yang sheng

In Shu [today’s Sichuan] Zhuge Liang advised his son [by letter]:5

The practice of a cultivated man is to refine the self by quietude,

and develop virtue by frugality.

Without serenity, there is no way to get far. Without detachment, there is

no way to clarify the will;

If you wish to learn, you must be serene;

to become accomplished, you must study.

Without study, you will not broaden your abilities;

without strength of will, you will not attain knowledge.

If you are arrogant and lazy, you will not achieve excellence.
If you are impetuous and impulsive, you cannot govern your nature.

The years run off with the hours, aspirations flee with the years.
Eventually one ages and collapses. What good will it do to
lament over poverty?

Nan Huai-Chin discusses

Zhuge Liang’s Letter to my Son

Excerpted from the book Chan yu Shengming de Renshi the period of the Warring States. Portrayed
as one of the prominent and colourful
(Understanding Chan and Life)1 – a transcription of a series of
characters in San Guo Yan Yi (Romance of
lectures delivered at Taihu Great Learning Centre in 2006. the Three Kingdoms)3 Zhuge is the ideal of
Confucian statesmanship. Yet, at the same
time, he is spoken of quite seriously as a
Translated by Steven Clavey Daoist Celestial who chose to return to the
world of men to assist the re-ordering of a
chaotic world.4

M aster Nan Huai-Chin is a very in-

fluential author of books in Chinese
and English. While most of his works re-
Nan Huai-Chin introduces the discussion

main in Chinese, several excellent ones have If you want to learn refinement,
been translated into English, notably by J.C. Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism or Zen
Cleary. Mastern Nan is unusual in being are all equally valuable. Remember, if you
thoroughly versed in the schools of Vajray- can return to normal life after this half hour
ana Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism and and maintain the spirit and energy we had
Chan Buddhism, and thus able to express here, then you are truly talking learning and
realisations in a wide variety of ways, not refinement.
encumbered by sectarian limitations.2
Zhuge Liang was a famous strategist at the [The first lines of Confucius’ Da Xue –
end of the Han dynasty, as China entered The Highest Order of Cultivation – say:]

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 nurturing life

‘’
“The Way of self-cultivation, at its highest just to learn this jing: internal calm.
level, is a three-fold path: Without detachment, there is no way to
it lies in causing the light of one’s inner clarify the will; without serenity, there is
moral force to shine forth, no way to get far.
in bringing the people to a state of This encapsulates the learning of
renewal, Confucius, Buddha and the Dao.
Many of you have gained
and in coming to rest in the fullest If you wish to learn, you must be serene.
attainment of the good. To seek for learning requires the practice your PhDs, or studied
“Only when one comes to understand of settled quiet, the study of serenity. overseas and returned, but
this point of rest can one reach a state of Zhuge Liang admonished his son: To your state of mind is not
unwavering stability. become accomplished, you must study. even a little bit calm, and
Having reached this unwavering Whatever you choose to do in life, whether thus your knowledge is not
state, one can then enjoy an unruffled it is business, or government, or anything, great...
quietude; one will only have ability if one has searched
having attained this state of quietude, out knowledge. His letter, his essay, is very
one can then achieve an inner calm; simple; although the knowledge Zhuge
once one has achieved this inner calm, Liang had gathered over his life was so vast,
one is then in a position to exercise one’s all we have left of it after two thousand
capacity to deliberate clearly. years are the two memorials to the young
“And it is the capacity of deliberation that emperor and this letter.
provides the basis for all moral attainment. Everyone forgets, because his letter is so
“Just as all existing things have, by brief, and while he was so knowledgeable,
definition, both a fundamental core and he was so occupied dealing with affairs of
peripheral aspects – their ‘roots’ and state, that when he wrote this letter he could
‘branches’ – so too, all human affairs have only write several simple clear sentences.
their endings as well as their beginnings. But in those sentences there is a great deal
To grasp fully the grounds for the proper of learning. If you wish to learn, you must
sequential ordering of things, from first to be serene, to become accomplished, you must
last, is a precondition for coming closer to study. Your innate talents depend on study
the Way.”6 to bring them out from within.
Without study, you will not broaden your
The first step in this Great Learning is abilities.
to teach sons, younger brothers and later You need to have a grasp of every type of
generations that they should learn the skill learning, be it religion, philosophy, science,
of stopping in quietude. commerce, economics, finance, sociology or
education, otherwise your talents will not
Zhuge Liang’s famous letter reach their full expression.
Without strength of will, you will not
This is the reason that I have, for a number attain knowledge.
of decades, brought up Zhuge Liang’s Jie In the search for knowledge, the first
Zi Shu. Zhuge Liang is not a Daoist, he is requirement is learning to be settled and
completely a Confucian. The essence of his quiet. Many of you have gained your PhDs,
life of study and learning is in that letter or studied overseas and returned, but your
to his son. As always, he himself was still state of mind is not even a little bit calm,
at the front, leading the troops, and all of and thus your knowledge is not great. I am
his instruction for his [seven-year-old] son talking to you young people—who actually
is contained in one letter. How many times are now over middle-age—all of you great
have I discussed this over the past decades! professors, renowned doctors, all of you are
Who among you can completely recite the my old students, and I am scolding you.
letter from memory? I am invariably polite to outsiders. But
The practice of a cultivated man is to now I am reproaching you among my old
refine the self by quietude students: pay attention to the line that says
and develop virtue by frugality. if you are arrogant and lazy, you will not
Seeking for quietude is the refinement of achieve excellence. Several decades now you
self. Our present practice of meditation is have been slothful, not exerting yourselves,

The Lantern 47
 yang sheng

‘’
too much empty talk, too many banquets, always be for the students to memorise
too much bragging. Lazy, disrespectful, this letter. It expresses the aim and goal
haughty and full of yourselves: you achieve of Confucian and Daoist education in
a little and think it is fantastic: arrogant and Chinese culture. I can still recite it perfectly
If you want to achieve lazy, you will not achieve excellence. for you now, all of you who call me Teacher,
great things, there is a This letter I have memorised since my but who among you, men, women, young
teens, and have used all my life. When I was or old, can do it?
certain method to be
at the military college for officers, everyone I never imagined that the whole class
followed, you can’t just was strictly required to memorise this letter would come up with a great big “zero”!
flippantly play around and before being allowed to lead troops. If you I have mentioned this many times in my
think you’re clever. regard every word as gold, it has great books, you know. Go, and memorise it!
power.
If you are impetuous and impulsive, you
cannot govern your nature.
What is impetuous? Lack of patience, Endnotes
looking for the easy way all the time, you
1. Nan Huai-Qin, 2009, Chan yu Shengming
hear something and automatically assume de Renshi Chujiang (禅与生命的认知初
you understand, taking risks, flighty and 讲,Understanding Chan and Life, first lectures).
rash, not at all stable and peaceful, and Beijing: Dongfang Publishing. A transcription
utterly unrefined. Zhuge Liang warned his of a series of lectures delivered at Taihu Hall of
son to take care not to be this way. Great Learning in 2006.
Impulsiveness likewise prevents an 2. This ability is greatly welcomed in a world
ordering of your nature, and will make you where sectarian differences are emphasised.
unable to learn how to clear your mind and Over 20 million of his books have been sold in a
perceive your essence. The refinement of the variety of languages. Nan, like Liu Yi-Ming and
mind cannot be accomplished by craft, or many Daoist and Buddhist authors, strongly
rashly; if you want to achieve great things, emphasises the idea that “The Three Religions
there is a certain method to be followed, you are One”, referring to Daoism, Confucianism
and Buddhism.
can’t just flippantly play around and think
you’re clever. The word impulsive in Chinese 3. A book well worth reading. One of my
has a foot radical, implying jumpiness or Malaysian Chinese classmates at language
flightiness. school in Taiwan was there only because his
What he is saying to his son are crucial father insisted that he learn Chinese so that he
could read this book before going into business.
aspects of education and cultivation.
4. Lin Tung-Chi. 1947. “The Chinese Mind: its
The years run off with the hours. Time flies, Taoist Substratum.” Journal of the History of
and we age; time is like a wild horse, hard Ideas. Vol. 8:3, pp. 259-272. Also T. Cleary points
out many instances of Zhuge’s direct quotes
to catch and hard to hold. Aspirations flee
from the Dao De Jing and other Daoist works,
with the years. All of the hopes and dreams
and concludes: “as this testament shows, there
of our lives, our intentions, our will, all age is a strong undercurrent of Taoist thought in
with us; we get old and lose our courage. Zhuge Liang’s attitudes toward life and work.”
Eventually one ages and collapses. He directs (Mastering the Art of War: Way of the General).
his son to study well, because he will be old Thus when Master Nan declares that Zhuge
before he knows it, like a dried up leaf soon Liang is not a Daoist, he is thoroughly a
to fall. What good will it do to lament over Confucian, he is simply emphasising a certain
poverty? Once you are old, looking back in point of view important for the context of his
regret, it is too late, there is no road left to lecture.
travel. 5. Translation of the following lines of Zhuge
There is a Tang poem that has the line Liang’s letter to his son is based upon that of
youth and strength not exerted lead to old age Thomas Cleary in his Mastering the Art of War.
spent in vain sorrow. This is based on the 6. Translation from Andrew Plaks, 2003, Ta
same concept. When I taught in university, Hsueh and Chung Yung (The Highest Order
the central military college, the very first of Cultivation and the Practice of the Mean),
assignment for the very first class would Penguin Classics, London.

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