David Hinton

Mencius

 

 

The ten thousand things are all there in me. And there's no joy greater than looking within and finding myself faithful to them. Treat others as you would be treated. Devote yourself to that . . . .

 

 

 

It's simple: To say anything about the nature of things, you must attend to the facts, facts in their original form. The trouble with knowledge is that it keeps chiseling things away. if intellectuals were like Yü draining floodwater into the sea, there'd be nothing wrong with knowing. Yü succeeded by letting water have its way, and if intellectuals just let things have their way, knowing would be great indeed.

 

 

 

Heaven is high and the stars distant— but if you attend to the facts, you can calculate solstice for a thousand years without ever leaving your seat.

 

 

 

Mencius said: "Great people never lose their child's heart."

 

 

 

Mencius said: "To fathom great depths, the noble-minded realize themselves in the Way. Once they realize themselves in the Way, they dwell at ease in it. Once they dwell at ease in it, they trust themselves to it deeply. And once they trust themselves to it deeply, they find its origins all around them. This is why the noble-minded realize themselves in the Way."

 

 

 

To fathom the mind is to understand your nature. And when you understand your nature, you understand Heaven.

 

 

 

"The Chou sovereign would listen to me and give me a place to live," said Chiao, "but I want to stay here, receiving your beautiful teachings with the other disciples." "The Way is like a great highway," replied Mencius. "It's easy to find. People just don't bother to look. Go back to your home. Look for it there, and you'll find teachers aplenty."

 

 

 

When you attempt something and fail, always turn back to yourself for the reason. Rectify yourself, and all beneath heaven will return home to you.