灵山居士：内燃机，电磁理论和“己所不欲，勿施于人”

In the educational system we have received, traditional Chinese culture has been continually criticized as backward. Throughout our upbringing, textbooks, magazines, internet, and television have been constantly telling us that traditional Chinese culture did not invent the telephone, the internal combustion engine, antibiotics, or discover graphene or electromagnetic theory, and hence it has made no contribution to global civilization. We did not produce an Einstein, an Alexander Fleming, a Bill Gates, or a Steve Jobs; instead we have grandiloquent figures like Zhuangzi and Confucius, and Zen masters whose teachings are obscure to many. Their philosophies bear no relevance to programming or curing AIDS - this has been the collective understanding of almost all individuals considering themselves educated and cultured over the past two to three centuries. Because those with the power of discourse have continuously told us this, and those whom we perceive as the smartest of human elites also believe this, we have not doubted it. Even up until recent years, this understanding has dominated the minds of most people, with no signs of wavering.

However, we have also noticed some positive signs. The Indian government quietly removed the theory of evolution from their textbooks in the early 2020s, claiming they have never seen monkeys evolve into humans, which can be seen as a symbol of progress. This means that the erroneous understanding that has dominated our minds for centuries finally has a crack. As the birthplace of Buddhism, India has always been a country I am interested in. In India, a considerable proportion of citizens have always believed in the existence of gods, bathing, praying, and washing clothes in the Ganges. These believers regard the magical events in history, which are beyond modern human cognition, as real historical occurrences, such as the Hindu deity Krishna lifting Mount Govardhan with his finger. Meanwhile, most other countries have long regarded these historical events as absurd myths. (For instance, you can try to seriously tell Americans about Jesus feeding over five thousand people with five loaves and two fish, and then observe their reactions.) This puts them at the forefront. In the 2020s, the U.S. government began to timidly semi-publicly acknowledge the existence of extraterrestrial life - they released some evidence of unidentified flying objects - this shook the knowledge system of most people who had always been taught that we are the only intelligent civilization in the universe. Now, they have to face the harsh reality that they might just be one of millions of civilizations among the trillions of stars in the Milky Way, which is somewhat hard for their value systems to withstand. This incident has triggered some smart people to re-examine the knowledge systems they had previously obtained. Arguably, this is not a bad thing.

It is necessary to point out that I have never been one of these people. I have never believed that humans evolved from monkeys. Compared to monkeys, I am more willing to believe that humans evolved from cats or lunch boxes. My friends all know that I have always been a staunch supporter of traditional Chinese culture, and I always believe that modern scientific civilization is far from enough to understand the value of traditional Chinese culture. I never felt that modern scientific civilization has reduced human suffering. Yes, the advent of electricity has reduced our pain from climbing stairs and crossing mountains, allowing us to video chat with loved ones thousands of miles away, but it has also brought us more, larger, and long-term suffering than climbing stairs. To live a life with automatic dishwashers and egg beaters, we often have to lick other people's toes.

I came across a statement by Max Weber (German: Maximilian Karl Emil Weber) about Confucianism. He said, "Confucianism is not a practical study, but merely a value system for maintaining social order. Schools do not teach mathematics, natural sciences, and geography. The people they cultivate have no logical creative ability."

This statement intrigued me a lot and also made me want to discuss with him about the value of Confucianism. In a sense, I highly appreciate Max Weber's insight. Confucianism indeed is a value system for maintaining social order – if we talk about how most people understand Confucianism and how rulers position Confucianism. The description afterwards is also accurate: Confucianism does not teach natural sciences and geography. In fact, not only Confucianism, but also Buddhism and Taoism in traditional Chinese culture do not teach natural sciences and geography. Chinese Zen masters and Taoists sit still and chant all day long, and Confucians just talk eloquently and seem to do nothing. So, from the perspective of people like Max Weber, they indeed have no creative ability and contribute nothing to the progress of civilization. They have not discovered electromagnetic induction like Michael Faraday, they have not invented wireless charging, nor have they invented instant noodles. Their contribution to social progress may be less than that of coal miners. This is not only the cognition of Max Weber, but also the cognition of most people in the world today. This is also the fundamental reason why some Chinese women feel that people of color are better than Chinese. But does Confucianism really have no contribution? Of course not.

I don't know if you watch movies or TV shows usually. I have asked some practitioners before, and some of them do not watch them – probably because they are afraid of affecting their cultivation – but I do. In my spare time, I watch some movies and TV shows, and I have also collected a lot of Blu-ray discs. For me, these movies are actually very good teaching materials, and they have been showing us the importance of Buddhism and traditional Chinese culture. They have always been talking about the correctness of traditional Chinese culture.

Recently, I watched a popular TV series "The Long Season". This TV series tells the story of northern China from the late 1990s to the first decade of the 21st century. I think the most important value of this TV series is that it shows us the importance of Confucian culture. In the late 1990s, the heroine of the play was still in college. She probably needed some money, so she went to a nightclub to play the piano. Just like most of these vulgar stories, she was spotted by a rich businessman. The rich businessman, through her good friend, used despicable means to intoxicate and rape her. The development afterwards, I don't need to say, you should all know. She killed the rich businessman, which triggered a series of consequences and ruined many people's lives. What I want to say is, if she is a woman deeply influenced by Confucian culture, she would not go to such a place to play the piano (if you need to make a living, there are many ways), if she did not go to such a place to play the piano, she would not be seen by the rich businessman, would not be raped, and then the series of tragedies would not happen, her life would not be so miserable, and she would not bring so many people down with her. The sages of China say: Gentlemen do not stand under a dangerous wall. As a woman, you should of course avoid such places of right and wrong. You can't change the world, but you can at least keep yourself safe, you can deny others the chance to hurt you, reducing this possibility to a minimum. However, the protagonist of this TV series does not seem to have received such traditional education. She exudes a foolish self-confidence that I often see in some people. She's the type who thinks she can wade through a swamp without getting a drop of water on her, the type who insists on sticking her finger into a tiger's mouth and then complains when bitten. So, she must accept the torment of fate. Therefore, I wonder, if Max Weber had a chance to watch this TV show, would he still think Confucian culture is unimportant? Would he still think that studying natural sciences alone is enough to succeed in life? I've seen many people who study natural sciences and geography, they have abundant knowledge and reasoning ability, some of them are not lacking in creativity, but they haven't received Confucian education, so they don't understand the methods and order of human relations, don't understand their positioning, which creates many obstacles for them, and many of their lives have been ruined. So, the life experiences of those with this culture and those without are entirely different.

I also want to mention a well-known American TV series: "Game of Thrones." I think this series demonstrates how Westerners without Confucian culture bring about their downfall. The two queens in "Game of Thrones," Cersei Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen, have political savvy, but they do not understand Confucian culture, which leads to their tragic endings. If they knew a little bit about Confucian culture, if they were born in an environment of Confucian culture, their lives would be completely different. If Cersei had honored the agreement reached in the Dragonpit Summit to send troops north to fight the White Walkers, or if she had faced the reality that King's Landing was about to fall and she was about to lose, and surrendered to the Dragon Queen, instead of acting rashly, killing one of the Dragon Queen's dragons and then executing her best friend in front of her. If she hadn't done that, her life might have been different. I believe the Dragon Queen would have spared her life in a show of magnanimity. But Cersei did what she did, blocking all her paths, insisting until the end, and so she died a tragic death. One of the differences between Western and Chinese culture is that the former is a dominant culture, they find it difficult to accept defeat, they always want to overpower others. Chinese culture, on the other hand, emphasizes flexibility and adaptability. And Daenerys Targaryen, this proud woman, most of her life was like a cheat mode in a game. Her biggest mistake was that after Jon Snow's true identity had been publicly announced (as the only male heir of the Targaryen family), she still did not want to step back and be a queen, she wanted to continue to be a king. She didn't want to be a man's subsidiary, didn't want to be a background character, didn't want to stand outside the center, didn't want to be a woman who assists her husband and educates her children. Even though she loved Jon, she was not willing to sacrifice for him, which gave many people the excuse to attack her, which was also an important reason for her final tragedy. In this respect, she was as foolish as her ancestor, Princess Rhaenyra, hundreds of years ago, who also triggered a war because she refused to give way to a male heir (her brother, Aegon) who had a better claim to the throne, Ultimately, she died in the jaws of a dragon after losing the war.

In my view, whether it's Cersei, Daenerys, or Rhaenyra, they must take responsibility for their own fates. Their misfortunes were self-inflicted; they were born into a culture that left them utterly unaware of their place. They overestimated their abilities, didn't understand the importance of retreat or compromise, and thus, they could not escape disaster in the end. This is all due to the lack of Confucian education. So, after seeing all of this, would Max Weber still think Confucian culture is unimportant? If we speak about invention and creativity, these are the contributions and inventions of Chinese traditional culture to the world. Possessing these treasures will completely transform your life; they are something that Western culture lacks entirely. Modern people's way of thinking doesn't readily comprehend why the right idea is more efficient than Office 365. But this is the truth, because, firstly, you must be alive to talk about efficiency. Westerners invented the drum washing machine, the modern financial system, credit cards, electric cars, and air conditioning, but they did not invent a culture like "life can't always go as you wish, you only hope that half of things go well," they did not discover the emptiness of everything, nor did they discover that all our suffering stems from a wrong understanding of the world. They spent all their energy inventing various external tools to resist and prevent suffering, but the results aren't so good.

The advent of escalators and airplanes only saved humans from walking a little more, but the inventions of Chinese traditional culture will completely transform your life. Over the years, I have seen many people fall into the abyss; I've witnessed many people walking on the road to destruction because they don't understand Confucian culture. The fundamental reason for their failure is because they don't have and can't grasp the concept of Confucianism.

Whether it's mobile phones, personal computers, shower heads, or vitamins, they have indeed improved and facilitated our lives to some extent. However, this improvement cannot be compared to the impact of traditional Chinese culture on your life. The modern technological products only provide minor conveniences, while traditional culture offers ultimate conveniences. Moreover, from my observation, the impact of the Internet on most people's lives seems to be more harmful than good at present. This is because most people lack the ability to discern, and the information they accept in the vast amount of information they encounter tends to have a negative impact on the direction of their lives. Yet they are completely unaware of this. Most modern people think they live in a world where information freely circulates, and they feel they are thinking and making judgments independently. For this, I can only smile. The most powerful brain control in the world is to make you feel that your thoughts are your own, that they are conclusions you have arrived at through rational analysis, that they are rational conclusions drawn after reading many books and watching many movies, traveling many places, experiencing many things, and understanding various perspectives. I have hardly seen anyone who can jump out of this pit, whether it's the intellectuals who worship blonde hair or most blondes themselves.

I also want to mention a TV series I've been watching recently: 'Love and Death.' Not the famous 'Love, Death & Robots,' but 'Love and Death' (2023). It stars Elizabeth Olsen and Jesse Plemons. The TV series is still airing. It tells the story of a murder case that happened in Texas, USA in the 1980s. The female lead Candy and the male lead Allen are neighbors and church members. They live in the same neighborhood and go to the same church. They are both married and each has their own family and children. They develop feelings for each other due to a random physical contact on the tennis court. One night, after a church event, Candy told Allen that she wanted to talk to him, so they got in Allen's car. In the car, she asked Allen, 'Are you planning to have an extramarital affair?' Allen's initial reaction was shock and disbelief, but after hesitating for a few days, he cautiously accepted Candy's proposal.But obviously, he still had many concerns. To safely implement their affair plan, they made detailed plans and thorough measures, and held many meetings. They agreed that if one of them developed feelings and dependence on the other, that would be the time to say goodbye. They felt that even though they were about to start an affair, they absolutely must not hurt each other's families and children. They were just seeking pleasure and didn't want to involve feelings. If they found signs of this, they should terminate immediately. This reminds me of the popular saying: 'There is a way to be greedy, there is a limit to lust, only enter the body but not the life.' But there is no way to be greedy, there is no limit to lust, entering the body is entering life. Although Candy and Allen made all kinds of plans and responses, obviously the direction of the world is not something they can control. The world always goes its own way, and even their own feelings are not something they can control. So they didn't seriously implement the rules they set. The development of the situation slowly got out of their control, and the turning point was two years after their affair, on a morning in June 1980. Allen's wife Betty had already sensed the unusual relationship between the two of them, but she didn't make a fuss, just quietly observing. That morning, Candy drove to Allen's house to pick up some of Betty's daughter's clothes (she was helping to take care of Betty's daughter). Betty was the only one at home, Allen was away on a business trip. While the two were drinking coffee and chatting, Betty couldn't help mentioning this to Candy. She wanted to confirm whether her feelings were correct. After receiving Candy's affirmative answer, she became furious, and then they had a conflict. The end result was that Candy Montgomery axed her lover's wife to death. This incident later became one of the most influential murders in the United States in the 1980s.

'Love and Death' showcases our lack of understanding of cause and effect. Because we don't understand, we think we can control our emotions, control the future direction, and control others. But in fact, we can't control anything. Not just 'Love and Death,' all well-made films and TV shows are showing us our lack of understanding of cause and effect. We are bold and presumptuous to think we can control the situation. We think that as long as we do this or that, there will be this or that result. This is really unthinkable.

Imagine if they were both followers of Confucian culture, if Betty and Candy Montgomery were both followers of Confucius, their tragedy could be largely avoided. As the victim, Allen's wife, Betty, was a neurotic woman who was spoiled and couldn't tolerate any discomfort, even seeing her husband's silence as an offense. Her "self" in this house was free and unimpeded. Therefore, it was difficult for her to accept that her husband had a lover behind her back. If she was a woman from traditional Chinese culture, knowing this and the other party has assured not to meet again, it's hard to imagine her rushing out with an ax to kill the other party - especially when she was pregnant at the time. Precisely because the culture in which she grew up had no elements of tolerance, precisely because her self had never been impeded, she died so miserably. We used to praise Americans by saying that Americans all have faces that have never been bullied. Twenty years ago, I might think this is a good thing, but now I'm not so sure. Sometimes I think, if she had been bullied a bit, if her growth was not so smooth, she might have some endurance, then her ending might not be lying dead in the laundry room. The male oppression of women in Confucian society, which has always been criticized by the intellectual community, is largely a form of protection to me - just as precepts seem to tie your hands and feet but in fact protect you. Without these "oppressions", many women are really easily spoiled, they can easily misjudge themselves, easily go astray, and then easily turn into tragedy. I don't think indulging a person's "self" is a good thing, just like I don't think it's a good thing that many parents never scold or beat their children and follow their wishes.

Having talked about the male lead's wife, Betty, let's talk about the heroine - Candy Montgomery, played by Elizabeth Olsen. Candy Montgomery, she is actually also a spoiled person. She has childhood trauma, and what she can't tolerate the most is being booed. From the drama, she has long held a grudge against Betty because her feelings for Allen have long exceeded her expectations. And Allen and Betty often show affection in front of her. This left her at a loss. She didn't know that she had hated her for a long time. So, when two spoiled people, two people who can't be wronged, two people who hate each other, meet in the laundry room, one is holding an ax in a rage and wants to chop the person who slept with her husband to death, the other feels that she has already assured that she will not meet her husband again and she is really too excessive, it's better for her to die than me, when all this comes together, the tragedy naturally happens.

If we were to continue, I could list more examples. Like the well-known 'Breaking Bad' - the story of Walter and Jesse. Contrary to your understanding, I think the death of Walter White and his brother-in-law Hank is largely due to their wives. I'm not saying they have no responsibility, they certainly do, but their wives played a major role in their deaths. They are the kind of people who never consider for men, the kind of people who do not trust their husbands, the kind of women who retaliate at the slightest grievance, the kind of women who push their husbands into the fire. Of course, they don't think so themselves (and the audience may not think so), they may feel they are upholding justice. But I suggest you look back carefully at what they did after reading my article.

Those who are accustomed to arguing might say these are all movies and TV shows, these are not real life. These are of course movies and TV shows, but if you respect facts and have the ability to observe, you can actually see more vivid examples in life. Those screenwriters and directors who live in the Anglo-Saxon culture circle, they grew up eating fries and cola, they have no background in Confucian culture, and they don't want to present the consequences of the lack of Confucian culture to the world - in fact, what they want to do might be just the opposite - they are just filming the life of human society as it is, what they film is presenting a certain relative reality to us.

Over the years, I have witnessed many people's successes and failures. Those who failed could have lived well and cultivated themselves well if they weren't born in a place devoid of traditional culture. I saw the consequences of not knowing one's position, not knowing one's capabilities, not knowing when to back down, and not being able to endure. I saw how people without Confucian culture ruin themselves and how they squander their opportunities, leading themselves into dead ends. Just as I saw in "Game of Thrones", "Love and Death" and "The Long Season". Because they lack the common sense necessary for human survival, their lives and cultivation have been ruined by their own hands. All of these are due to the absence of Confucian culture. In traditional culture, Confucian culture has always been regarded as the most basic teaching method, and it is regarded as a stepping stone to higher cultivation. In fact, it is not only the wisdom necessary for normal human survival but also the wisdom necessary for cultivation. Whether you want to open a convenience store or become a Buddha, you cannot do without it. Of course, you may say that Jeff Bezos managed Amazon well without studying Confucian culture, which means you only see the surface and temporary prosperity - just like many people think that Bill Gates' success is just because of his genius and hard work.

I have always admired Chinese traditional culture. The deeper I go into cultivation, the deeper my understanding, the more I know its greatness. I don't blame those who think there is nothing good about Chinese culture, because they grew up in such an era, they couldn't think otherwise. Many people lack a broad perspective and wisdom, and are easily influenced by others' opinions, so they can't see how Chinese traditional culture has saved their ancestors from many disasters, they can't see the life trajectory of those without Chinese culture, what they have experienced and what they will experience, they can't see the deep-rooted reasons for their misfortune. But now, they might be able to see a little bit. The world has been quietly showing us these things. So, do you still think that monks, Zen masters, Taoists, or Confucian scholars have made no contribution to the world? The value they provide to you far exceeds landing on Mars, the laws of thermodynamics, the Internet, and fasting therapy, which might help you avoid a tragic fate. In recent years, there's been a popular term called emotional value, often used to define a man or woman's worth. If something that can please you is called having emotional value, what should we call something that helps you avoid a tragic fate? So, don't feel inferior that ancient Chinese people didn't make the internal combustion engine or invent disposable diapers and ChatGPT, they provided the most precious things, concepts that have a major impact on your life choices. The huge differences between Eastern and Western civilizations stem from the two completely different paths taken by the two different concepts: one seeks internally, the other seeks externally; one conquers oneself, the other conquers others. But whether it's seeking internally or externally, whether it's inventing a Coca-Cola vending machine or the principle of "do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself", the goal is to help us avoid pain and achieve happiness.

Written by Ling Shan Ju Shi on May 23, 2023, first published on May 25, 2023, and revised on May 26, 2023.

灵山居士：内燃机，电磁理论和“己所不欲，勿施于人”