 You can touch what lies underneath 254 00:09:02,696 --> 00:09:04,975 When you stop treating labels as inherently real 255 00:09:04,976 --> 00:09:07,465 And see how conditions bring them into being 256 00:09:07,616 --> 00:09:10,064 What remains is the way things truly are 257 00:09:10,175 --> 00:09:12,184 With nothing more to add 258 00:09:12,895 --> 00:09:14,904 If Leng Yubing could see this layer 259 00:09:15,015 --> 00:09:17,664 He would no longer need to choose among three paths 260 00:09:17,935 --> 00:09:18,885 Because he would discover 261 00:09:19,175 --> 00:09:20,465 There is only one path 262 00:09:21,015 --> 00:09:22,544 But he never saw it 263 00:09:22,895 --> 00:09:25,304 He ran among those labels his entire life 264 00:09:25,336 --> 00:09:27,952 Without tearing off a single one 265 00:09:28,503 --> 00:09:29,333 Why could he not see 266 00:09:29,783 --> 00:09:32,152 Because he kept adding things to himself 267 00:09:32,584 --> 00:09:33,652 Adding Confucian responsibility 268 00:09:33,984 --> 00:09:35,393 Adding Taoist techniques 269 00:09:35,503 --> 00:09:36,833 Layer upon layer 270 00:09:37,143 --> 00:09:38,912 His baggage grew heavier 271 00:09:39,143 --> 00:09:40,253 He walked with tremendous effort 272 00:09:40,623 --> 00:09:42,113 But never considered 273 00:09:42,143 --> 00:09:44,233 That perhaps the problem was not too few paths 274 00:09:44,303 --> 00:09:46,538 But too much to carry 275 00:09:46,970 --> 00:09:49,418 This is the heart of tathagatagarbha thought 276 00:09:50,009 --> 00:09:51,239 What does tathagatagarbha mean 277 00:09:51,850 --> 00:09:54,058 It says you are already complete 278 00:09:54,490 --> 00:09:56,899 You do not need to obtain anything from outside 279 00:09:57,450 --> 00:09:58,678 What you lack is not knowledge 280 00:09:58,889 --> 00:09:59,849 Not a teaching 281 00:09:59,850 --> 00:10:00,899 Not a system 282 00:10:01,330 --> 00:10:03,779 What you need is a clean mirror 283 00:10:04,289 --> 00:10:05,899 The mirror has always been there 284 00:10:06,210 --> 00:10:07,979 It is simply covered in dust 285 00:10:08,490 --> 00:10:10,658 Practice is not adding things to the mirror 286 00:10:11,049 --> 00:10:12,359 It is wiping away the dust 287 00:10:12,830 --> 00:10:13,920 The problem with Leng Yubing 288 00:10:14,110 --> 00:10:16,560 Is clear from the perspective of tathagatagarbha 289 00:10:16,830 --> 00:10:18,320 He had not practiced too little 290 00:10:18,791 --> 00:10:20,040 He had practiced too many things 291 00:10:20,750 --> 00:10:23,879 He thought loading more into his baggage 292 00:10:24,110 --> 00:10:25,399 Would bring him to the destination 293 00:10:25,830 --> 00:10:28,269 But the baggage itself was the burden 294 00:10:28,819 --> 00:10:30,948 I sometimes fall into this trap too 295 00:10:31,260 --> 00:10:32,989 Perhaps you have as well 296 00:10:33,580 --> 00:10:35,229 You feel you are still not good enough 297 00:10:35,380 --> 00:10:38,588 That you need one more method one more book one more teacher 298 00:10:38,819 --> 00:10:40,788 You keep searching outside yourself 299 00:10:41,019 --> 00:10:41,928 You find something new 300 00:10:42,380 --> 00:10:43,588 And feel excited for a while 301 00:10:43,620 --> 00:10:44,649 Then it no longer feels enough 302 00:10:45,019 --> 00:10:45,869 So you keep searching 303 00:10:46,260 --> 00:10:47,729 Once this cycle begins 304 00:10:48,019 --> 00:10:49,428 It is hard to stop 305 00:10:49,700 --> 00:10:52,788 Because stopping means facing one fact 306 00:10:53,100 --> 00:10:54,208 Perhaps what you are seeking 307 00:10:54,779 --> 00:10:56,788 Was never outside you 308 00:10:56,899 --> 00:10:58,349 The Platform Sutra contains a line 309 00:10:58,580 --> 00:10:59,408 The bodhi nature 310 00:10:59,860 --> 00:11:00,948 Is originally pure 311 00:11:01,100 --> 00:11:01,928 Simply use this mind 312 00:11:02,340 --> 00:11:03,509 And directly realize buddhahood 313 00:11:03,820 --> 00:11:05,349 The Sixth Patriarch Huineng is saying 314 00:11:05,419 --> 00:11:09,068 What you seek is not on any path outside you 315 00:11:09,379 --> 00:11:12,028 It is this very mind in this very moment 316 00:11:12,419 --> 00:11:14,269 You do not need to run down three paths 317 00:11:14,539 --> 00:11:16,589 You need to stop 318 00:11:16,700 --> 00:11:20,136 And see who this person running around really is 319 00:11:20,568 --> 00:11:23,617 This is the deepest difference between sudden and gradual awakening 320 00:11:23,887 --> 00:11:26,697 Sudden awakening does not mean understanding everything at once 321 00:11:26,928 --> 00:11:27,937 It means 322 00:11:27,968 --> 00:11:32,337 You no longer need to accumulate external practice step by step to reach the end 323 00:11:32,527 --> 00:11:35,857 Because you suddenly discover you were standing there all along 324 00:11:36,448 --> 00:11:39,136 Leng Yubing followed a classic path of gradual awakening 325 00:11:39,328 --> 00:11:40,396 He practiced one step at a time 326 00:11:40,727 --> 00:11:41,937 Doing one thing after another 327 00:11:42,088 --> 00:11:46,217 Spending decades balancing cultivation with helping the world 328 00:11:46,568 --> 00:11:48,296 The process feels deeply real 329 00:11:48,448 --> 00:11:50,296 But it contains an inner trap 330 00:11:50,527 --> 00:11:51,396 The longer you walk 331 00:11:51,688 --> 00:11:53,857 The more you believe the destination lies ahead 332 00:11:54,127 --> 00:11:55,967 The more you believe it lies ahead 333 00:11:55,968 --> 00:11:58,508 The less likely you are to look down at your feet 334 00:11:59,059 --> 00:12:00,307 The Platform Sutra also says 335 00:12:00,618 --> 00:12:01,488 The ordinary being is the Buddha 336 00:12:01,859 --> 00:12:03,228 Affliction is bodhi 337 00:12:03,538 --> 00:12:05,088 A deluded thought makes an ordinary being 338 00:12:05,418 --> 00:12:07,027 An awakened thought makes a Buddha 339 00:12:07,299 --> 00:12:08,887 Clinging to objects makes affliction 340 00:12:09,179 --> 00:12:11,108 Releasing objects makes bodhi 341 00:12:11,459 --> 00:12:12,328 This passage tells us 342 00:12:12,738 --> 00:12:14,427 The distance between delusion and awakening 343 00:12:14,459 --> 00:12:15,248 Is not a mountain 344 00:12:15,699 --> 00:12:17,147 Or ten years of arduous practice 345 00:12:17,658 --> 00:12:19,067 It is a single turn of thought 346 00:12:19,418 --> 00:12:21,508 One moment you are circling inside affliction 347 00:12:21,658 --> 00:12:24,108 The next you no longer cling to it 348 00:12:24,179 --> 00:12:25,307 That is bodhi 349 00:12:25,618 --> 00:12:26,868 You have not become another person 350 00:12:27,339 --> 00:12:28,208 You are the same person 351 00:12:28,538 --> 00:12:30,488 Seeing in a different way 352 00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:34,249 This sharply contrasts with the experience of Leng Yubing 353 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:36,649 He spent his whole life walking outside himself 354 00:12:36,959 --> 00:12:37,868 Crossing countless mountains 355 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:39,399 Studying with countless masters 356 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:40,608 And learning countless methods 357 00:12:41,039 --> 00:12:43,368 Yet he may have overlooked the nearest path 358 00:12:43,439 --> 00:12:45,802 The single step back into his own heart 359 00:12:46,273 --> 00:12:48,162 What moves me most about Leng Yubing 360 00:12:48,233 --> 00:12:50,963 Is not whether he finally became an immortal 361 00:12:51,393 --> 00:12:55,723 But how truly he was torn between cultivation and being human 362 00:12:56,153 --> 00:12:59,562 Wanting transcendence yet unable to release the human world 363 00:12:59,794 --> 00:13:02,762 That is the real state of practice for most people 364 00:13:03,153 --> 00:13:04,843 It is not a straight path 365 00:13:05,354 --> 00:13:07,402 It is one step forward and one glance back 366 00:13:07,753 --> 00:13:09,723 Every step seems hesitant 367 00:13:09,834 --> 00:13:12,483 Yet the direction never entirely strays 368 00:13:12,818 --> 00:13:13,618 Even so 369 00:13:13,674 --> 00:13:17,802 If you keep circling without stopping to ask the essential question 370 00:13:18,033 --> 00:13:19,485 You will circle forever 371 00:13:20,075 --> 00:13:21,385 What is that essential question 372 00:13:21,876 --> 00:13:23,564 It is not which path should I take 373 00:13:24,116 --> 00:13:25,964 Or which system is more correct 374 00:13:26,356 --> 00:13:26,824 It is 375 00:13:27,195 --> 00:13:28,665 Why do I need a path 376 00:13:29,155 --> 00:13:30,745 What am I really fleeing 377 00:13:31,315 --> 00:13:32,995 When Leng Yubing abandoned his home 378 00:13:32,996 --> 00:13:35,045 He thought he was moving toward awakening 379 00:13:35,396 --> 00:13:37,844 But perhaps he was also fleeing something 380 00:13:38,035 --> 00:13:39,645 Fleeing the crushing force of power 381 00:13:39,836 --> 00:13:42,084 Fleeing an age he was powerless to change 382 00:13:42,195 --> 00:13:46,165 Fleeing the despair of watching good people suffer while unable to help 383 00:13:46,596 --> 00:13:47,924 He chose Taoist cultivation 384 00:13:47,996 --> 00:13:51,525 But cultivation itself can also become an escape 385 00:13:51,836 --> 00:13:56,322 Filling an unnamed void by endlessly studying and practicing 386 00:13:56,713 --> 00:13:59,362 One detail in the book is especially revealing 387 00:13:59,793 --> 00:14:02,202 Leng Yubing took several disciples in his lifetime 388 00:14:02,512 --> 00:14:03,622 He taught them to practice 389 00:14:03,992 --> 00:14:05,641 Planned their futures 390 00:14:05,793 --> 00:14:07,242 And worried about their fates 391 00:14:07,433 --> 00:14:08,181 On the surface 392 00:14:08,473 --> 00:14:10,161 This looks like the compassion of a master 393 00:14:10,512 --> 00:14:11,502 But consider it carefully 394 00:14:11,953 --> 00:14:13,761 Why would someone who claims to renounce the world 395 00:14:13,793 --> 00:14:16,702 Bind himself with so many new attachments 396 00:14:17,353 --> 00:14:18,872 What were these disciples to him 397 00:14:18,872 --> 00:14:20,641 Conditions that supported his practice 398 00:14:20,713 --> 00:14:22,421 Or another form of attachment 399 00:14:23,112 --> 00:14:24,602 He said he was liberating others 400 00:14:24,673 --> 00:14:27,202 But liberating others can itself become a rope 401 00:14:27,392 --> 00:14:30,561 This rope merely looks nobler than fame and fortune 402 00:14:30,752 --> 00:14:33,817 So he never noticed he was bound 403 00:14:34,207 --> 00:14:35,256 The same is true today 404 00:14:35,487 --> 00:14:37,537 That age spoke of uniting the three teachings 405 00:14:37,807 --> 00:14:42,216 Today we speak of mind body spirit wholeness and interdisciplinary thinking 406 00:14:42,487 --> 00:14:44,376 The terms keep changing 407 00:14:44,487 --> 00:14:46,897 But the tension beneath them never does 408 00:14:47,128 --> 00:14:50,177 You keep switching between different systems of belief 409 00:14:50,327 --> 00:14:52,297 Thinking you are embracing them all 410 00:14:52,447 --> 00:14:53,287 But perhaps 411 00:14:53,288 --> 00:14:56,417 You are using busyness to avoid one simple question 412 00:14:56,648 --> 00:14:57,956 What are you really afraid of 413 00:14:58,722 --> 00:14:59,842 I often think 414 00:14:59,842 --> 00:15:03,052 The internet has made this even easier today 415 00:15:03,203 --> 00:15:04,362 You open your phone 416 00:15:04,362 --> 00:15:07,171 And meet a new spiritual school within five minutes 417 00:15:07,522 --> 00:15:10,251 A post convinces you that Chan Buddhism is right 418 00:15:10,362 --> 00:15:13,411 A video makes manifestation sound convincing too 419 00:15:13,522 --> 00:15:17,131 Then a podcast tells you Stoicism is the answer 420 00:15:17,443 --> 00:15:18,482 You wake the next day 421 00:15:18,482 --> 00:15:20,612 With a dozen teachers living in your head 422 00:15:20,963 --> 00:15:22,411 All speaking at once 423 00:15:22,762 --> 00:15:23,791 You hear every one of them 424 00:15:24,122 --> 00:15:25,212 But understand none of them 425 00:15:25,602 --> 00:15:27,371 This is not a new problem of the information age 426 00:15:27,842 --> 00:15:30,812 Leng Yubing faced it over two centuries ago 427 00:15:31,323 --> 00:15:34,011 The shelf held three schools then 428 00:15:34,163 --> 00:15:36,388 Today it holds thirty 429 00:15:37,167 --> 00:15:40,670 The story of Leng Yubing remains worth reading two centuries later 430 00:15:40,781 --> 00:15:43,121 Because it is not really about ancient people 431 00:15:43,432 --> 00:15:45,489 It is about what you are living through now 432 00:15:45,841 --> 00:15:49,064 Wanting to grasp everything and release nothing 433 00:15:49,496 --> 00:15:53,441 Feeling anxious that all your effort is still somehow not enough 434 00:15:53,752 --> 00:15:58,099 And exhausted from wavering between teachers and paths 435 00:15:58,572 --> 00:16:00,348 If you have ever felt this way 436 00:16:00,419 --> 00:16:02,154 I would love to hear your thoughts 437 00:16:02,386 --> 00:16:05,327 Should a person choose one path and follow it to the end 438 00:16:05,359 --> 00:16:06,923 Or follow Leng Yubing 439 00:16:06,924 --> 00:16:07,917 And try everything 440 00:16:08,973 --> 00:16:09,363 Or 441 00:16:09,775 --> 00:16:11,502 Is there a third possibility 442 00:16:11,503 --> 00:16:12,917 To stop choosing paths 443 00:16:12,988 --> 00:16:16,109 And first understand the person who wants to walk them 444 00:16:16,682 --> 00:16:17,354 I am Leo Wang 445 00:16:17,647 --> 00:16:18,330 See you next time