Cryptocurrency Exchange - "The Analects" Detailed Explanation: To All Those Misinterpreting Confucius - The Way of Learning

Talking about the path to becoming a saint in an era where everyone is vying to be an economic agent is indeed quite unreliable. Of course, all unreliability is based on certain standpoints, and the unreliability of saints must be viewed from perspectives other than their own, such as: economic agents, social beings, ducks, etc. No logic without premises can be unconditionally proven, and no perspective is absolute or free of assumptions. Since that’s the case, the world’s noise is already filled with economic agents, social beings, and ducks, and of course, saints also have their inevitable noise.

From this perspective, no viewpoint has eternal value, but no viewpoint is eternally without value either—just like the Analects, just like Confucius, just like saints. But distortion is not allowed; one must first understand what the Analects are really saying, otherwise all praise or criticism is meaningless. Of course, in a noisy era, meaninglessness is the greatest meaning, so let the greatest continue to be the greatest, ultimately leading to overexertion and death. To continue the journey of the Analects, the prerequisite is to aspire to become a “saint,” or at least to be interested in understanding how to become one. As for aspiring to be a duck or a duck king, that door is closed.

The subject of “learning” is settled, but what is the object of “learning”? In other words, what must a “gentleman” learn to achieve “saintliness”? Throughout history, most explanations have regarded this “learning” as the acquisition of various skills and knowledge. If that were true, one could even say that “the art of the boudoir” is the object—turning the phrase into “(the gentleman) learns (the art of the boudoir) and practices it regularly, isn’t that joyful?” In that case, Confucius would become a “second”—a pioneer of the 1960s Western “sexual revolution,” or at least the ancestor of the Taoist Wuliu sect. Of course, today, this could be included in the first chapter of “Duck Language.”

But the Analects is not “Duck Language,” nor is it “Calculation Language,” “Medical Language,” or “Literary Language.” The Analects uniquely explores the core issue of education—how to become a “saint.” Confucius was an educator, but that was just his side job, just like some people are professors, but their side job could be called “beast,” if such side jobs usually happen around midnight, then it becomes “selling oneself,” or “peddling,” regardless of whether it involves selling one’s body or something else. Ultimately, the Analects is about exploring the core question of Confucianism: how to become a “saint.” Therefore, the “learning” here is not in the general sense of education, but “hearing the Way,” “seeing the Way,” “learning the Way”—the object of “learning” can only be the path to becoming a “saint.”

And the “learning” here begins with “hearing the Way.” Without hearing, there is no learning; next is “seeing the Way.” Without seeing, there is no learning either. Only after “seeing the Way” can one truly “learn the Way,” otherwise it’s just blind cats chasing dead mice. Even in foreign countries where the moon is never full, or in the corrupt and scarred capitalist society, to learn to be a duck, one cannot escape this process. First, one must hear about the existence of ducks, and also hear about places where ducks gather, even if one doesn’t know the specific term—“duck shop.” Then, of course, one must go see what’s going on. The saying “seeing is believing” applies here. You can’t just listen to others say that this industry has prospects and blindly invest. Even if being a “duck” is a promising sunrise industry, you can’t invest blindly—you must personally see the benefits clearly, such as what welfare is available, whether wages will be delayed, whether working hours are flexible, what risks are involved, etc. Seeing all this clearly, understanding it thoroughly, then you can “learn” to be a “duck.” Only then will you have confidence and a goal. Imagine, if even the “learning” of being a “duck” involves such procedures, how much more so the path to “saintliness.”

The root of “learning” is “校” (to check, to correct), which is also “效” (to imitate). “Learning” is not just blind practice; it is about “imitation.” Imitation of what? Of course, of the “saint.” “校” must include at least two aspects: 1. comparison; 2. correction. “Compare” and “correct” so that the “saint” can learn and become a “saint” himself. But this “learning” and “imitation” are not fixed or one-time; they must be constantly “corrected.” Like a clock, once it’s set for time, it’s not forever accurate; it needs continuous “correction” to prevent large deviations.

Confucian thought is actively engaged with the world, so this “correction” is not just about “comparing” and “theory of the saint,” but must be targeted at reality. Without engaging with reality, there’s no “correction,” and no “learning.” In reality, “learning” must be collective—using modern terms, social. Therefore, the full meaning of “learning” is: hearing “the Way of the saint,” seeing “the Way of the saint,” “comparing” with the “saint,” and constantly “correcting” in the real society. Only this can barely be called “learning.”

“Learning”

Regarding the “learning” in “learning and practicing the Way regularly,” it can be summarized as follows:

Q: What is learning?

A: Hearing “the Way of the saint,” seeing “the Way of the saint,” “comparing” with “the saint,” and constantly “correcting” in society.

Q: Who learns?

A: The gentleman.

Q: What to learn?

A: The path to becoming a “saint.”

Q: What can be achieved by learning?

A: “Saint.”