This is Jiangnan, not Shandong.
Therefore, when Liu Zongzhou decided to give lectures on stage, he was deliberately conservative.
If we go by the content of his academic research in Shandong, I am afraid that it will immediately cause an uproar and shock the world.
Even so, his question still caused a huge impact.
Liu Zongzhou asked a crucial question.
Apart from helping to be an official, what other uses does Confucianism have?
Scholars who are far away from officialdom and ordinary people, after learning Confucianism, have they applied this knowledge?
To put it bluntly, Liu Zongzhou was questioning the lack of practicality of Confucianism.
Chen Zilong was young and energetic and couldn't help but jump out.
"Mr. Yangming once said that true knowledge means action. If you don't do it, you can't call it knowledge. Where knowledge is true and sincere, it is action. When action is clear and aware, it is knowledge. Knowledge and action are inseparable from practice. Scholars of our generation have long ago Keep it in mind and use it to observe.”
This is a refutation of Liu Zongzhou's assertion.
You say that Confucianism lacks practicality, but the great Confucians of our ancestors have long warned us that we must combine knowledge with action and apply what we have learned.
It's a pity that Chen Zilong's Taoism is too shallow. How can he compare with a great master like Liu Zongzhou who has a comprehensive understanding of heaven and earth?
"The Master said: 'Recite three hundred poems and teach them how to govern, but they are not up to the mark; when they are sent to all directions, they cannot be specific. Even though there are many, they are also ridiculed?' How do people explain this?"
Liu Zongzhou directly quoted the original words of Confucius.
You say that today’s scholars are integrating knowledge with action and applying what they have learned. Well, have they really put their knowledge to the right use?
Even Confucius said that no matter how well you recite poetry, you will never succeed in politics. Even if he goes on missions all over the world, he doesn't have the corresponding ability. In this way, no matter how much poetry you read, what's the use?
This means that today’s knowledge, no matter how much we learn, is useless if it is divorced from reality.
With Chen Zilong's foreshadowing, Liu Zongzhou launched in depth.
"Take this gentleman as an example..."
He pointed at a simple man casually, which made the man feel flattered and made him feel dizzy.
Liu Zongzhou cupped his hands and asked.
"I wonder what your name is, sir, and what you do?"
The man never thought that a world-famous scholar would come to talk to him, and he stumbled over his answer.
"The younger one...the younger one's name is Chen Sanxie. He is...the steward in the workshop."
Liu Zongzhou asked again.
"Have you ever studied?"
Chen Sanxie is extremely sincere.
"Young and stupid people admire sages and sages, but they only know a little about them and dare not claim to understand them."
Zuo Mengeng listened with great enthusiasm. He did not expect that an ordinary worker in the south of the Yangtze River could have such literary talent.
Liu Zongzhou chuckled and said: "Now that you have read books, have you ever followed the way of the sages in your daily life and work? Can you turn the ways of the sages into your skills?"
Chen Sanxie was speechless and looked ashamed.
"You are so stupid that you can't combine knowledge and action, and you are tarnishing the sacred teachings."
Liu Zongzhou shook his head and sighed: "No, no. It's not that you don't understand the Holy Way, but that the Holy Way cannot teach you."
The whole place was in uproar, and everyone felt incredible.
How can the Holy Way be so brilliant that it cannot teach even a mere worker?
However, Liu Zongzhou's next words completely destroyed the belief of many people.
"Just because the sage has never understood the art of weaving or reeling, how can he teach you?"
No matter how powerful the Confucian sages are, who knows how to weave and reel silk?
I believe that even the most ardent Confucian believers would not dare to tell lies with their eyes open.
"It's ridiculous to read the words of Mr. Tai!"
A clear shout came from the distance, and then the crowd divided, attracting countless people to look up.
Who is so bold as to dare to directly criticize a master like Liu Zongzhou?
But I saw the person walking in, wearing the official uniform of Yunyanbuzi, shouting in front of him and crowding behind him, with an extraordinary aura.
Everyone present saluted.
"Greetings, parents!"
The official didn't dare to be negligent and returned the favor honestly.
"Everyone, I am a scholar and a scholar. Today is a literary meeting. We must not distinguish between superiority and inferiority."
A hint of sneer burst out from Huang Zongxi's mouth.
They said it was a cultural gathering and everyone had equal status, but in the end they came wearing official uniforms, which was completely hypocritical.
Liu Zongzhou also saw the visitor's thoughts and did not stand up to greet him, but looked after himself happily.
"It must be Grand Administrator Fang."
That person was Fang Yuegong, the prefect of Songjiang.
He had spoken out before others, but now he was very respectful in person.
"At the end of my studies, I went to Fang Yue Gong to pay homage to Mr. Nian Tai. I was excited and made rude remarks, but I still wanted to see Haihan."
Liu Zongzhou smiled slightly and didn't take it to heart at all.
"If you don't understand the truth clearly, Confucianism is more concerned about the people of the world, so you can't be careless. If Grandmaster Fang has something to teach me, I can speak frankly so that I can be taught."
Fang Yuegong knew about Liu Zongzhou when he first arrived in Songjiang.
This made him very confused, wondering whether he should come to see him or not.
Fang Yuegong was not from Donglin and had no good impression of the Donglin Party. Of course, he is not a remnant of the eunuch party.
He is the most traditional kind of scholar. He is angry at the eunuch party for causing chaos in the country, and at the same time he is particularly dissatisfied with the Donglin Party's unconventional approach.
Originally, Fang Yuegong planned to turn a blind eye to Liu Zongzhou's visit to Songjiang.
But then a servant reported back that Liu Zongzhou actually held a lecture on the riverside, and more than ten thousand people listened.
Fang Yuegong couldn't sit still when he thought that the great Confucian scholar Donglin was going to preach deviant words in his own territory.
He cannot use his authority to suppress such matters, otherwise he will immediately become a public enemy of the world.
The only way is to come forward and argue with Liu Zongzhou to rectify people's hearts.
To be honest, facing a great master like Liu Zongzhou, Fang Yuegong was still very panicked.
However, his character is extremely strong, he is indomitable, and he is upright and honest as an official. He thinks that he will be upright and fearless throughout his life.
He walked to the opposite side of Liu Zongzhou and sat cross-legged on the stone platform, imitating Liu Zongzhou.
"Whether it's weaving, reeling, or any of the other industries, they're just small ways and low-level skills. Our holy way is to see the clear nature of the heart, promote good and eliminate evil. If the human heart is solid, the world will be solid. If the world is solid, then all the people will be safe."
Nothing new.
If it were in the past, Liu Zongzhou might have praised it. But in his current view, this cliche is completely flawed.
Liu Zongzhou did not answer directly, but pointed at Chen Sanxie and asked: "Mr. Chen, you make a living by weaving. What if you don't study? What if you don't work?"
Chen Sanxie never imagined that he would become the eye of the storm.
But after comparing the words of Liu Zongzhou and Fang Yuegong, I don't know why, but I always feel that Liu Zongzhou's words are very kind, and they all go into his bones.
This gave him the courage to talk about his situation.
"The poor family still has a wife, daughter, and children and grandchildren to support. It doesn't matter if they study less. But if work stops for one day, the whole family will starve."
It seemed that he was just talking about his own affairs, but he answered Fang Yuegong's pressing questions.
For the common people, it does not matter whether they read the books of sages or not. The first consideration is obviously to survive.
Most of the people around him were similar to Chen Sanxie, they were ordinary people. Naturally, I felt the same way and echoed his words.
This made Fang Yuegong very dissatisfied and hummed: "Studying can make you understand, and only by understanding can you be a human being. Otherwise, how are you different from an animal?"
Zuo Mengeng knew that it was difficult for Liu Zongzhou to come forward at this time, so he took over and said with a smile: "Don't you know, Prefect Fang... Only when you are alive can you be considered a human being. Otherwise, you will be nothing more than withered bones in the soil, everything will be empty, and you will not understand the truth." What’s the use?”
In just one sentence, Fang Yuegong was speechless and speechless.
The people below burst into laughter and even clapped their hands. But after careful consideration, I found that Zuo Mengeng's words were really rough and unreasonable.
After the vulgarity, Zuo Mengeng came up with another elegant one.
"Guan Zhong said that people with solid warehouses can understand etiquette, and people with enough food and clothing can understand honor and disgrace. The material foundation is the objective condition for realizing the sublimation of civilization. Although Confucianism has the teaching of integrating knowledge and action and applying what you have learned, it does not know what good method can make the people of the world What about getting rid of poverty, becoming rich, and pursuing civilization?”
This move of using the opponent's spear and attacking the opponent's shield was extremely clever, and the point of view was actually not unusual, but it killed Fang Yuegong all at once.
Many great Confucian scholars and scholars blindly emphasized the importance of seeing the mind clearly, in order to elevate the height of Confucianism and consolidate the dominance of Confucianism.
But the most fatal flaw of Confucianism is that the application of knowledge it advocates is empty talk.
Because the so-called application of knowledge described by the great Confucians of the past dynasties only consists of four words: "application of knowledge."
As for how to apply what you have learned...
Sorry, you can't find a clear guideline even if you look through all the Confucian classics.
Just like when Confucianism discusses politics, it sounds reasonable to talk about frivolous corvee and low wealth, benevolent government and caring for the people.
But the problem is that they never tell those in power how to take corvee lightly and pay low taxes, and how to govern benevolently and care for the people.
Because saying and doing are two different things.
Anyone can say that it is just empty words. But the method of doing it is the most important, but there are no actual examples to refer to.
If in politics, the application of Confucian learning may still have some use, then when it comes to the people's livelihood and economic issues, there is really no fit at all.
This question, raised by Liu Zongzhou, suddenly entered the hearts of countless people, which was equivalent to digging a big hole for Confucianism.
