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difficult than it actually is. The "beginning of mind" (or with the ambiguity of literary Chinese, "beginnings in the mind") is both the presumed innocence of the
child's response and immediate or impulsive thoughts and responses in anyonesomething like the implicit "first thoughts" that must have been there in order to sar
we had "second thoughts" about something.
The "Way" (Dao) and "lnherent Pattern" (li)were key concepts in Neo-Confucianism, which had become state philosophical orthodoxy. Although the great NeoConfucian philosophers argued thatthesewere inherent both in the self and in the
external world, Li Zhi was intensely aware of the social and psychological truth that
these concepts and their application were learned and supported by social pressure'
fication of drama and fiction were not shocking enough to conservative sensibilities, Li Zhi went on in the final section to assault the integrity of the Confucian Classics themselves.
LiZhi
808
-\fter
i'''=
a long time, as whar
<
i:-:
steadily increases, what rr';
r:::
\\''
that
At
Point
broadens.
:
cndeavor to enhance oPin' '-'
::'i
Iearn that to be criticized h'
and the child-mind is lost'
EverYthing we see and :r::
extensive reading and iuJe:*-=:"
ancient Sages read and sru;':::
chil'l-=:
::'::
:=:
:==
do not come from what lics
;:;'
what
tions of governing,
writing cannot reach othe:= ':
none of the inner reservi ::':'
:
frankness and real substai-';=
\r':::
line
one
even
try to write
#hut i, the reason for thL'i l-:
minds are constituted of r:::''
':
seen and heard, Question:
Since their minds are "':-i
Way and Innate Pattern' ::'=:
''r
^ni
artful such words mar he' :
:'
:
will be Pleased;
:
rr':-'
the inauthentic Person
if You t-'
diftere:':
of the
'-,-i-_i and responses
in anyone_
- -:- -: . e been there in
order to sa\
:-._
',
- .-ch
'.:_-,,
a borrowed medium
1::*
,--::::: :,: Dragon Cave,,)
wrote
-. :::: - I hose who yudge such
1-:i r : --:rild-mind.,,1 The child_
----:-:::::d is raken as not being
ir':i ti ror being alI right. Frei
:-::: -: :s rhe original mind of
:: :-_.::s loss of the genuine
. ., : ::e qenuine person.
one
i: :
.. :
.r.:,'e beginnings.
'
-. j - -'_ building
-
:'
:-:..._ i:.:
:.
.r
.,.
on yuan Zhen,s
809
works of writing in the whple world, it is not uncommon that they are destroyed by inauthentic people and do not survive to be seen by later generations. The reason for this is that the most perfect works of writing in the
whole world always come from the child-mind. If the child-mind were permanently preserved, then the'Way and Inherent Pattern would not be practiced and external things seen and heard would not take over. If the childmind were preserved, then literary quality would never be missing from
writing and no person would lack literary ability. It wouldn't be at all like
the kind of writing constructed to fit formal models, writing that is not literature!
'Sfhy
810
ixmalitY,
theY desPeratelY
sal
livelis
rt
the semblance of
ligraPhY and Painting
,t d ditint.t.sted activiri
thr
6c
Lu Zhi
Pldl
ri
If only I could find someone who had never lost the child-mind of an
authentic Sage and have a word with him about writingla
deed!
i \-riting
continued
:::ej
i
i -e Sages, it is perfect
- iudged in its histor-
l.i-mind-who
cares
:r-..'
neither of the
yuan Hong-dao was a great admirer of Li Zhi's iconoclasm. Yuan Hong-dao and his
turn of the sevtwo brothJrs formed one of the most influential literary Sroups of the
Chinese,
in
literary
wrote
enteenth century. Although the Yuan brothers themselves
ln
folksong'
and
literature
they were, like Li Zhi himself, champions of vernacular
hollow
and
sameness
;;g" when classical literature seemed to possess a weary
vhat people of our time find the hardest to achieve is liveliness. Liveliness
light on flowis likeiheiolors of a mountain, or the taste in water, or the
cano, the way a beautiful woman looks. Even the master of discourse
ligraphyandpaintingordelving'deeplyintoantiquesare-thoughttobepure
dirirr,.r.rted ,ctiuiti.s; involving oneself in the occult or removing onedetachment'
"id
self from the world's dirt and confusion is thought to evince
and tea
incense
of
connoisseurs
like
the
those
on a lower level still, we have
liveliness-what
of
surfaces
mere
the
all
are
in Su-zhou. These sorts of things
do they have to do with spiritual feeling?
when
Liveliness, when it is achieved from what is natural, is deep;
nothing
knows
one
a
child,
iS
one
When
achieved from study, it is shallow.
The face
of the existence of iiueliners, but liveliness is present everywhere.
to
talk; the
trying
prattles
mouth
the
still;
i, ,r.u., grave; the eyes are never
is
happiness
perfect
most
Life's
still.
never
feet leap"up and down and are
meant
Mencius
what
fact,
in
is,
This
time'
troly ,r.uei Sreater than at this
"able to
Ly;1rro,losirg the heart of an infant" and what Lao-zi meant by
enlightenment,
correct
its
liveliness,
grade
of
Le th. baby.,'ihi, i, the highest
its highest doctrine.
aln the closing line, Lu Zhi playfully echoes a famous passage on language- in the "Outer Things"
,,rhe ,earon ior the net is the fish; when you get the fish, you forget the net.
.nupru, of Ziuang-zi:
you forget the snare' The reason for
The reason for the snare ir1f," ,uUUit; when you get the rabbit,
g"t the idea, you foiget the words. lf only I could find someone who
y*
811