The Ethical

and Moral Reset

Needed for
Society

WILLIAM BODRI
 DEDICATION

To self-cultivators who wish to master the road of cultivation, and to

educators who wish to teach children how to master themselves. The
spiritual cultivation path that lifts us above the realm of the animals entails
mastering our automatic attitudes and mental processes, and our deliberate
rational thinking processes. It entails mastering control over our body, as
well as control over our body's internal energy. It involves mastering the
virtuous perfection of personal behavior, as well as countless other skills
and talents we need for life that we can also call wisdom, conduct, behavior,
activity, civilization, mastering the changes, or controlling phenomena.

;fhe teachings of Confucius, Mencius and \Vang Yang-Ming, Stoicism,

Buddhism, Vedanta, Christianity, modern psychological therapies, peak
achievement philosophies and more can all be combined into one great
non-denominational road of spiritual progress that enables us to rise above
the errant biases of our mental processes; cultivate reason, ability and
virtuous action; and thereby become thoroughly human or even sagely by
fully transcending our animal natures. Confucius provides many of the
ground level teachings that can guide this effort of getting from here to the
more ideal man and society - the Confucian way.
 CONTENTS

,,\cknowledgments

1 The Supreme Ultimate 1

2 The Manifest Universe 7

3 The Process of Universal Creation 13

4 The Confucian Stages of Mental Practice 21

5 The Confucian Ranks of Spiritual Attainment 35

6 Cultivating Virtue to Brighten One's Character and Fortune 44

7 Cultivating Your Qi 79

8 ,-\CT and Other Methods for Changing Habits and Silencing ,,\fflictions 85

9 Dealing With Deprivation and Difficult Times 126

10 Errant Men of Business 148

11 Your Life Purpose and Purposes \Vithin Your Life 165

 PREFACE

The Confucian way, reinterpreted for our modern era, is almost a new
philosophical school in itself. Its power lies in its ability to guide personal
cultivation as well as governance policies to unify societies and larger bodies
of men. The decline of ethics and morality in governments across the world
requires that people look at its ethics, and start applying its methods of self­
protection and self-policing to personal cultivation.
 CHAPTER 1:
THE SUPREME ULTIMATE

Confucius approached the topic of spiritual cultivation in a unique way.

He said we should all mindfully watch our thoughts and behavior to put
ourselves on the pathway of propriety and virtue. The purpose of
continually being aware of our thoughts and behavior, which you can today
call mastering the state of "presence" or "awareness," is so that we can
cultivate our thoughts, speech and behavior to become better people. The
mindfulness of watching our thoughts helps us purify our conduct by taking
it from lower animalistic tendencies to higher principles, thus divinizing it.
Purifying our mind and conduct, done through mindful witnessing and
ennobling, is part of the Great Learning required of life. It is the pathway to
becoming a better human being, and ultimately a saint or sage.
Confucius also expected people to learn about and then be mindful of
cause and effect relationships in the world. With a causal understanding of
how situations come to be and how they normally develop, people can learn
to guide events to more auspicious states that are better for all. Life
involves learning how to improve our thoughts and behavior so that we can
master events and guide them to more beneficial outcomes, especially
outcomes that would improve the wellbeing of everyone. Isn't this what a
saint or sage wants to accomplish?
In recognizing the importance of cause and effect, the fact we should
learn from the past and stressing that we learn how to "master change" to
improve situations, Confucius said that we should ultimately trace all things
back to their ultimate sources. This includes situations, phenomena and
 WILLIAM BODRI

even our thoughts. If you understand history, for instance, you can derive
common principles behind the sources of conflicts and thereby know how
to avoid or change them in the future.
A true spiritual cultivator was also expected to trace his thoughts back
to their origins to see why certain emotions or thoughts arose inside him.
\Vith an understanding of their roots, he could then work at untangling or
purifying any of their root misconceptions. Cultivators were even expected
to trace consciousness itself back to its most ultimate roots - whatever it
was. For consciousness, which means thoughts and emotions, that origin
was called our "inherent bright virtue," which is a mental state of pure
awareness absent of thoughts yet ready to give birth to thoughts.
On a more mundane level, the meditation practice of Confucian
introspection - where you constantly shine awareness on your thought
processes - was developed to help people police and then uplift their
thoughts and behavior. By watching your thoughts rather than getting
entangled with them, in time the habit energies of unnecessary mentation
will eventually die down and you will experience a more peaceful, blissful
state of mind. This is how to reach the peaceful empty state of clear
awareness from which thoughts arise. This is why people all over the world
engage in sitting meditation practice, which is so that they can eventually
realize their inherently bright virtue - the pristine pure awareness of
consciousness that separates us from insentience.
Mencius added that the process of spiritual cultivation also involved
cultivating your Qi or vitality, which is something you should do on a daily
basis. Thus, a Confucian was to cultivate both his mind to a state of purity
(where it became so clear that an individual could know his own thoughts
with clarity and without losing himself) and his internal energy that
permeated and composed his body.
Confucius relied on the Yjjing for his worldview of phenomena and the
metaphysical order. The Yijing, which therefore represents views that we
should reference to unravel Confucianism, enters into the transcendental
and material spheres. It states that the entire universe comes from Taiji (Tai
Qi), which is an fundamental Supreme Ultimate - an original nature.
The Supreme Ultimate stands for the foundational essence, energy or
absolute nature that transcends all subsequently created, manifest,
conditioned phenomena of the universe. It is the single, pure primordial
origin of the universe spoken of by philosophers. It is the Great Tao of

2
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

Taoism, Parabrahman of Hinduism, original nature of Buddhism, Allah of

Islam, Ein Sof of Judaism and God the Father of Christianity.
The Supreme Ultimate is the absolute origin of the universe of created
things. It is like one pure energy from which all other energies and matter
are derived, and being the most fundamental existence before all else is self­
so, uncreated, self-sufficient, infinite, eternal, unchangeable. Being the
origin in a state of aloneness it is single, pure, ultimate, self-born.
Unmanifest into anything else due to changelessness, yet it is the single
foundational base that has produced infinite variations of manifestation
within itself. It is the single, non-dual, undifferentiated supreme essence of
all existence that transcends all created phenomenal things since they are
evolutes from its single nature and appear within it. As simply an energy or
essence or foundational state, within it there is no knowingness and no
consciousness because such things are constructions. There is only itself.
Basically there is nothing prior to the Supreme Ultimate in existence or
beingness. It is not a living being, but it is the root source of all things, the
primal essence from which everything arises and which nothing can
possibly transcend. Like space it has no divisions or secondary
characteristics.
As the ultimate original energy that has developed into an infinitude of
others, it is a purity that transcends all composite forms, phenomena,
conditions and appearances. It transcends all forces and matter and
creations including consciousness, which is a construction arising within
matter. Consciousness arises within living beings structured in a certain way
and animated by energy. It is just a product of the right causes and
conditions. The Supreme Ultimate is the ultimate source of all life and
consciousness that have somehow formed/evolved/appeared within it.
W'hen any living creature says "I" it actually refers to this underlying
essence, the true self of the Supreme Cltimate that is the common self
(nature) of all things. W'hen anyone says "I" it is in truth the self-nature
announcing itself. Besides the fact that "I" points to the individual, every
living being saying "I" is actually referring to the common single source
essence that comprises the entire universe - the Supreme Ultimate.
The Supreme Ultimate becomes many forms or bodies; all the many
phenomenal worlds in the universe arise and subside within it while it
doesn't change. Being the Supreme Essence at their foundational nature,
every living being can rightfully say, "They are all me. Every existence is my

3
 WILLIAM BODRI

existence, every consciousness is my consciousness for I am just the original

essence." In other words, the total functioning and appearance of the
universe is justyou because you are ultimately the Source Essence or
Supreme Ultimate. All beings are therefore your brothers and sisters.
The Supreme Ultimate was never born and will never die, so you
(because you are that energy) were never born and will never die. Exist or
not exist as an individual you are still here always. As the Supreme Ultimate
existed before consciousness appeared, because you are this foundational
essence you were there before consciousness appeared. Through logic you
can realize that your body, your vital energy and even the consciousness in
you in their utmost pristine purity are all the Supreme Ultimate. The
consciousness of you and every other being as well as matter find their
ultimate unity and identity in the Supreme Ultimate, or original nature.
The objective of Confucianism, in tracing all things back to their
ultimate source, includes helping you reach an experience of an "empty,"
clear, pristine or pure state of mind that resembles the Supreme Ultimate,
which is called cultivating your bright virtue. For instance, what transcends
thoughts is the natural mind that is there before their appearance - a state of
consciousness that is alive and aware but absent of thoughts. What is there
is a state where thoughts are unborn but their birth is not suppressed. This
state of purity and clarity is to be considered as "pure consciousness" or
"pristine" awareness. This is your bright virtue, namely the ability to form
thoughts out of seemingly nothingness or emptiness because you have
sentience or awareness. Like the Supreme Ultimate that is itself empty of all
other things, like space, your natural mind is empty of thoughts but like the
Supreme Ultimate can also give birth to all things - thoughts and emotions
arise and depart within it according to conditions.
Our mental bright virtue is a pristine awareness absent of thoughts
ready to know whatever appears rather than an inert absence of thoughts
(thoughtlessness) equivalent to insentience or the lethargic ignorance of
sleep. This clarity of perception is what you are to cultivate as Confucian
practice, and is called empty mind in Buddhism, pure awareness in Vedanta
or just bright mind.
Your mind should be comfortably quiet and aware but not suppressing
thoughts. You must always allow thoughts to arise and when they are born
(appear) you should clearly know them and manipulate them with
skillfulness as necessary. You should always "know your mind" or "know

4
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

your thoughts," but you don't have to act on everything that arises within
your head. Some thoughts need to be ignored. You should know what you
are thinking and why, but you should not get so entangled with your
thoughts and emotions that they totally possess you and you fall into
confusion. Rather, you have to develop the mental skill of standing apart
from them so you can evaluate them with wisdom and transcend their pulls.
The goal is to become their total master so that you can use them skillfully
or ign ore them as you like.
In Confucianism you are to cultivate a bright state of being where your
mind is clear like a cloudless sky and your thoughts are always known with
clarity. Because you do not cling to them they are like birds flying across the
sky that leave no trace of their passage. This fully aware brightness of being
is the state of conscious aliveness. It is called a state of bliss, serenity, peace
or calmness but it is really just equanimous peaceful awareness, which is the
natural state of your mind.
Inertness is not the ultimate state of existence because the Supreme
Ultimate somehow gives birth to the cosmos without itself changing, and
therefore no-thought, not knowing, confusion or ignorance are not the
ideal states of a sentient being. \Ve are to know things and master them.
A person following the Confucian path should cultivate in an analogous
fashion to the Supreme Ultimate that has all things arise within it that
operate according to laws of cause and effect. We are to know them. The
base or foundational state of the mind should always remains clear and pure
like an empty sky or the Supreme Ultimate, but consciousness should
always allow all thoughts to arise within it without attachments or rejection
just as the Supreme Ultimate allows all phenomena to appear.
All the things that arise in the mind are just creations of consciousness
just as all things in the universe are the creations of the Supreme Ultimate.
In the sense that thoughts reflect a world they are true, but in the sense that
they are not absolutes but just conditional imperfect reflections they are
false. Everything that arises within the mind is a form of consciousness
layered with emotional likes and dislikes that distort the already imperfect
images, but to make correct decisions and rise to the heights of correct
thinking one has to put aside these emotional biases and navigate their
thoughts using wisdom.
In Hinduism it is taught that the purity of empty consciousness and the
thoughts that arise within it are like the union of Shiva (the Supreme

5
 WILLIAM BODRI

Ultimate that never moves or changes like space) and Shakti (the
scintillating universe of matter and energy in constant change and motion).
Once again, this is the model of correct spiritual cultivation. Your mind at
rest must become empty and clear like the pure and stainless Supreme
Ultimate, but must also allow thoughts to arise within it and you must know
them or you are insentient. For humans the external realm of conquest is
the universe of matter and energy whereas the internal realm to be
conquered involves your thoughts. It is not only the natural world we must
master. You must learn how to control/ use your thoughts, which is akin to
"guiding the changes" as instructed by the Yijing, so that you can use them
to investigate matters, solve problems, and guide your conduct to always
create the best state of affairs.
The ultimate aim of Confucianism is that you elevate yourself to
transcendence or sagehood, which requires mastery of these principles in
application. The pathway requires that you must understand the nature of
the Supreme Ultimate, which is the unchanging, pure, ultimate source of all
things. Then you have to cultivate your mind's awareness so that it operates
in an analogous fashion.
You absolutely can achieve this through a self-perfection pathway of
spiritual cultivation. The pathway is to practice witnessing the workings of
your consciousness until they calm down, clarify, and then the empty but
perfectly free nature of clear awareness -your natural mind - can be directly
experienced. This is called emptiness, purity, base consciousness or pure
awareness. The Confucian way is to use meditation and mental watching to
continually cultivate a pure mind of base awareness, proper thinking and
virtuous behavior until they all reach the highest standards of excellence.
Within the perfect clarity of mental knowing your thoughts will always
arise, and you should always know them clearly (which is another meaning
of "tracing things to their source"), understand what they indicate, and
comprehend the cause and effect of what they will probably lead to. In
knowing one's thoughts and circumstances, a person can learn to perfect
their behavior and master situations, and in this way becomes a sage.
Additionally, because the Supreme Ultimate is pure, your thoughts and
behavior must also ultimately become pure in terms of virtuousness and
morality, which are the highest states of humanity and divinity. This is the
road of Confucian cultivation.

6
 CHAPTER 2:
THE !v1ANIFEST UNIVERSE

l-Iow does Confucius characterize the manifest universe that

Buddhism calls the Triple Realm, Hinduism calls Shakti or Prakirti, Taoism
calls the Cosmos, and Christianity calls Creation or the Kingdom of the
Father?
Confucianism speaks of the manifest universe as "Nature" or the union
�(Heaven and Emth. Everything in existence appears as the union of Heaven
and Earth where Lleaven and Earth stand as opposites. Earth stands for the
planet earth as well as the manifest realm of solidity and appearance.
Heaven stands not just for the ·vast heavenly cosmos of empty space and
the invisible spiritual reality of gods and deities, but also other unseen or
unfathomable forces that create and order the cosmos.
In its ultimate aspect Heaven stands for the unmoving, unchangeable
source essence or Supreme Ultimate - the original nature whose sublimity is
often referred to as an emptiness or void in Buddhism (or formlessness in
Vedanta) due to its purity of not being composed of anything else. This is
the Purusha (or Shiva) of Hinduism, Parabrahman of Vedanta, the original
nature of Buddhism, the Ein Sof of.Judaism, Allah of Islam and the
Heavenly Father of Christianity. The ultimate essence of your physical body
is also Thfr at the utmost root and in the Yoga schools of India you are
taught to cultivate the constituent components of your body back to more
primordial energies, and then ultimately Thfr.
Heaven is vast, and all things appear within it. All of Creation falls
within its vast space just as all things fall within the Supreme Ultimate.

7
 WILLIAM BODRI

Looking up at the skies, all things do appear or man[lesl ,vi.thin Heaven

including the Earth. The Earth doesn't just stand for the earthly globe or
solid matte1: but for the tangible reality of the manifest universe. It all
appears ,vithin space, meaning I l- eaven. It also all appears within the
original nature, the Supreme Ultimate or primordial essence.
Matter and motion stands for Shakti, the manifestation or Creation
that appears \vi.thin the Supreme Ultimate (represented by Heaven).
I'vfanifestation does not have to assume the status of solidity (for instance
magnetism is a manifestation), but is something that is different from the
purity of the original energy. It is some type of derivative product. Evolutes
(manifestations) must be considered emanations or condensations derived
from the original essence through myriads of complex transformations.
:tvlencius said, "the union of Heaven and Earth gives birth to all
things" and "Heaven and Earth are the origins of life." In other words,
Shiva and Shakti, Prakirti and Purusha, Nirguna Brahman (wi.thout
attributes) and Saguna Brahman ('w'ith attributes), the original nature and its
evolutes, the absolute essence and the Triple Realm, the Supreme Ultimate
and Manifestation together produce all things. The two opposites
interpenetrate; the always moving manifestation is within the unmoving
changeless Supreme Ultimate (symbolized by the vast emptiness of Heaven)
and the Supreme Ultimate permeates all Creation as their source essence
substance. Everything together must be considered as melded into one
single whole ·with nothing existent outside the ultimate oneness. Cultivation
schools use this analogy to point out that thoughts appear \vi.thin the purity
of consciousness that seems to be an emptiness, stillness, formlessness,
voidness or no-thought.
Through cause and effect the origins of life and consciousness can be
traced back to more fundamental universal forces. The ultimate root source
or end point of all those trace-backs is the singular Supreme Ultimate, the
purest source energy/substance of everything. Because of cause and effect
ruling all things we can be sure that consciousness, or life, appears as a
result of prior forces too even though ·with modern science we cannot yet
trace it back to its ultimate origins. Its production is simply described as a
result of the union of Heaven and Earth wi.thin Confucianism.
To reach the enlightenment of a sage you must transcend any habit
energy of clinging to your thoughts so that you imitate the nature of the
Supreme Ultimate, or original natme, that never moves like space yet lets

8
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

everything freely appear within it \vithout clinging to anything. This is why a

Confucian practitioner aligns themselves as the witness or observer who
watches their thoughts that are always changing v,.rithin a base of seemingly
pure, unmoving clarity - the pristine empty awareness of the mind, its
bright virtue.
The fundamental method of Confucian cultivation is to mindfully
watch, \vi.tness or observe your thoughts and behavior in all you do in order
to develop clarity and self-correction. Your awareness never interferes with
your thoughts just as the Supreme Ultimate never interferes with Shakt:i, its
emanations of Creation, and yet the Supreme Ultimate is manifest in
everything because it is their source essence or foundational energy. It
interpenetrates everything like space and so you must come to recognize
that your thoughts (which are the only things you know) are consciousness,
and the world you see is just your consciousness-only too.
Confucianism is no different than other great spiritual traditions in
emphasizing that what characterizes the manifest universe is constant
change. Everything around you is always experiencing a continual state of
t1:ansformation. This fact has implications for how to manage your mind
and behavior. In life we are to leam how to master or guide these changes
just as we are to learn how to master and guide our thoughts.
Inherent, incessant change is the dynamic inherent in the universe that
qualifies every one of its manifestations. The implication of constant change
is that we should avoid strong attachment to thoughts, such as afflictions,
that naturally arise in our minds because they v.ill change. That is their
destiny. \X1e tend to hold onto them but they are not meant to stay in our
minds except during the process of concentration. For instance, we should
not hold onto mental afflictions and rehash them.
Furthermore, just as we should not hold onto errant or afflictive
thoughts or wrong emotions when inappropriate we should prevent society
from becoming ossified by inflexible social rules and structures, which
mistakenly happened to Confucianists in the past. Religious rules, ritualistic
(traditional) expectations, social obligations and so forth should never
become so inflexible and encumbering that people find their country or
culture claustrophobic and oppressive. No one wants to be micromanaged
by inflexible, unchanging rules and expectations - from either the
government, society or religion - that end up tuming life into a psychic
prison. This outcome is wrong as well as an errant interpretation of the

9
 WILLIAM BODRI

proper application of Confucianism.

The dynamism of the manifest universe is called "transformation" in
Taoism, "impermanence" in Buddhism, "change" in Confucianism,
"Shakti" (movement) in Hinduism and "complex interaction" in Islam.
Ceaseless transformation is a primary characteristic of the cosmos and the
reason that one is told not to attach to mental thoughts on the road of self­
cultivation, for why should you cling to something that naturally changes
every moment and is destined to leave? Because change is immanently
inherent in situations, this principle should also give us hope that we can
change unfortunate situations into something better, which is the
Confucian ideal of improvement by managing changes. The Confucian ideal
is to learn how to manage change to bring about better states of existence.
\'lv'hile the Confucian Shao Yung refers to the words "change" and
"mutation" to denote the alternations characterizing the phenomena of the
universe, the term "sheng sheng" (production and reproduction) is also
commonly used in Confucian and Neo-Confucian texts to indicate tl1e
ongoing process of incessant change that characterizes manifest reality. As
with Taoism, Confucianism clearly recognizes that the complex interactions
within the infinite web of the universe are an on-going process of ceaseless
transfonnation.
The major theme of the Yijing, central to Confucianism, is continuous
creative change. Confucius said, "with vitality and endurance Heaven acts
without ceasing! Heaven's motion is the healthiest." In Confucianism,
Taoism and Chinese culture in general, this change or motion is said to be
brought about by two polar forces of yin (passivity, rest or non-movement)
and yang (activity or change) perpetually interacting to generate the
umverse.
Buddhism uses the terms "birth and death" to describe the endless
process of change while Hinduism uses the trio of appearance-production,
preservation-duration, and cessation- dissolution to signify the same thing.
These are symbolized by Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver and
Shiva the Destroyer. \Vestern science simply talks about interactions,
evolution or transformations when it talks of change. All major religions
agree that the changeful nature of manifest creations means that all
phenomena are unstable, existing like ungraspable illusions as contrasted
with the unchanging Supreme Ultimate, which is unmoving like space.
\'{;'hy all this emphasis on change and stationarity? So what?

10
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

The reason for the emphasis is as follows. Confucianism explains that

we must accept change as a natural part of the cosmos. \'ve should learn to
be flexible rather than fixed and rigid. \ ·xre must inquire and research and
adapt ourselves rather than let things stay constant. Human beings should
"model themselves on the ceaseless vitality of the cosmic processes."
Although change characterizes the manifest universe and the unseen
forces that produce man and phenomena, because things are
interconnected we can learn how to master the changes in an active fashion
to produce better states of the future. \X'e absolutely must learn how to
properly manage and master change, for this is what leads to progress and
freedom from lower states of existence.
This emphasis is one of the highlights of Confucianism, which extends
from the idea of mastering oneself to also mastering "others" such as
situations and phenomena. One can and should learn how to both accept
and manage the changes of life and circumstances, bringing all to more
favorable positions. 'Ibis does not mean fighting against the ceaseless
vitality of the cosmic processes, but using and managing processes for
specific purposes of betterment.
'111is attitude is especially useful for when we encounter obstacles and
difficulties in our lives. \'ve need to persevere through hardship ,vith
strength of will and quiet determination while we try to change negative
circumstances for the better. \v'e must work on bettering our own positions
as well as improving the greater world. In particular, our actions should be
appropriate for any situation, as well as be in accord with proper timing and
circumstances. In strategy, a Confucian always makes use of opportune
timing and circumstances to accomplish more using less.
Taoists also believe that we should harn1onize our actions to be in
tune with universal changes, whether they be of the seasons, phenomena,
relationships, and so on, so that we are not fighting forces stronger than
ourselves. Confucianism insists that the human processes which develop
society, especially the relationships between people, should also be in
harmonious accord ,vith one another. People need to learn their role in the
network of relationships that define a family or community and thereby
fulfill behaviors that maintain peaceful social harmony. In other words,
people need to know their duties and responsibilities within families and
society such as the proper way of behaving toward others and how not to be
en-ant. By acting in accord with these norms, one produces a cooperative,

II
 WILLIAM BODRI

cohesive society which can act as a thriving whole. This mirrors the fact
that all things are interconnected in one whole because they ultimately share
the same ultimate Supreme Nature.
In Inqtti!Y on the Great Learning the Confucian master \Vang Yang-:tv1ing
said, "The great man regards Heaven and Earth and the myriad of things as
one body. He regards the world as one family and the country as one
person. As to those who make a cleavage between objects and distinguish
between the self and others, they are small men. That the great man can
regard Heaven, Earth and the myriad of things as one body is not because
he deliberately wants to do so, but because it is nature to the humane nature
of his mind that he do so.... Eve1-ything from the ruler, minister, husband,
"vife, and friends to mountains, rivers, spiritual beings, birds, animals, and
plants should be truly loved in order to realize my humanity that forms one
body with them, and then my clear character \\-ill be completely manifested,
and I really form one body with Heaven, Earth and the myriad of things."'
\Xiang Yang-Jvling also said, "Heaven and earth are one structure with
me; spirits and gods are in one all-pervading unity ,v1th me." Again, "Man is
the mind of Heaven and Earth. Heaven, Earth and the ten thousand things
form originally a unity with me." He also said, "l\fan is only separated from
Heaven and Earth by his body."
Thus man must cultivate not just his mind but also his body to
become one with the Tao. Confucianism offers some pointers on this, but
for better guidance on this aspect of the Confucian way we should tum to
Yoga, Taoism and Buddhist Vajrayana.

1 Wing-Tsit Chan, A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy (Princeton University Press,

Princeton, 1969).

12
 CHAPTER 3:
TI-IE PROCESS OF UNIVERSAL CREATION

According to the Yiji11g, the manifest universe appears due to the

evolution of yin and yang forces that originate from the Supreme Ultimate.
These energies somehow develop out of the single absolute essence that is
so pure and alone in itself that it is considered undifferentiated or ,vithout
attributes (since any secondary characteristics you could identify would
already be admitting of a second essence). Thus the Supreme Ultimate is
therefore often compared to a great emptiness like space to denote its
absolute purity. Incomprehensible, it is often used as a subject of
meditation to help people free their minds of thoughts. TI1ey are taught to
let their minds be pure and empty just like It, tl1e Supreme Utimate.
The Yjji�g does not say how the changeless Supreme Ultimate, a
solitary existence transcending everything created, produces the dualities of
yin and yang. It does not say how forces developed from a supreme
Oneness that is simply one single unchanging essence that permeates/is the
whole of existence, and unable to evolve into anything else since it is the
primal and only (sole) existent essence.
This mystery of manifestation in Buddhism is called "Ignorance,"
which means "we do not kno,v how" the unmoving, pure, changeless
absolute nature gives birth to the first formational (karmic) forces of the
created manifest universe - we are �gnonuzt of the process. Some Hindu
schools suggest that a perturbation or stirring arises ·within the Supreme
Ultimate that ends up kick starting Creation, but once again no one can say
how. Nevertheless, according to the Yijincg the Ultimate One gives birth to

13
 WILLIAM BODRI

the dualities of yin and yang forces and then the rest of the universe,
eventually including myriad forms of life. \v'ith life comes consciousness, so
consciousness is born \vi.thin matter from the complex interaction or
evolutionary development of all these forces. It is an evolutionary or
transformational consequence of a large set or long sequence of prior cause
and effect interactions. \�/ho knows what life will lead to, but we can
certainly learn to guide its changes.
In the Yfjit{� the Supreme Ultimate stands for our absolute nature,
which is the "fundamental essence" or "original nature" of Zen Buddhism.
J\s stated, the Supreme Ultimate is that primal energy from which existence
somehow flows (being itself the only unchanging and thus real existence),
but no one can say how the flow begins since the pure Ultimate without
contamination (The One \v'ithout a Second) is pure, changeless, motionless,
and eternal. The Yf;i'ng only states that there is a constant alternation of
forces in the manf(esteduniverse, such as yin and yang, that through
interactions evolutionarily produce the five elements and then the entire
universe from there. The prepositional support of all universal forces is the
Supreme Ultimate, \vhich is therefore their ground state, lvfother source,
fundamental essence or truest nature that is inseparable from their own
existence, permeating them with the support of its own self-so existence.
The creation of yin and yang, which is a foundational principle ,vi.thin
Chinese philosophy and culture, is simply an analogy for the creation of
energy, karmic forces, creational energies or foundational forces in the
universe from which everything else is developed. It is through their mutual
interactions, with forces fundamentally interpenetrating and mutually
producing each other, that all matter is somehow developed in
transformations.
The Yf;zng basically incorporates the foundational notions of creativity
and change within the two concepts of yin and yang said to characterize all
processes and relationships. Through two fundamental forces of yin and
yang, which develop into other forces via transformations, changes,
interactions or evolutions, it provides a theory of manifest reality, how it
came about and how to interpret it or guide it.
Thus the yin and yang of the Yf;i'ng are just Chinese names for the
foundational, formational forces of the universe (Creation) and their
interactions. They don't stand for two forces but for many forces. For
instance, according to the Yijing symbolism used to explain the evolution of

14
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

Creation, the two primal yin and yang forces differentiate into four
phenomena (images) or forces named Lesser Yin, Great Yin, Lesser Yang
and Great Yang. These four forces then intermingle to become the eight
trigrams (Bagua) that then produce sixty-four forces symbolized by
hexagrams of the Yi;ing. Hence, yin and yang actually represent innumerable
forces other than just two.
All of these evolutions of yin and yang symbolize forces being
composed of more primal components, and those components are
composed of even more primal components still. An equivalence in matter
is that solid objects are composed of atoms that are composed of electrons,
protons and neutrons, which are in turn composed of quarks and gluons,
and so on. Eventually at the end of this chain of causality you arrive at the
singular Supreme Ultimate or foundational energy that cannot be further
subdivided. Therefore it must have been the self-existing self-so beginning.
But how the oneness, purity or singleness of the Supreme Ultimate can
generate another thing within itself different from its solitary pureness
(since it allows no change in its purity of being) is a great quandary.
Nevertheless, there is in the }'ijing the Great Primal Beginning that
generates the two primary forces that then generate the four images
(phenomena). The four images generate the eight trigrams that determine
good fortune and misfortune (phenomena) and so on. As the Yijing further
states, good fortune and misfortune create the field of action.
Forget about whether yin and yang become four forces, or five, or
eight or nine or whatever. You have to grasp the symbolism being
communicated. The Yijing's philosophical ptinciple is that essences,
substances, forces, enetgies or phenomena develop into othet things
through an interdependence of cause and effect expressed within
evolutionary transformations.
The distinctions and transfotmations of yin and yang are said to
produce the five elements of the universe, which is anothet way of
analyzing its components into more primal forces. Once again, all of these
symbolic schemes are simply reptesentative of forces being composed of
highet, more transcendental forces, and those forces or enetgies are
composed of yet higher transcendental fotces still. At the end of the stream
of tracing things back you end up "''ith one single enetgy ot force that the
Yijin._g calls the Supreme Ultimate. Othet schools call it Parabrahman, the
original nature, Allah, Ein Sof and so on as previously stated. Starting from

15
 WILLIAM BODRI

this one Supreme Ultimate you somehow generate firmer/ denser (more
condensed) spheres or realms of existence/ energy, and looking upwards
from the densest sphere of energy (ours) we say you get transcendental
spheres or purer realms of essences/ energies above us.
Thus in Chinese culture the material world is transcended by the
spiritual world of Qi, which is transcended by a higher spiritual world
composed of Shen, which is composed of a yet higher spiritual world
composed of Later Heavenly energy, which is composed of yet higher
forces composed of Primordial Heavenly energy. According to the 1 ging (as
well as Buddhism), all these various forces, energies and reahns
interpenetrate. They all simultaneously co-exist within each other and
through perfect interpenetration comprise one whole. They are integrated
into one single body by their interrelationships that involve them in an
endless cycle of production and reproduction. Nothing exists independently
of this whole because it is all interconnected. The Confucian Zhang Zai
aptly said, the sage "forms one body with the universe."
According to Confucianism, Nature is to be seen as a unified,
interconnected, and interpenetrating whole of constantly self-generating
interrelations of higher and lO\ver forces. This is similar to the Hua-Yen
vie,vpoint of Buddhism where the universe is like a great chain of being, an
infinite net of interrelationships in a container or womb where each
individual phenomenon is in a continual process of transformation that
involves and links all other life, matter and forces. No single thing is a
substantial, independent thing but rather is a conditional creation whose
existence is dependent upon everything else. Everything is linked in a single
whole, so each part within the whole is interdependent with all others.
Buddhism therefore says that all things arc fundamentally "empty," with
"empty" meaning that th�y do not exist independenth (because they don't) and
are impermanent since they don't endure. The are "empty" of real existence
that doesn't change since they are transient existences. The real is ,vhat stays
and endures changelessly so being impermanent tl1ey are disqualified from
being real. They are "empty of true reality." Only the original nature, the
changeless Supreme Ultimate, merits the title of being reaL
Each part of the cosmos is therefore like a drop of water in the great
ocean that is inseparable from the greater ocean due to interdependence
and by virtue of being in the ocean is linked with all its other drops. Every
part is simultaneously both a drop and the entire ocean, ,vith the analogy

16
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

that every part of the cosmos is fundamentally a part and the whole
universe. \X:'hen in the ocean a drop is but the ocean itself, and only
separated from the ocean does it become a drop. In the universe there is no
way to separate anything from itself to become independent since the
universe defines every thing through massive, inconceivable, infinite
interdependence. Thus there is no such thing as a drop, thing, entity, life,
ego, force, energy, substance, phenomenon, etc. that exists by itself separate
from the Supreme Ultimate for everything is ultimately bound together, and
thus everything (all phenomena and conditions) works together to define
even the tiniest phenomenon. The universe is thus seen in a single atom.
The billions of drops which comprise the ocean do not have any
consciousness, so as phenomena they do not know that they are drops, nor
that they are in the ocean, nor that they are part of the ocean, nor that the
ocean even exists. Insentience is the original state of changeless Reality and
its manifestation of phenomena. It is just a wondrous miracle that sentient
consciousness has somehow developed within the womb of the insentient
Universe. How consciousness has formed via evolution no one knows. \ve
only know that life has evolved out of matter and consciousness out of life,
and we are conscious biological mechanisms within this Great Ultimate. \ve
are also impermanent temporary phenomena, the result of the accumulated
effects of countless past causes and conditions.
\\/bat is important to know is that like the drops of water in the ocean
we are intimately bound up \,.r:ith one another such that the burdens and
benefits of others are also ours through the interdependence or
interpenetration of existence. For instance, if someone altruistically creates
benefit for others then they benefit, and we do too. \X:'e all share in the
benefits from the aggregate strivings of others creating the world and
environment in which we live. \ve can, through our individual actions,
therefore make the world a better or worse place in which to live because
the ,vorld is created through the composite efforts of all human beings. No
matter how small or insignificant you feel is your contribution, the world is
created by summing together all such contributions, so your efforts count.
Are you therefore making the world a better place, or making it worse off
through your actions and behavior? Confucius asked us to pursue virtuous
ways to make it better.
One can say about each and eve1-y phenomena in the universe that
everything actually is just the Supreme Ultimate, evei-ything is from the

17
 WILLIAM BODRI

Supreme Ultimate, everything is permeated by the Supreme Ultimate, and

everything is in the Supreme Ultimate. Everything is a manifestation or
evolute of the Supreme Ultimate foundational energy or essence, and no
single thing has been created for any particular reason. Every phenomenon
that exists has happened to become created as a result of matter and energy
interacting and transforming according to the laws of nature that have
developed. \'(-'e, W-:e everything else in the universe, are also just phenomena
created without any particular reason, but we ate one of the phenomena
that has consciousness. In particular we are animals, and as animals the
spiritual path for us - whatever we might argue it to be - should involve
cultivating our consciousness. \>v'e should cultivate both our reasoning
abilities and actions/behavior to produce better states of being for
ourselves and others. This is the spiritual path.
\vithin this whole matrix of Creation the 1-jjing poses no Creator God
because the universe is simply a self-generating process, contained \vi.thin
itself, whose ultimate support or foundation is the absolute Tayi, the
Supreme Ultimate or highest nature that is simply a single solitary essence
without any intentional purpose. It is neutral. \Ve are the ones who must
therefore choose a purpose for our lives. How could this ultimate
unchanging essence or energy- the highest purest One - ever be a being,
person, entity or life \vith a purpose? 1\nd also, what is the Universe
evolving to in terms of a purpose since things are simply happening?
Since there is no ultimate Creator God and no ultimate intended
purpose to Creation and what it is evolving into, in Confucianism_you must
become the creator q(your own life and the manager responsible for developing_Jottr own
desti'!)J through wisdom!This is why you need to learn how to master the
changes of phenomena, including the complexities of human situations.
lVfan must learn how to "master the changes" so that he can make things
better, recreating the world after the ideals he chooses. The idea of
responding to the world and creating appropriate institutions, laws or
solutions to problems is another example of "mastering the changes."
\vithin this scintillating whole, a true Confucian must learn how to
guide situations and circumstances to states of prosperous cooperation and
how to also be in harmony with all states, interactions or relationships he
encounters. He must learn how to control himself and adjust himself to the
fo1·ces that affect him and how to change or guide those forces to
something better. Because man is a self-conscious individual who can use

18
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

intelligence, his capability for being able to guide changes should be viewed
as part of his ideal chai-acter. Developing his mental and behavioral skills to
the fullest is ,vbat helps to separate man from. the animals and rise above
them by creating culture and life purpose where there is none. This is part
of the spiritual path for life.
How to "1naster your mental processes" and "guide the changes" is
therefore what one should strive to master in life, and is the basis of the
teachings of the Yijing. The 1 j;i11.cg clearly sti-esses that one of youi- highest
capabilities is learning how to "master the changes" of phenomena in oi-der
to bring about whatever you want. Confucianism teaches how to do this in
regards to yourself. Because your mind can do this it is the v.rish-fulfilling
gem of Buddhism.
The best transformations you can create arc those that promote the
positive, namely hai-monious prospci-ity and auspiciousness for all. This
includes the harmonious growth and development of individuals,
communities, societies and the world. Since few actions are perfectly good,
pragmatism suggests that we shouldn't bemoan the fact that no actions are
perfect when ,vc try to achieve such objectives but nevertheless our actions
should accent the good in tl1e greatest degree possible.
No sun exists without sunspots just as there is no such thing as
perfectly empty space or perfect pure yin or yang. No fish can live in the
perfect purity of distilled water either. Therefore no action you take in the
world can be perfectly good, for we can always find some minor flaw in it.
Because notlung is perfectly good, the rule is that we should maximally lean
towards the good in all our dealings. That's the best you can do.
This is called skillful means, which means accepting that errors w--ill
always accompany whatever we try to do in life and that it is almost
impossible to be perfectly pure, so you just have to act with maximum
skillfulness. Nevertheless there is still the ideal of perfect behavior, which
Confucius indicated is to "act without making serious mistakes." The
practical ideal is to maximally lean towards the good in all that you do. In
Confucianism this is called exemplary action or "consummate conduct."
\V'ang Yang-rvfing taught that cultivating personal morality was the
,vay that individuals within society could create social well-being. Along
these lines, Confucius said that ordering the world ultimately started ,vitl1
self-cultivation, meaning tl1at it started with everyone adopting the personal
aim of perfecting their own self behavior. He felt you must cultivate

19
 WILLIAM BODRl

yourself and develop strong moral bearings before you can truly succeed in
bringing about beneficial change in the world. Positive change must start
with individuals, meaningyou. In addition to tracing the mind back to its
ultimate source - the Supreme Ultimate Essence - the road of self­
cultivation towards better thought and behavior is a critical part of the great
road of Confucian cultivation. It is the heart of the Confucian way.
\Vang Yang-l\1ing said, "Man is only separated from Heaven and
Earth by his body," which means that he must not just purify his thoughts
and behavior but also transform his body so that it more easily becomes
something reflecting the unity of Heaven and Earth. By working the chain
of causation backwards, logically the first stage of transformation is for the
matter of the body to be purified into Qi, Qi into the more transcendental
Shen, Shen into Later Heavenly Qi and Later Heavenly Qi into Primordial
Heavenly Qi. Can man really attain a body composed of such purified
transcendence? If so, that road must start with the purification of your Qi.
This is a pathway explained in Yoga, Taoism, Buddhism and many other
spiritual schools across the world which state that the proposed ideal is not
just hearsay but something doable.
J'v!encius once said that he was good at nurturing his vast and
overflowing Qi that is, in the highest degree, unlimited and unmoving. He
said, "If it is nourished \vi.th integrity and is not injured, it will fill the space
between Heaven and Earth. This Qi is the companion [produced by] of
rightness and the \Vay; without rightness and the Way, this Qi will starve. It
is born from an accumulation of rightness and not an occasional show of
rightness. Action that is below the standard set in one's mind v.ill starve the
Qi." In other words, performing virtuous actions is one way of
transforming your Qi, and this can help kick off this set of Qi
transformations. The purification of your Qi is part of the transformations
required for producing a sage, and the purification of Qi has to do with
your behavior.
On the road of cultivation to become a sage, you must be clear that
you need to cultivate both your thoughts/mind and your Qi, your behavior
and your body. Sages rarely stress this, but cultivation is a mind-body affair
that requires you to purify your mind, behavior and your Qi through ardent
cultivation efforts.

20
 Cf-L-\PTER 4:
THE CONFUCIAN STAGES
OF 1'1ENTAL PRACTICE

Confucius referred to enlightenment as finding one's "bright virtue."

In The Great Learning he said that discovering and expressing one's bright
virtue should be the foremost goal in life for all human beings. Everyone,
from the Emperor down to the common man without exception, should be
cultivating throughout his life in order to become enlightened as to their
bright virtue. This is a mind-body achievement that entails the search to
discover the clear awareness of your mind, its many functional capabilities,
its ability to become purified, and its ability to generate altruistic, virtuous,
pure behavior.
Thus the search for one's bright virtue not only represents personal
perfection in thought, word and deed but the act of finding the pristine
fundamental essence of your mind, which is the clarity of awareness that
allows you to know. Since knowing our minds (thoughts) clearly separates
us from the animals and elevates us, self-cultivation along these lines is to
be regarded as the foundation of transcendental training.
"Bright virtue" refers to the clear aspect of consciousness, which we
can match in an comparable manner with the pure source nature of the
universe that is pristine and empty of all other things - like space. \Ve can
also call it pure consciousness or pristine awareness. This is the clear light
of Tibetan Buddhism, pure awareness of Vedanta, the uncreated light of
Christianity, and so on. It is the light of awareness of the mind that is there
before any appearance of knowledge. It isn't a substance, but simply a state

21
 WILLIAM BODRI

of consciousness ready to know while thoughts are in abeyance. It is our

ability to know things. Pristine, clear, bright awareness is your bright virtue.
It is your miraculous ability to know things, namely ready consciousness.
Confucius described the cultivation pathway to recognizing your
bright virtue as composed of seven steps. While his description is more
simplistic than the details found in some traditions such as Buddhism, it
adequately guides you through the cultivation path in broad strokes.
According to Confucius's teachings, the first stage of the spiritual path
is (1) cultivating awareness. Anyone who is practicing a spiritual path in
some genuine tradition always starts out by being told to be good and
refrain from evil ways. They are taught that they should watch their
thoughts so that they always know what they are and can therefore police
themselves to do good and avoid evil. Through the awareness of self­
observation you should know your intentions clearly, which is "practicing
awareness," and through awareness you can police your actions so that they
reflect a better human nature.
You cannot change what you are unaware of, so the first stage of
spiritual paths everywhere is an emphasis on awareness. Instructions are
given in many religions such as "you need to turn away from evil ways that
you were previously following and now turn toward the light." Basically we
need to become more aware of what we are thinking, saying or doing and
intending in order to gain control over our behavior and move it towards
goodness.
\Vhether Christian or Jew, I'vioslem, Hindu, Buddhist or Confucian,
everyone starts out upon the spiritual path by practicing awareness (mental
watching or observation) to police their attitudes, thoughts and behavior.
The best way to master this skill to a degree of excellence is by practicing
witnessing meditation on a regular basis, and mindfulness during non­
meditative periods, until the habit of observing your thoughts - rather than
getting hopelessly entangled in them such as by getting transfixed by
emotional attachments - becomes consistent everywhere. \Vitnessing
meditation and mindfulness of your thoughts helps you develop a detached,
independent perspective of your thoughts, which are to be seen as
potentially useful objects of your mind to be manipulated rather than
absolutely true realities.
Through awareness you can clearly know what you are thinking and
doing in the presence of now and then immediately correct any errors you

22
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

observe in your mental logic, words and behaviors. Cultivating clear

awareness of how things are is the first step towards improving any
situation, including your fate and fortune. Furthermore, the practice of
continually shining awareness on your own mental realm to know/ observe
your thoughts and what you are doing will at the very minimum end up
making you a better person when you use this for self-correction.
This is practicing the Confucian way, which makes you more self­
aware and able to reach greater benefits in life due to increased awareness.
At a higher stage of practice it will eventually open up all your Qi channels
so that you become healthier and live longer. At the maximum level of
achievement it will lead to Qi transformations that let you enter the spiritual
realms. However, no one can attain the highest of spiritual stages unless
they cultivate being a virtuous person.
From the practice of mindful mental introspection (called
"mindfulness" in Buddhism and "awareness" in Vedanta) to correct your
behavior you will end up becoming a happier and better person than you
would have been had you not adopted the practice. This is because you will
become knowledgeable about faults and errors when they occur, and will
then be able to cut them off at the moment of recognition. This stopping
will allow you to better master situations, as is taught by the Yijing, because
you can prevent yourself from going too far. In the light of "mastering the
changes" once again, it will allow you improve your fortune and destiny.
Better said, it will change your human fortune and destiny for the better. By
cultivating a clear present awareness of what you are actually thinking,
saying and doing and learning how to cut off what is errant so as to correct
yourself, you will thereby cultivate the single most powerful tool in the
universe towards becoming a better human being - your mind.
In the western school of Christianity this is called cultivating virtue
while in Confucianism it is phrased in terms of ethics, morality, propriety
and consummate behavior. It is the pathway to becoming a more virtuous,
human being who transcends the ordinary way of unthinking men who
often cannot control themselves. 'While the road of Confucian cultivation
always involves rectifying your mind, when describing it people usually refer
to its emphasis on positive behavior. The point is that virtue, or positive
behavior, cannot be achieved without cultivating awareness so Confucius stressed
that the first step of the spiritual path should be to cultivate greater
awareness of the workings and contents of your mind.

23
 WILLIAM BODRI

By continual mindfulness in cultivating an awareness of your mental

realm and your behavior, you can reach the second stage of the Confucian
spiritual path. This is called (2) stopping, halting or cessation. This refers
to the fact that by watching your thoughts without getting entangled in
them, which happens when you practice meditation or mindfulness
correctly, your wandering thoughts will slowly die down in volume. You
will substantially reduce how often you tend to hold onto thoughts as well
as the volume of wandering, random, troublesome, or negative thoughts
within your mind. As they leave, eventually your daily mental realm will
reach a degree of calmness or purity that we call emptiness, silence, peace,
tranquility or mental cessation. This is quieting, halting, stopping or
cessation.
This greater mental purity, peace or serenity occurs due to the
cessation or stopping (reduction) of random thoughts that naturally occurs
by just watching them without attachment. They decline when you do so.
Since the mind no longer clings to thoughts with entanglement they will
come and go freely, and in this freedom from stickiness your mind will
become like a clear mirror that simply reflects or knows thoughts, or we can
say it shines light upon them. There are many different ways to describe the
same thing.
Thoughts will always keep arising in your mind even when unwanted
because they can never be done with. If there is consciousness there will
always be thoughts that naturally arise and we cannot control this for that is
how consciousness is supposed to work. However, due to meditation and
mindfulness practice the volume of random wandering thoughts will die
down and the mind will reach a new set-point of background quiet, or
cessation, that was not previously existent in your mental realm. In some
schools this mental accomplishment is then called "concentration." For
instance, when you were a child absorbed in working on a homework
problem you would end up silencing all sorts of other wandering thoughts
in your mind through focus, and that mental state was called concentration.
We can also call that state "clarity" as well as "cessation" because wandering
thoughts disappear when you concentrate.
You can sit in meditation and practice mental witnessing in order to
attain cessation, a mental quiet characterized by a decline in the volume of
wandering thoughts which thereby produces a state of peaceful clarity. This
type of practice is called cessation-observation meditation. \'v'hen not doing

24
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

sitting meditation practice, by watching your mind during ordinary activities

(the regular world) you are also essentially practicing cessation-observation
meditation. If you do this often enough and long enough then your mental
realm will reach a permanent state of "higher quiet" than if you had not
regularly practiced Confucian introspection. This is akin to the "mind like a
mirror" of Zen cultivation in that the mind can reflect all things within it
clearly without stickiness (attachment) while operating with flawless clarity.
Thus you have the "mirror mind" of Buddhism.
The natural result of being mentally mindful of all the contents of
your mind is that you stop holding onto thoughts very tightly. You learn to
detach, defuse or distance yourself from your thoughts rather than get
entangled in them. You begin to see them just as things in your mind rather
than reality. Thoughts and emotions then are no longer a pressure you must
follow, and in realizing this you may achieve greater independence,
detachment or dispassion from thoughts.
Rather than becoming absorbed in your thoughts you can create
distance from them by achieving a mindful independent observational
vantage so that your actions are not blindly automatic (and thus sometimes
harmful) but become thoughtful. By creating some distance from your
thoughts you can choose the most proper reaction to your thoughts and
can wisely produce better behavior, which is how to cultivate what
Confucius called consummate conduct. You can more easily override errant
thoughts, urges, instincts, impulses, wrong biases, habit energies and
emotions through detachment and thereby choose to act in a higher way.
By refusing to invest in improper mental processes this unhooking or
separation will allow you to move towards a more valuable direction.
A cardinal rule of spiritual practice is also that your tl1oughts and Qi
(internal energy) are linked, and by letting go of your thoughts you let go of
Qi flows in your brain and other Qi flows within your body that will now
flow more naturally and smoothly without your attachments. Freed of
binding restrictions, the Qi in your brain w-i.11 be released so that it can more
fully penetrate all its tissues rather than remain locked in preferred neural
circuits that characterize your habitual way of thinking. Through meditation
and mindfulness the full set of Qi channels within your brain (where
consciousness operates) will thus slowly open up over time, like a flower
bud that slowly unfurls to reveal its beauty.
Because of this mental practice your mind will naturally become more

25
 WILLIAM BODRI

quiet because of opened Qi channels; your Qi will be able to flow more

freely through the brain without obstructions. The greater mental quiet that
you thus achieve is usually called mental cessation or stopping.
In other words, your mind gradually empties of most wandering
thoughts (which are often compared to a monkey wildly leaping from tree
to tree) due to the practice of watching your thoughts, and so it eventually
quiets due to detachment. This is a process of growth that occurs due to
consistent meditation practice for those who bother to stay with it. During
such practice you should stay aware of your mental realm and its contents,
which is alternatively called observance, witnessing, mindfulness, watching,
introspection, awareness, knowing or observation. All spiritual schools
describe this differently but it is just the same thing - you watch your
thoughts like an independent third person observer.
By finding distance from thoughts through mindful observation, you
also can achieve a second meaning of stopping or halting, which is to
detach from automatically following thoughts as if they were a command or
rule you had to obey and follow. You can ign ore any feelings that your
thoughts and emotions are a pressure that absolutely must be discharged
through execution. Thus you can stop errant impulses and negative
emotions from manifesting as actions because you can override or ignore
them by remaining in transcendence.
By learning how to detach from thoughts you can improve your ability
to view them as just mental experiences in your head. Remember that you
expect them to reflect truths in the real world, but in many cases they do
not, especially when you have added emotional biases to them. Usually they
are just guesses as to what is going on.
Through mindful awareness in observing your thoughts you actually
give yourself a choice on how much attention to pay to them, and with that
distance you can choose to follow just the beneficial thoughts that will help
you. This too is a type of cessation or halting - you stop thinking and acting
badly - but it applies to improper thinking and behavior. With practice you
can learn how to allow thoughts to come and go on their own without any
need to hold onto them or push them away, but act only on those that will
help you in a positive fashion.
Most religions of the world instruct adherents to meditate using some
form of cessation-observation practice and refer to the mental quieting
phenomenon under different names. For instance, Buddhism calls the

26
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

quieting of thoughts the "stilling of the sixth consciousness" or the

"attainment (reaching) of emptiness." Vedanta calls it cultivating "pristine
awareness" or "pure consciousness." Some schools call this "rectifying the
heart" or "calming the passions" and some call it "banishing the lower
nature."
All religions essentially refer to the fact that by watching your mind
you can quiet thoughts and learn to detach from errant habit energies that
would normally automatically impel you. Thus through mental
introspection - by always knowing your mind and being aware of your
thoughts - you gradually learn control of your behavior. You gradually
improve your conduct, which is how you cultivate virtue. This is why
humans can rise above the animals who always just follow their impulses.
This is also how we learn to cooperate with others or even become heroes
who sacrifice themselves for the greater good, which is something that
animals never do.
.As stated, by mindfully cultivating mental witnessing a noticeable
result is that the activity of wild random thoughts dies down in your mind,
which then becomes quiet or peaceful as a result. \'v'hile Buddhism calls this
cultivating emptiness or empty mind or no-thought, Confucianism calls this
cessation and Christianity calls this internal peace or centering. There are
always thoughts in this mental state of greater internal quiet but since the
mind seems emptier (more silent or clear) we call it no-thought or
emptiness whereas it is never completely quiet. There is just a reduction in
the sound volume of our internal dialogue.
At the third stage of the path we can say that this higher degree of
mental quiet becomes natural. It is more consistently there, so you reach the
third stage of progress (3) called calming. \'v'hen irritating or excitable
thoughts are reduced in your mental stream you reach a state of calming
and your Qi tends to settle. \'<i'hen your Qi settles this in turn further helps
you quiet your thoughts since your Qi and your consciousness are linked.
Basically, the regular practice of sitting meditation together with the
constant practice of mental witnessing outside of formal sitting meditation
practice leads to a natural emptying of wandering thoughts. Consistent
practice gradually opens up the Qi channels in your brain through which
energy flows (that affects thought production) and this enables you to reach
a more permanent natural level of background mental quiet that is deeper
and more stable, which Confucius called calmness. Your mind settles into a

27
 WILLIAM BODRI

h�meostasis of clarity and calm at a higher set-point than before.

Because you can now stay in quiet states for more prolonged periods
of time this is called "calm abiding" in Tibetan Buddhism. This is the same
mental state that everyone achieves except a different name is used to
describe the same result. In no case is the mental calming effect you achieve
to be considered higher than what is achieved elsewhere via a different
spiritual path. Always remember that the results of spiritual practice are
non-denominational, accomplished everywhere by everyone who cultivates
correctly. Everyone who practices correctly achieves the very same gong-fu.
How quickly you attain those results, however, is solely a function of the
consistent time spent at proper practice.
\'{/hen the mind empties itself of most wandering random thoughts
and yet remains fully awake and aware (rather than sleepy) it is often called
"focus," "one-pointedness" or "concentration" because in being able to
maintain calm abiding you are undistracted, and a stable undistracted mind
is in a state of a concentration. \'(;'hen the mind becomes calm and stable
you can indeed attain the focus of one-pointed concentration. Achieving a
continuous state of calm abiding is thus the third step of the cultivation
path described by Confucius. This is the third step of cultivating your mind.
Calm abiding doesn't mean you have no thoughts, but that you
become more detached from the events of the mind that occur within it
and more closely aligned with the quiet observer of your thoughts and
emotions who is detached from them. You should be aware of everything
that arises within your mind, but also less easily agitated because you.are
more detached. Your internal dialogue has accordingly died down (along
with wandering thoughts) for you to reach this inner calmness, and of what
remains you can view it with an unbiased perspective without getting
flustered.
Thus, first you practice awareness by watching your mental realm of
thoughts. As a result you will gradually achieve a diminishing (cessation) of
the wild, random "light" (superficial) wandering thoughts that typically
plague the mind. You will achieve a small degree of inner peace or halting
of superficial thoughts. By aligning yourself as the observer of thoughts and
emotions, through this detachment you can eventually achieve a more
profound degree of internal mental peace, stillness, quiet, emptiness, purity,
serenity or tranquility that is even more stable.
These then are the first three phases of cultivating mental purity:

28
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

awareness, reduction or stopping, and then cahning.

Alignment with always being the observer, watcher or witnesser of
your thoughts rather than becoming caught up ,vith them leads to freedom
from stress, hence calming. This is because the observer function with
which you align yourself knows the contents of your mind fully but doesn't
identify with them. The observer functions achieves a distance of
independence so that you don't lose yourself in worry or become so totally
agitated that you end up doing something erratic because you temporarily
lost your mind (proper perspective).
This is what we are after as one of the results of spiritual practice. As
exemplified by the model of the crystal clear Zen master who always rests
joyful in serene composure, it is one of the non-denominational results of
the spiritual path.
If your mind can become calm because you detach from thoughts
through witnessing practice and you remain in that state for a long time,
Confucius said that your continuous cultivation of calmness can lead to (4)
an even more purified mental realm called "stillness." You can also think
of this as equanimity where there don't seem to be any thoughts. Aligning
with the silent witness or observer that isyou brings quiet, peace, purity,
non-judgment and hence equanimity. Thoughts die down even more to a
state of quiet called no-thought.
Buddhism and Hinduism explain that at this stage of mental progress
you have transcended the ordinary level of coarse thoughts that typically
plague the mental realm of a human being. You have touched upon no­
thought, and are now on the cultivation path of the saints and sages.
You are less inclined to be engaged in coarse thinking at this stage
because you have somewhat purified what we might call the ordinary
human level of gross mentality. You understand your thoughts are
entities/ objects within your mind that can be manipulated rather than
commands that must be followed. This is how you elevate yourself to a
higher level of being and spiritualize your life. This is how you transcend
the functions of your mind. It all starts with purifying your mind through
awareness by cutting off errant thoughts while selecting better thoughts
instead, and never getting caught up in them.
Hinduism explains that through meditation you become free of both
the vitarka and vicara types of thoughts, which are coarse and more subtle
types of mental grasping, and thus your mind becomes extremely empty or

29
 WILLIAM BODRI

still, which is the pristine clarity mentioned in Vedanta or Zen. Actually, this
mental result is just a mundane thing -your mind seems a little more empty
and clear, that's all, but of course this is a prize we all want to win because
of the peace and other benefits it provides. While technical terms say that
you "transcend coarse conceptuality and analysis" this just means that your
mind is now pretty clear and your thoughts are not as wild and haphazard
as before you started to practice. Once again, this is how you slowly elevate
your mentality above the normal runnings of an animal, which is the entire
purpose of spiritual practice.
After this clarity-stillness-concentration attainment, Confucius
explained that the next (fifth) stage of achievement is that you (5) can attain
bliss. Physical bliss, which is due to the opening and enervation of Qi
channels all throughout your body since your Qi can now run through what
has been opened with an improved flow rate, is not attained in a short
while, but only after years of cultivation practice from teaching the mind
how to settle. As Mencius explained, he had to consistently cultivate his Qi
to attain his stage of achievement.
Many cultivation schools, such as Yoga and Vajrayana, use special
practices to cultivate the body's Qi and channels. Mental witnessing
practitioners of all schools, including Zen, Vedanta, and Confucianism,
should use these internal energy practices as well rather than just engage in
quieting meditation practice alone. For instance, pranayama breathing
practices greatly help in this regard.
'
As one Japanese Zen master once said, you not only must cultivate
your mind and purify it to bring out its brightness, but you have to match
this effort of mindfulness with internal energy practices to transform your
body. The spiritual path is a mind-boqy pathway of cultivation, and the
necessity of dual practice is something you must never forget.
In Confucianism, bliss represents the combined result of physical bliss
due to excellent Qi cultivation, mental quiet (emptiness or no-thought), and
clear awareness. You feel happy because your mind is less filled with
distractions and is more clear and peaceful. This fifth step of attainment
basically means you achieve an even higher stage of calm, empty mental
concentration that is accompanied now by physical bliss too. The benefit of
your meditation practice has opened up your Qi channels over time and
now your body's Qi flows more smoothly within you, producing a subtle
feeling of physical comfort. \Vith the body now comfortable, one is better

30
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

able to ignore it to attain yet a greater degree of mental clarity and

concentration.
As with Confucianism, Buddhism also explains that consistent
meditation practice will help you reach a state of bliss and one-pointed
concentration while the Hindu Yoga schools also speak of your being able
to attain a blissful feeling samadhi (concentration) through consistent
spiritual practice. Bliss is like a clear, empty mind conjoined with an internal
glow of physical feeling that results from excellent Qi flow, which is why
athletes sometimes attain it, and also entails a happiness resulting from a
quiet, serene mind free of agitations.
After attaining bliss as a foundational basis, Confucius said that you
will then reach the sixth stage of progress. \Vith the body peaceful and calm
experiencing pleasant feelings that don't bother you, and with your mind
open and at ease experiencing clarity, your natural wisdom will be able to
open up and you can become able (6) to attain "right knowing" or
"correct thinking." You will become able to think correctly without
incorrect bias or prejudice. You will see those bias and correct them.
This is the sixth stage of the path. It_means you are not overly biased,
prejudiced or emotional your and thus can arrive at the best conclusions
with your thought processes. If you can keep from melding with selfish
thoughts, biases and emotions that might arise to cloud the mirror of your
mind, your mental processes free of such pollutions will more accurately
reflect the true dimensions and features of every situation that comes
before them, thus enabling you to arrive at better thinking. Thinking that is
unencumbered by irrelevancies, irrationalities or emotions and biases can
silence prejudicial likes and dislikes to approach the highest stages of
rationality or wisdom, i.e. wise thinking.
This is right thinking or correct thought, which is the apex of
spirituality. Right thinking does not necessarily mean that your thinking
conclusions are always correct, for you can always make errors in thinking.
Instead it means that you arrived at a conclusion using the dearest thought
processes and highest decision models available to you. Right
knowing/ thinking is a process of filtering or weeding out erroneous mental
influences, especially biases and emotions that are "mere opinion" and thus
termed "selfish" in Confucianism. Confucian self-cultivation is a process of
filtering out such erroneous influences in all you think, say and do.
The pathway to right knowing or right thinking entails mindfulness of

31
 WILLIAM BODRI

thoughts because mindfulness, in viewing thoughts as an observer, unhooks

us from thoughts back to direct experience so that we can look at thoughts
as objects in the mind rather than absolute truths or commands we must
follow. Being detached from thoughts you can choose which ones to act
upon and which ones to ign ore. This gives you the maximum amount of
power to manipulate them.
Separating yourself from a fusion with your thoughts, desirous
impulses and emotions, you can rise above the contents of your mind and
actualize righting thinking. Like Sherlock Holmes you can arrive at more
useful insights and better conclusions because you employ logic and clarity
rather than emotions and prejudices.
This is the equivalent of proper thinking, correct reasoning, wise
discrimination, discriminative analysis, good judgment, wisdom or
understanding in Buddhism. You can think correctly clear of prejudices and
make good judgments without bias. \Visdom is not just what you think or
how you think but how you relate to the thoughts which arise within you.
Thoughts are not something happening to you in the real world but in the
mental sphere, so you must reco gnize that they aren't necessarily true, and
that you can detach from them and ign ore them.
It is through wisdom, or proper discrimination, that you can finally
realize the true nature of your mind. This is the fact that when there are
thoughts or objects in your consciousness then this is objective knowledge,
but when there are no objects or thoughts in the mind then the mind is
experienced as quiet, empty or peaceful. This second option is called pure
consciousness or emptiness or pure awareness; the mind is quiet but not
absolutely inert because it is ready to know the thoughts that will arise. This
is your bright virtue.
This finding or realization about the nature of the mind constitutes (7)
attainment, which is the seventh stage of the Confucian path. It is
sometimes called the realization of bright virtue (or emptiness in Buddhism)
since awareness or consciousness is your miraculous capability.
The miracle of the universe is the evolution of life with consciousness,
namely awareness and knowingn ess. As a living being you have a mind with
thoughts you can control or manipulate, and that mind is your field of
bright virtue that has (a) clear awareness, brightness or pristine
consciousness with the ability to know (b) and the ability to generate
thoughts, namely the ability to create mental objects to know.

32
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

This is sentience, cognizance, awareness, illumination or

consciousness. You are blessed with the ability to know and understand
whereas insentient things, which vastly outnumber you in the universe, lack
this miraculous ability. Your mind is therefore the wish-fulfilling gem of
Buddhism that can help you attain anything you want. Of course you don't
get what you wish for but only what you work for, but your mind is what
allows you to understand this and accomplish the getting or creation of a
future you want. Consciousness - your mind - is your wish-fulfilling gem.
\v'hile some spiritual schools such as Buddhism or Vedanta focus on
the I-thought or I-center as being crucial for the ability to know, and while
sometimes they focus on explaining the detailed processes of sense
perception turning into consciousness, in Confucianism it is enough for
people to simply recognize that the ability of consciousness itself is the
great gift, miracle, merit or virtue of human beings. This is our bright virtue,
which is the power of cognizant illumination.
Thoughts automatically arise in your mind seemingly from
nothingness when they appear due to stimuli, but you can also generate
them yourself for whatever reasons you desire, including the desire to
express the highest models of virtue that you know. Your mind is actually a
wish-fulfilling gem that allows you to have awareness/consciousness and
generate the thoughts you need to accomplish or experience whatever you
want. Your mind is your source of light, your source of
awareness/consciousness, your source of cognizance or illumination. Your
mind of clear/bright awareness is your merit, your field of bright virtue.
All your prior mindfulness and meditation practice has laid the
foundation for this achievement of spiritual success where you can seeyour
mind clear/y and know all of the comings and goings inside it with clarity. This is a
spiritual result, but this is an ordinary mundane result too since this is just
the ordinary mind. The result of Confucian cultivation is the perfection of
consciousness achieved by cultivating mental clarity, or self-knowledge, and
correct thinking. This is the key to higher spiritual accomplishments that
elevate us from being just ordinary animals.
At this last stage of attainment you are now not so confused or
controlled by the contents of your mind, and so now it can be fully used as
a magical tool of creation, a wish-fulfilling gem, an instrument of bright
virtue. Your mind can be quiet/pure, and your thoughts can also become
pure by becoming populated by virtuous ideas to compassionately help

33
 WILLIAM BOOR!

people rather than harm others. That is the definition of spirituality; it is all
about how you use your mind in terms of thoughts and their expression as
behavior.
To get to the stage of attainment you quieted your mind through
meditation and self-observation, cultivated distraction-free concentration
and mindful watching to quiet it even further, and then within the resulting
clarity realized the nature of your mind where it has no thoughts but always
gives birth to thoughts that pass away. It is always generating thoughts
naturally in response to inputs by the senses and prior thoughts, and you
can also use it to intentionally create thoughts by will. How you use it is
what makes you a saint or a devil, an animal or man who models himself on
the ideal of the highest possible person.
There are thousands of functions that your consciousness can
perform. It can function in all sorts of ways learning countless skills. You
can certainly learn to manipulate your thoughts this way or that way because
you learn all sorts of mental skills butyour thoughts are neveryou. They are
mental objects that appear in your consciousness, or bright virtue, which is
an open visage of what seems like silence, space or emptiness that you can
compare to the peacefulness, quiet, emptiness or stillness of the original
nature.
Of the thousands of thoughts always flitting through your mind, you
have the ability to choose the highest virtuous ones, which you should
display through the most proper words and behavior. This is the desired
end result of spiritual cultivation and the seventh stage of the Confucian
path. \Vith the mind now available as a flexible tool capable of correct
thinking processes free of emotional baggage, you can choose to use it
rightly to help humanity. This is correct thinking, which is using the mind
not just to help yourself but to help others for by lifting everyone else up
you lift yourself up as well.
These are the seven steps in the Confucian pathway to cultivating your
mind and ultimately becoming a sage.

34
 CHAPTERS:
THE CONFUClA.N RANI<:S
OF SPIRITUAL ATTAINMENT

The Confucian Shao Yang said, ''\Xie know that man is the highest
among the objects, and that a sage is the highest among men. The highest
of men is he who can observe 10,000 minds by one mind; who can observe
10,000 bodies with one body; who lives in one generation yet can
understand 10,000 generations."
This is no different than the enlightenment teachings of many other
religions concerning the capabilities of a sage. For instance, Buddhism
states that an enlightened Buddha (equivalent to a Confucian sage) can
know people's minds by emanating out, from his Supra-Causal
enlightenment body composed of Later Heavenly Qi, nirmanakqya
projection bodies composed of lesser substances that can enter into people.
Thus possessing their bodies and minds and being able to see things
through their memories, this is how a sage can know your thoughts as well
as give you new helpful thoughts from his own mind. This is how a sage
helps people, which is by projecting versions of himself (composed of
higher energetic substances) into them with the objective of giving them
both thoughts and energy. \Vhen you call on a Buddha for help, this is
primarily what they try to do to assist you - they project versions of
themselves into you or others in order to give thoughts to help.
Chinese culture commonly speaks of the ascending essences or matter
states of Jing, Qi, Shen, Later Heavenly Qi (energy) and Primordial
Heavenly Qi (energy). These are the states that compose the higher body

35
 WILLIAM BODRI

attainments of a sage that together form the Reward Body or Enjoyment

Body of enlightenment called the sambhogakaya in Buddhism. The Reward
body of a sage is actually a chain of duplicate bodies composed of different
substances linked together - a physical body made of flesh, subtle body
composed of Qi, Causal body composed of Shen, Supra-Causal body
composed of Later Heavenly energy, and Immanence body composed of
Primordial Heavenly energy. \�'hen humans die we are said to be ejected
from the human frame with bodies of Qi, which is why we becomes spirits
or devas, but the spiritual bodies of sages are more complicated because
they cultivated these higher bodies of more elevated substances when alive,
and they come attendant with incredible capabilities.
Most every cultivation school has various ranks to mark out
milestones on the path of spiritual attainment. These naturally correspond
to mental, behavioral and body achievements. For instance, Buddhism has
four levels of progressive spiritual attainment that delineate an Arhat, or
enlightened one. There are the Sotapanna, Sakadagami, Anagami and Arhat
stages of enlightenment attainment followed by the fifth level of a fully
enlightened Buddha, who possesses the Immanence body aforementioned.
A fully enlightened Buddha cultivates a large "Reward body" composed of
the human body made of flesh Ging), deva body made of Qi, Causal body
composed of Shen, Supra-Causal body composed of Later Heavenly Qi and
Immanence body composed of Primordial Heavenly Qi (energy) all linked
together. All of these bodies attached together, with each one composed of
a higher or lower level of essence, comprise the sambhogak aya or Reward
body of enlightenment. A spiritual master uses these different bodies to do
various things in the universe, helping people wherever they can in
whatever ways they can, but mostly by giving them thoughts and energy
(such as for healing purposes) when appropriate.
Some of the higher bodies, such as the Supra-Causal, can project off
many tethered versions of themselves made of lower energies. Then they
can use these nirmanak aya or emanation bodies to possess people when
necessary in order to help a situation by giving them thoughts or energy. A
spiritual master trains to be able to use all of his lower bodies independently
so that it seems as if he is present in each realm where a lower body resides,
but he/she is usually off elsewhere because he/ she will always primarily
reside in the realm of his/her highest body. The idea that a master is in an
unmovable samadhi trance is therefore just nonsense because it usually

36
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

means that his spirit bodies are out elsewhere occupied doing something.
This is why he/she often seems to have vacant eyes or is non-responsive.
Starting from the level of a human being, Chinese Taoism also has
various stages of Immortals that also correspond to these same Buddhist
Arhat stages of attainment. These are the Earthly, Spiritual, and Celestial
ranks of Immortals.
Representing Hinduism, the Hindu sage Sri Siddharameshwar Maharaj
also taught that we have the Physical, Subtle, Causal, Supra-Causal and
Para-atman bodies that exactly correspond to same five essence bodies
previously mentioned. Each new body attainment corresponds to a higher
rank of spiritual achievement, and those ranks exactly match with the ranks
taught within Buddhism and Taoism.
Ramalinga, representing the Tamil Siddha and Nath Yoga traditions,
taught that the stages of cultivation achievement start with the coarse
Physical body and then through Qi cultivation, as mentioned by Mencius,
one can attain a purified Qi body, body of Vibrations (made of Shen),
\'Visdom Light body (made of Later Heavenly energy) and then Body of
Immanence. In Ramalinga's tradition these five bodies are the Stuhla deha,
Suddha deha, 1'1.antra deha, Jnana deha (Di1!)'a deha or body of light, Kailqya deha),
and Body of Immanence. They are also the same five body attainments.
Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhism) also talks about the Physical body,
Impure illusory body (subtle or deva body), Purified illusory body, \'Visdom
light (Clear Light) or Dharma body, and then the Buddha body composed
of very subtle fundamental wind (energies). Together these comprise the
exact same sambhogakqya Reward body and stages of attainment.
In Confucianism we also have five bodies, and we call an enlightened
individual a sage. In any spiritual school, including Confucianism, to reach
the status of a fully enlightened sage you must progress through prior stages
of spiritual attainment that involve using your internal energy to cultivate
higher spiritual bodies as just described. Only step-by-step progress allows
you to reach the fully enlightened attainment of a sage.
During this progression, with each new spiritual body attainment your
mind becomes more clear and bright, which is why mental clarity is
emphasized on the Confucian path and in other cultivation traditions.
Cultivation schools typically focus on describing the ultra clear mind-stream
corresponding to an Arhat's body attainment. Nearly every spiritual sect will
not talk about body attainments, however, because practitioners referencing

37
 WILLIAM BODRI

this yardstick will easily become disheartened knowing they have not
achieved the fruit. However, by describing the spiritual path in terms of
mental clarity and emptiness (which offers an analogy to the emptiness of
the original nature), practitioners will continue cultivating with hope since
they aren't clear about their true stage of progress. This is why most schools
describe the path in terms of consciousness rather than bodies, which is so
that cultivators always keep practicing.
Someone who is enlightened has attained a spiritual body whose
mind-stream and body, due to being composed of more subtle energies
than the coarse physical nature, is often compared to light because of the
analogy with awareness and illumination, but they are not any wiser nor
think any better than we do since that body is simply a duplicate of their
human body, its habit energies and its regular thought patterns.
Nevertheless, this achievement is the spiritual path, which is a progressive
attainment of higher and higher spiritual bodies that are limited to five in
teachings although how far one can reach is much higher.
You have seen the names for these bodies/stages used by other
traditions, but few know that Confucianism has them as well. Mencius
provided us a list of these stages of spiritual attainment that is similar to the
ranks found in other religions, once again attesting to the non­
denominational nature of the spiritual path. The way that you achieve these
attainments is the same as elsewhere, namely that you must cultivate both
your mind and body along with your behavior. To attain these higher
bodies also requires the devoted assistance of sages gone before you who
must you lend you their energy to help transform your body, and none will
be committed to helping you for such a long process if you are not a
virtuous human being working on perfecting your behavior.

Goodness or Kindness

In terms of stages, Mencius said that the foundation of the spiritual

path starts with the desire to cultivate. He called this beginner's stage
"goodness" or "kindness" because the spiritual path is founded upon a
basis of refraining from evil ways while pursuing virtue and morality
instead. This is cultivating kindness, goodness, virtue or compassion as a
human being. Thus the first stage of kindness or goodness.
In every religious tradition you must cultivate virtue, morality,

38
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

benevolence, compassion, kindness or goodness as the foundation of the

spiritual path, so it's no revelation to find this same emphasis by Chinese
sages. Once entering the gate of the spiritual road you are immediately set
on the pathway of doing good deeds while eschewing evil thoughts and
behavior, so Mencius called "goodness" the first stage of cultivation. This is
the cultivation stage of a human being with a coarse material body.
All throughout their lives, and especially after they succeed, people
must practice virtuous ways and work to elevate their minds as basic
spiritual practice, which is the practice of self-perfection. This is the core of
the spiritual path as well as its end result so it involves cultivating,
perfecting or purifying your mind, words and behavior.
This is why the Confucian way involves learning meditation and
mindfulness. Meditation helps you form the habit of watching your mind
and behavior so that you can correct your personal faults and flaws, and
mindfulness helps you do this in real time. This method of training helps
you to become a virtuous person, namely a top level human being.

Faith or Belief

The next stage of spiritual progress in Confucianism is called "faith"

or "belief'' because belief arises when an individual starts to attain some
substantial results from their cultivation efforts. Then they believe in it. An
individual who works hard attains the initial fruit of the path, which is the
deva body or subtle body attainment made of Qi that is called the first
dhyana attainment in Buddhism. Because of attaining the deva body whilst
alive, a practitioner starts believing in the entirety of the pathway teachings.
Upon gaining access to the heavenly deva realm an aspirant will spend time
going back and forth from his physical body to this subtle realm. He will
converse with all the devas and discover the truth about the rest of the
spiritual path, so of course he will then gain faith in the teachings.
In Buddhism the stage of Faith is attained when someone reaches the
first dhyana, which is the Sotapanna Arhat stage and the very first rank of
higher spiritual body achievements. An individual at this true belief stage of
Buddhism has attained the independent subtle body or deva body that can
leave the physical body shell at will. This is the astral body of western
mysticism, impure illusory body of Vajrayana, suddha deha of the Tamil
siddhas, orJin shen body of Taoism. It is an exact duplicate of your physical

39
 WILLIAM BODRI

body, composed of Qi and free of disease, that can leave the body at will to
enter the lowest spiritual realms of the earth that people go to upon death
but which they call "heaven."
\Vith this body one can converse \vith other spiritual beings. Thus
with access to untainted spiritual teachings and the ability to know the
truth, no one can cheat the new initiate about the spiritual path. They can
no longer be confused by many false religious teachings in the world and so
they develop trust and faith in the path. Since they establish trust,
confidence, faith and belief in the path of cultivation (from having attained
the first fruit of an independent spirit body), Mencius called this the stage
of Belief or Faith.

Beauty

The next stage of spiritual progress in Confucianism is called

"beau ty." In order to keep progressing you must cultivate the Qi of this
new subtle body to a higher stage of purity just as devas must do. Buddhism
and Hinduism state that this is what heavenly devas occupy themselves with
perfecting to reach a yet higher body attainment, which is composed of
Shen. Since an ordinary deva and human Faith stage attainee now have the
same type of deva body composed of Qi, this need for further purification
necessitates that the deva level of attainment is differentiated into two
classification levels. In Buddhism your initial development of the subtle
body corresponds to the first dhyana while a higher degree of its Qi
purification (corresponding to the devas' efforts at purification) is termed
the second dhyana attainment.
Mencius called the efforts of this stage "extending and fulfilling,"
meaning that by further Qi and channel purification of your Qi body you
can reach a higher stage of its purification, but it is not yet a new body
composed of Shen. In other words, you can cultivate your subtle body
attainment, composed of Qi, to reach a more purified level of the Qi-based
complex of subtle body and mind but it isn't an extra boq)',
This attainment is called Beauty and is equivalent to the second
dhyana of Buddhism. You first attain the deva body and then you continue
cultivating it, "extending and fulfilling it," which is called beautifying it or
perfecting it. You must do this before you can generate an additional Shen
body out of its essence just as you generated a Qi body out of the essence

40
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

of your physical body. Normally people simply eject a coarse level deva
body out of their physical body upon death, but the one a sage generates is
far more purified and has higher capabilities.

Greatness or Grandness

11encius said that from the stage of Beauty as a base, "extending and
fulfilling it until it shines forth is called great." "Greatness" or "grandness"
is the name for the next spiritual body attainment composed of Shen. It
corresponds to the third dhyana attainment of Buddhism, which is also
called the Causal body in Hinduism and Shen body attainment in Taoism. It
is a body tethered to the Qi body but composed of a more refined
substance than Qi.
Remember that spiritual schools never explain spiritual attainments in
terms of bodies but in terms of consciousness achievements so that people
don't become disheartened at their lack of spiritual progress. They want
people to always be cultivating virtue and clarity of mind to raise themselves
above animal behavior, so they speak of spiritual attainments in terms of a
pure mind and pure (virtuous) behavior. On purpose they exclude the fact
that the spiritual path is all about attaining higher and higher bodies. They
speak of consciousness or pure mind achievements instead, leading people
onwards with phrases such as "cultivate emptiness" and "realize the root
source of the mind" which motivate people to meditate and master mental
watching. They do this, focusing on "purifying consciousness," so that
practitioners always keep cultivating while never losing hope that they will
one day "become enlightened."
The truth is that no spiritual beings will make a commitment to spend
substantial time to help you attain the higher spiritual bodies unless you are
virtuous, ethical and moral. Therefore religions are designed to cultivate
virtue, morality and cooperation in populations, with few people altruistic
enough to be able to attain the higher bodies.
This not communicating the whole truth is an example of the "skillful
means" (i.e. Lotus Sutra method) used across the world by enlightened
individuals when they teach and why 1fencius therefore described the
Greatness spiritual stage as the mind "shining forth with its fullness" that
transcends the subtle realm of eartl1-bound devas. This corresponds to a
Causal, Shen-based or 1W.antra deha body.

41
 WILLIAM BODRI

According to Vajrayana Buddhism, on the spiritual path your impure

illusory body (subtle or deva body) can generate from witl1in it a purified
illusory body, free from all gross matter and impurities, at this stage of
attainment that Mencius called Grandness. The Nath Yoga tradition calls it
a "body of vibrations" to refer to its composition of a higher form of
energy (Shen) than Qi. It is composed of an even more refined (higher)
form of energy or substance. Mencius said that to reach the stage of
Greatness and ilien transform it is to reach the stage of the sage, which is
the next stage of achievement.

The Sage

'w'hen ilie sensory reach of your mind becomes exceedingly large

(called "infinite without boundaries" although this is an exaggeration)
because you attain a Supra-Causal body, which is the next attainment level,
this is the enlightenment of an Arhat or Buddha. Wiili iliis body, composed
of Later Heavenly Qi, your mind-body vehicle is composed of a substance
that transcends all lower energies, including Qi and Shen, which is why it
can sense vibrations or perturbations wiiliin all the denser realms.
This is the capability of a Buddha, or we can say the "enlightenment"
of a Buddha. Mencius calls this stage of cultivation a "sage." It corresponds
to the Buddhist/Hindu enlightenment stage of realizing the clear light,
uncreated light, or clear aspect of ilie mind called pure consciousness.
Actually, what this really means is that your newest Supra-Causal body -
which is still attached to your previous Causal, subtle and human bodies - is
composed of a substance, essence or energy so pure that our only
comparison of its purity is to light.
Consciousness at this stage, as with all stages, is still dependent upon
the structure and functioning of your body vehicle since it is still an exact
replica of your physical body. Are you any wiser than a human at this stage
of attainment? You might be able to know more, but you still have ilie same
thinking processes and habits iliat you did prior to iliis attainment unless
you study more, work hard, undergo many experiences and keep perfecting
yourself and your abilities with these new bodies. Every new body is simply
a replica of your previous lower body with all of these bodies dependent
upon your original human body as ilie template, and thus your iliinking
processes stay ilie same with each new body. The only iliing that is different

42
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

are the new skills you gain with the new body, whose capabilities you must
learn to master.
Naturally each new body will have more capabilities and can
accumulate more experiences than the lower body it was generated from,
but the memories of the new body are not imprinted in the lower ones.
Furthermore, when a master is operating in the world while his higher body
is busy elsewhere in higher realms he will often seem as if not present, and
only when the higher bodies return to rest in his lowest physical shell will
he seem to make wiser decisions than when he/ she seems absent.

Divineness (Shen)

In progressing upwards, when an enlightened person's cultivation

level becomes so high that nobody knows how high it is, Confucianism
calls this the stage of being a "shen" (divine), which is equivalent to the
highest level of the Buddhist enlightenment bhumis. This stage of divineness
is akin to a fully enlightened Buddha of perfect and complete
enlightenment. This is the body of the Immanence attainment composed of
Primordial Heavenly Qi/ energy.
This is sometimes called the stage of "no mind and no body" where it
is said that one has become "oned" with the Ta!Ji', or Supreme Ultimate. At
this stage it is said that you become unknowable or unfathomable and thus
unpredictable, able to liberate beings all over the universe. Of course, this is
only a type of expedient teaching since there are higher body attainments
available still.
In terms of the path itself to enlightenment (becoming a sage),
Confucius did not describe the spiritual pathway as Mencius did, but simply
described the general cultivation path in terms of how you should practice
cultivating your mind and behavior, without which you cannot attain these
higher attainments, and what one should expect along the way.
In The Great Learning, Confucius explained that the whole purpose and
highest potential of human life was to engage in this "Great Leaming,"
whose highest stage of attainment makes us a cosmic being able to help
countless other beings in the universe. This is what Confucianism and the
other religions are really all about, but few people ever learn about these
esoteric details.

43
 CH.APTER 6:
CULTIVATING VIRTUE TO BRIGHTEN
ONE'S CHARACTER AND FORTUNE

Confucian cultivation emphasizes the practice of mindfulness, which

means watching your mind to know your thoughts clearly. You practice
mental watching so that you can cultivate a realm of mental purity.
I\,fental purity means two things: (a) achieving a higher degree of inner
mental quiet and clarity where you know your thoughts clearly (you know
what you are thinking rather than remain oblivious of the fact), and (b)
generating "higher thoughts" or "virtuous thoughts" that are more pure
because they rise above your baser instincts and urges. These two aspects of
mental purity are the basis of human ennoblement and higher spiritual
attainments.
Mastering our mental sphere and our behavior is what separates us
from animals whose consciousness focuses on eating to satisfy hunger,
drinking to satisfy thirst, copulating to satisfy carnal urges, and remaining
on constant fearful alert in order to avoid being eaten. Confucian
cultivation of our mind helps us avoid becoming bestial due to unchecked
passions, wishes and desires. It helps us transcend our lower nature and
become the higher possible person. What is this process of ennoblement? It
is using our rational mind of clarity to transcend and purify the irrational
parts of our consciousness that are the vestiges of our animal nature.
Mental purity and clarity - because they allow you to police your
thoughts, words and behavior - are exactly the very things that also enable
you to change your fortune to become better and eventually enter the realm

44
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

of the sages. Of course achieving the level of a "sage" or "worthy" requires

considerable individual effort past a rudimentary mastery of mindfulness.
Nevertheless, every sage starts upon the spiritual path of ennoblement and
transcendence by watching their thoughts so that they always know their
mind clearly, and through this activity the background noise in their mind
eventually dies down over time.
Knowing his thoughts and watching his behavior, a sage immediately
cuts off faults and errors whenever he notices them so as to always be
pursuing virtue and always be improving situations for the better. Those
who strive to become sages are those who wish to take human culture to
the highest levels of ennoblement. They work on becoming morally better
people, more careful in handing affairs, and more active in benefitting the
world around them so that people can attain a life of human flourishing.
You too are inherently a sage. You possess the inherent capability of a
sage, as do all human beings, and can bring out this potential through
Confucian training. The practices of meditation and mindfulness in daily
life to produce proper behavior are the tools that make this happen. When
your thoughts turn away from the low towards ennoblement, such as taking
a vow to improve the welfare of others, you have entered upon the path of
the sages. By cultivating altruistic virtuous behavior you make your life
meaningful. By no longer focusing solely on your self and your desires, you
become part of the great reset movement that is trying to renew the world.
The ennoblement of human beings as a group will only happen when
we all devote ourselves to higher thoughts and behavior that cultivate our
cooperative humanity to help society move forward. Intimately bound with
others, when we work to alleviate the sufferings of a group we also
eliminate our own burdens. And when everyone pursues altruistic actions to
help the greater whole they will build a culture that is maximally rewarding
in every direction.
Like Christianity, the Confucian way especially emphasizes the practice
of virtuous behavior for becoming a better human being. It also emphasizes
contributing to humanity or larger social groups in a way that will create
prosperity and harmoniousness. This type of activity feeds our higher
nature.
No animal in nature tries to improve itself or cooperatively sacrifices
itself for a group of others. However, the human drive for self-perfection
and altruistic action is the natural outcome of cultivating mental watching,

45
 WILLIAM BODRI

mental purity and a life of activity in tune with virtue and propriety. No
animal chooses to consciously change itself; only humans consciously
choose to improve themselves in a way they desire. Among other things,
what distinguishes us from animals is the ability to set upon a path of self­
improvement where an individual takes control of his life through
cultivation practice and tries to make of himself whatever he wills. An
individual lives his life in harmony with higher values he selects in order to
make something special of his life. You can become the possible person,
the ideal you have of your individual purpose.
Just as is transmitted in the Ten Commandments of Christianity or
emphasized in the Yamas and Nfyamas of Hindu Yoga, the task of
cultivating virtuous behavior is to be regarded as the core foundation of
human life because it creates higher human culture. Virtuous behavior,
including discipline of various types, is what elevates us above the vicious
kill-or-be-killed realm of animals where the powerful oppress the weak
without restraint. This is why ethical conduct is the foundational bedrock
for all the paths of religion.
Animals need strength and cunning to survive, but man can rise above
the realm of vicious creatures and their cruel tendency to kill one another.
He can make a conscious decision to rise above his animal nature despite
his biological instincts. For instance, this is why many religions espouse
temporary periods of fasting and celibacy, which teach men that they can
rise above their biological desires such as hunger and sexual gratification.
Men can be taught to rise above their lusts and passions - their animal
heritage - and become free of their lower nature. The goal of such practices
is to teach us that we can cultivate patience, self-discipline, forbearance and
transcendence. We can rise above our impulses even though they be strong,
and that we are more than the sum of our biological urges.
Man can transcend the natural tendency to selfishly satisfy desires by
cultivating self-discipline and virtue, which define what it means to be
human. Aristotle felt that happiness was a life of activity lived in accordance
with virtue, and this was a life lived meaningfully. Socrates taught the same
principle, and so did Jesus. Confucius also taught that a man must follow
the virtuous path at the cost of life itself. \Vhy do all religions share this
commonality?
Through his powers of consciousness and by virtue of positive
character traits, man can create civilization and culture. \Vith culture life is

46
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

no longer about survival alone but about meaning. With culture one can
find purposes within life. In the quest for meaning man creates society
based upon the principles of virtue. Culture is what enables us to rise above
bestiality, and culture is based upon communication, cooperation (where
you don't take your own desires as preeminent), discipline and virtue.
The Confucian way is the road of generating higher culture. The
method is to harmonize cooperative relationships between people and have
individuals start watching their thoughts, speech and behavior to rise above
motivations of greed, power, and selfishness. It involves teaching people to
take themselves out of egotism in order to benefit others. It is utopian
nonsense to believe that all people will do this or become this way.
However, the Confucian ideal is that teaching this path widely will lead to
many following its pathway of self-perfection.
The pathway of pursuing virtue is not an inner mental game that never
projects itself into the outer world. It involves interactions with others -
greater society - via actual deeds and relationships. It is a special emphasis
of Confucius that we try to act compassionately and harmonize our
cooperative interactions with other people. It is also a special emphasis that
as soon as you recognize that you are involved in errant behavior, especially
activity that might harm others, you should immediately stop doing it.
I\fencius explained, "Suppose there is a person who every day
appropriates one of his neighbor's chickens. Someone tells him, 'This is not
the \Vay of an exemplary individual.' He then says, '1fay I reduce it to
appropriating one chicken every month and wait until next year to stop?' If
one knows that it is not righteous, then one should quickly stop."
Putting it frankly, whenever you know that your behavior is wrong then
you must stop at that point. You stop when you recognize that you are in
the wrong. Isn't this what we normally demand of others? Isn't this what
we try to teach our children?
Confucius and Mencius both emphasized that human beings be
straightforward, honest and sincere. They insisted that people show
consideration for others and practice benevolence (consummate conduct)
by engaging in ethical, moral, virtuous, proper, righteous behavior. This is
the pathway to becoming a true human being because you are following
your greater self rather than lesser self. You are putting aside your
animalistic tendencies and rising above them through ennoblement.
The Great Learning required of life is the challenge to rise above the

47
 WILLIAM BODRI

attitudes, thoughts and instincts that might impel you to choose a lower
pathway of behavior in each and every situation you encounter, and
choosing the highest effective pathway instead. This is spiritualizing your
behavior. This is the pathway of the sage.
The basic form of Confucian self-correction is called cessation­
observation practice or mindfulness, which entails watching your mind.
This is the most basic of spiritual practices commonly found across the
world's religions. At the very minimum it will help you to become a better
human being. At a higher level of expertise it \Vill help you change your
fortune, and with even more skillfulness this behavior will improve your
health and even your longevity. At its apex of mastery it \Vill lead you to
becoming a sage and teacher of mankind. Simply observe your mind,
discover what thoughts lead you to a fuller, better, higher or more
meaningful life, and follow those ideas rather than weld yourself to a lower
state of beingness and behavior.
Both Confucius and Socrates said that even if you face poverty or death
you must always choose the pathway of spiritual ennoblement. You must
do what is right even at the cost of your life. For instance, when ordered to
arrest a man named Leon from Salamis so that he could be unjustly
executed, Socrates returned to his home refusing to do so even though he
knew it probably meant his own death. Socrates knew what he was told to
do was wrong and so he refused to follow those instructions.
The basic methodology of spiritualization, self-improvement or self­
correction to be practiced by everyone - including the highest emperor and
most humble commoner - entails always observing, witnessing, observing
or knowing your thoughts like a third person observer who sees them as
objects appearing in the mind that might have to be corrected. You must
train to be an observer of your thoughts and actions and clearly know what
is happening inside and outside your mind. \Vhen you see your thoughts or
behavior moving in the wrong direction, when you know something is
wrong, then when this comes to your attention you must pull yourself back
onto the proper path.
Thoughts are just experiences in your head rather than absolute
realities. They are just representations of the world and situations that are
sometimes falsities or illusions. In just being ideas they are not commands
you need always follow. They are just guesses as to what is going on. They
are the objects or products of consciousness, which is our miraculous

48
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

blessing of cognizance, and being such we need to learn what to do with

them. It is which thoughts you choose to follow and how you respond to
them that matters most in life.
Rather than worship, "knowing your mind" is the basis of the most
effective forms of spiritual practice across the world yet no one tells you
this. You are the one who has to become spiritualized, and self-cultivation
of your thoughts and behavior is the means to do so. Purifying your mind
because of correcting your thoughts is a higher spiritual method than any
act of worship.
How are we to practice this correctly so that we get better at it and the
results permanently penetrate through to regular life? How are we to engage
upon the path of mental purification, which means spiritual purification, so
that we are permanently better human beings?
Thoughts operate on their own, arising when you need them according
to circumstances, and they depart when no longer needed. They are
generated automatically by the mind because this is the nature of
consciousness, and the rule of consciousness is that the flow of automatic
thoughts cannot be stopped. For instance, when you concentrate on some
task at hand you always develop the thoughts you need. They are generated
as you need them.
This ability to form the right thoughts is just a natural capability of the
mind. \Xlhen you don't need to concentrate on a topic anymore then those
thoughts will naturally leave you and your mind will start wandering in
distractedness once again, moving from one thing to another looking for
involvement while being jostled by external stimuli. Since thought
generation never stops, the question for us then becomes how to deal with
them properly, yet no one teaches us any principles about this in our
educational systems.
Here is the solution. A man of cultivation trains to become master of
his mind. He trains to master all the functions of his mind, including the
automatic functions of unwanted thoughts that may plague him. He trains
to control his attitude. He learns how to master his powers of focus and
concentration, his thought generation and selection process, and how to
deal with mental afflictions and distractions that naturally arise. As the great
philosopher \'Villiam James said, "The greatest discovery of my generation is
that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes." A man learns
to do this by developing control over his mind.

49
 WILLIAM BODRI

Mastering the mind starts ·with awareness, which is to know the

contents of one's mind (one's thoughts). \v'ith awareness, by steps one
learns concentration and how to ign ore or decrease unhelpful thoughts and
distractions that automatically arise. One also learns how to give rise to,
select or manipulate thoughts as needed.
We can choose to become one of two types of human beings. \v'e can
(1) strive to always be in a clear state of knowing concentration wherein we
know the thoughts flowing through our minds. Or, (2) we can choose to
remain an individual who easily becomes distracted or agitated and thus
entangled in thoughts or a loser of mental clarity. If you don't cultivate then
wandering thoughts and desires will predominate in your mind, obscure
your present purpose and make you their prisoner.
The pathway of the clear mind that knows its contents develops a
higher vantage point of dispassionate wisdom while the distracted,
undisciplined mind remains mired in a reahn of unclearness that easily leads
to harm, wrongdoing or animalistic tendencies.
Sloppy mental habits can entangle us in clinging to our thoughts so that
we lose an independent perspective, and this loss can lead to wrong
decisions. \v'e must learn how to properly discriminate between right and
wrong, and further recogn ize that our thoughts are not absolutes. They do
not necessarily embody an accurate take on reality but are just potential
guidelines for opinions and behaviors.
Our educational systems do not teach us about these facts and our
religions do not teach us about this either. Thoughts are just conditional
events that arise in the mind in response to circumstances, and their
automatic construction is based on everything we have ever previously
experienced that has become a memory. For life we need to learn how to
deal with whatever thoughts that arise within us. \v'e need to learn how to
think accurately and usefully as well as focus on those thoughts that move
us in positive directions without getting caught up in negativity. In fact, we
need to learn how to silence or disempower the negative thought afflictions
that accost us. One can call the mastery of these wanted mental skills the
pursuit or cultivation of wisdom.
The Confucian way to do this is to work on polishing your mind and
behavior. To elevate your behavior you are to watch your internal mental
tableau and then cut off errant thoughts along with the wrong words or
behaviors they lead to, while remaining natural all the while. In essence you

50
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

self-edit or self-correct your thoughts and behavior, and you uplift them
both by watching your thoughts and elevating them whenever appropriate.
The proper Confucian way is not to become overly rigid, inflexible,
sclerotic or ossified about your thoughts and behavior such that rigid rules
are established and you lose all adaptability. The proper way does not
involve creating a society so rigidly bound by rules - such as seen with the
Amish or Orthodox Jewish communities - that people find their culture
claustrophobic and oppressive.
In China's past many people made this mistake because they
interpreted Confucius incorrectly, creating rigid rules of conduct and
teaching that one must never deviate from tradition. In China this
ossification destroyed the proper interpretation of Confucius's teachings.
As another warning, ancient Sparta was also destroyed due to a rigid
adherence to ancient custom and time-sanctified tradition, which also
prevented it from becoming an empire or anything spectacular in fields like
philosophy, art or wealth. That adherence prevented her from adapting
herself to new ways when necessary and so in defending the old without
flexibility, adaptability and the willingness to change she eventually
perished.
If you don't feed errant thoughts and desires with energy but abstain
from fusing with them they will eventually leave your mind and your mental
realm will gradually calm down. This is one way of dealing with thought
deviants, and is why you can find inner calm and serenity through the
practice of sitting meditation. :tvfeditation teaches a detachment you can
carry into the regular world after you practice long enough to develop this
skill. \'vith calmness and clarity as your belt you can more easily choose to
follow your highest nature, which is the highest of human achievements.
In case you are wondering, this is the actual spiritual pathway of
ennoblement, spiritualization and divinization! It all has to do with
perfecting your mind and behavior, but the pathway requires practice and
effort. Spiritualization doesn't just happen. It requires self-work. You
become more refined by gradually eliminating the faults and flaws you
discover in yourself. You can only become an exemplary person, and then
sage, by slowly stripping yourself of flawed ways you have picked up and
practiced so many years.
\'('hen you cannot detach from thoughts that seem to impel you with
pressure so that you often succumb to bad behavior, you might also try the

51
 WILLIAM BODRI

strategy of distraction to occupy your mind with other activities in order to

break any hold that negative thoughts, impulses or desires might have on
you. \Vb.en you can finally learn how to detach from thoughts then your
mind will gradually become more quiet and it will enter into a degree of
"cessation." Mental independence from getting caught up in your thoughts
is what leads to better decisions and better behavior.
As Vedanta says, "If you have no connection with the mind flow, you
are out of it. You are apart from it." You must therefore come to recognize
that thoughts are just words and pictures that flow through your mind
automatically and not the real world. By recognizing them as just objects of
experience and by remaining independent from them you can create
distance from them, and with distance you won't follow them automatically.
If you did act upon every thought, urge or emotion that ever appeared in
your brain then you would probably be in jail, wouldn't you? Obviously you
need some way to censor them, change them, or detach from those that are
inappropriate but won't leave and continue to impel you.
Therefore, you first need awareness to be able to stand back like an
independent observer and recognize your thoughts and emotions that are to
be ignored since they don't move you in the direction you want to go. This
requires a higher independent wisdom of viewing and understanding your
thoughts and emotions.
Next you need to learn how to defuse from those recurrent thoughts
when they give you pressure so that they are just mental events that come
and go rather than pressured commands that control you. You have to
cultivate the power to override errant desires, impulses, habits or emotions.
Part of that ability comes from the detachment you cultivate via the
Confucian way, which is designed to help you purify your mental reahn and
behavior. This is a non-denominational pathway to cultivating the purity of
ennoblement.
The result from doing this in life is the development of a pure mind
that is awake, aware, open, balanced and bright. The mind is never to be
suppressed (you must always allow your thoughts to arise) but must be
tamed in the sense that we need to learn how to use it rightly. It should
always remain open and free so that it clearly sees and knows the thoughts
within it. Through meditation and mindfulness practice it can become like a
clear mirror that reflects thoughts and images clearly but does not stick to
them at all.

52
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

You should not overly play with negative thoughts when they arise
within your mind so that you become stickily entangled with them. A
healthy mind either leaves them alone, cuts them off using various skillful
means or switches topics to concentrate on something else. As a result of
mastering such skills unwanted thoughts will leave your mental realm and
stop bothering you. Hence the name of this practice is cessation (thoughts
stop or errant behavior ceases) and observation (you witness/watch your
thoughts). You cease or stop errant thoughts through observation. By
witnessing them without getting snarled inside their complex you can resist
getting pulled into their nonsense and they will ultimately leave.
In addition to Confucius, the Christian monk St. Augustine also
emphasized this form of mental practice as the road to help you purify your
mind and transform your behavior. Only if you watch yourself can you
tame yourself, otherwise you won't ever be cognizant of what you are really
doing.
Christianity often talks about how man may become God, and this
method is the technique of spiritualization or divinization. It is the way to
pursue mental and behavioral purification. This is why Confucianism,
although free of religious connotations and overtones, is often considered a
spiritual path for it is also a pathway to the same type of divine perfection -
purity in mind and behavior. The Confucian way involves reflection,
contemplation, a consistent effort for self-improvement and a devoted
participation in society for society.
One of the most famous practitioners of the Confucian way was Yuan
Liao Fan, whose Ming dynasty story can be found in Llao 1-'an's Four Lessons.
The lessons in Liao 1-'an's Four Lessons on how to change your thoughts,
personality, and fated destiny have been so popular that countless copycat
versions have appeared over the centuries to promote its teachings. I highly
recommend that you read it and also give it to your children to study.
As the story goes, in order to purify his mind and behavior and change
his fated fortune, Liao Fan created a ledger of daily merits and demerits that
he would constantly update from observing his mind and behavior. This is
similar to the practice of various Christian nuns who would attach a small
booklet around their waists within which they were to record any improper
thoughts they had throughout the day in order to help them eliminate their
character faults. Throughout his day Liao Fan similarly practiced
mindfulness to watch his mind in order to cut off bad thoughts, create good

53
 WILLIAM BODRI

thoughts in their place, practice good deeds and stop performing bad
actions.
As the great Confucian \Vang Yang-11ing said, "This effort must be
carried out continuously. Like eradicating robbers and thieves, one must
resolve to wipe them out completely. In idle moments one must search out
and discover each and every selfish thought for sex, wealth, fame and the
rest. One must resolve to pluck out and cast away the root of the sickness,
so that it can never arise again. Only then may one begin to feel at ease.
One must, at all times, be like a cat catching mice -with eyes intently
watching and ears intently listening. As soon as a single [selfish] thought
begins to stir, one must conquer it and cast it out. Act as if you were cutting
a nail in two or slicing through iron. Do not indulge or accommodate it in
any way. Do not harbor it, and do not allow it to escape."2
Remember that if thoughts will not move you in a proper direction
then you must abandon them for better ones. First you have to watch your
thoughts to note when they go astray, and then you have to cut off any
negative inclinations while replacing them with positive ones. This is how
you become a better person, or how you become "better than your
(current) self."
Liao Fan, being taught by his teacher, used a unique form of moral
arithmetic to help him eliminate bad thoughts and behavior over time. He
would watch his mind throughout the day, and at the end of the day kept a
journal ledger which recorded a net running sum where one bad thought or
bad deed cancelled out one good thought or good deed. Every evening Liao
Fan would record his efforts at self-perfection by tallying such results, and
then offered the net report to Heaven to show his efforts and progress. At
that time he would reflect upon what had happened during the day to help
strengthen his truthfulness, sincerity and desire for transforming himself.
His method is similar to the famous practice of the saintly King
Kulashekhara of Southern India, who did not consider his kingdom his
own but would submit at the end of each working day a report of his court
activities to Heaven. Considering himself as a caretaker of the kingdom, he
also practiced this mindful self-perfection throughout the day in the service
to his country.
The great Chinese emperor Tang Taizong practiced self-perfection a

2
Philip Ivanhoe, Confucian Moral Se!f Ctr!tivatio11 (Hackett Publishing Company, Indianapolis:
Illinois, 2000), p. 67.

54
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

different way by encouraging officials to speak up against his faults and

errors so that their remonstrance could serve as a mirror for self-correction.
He knew that power corrupts, so rather than surround himself \Vi.th yes
men he used the judgment of his officials to help keep him away from great
error.
This is, by the way, why all modern governments need a free press (the
Fourth Estate) to report on their wrongdoings and keep them in line for the
public good. A free press insures that a government acts in fairness to its
own people. By establishing a transparency where the governed know what
their government is doing, it becomes a vehicle that can reduce corruption
and correct those in power.
In his autobiography, Liao Fan said that he made a vow to Heaven to
perform a certain number of good deeds in order that Heaven might help
him change his fated destiny as once foretold to him by an infallible fortune
teller. He finally did change his fate because of this daily ledger practice,
which helped him avoid the errors that were producing his bad fortune.
Liao Fan's basic formula3 was to practice Confucian awareness­
mindfulness, mantra (asking Heaven for assistance) and merit-making
(doing good deeds for others while stopping bad thoughts and deeds) in
order to "accumulate the merit" necessary to change his fated destiny. It is
said that success in life arises out of the steady accumulation of advantages,
but we can also say that your fortune results from the steady accumulation
of merit. Liao Fan tried to accumulate a great stock of merit so that he
could change his fortune for the better, and mental introspection while
pushing himself to do good deeds was the way he chose to do so.
\Vhat is merit? I'v1erit is a type of spiritual and material wealth of good
fortune you accumulate by doing altruistic deeds on behalf of others so that
they benefit. It is a stock of positive karma then owed to you because of
doing such good deeds. \v'hile Buddhists, Jains, Hindus, Taoists and many
other groups believe in karma, so do Confucians because of the teachings
,vithin the l ("Those who accumulate good deeds will certainly
7fjing

experience an excess of blessings, while those who accumulate bad deeds

will experience excess of calamity"). Confucians feel that a family which
performs good deeds will accumulate merit and this will, in turn, create for
it a better and more prosperous future. This is the concept of karma.

3Detailed in Move Forward: Powe,f11! Strategiesfor Creating Better 011tcomes i11 Llfe and Q11ick, Fast,
Do11e.

55
 WILLIAM BODRI

l\fany Christians, as another instance, also firmly believe that doing

good deeds will win you a place in Heaven, which is basically the principle
of karma again. The idea of karma is that doing good deeds will win you
wholesome rewards and doing bad deeds will produce an unfortunate
future. Some people perform good deeds just because they like doing good
deeds, some because they were taught to do good deeds, and some for the
additional desire to accumulate merit for its rewards.
Liao Fan classified doing good deeds as cultivating love and respect for
other people, loving and cherishing all beings, helping people in desperate
need, donating money to good causes, developing public projects for the
benefit of the people, helping people succeed in their endeavors, supporting
the practice of kindness, persuading others to practice kindness, protecting
proper teachings, and respecting elders. These are just a few examples of
the many ways in which we might help others and accumulate merit. As
Confucius taught, self-cultivation has the ultimate purpose of finding its
expression through active helpful participation in the world like this, and
that active engagement was to embody a moral commitment to benefiting
others through such methods.
Liao Fan's means of Confucian cultivation - his formula for
transforming his karmic fate and destiny as told to him from the fortune
teller - were taught to him by Zen Master Yungu and left for us in Liao
Fan '.r Four Lessons. The whole reason his story came about is because Liao
Fan had come to believe that his astrological fortune and destiny for life
was absolutely fated. He believed this because it had consistently been
predicted with impossible exactitude. No tiny detail of his fate, however
improbable the prediction, had ever failed to come true. This included
unpredictable things such as even the amount of his salary at various points
in his career, his job positions and city postings, and his rank in passing
each of several important imperial examinations. Among the predictions for
his life, the infallible fortune telling Taoist monk, named Kong, had
foretold that Liao Fan would only live to age 53 and never have a son.
These are the two events that Liao Fan wanted to change most of all.
Master Yungu met Liao Fan after many incredible predictions had
already come true, and taught him how to reform his behavior and change
his character so that he could create a new destiny. Master Yungu explained
the Confucian teaching that the Book ofSongs and Classic oJHistoty both say
that a man determines his fate himself and secures good or bad fortune by

56
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

his own doing. However, while we all create our individual fate from our
past actions we then certainly have the ability to change it.
The lesson you will learn from Liao Fan's story is that you must never
depend on good fortune arriving from Heaven but must work to create fate
yourself, for that is the true pathway of success. \Xlhen a person's good
deeds are incredibly numerous they can truthfully change a destiny from
bad to good. They can change suffering to happiness or poverty to
prosperity. You can even change the fate of a very short life to experiencing
longevity by virtue of doing the right things. But you still have to work at it.
Master Yungu explained to Liao Fan that each man was indeed allotted
a given fate or astrological destiny at birth that would determine specific
karmic outcomes for his life. This was perfectly true, which is why methods
such as astrology work wonderfully when practiced by a skillful master.
However, through vigorous action - whether through good or bad deeds -
a man can change his allotment of good or bad fortune that is due to
transpire in life. This is why both the Chinese and Indian cultures have both
methods for predicting fate and remedial measures for bad karma,
otherwise what would be the point of predicting fate if it could not be
changed?
Master Yungu explained that a man who automatically followed his
thoughts, binding to them strongly rather than defusing from them in order
to follow higher and better principles, follows the fixed path that is fated to
occur due to his own rigidity. This type of individual, who binds with the
tl1oughts that create his future, becomes unable to transcend his destiny to
create a new fortune.
How do you transcend destiny? As Master Yungu explained, you must
detach from the thoughts, desires, attitudes, emotions, impulses and
inclinations that would normally control you and impel you down a fated
pathway. The autobiographical story of Liao Fan explains how to do so.
1bis story, taken from Liao Fan's Four Lessons, fully illustrates the Confucian
way of spirituality, ennoblement and changing a fated destiny:

Master Yungu asked what were :Mr. Kong's predictions

regarding my entire life. I honestly told him the whole story (that
I would only receive certain imperial appointments, die at a
young age and never have a son). He then asked if I felt that I
deserve imperial appointments or a son. I reflected upon my

57
 WILLIAM BODRI

previous deeds and attitudes in the past for a long time. Then I
answered him saying, "No, I do not feel that I deserve an
imperial appointment or a son. Those who received imperial
appointments all had the appearance of good fortune and I do
not. I do not work towards accumulating virtues to build up my
good fortune either. I am very impatient, intolerant,
undisciplined and narrow-minded. I also have a strong sense of
pride and arrogance and sometimes show off my intelligence and
talent in putting down others. I also behave arbitrarily and speak
without any sense of restraint. These are all sign s of scant good
fortune and virtue. How could I possibly receive an imperial
appointment?"
There is an old saying, "Life springs from the dirt of the
earth. Clear water often harbors no fish." The first reason why I
feel I do not deserve a son is that I am overly attached to
cleanliness, resulting in the lack of thoughtfulness for others. The
second reason is that I have a quick temper and easily become
angry. The third reason is based on the principle that I overly
guard my own reputation and cannot sacrifice anything for the
sake of others. The fourth reason is that I talk too much which
wastes a lot of Qi, or energy. The fifth reason is that I also
delight in drinking alcohol and that depletes my spirit. The sixth
reason I do not have a son is my habit of staying up nights, not
knowing how to conserve my energy. Aside from these, I have
many, many, other faults which are too numerous to mention.
Master Yungu then said, "According to you then, there are
many things in life you do not deserve, not only fame and a son!
Those who have millions of dollars in this life must have
cultivated the good fortune worthy of that amount in the past.
Those who have thousands of dollars must also have good
fortune, which is worthy of generating that sum. Those, who die
of starvation were in fact were meant to die in that manner. We
must understand that their own past thoughts and actions
created the fate of these people; the karmic result today is simply
the fruit of their deeds. Heavenly beings do not have any
intentions for us.
"Bearing children is similar to bearing fruit from seeds. If the

58
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

seeds are planted well, the fruits will flourish. If the seeds are not
planted well, then the fruits will become malnourished. For
example, if a person has accumulated enough merits and virtues
for a hundred generations, then he or she will have descendants
to last a hundred generations. One who accumulates enough
merits and virtues to last ten generations will then have ten
generations of descendants to live out that good fortune. The
same goes for three generations or two generations. For those
who have no descendants at all, it is because they have not
accumulated enough good merits and virtues.
"Now that you recognize your own shortcomings, you need
to put forth your utmost efforts into working to change and into
reforming your misdeeds, which cause you not to have a child or
become an imperial official. You would do well to cultivate virtue
and tolerance and to treat others with compassion and harmony.
Also, care for your health and conserve your energy and spirit.
"Live as though everything of the past dissolved yesterday
and all of the future begins today. If you can accomplish this,
then you are a person born anew, a person of virtue and
sincerity. If even our body is governed by destiny, then how can
a body of virtue and sincerity not evoke a response from
Heaven?
"As is said in the 'Tai Jia Chapter' of the Classic ef History,
'One may run away from the decrees of Heaven, but one can
never escape the retribution for one's own wrong deeds.' In
other words, one can alter the retribution due from past deeds,
but if one continues to behave immorally, then there is no
chance of avoiding disaster.
"It is also said in the Book ef Songs, 'People should often
reflect upon their own thoughts and actions to see if they accord
with the ways of Heaven. If one practices in this way, then good
fortune will come without being sought. The choice to seek good
fortune or to bring about adversity is all up to the indiYidual.'
"1/[r. Kong had predicted that you would not receiYe an
imperial appointment or have a son. We can think of these as the
decrees of Heaven, but even that can still be changed. You only
need to develop your virtue, diligently try to practice kind deeds

59
 WILLIAM BODRI

and work to accumulate many hidden merits and virtues. These

are your own transactions to create good fortune. How is it then
possible that you will not get to enjoy them?
"The Yjjing was written to help people bring about good
fortune and avoid adversity. If everything is predestined with no
room for change, then how can we improve upon our good
fortune and avoid adversity? The very first chapter of the Y!Jing
also said, 'Families who often perform kind deeds will have an
excess of good fortune to pass on to the next generations.' Do
you believe this?"
I replied ''Yes."
I understood and believed the Master and gratefully paid my
respects to him by prostrating. Then I began to regret all my past
wrongdoings, whether large or small, in front of the Buddha's
image. I wrote down my wish to pass the imperial examinations
and vowed to complete three thousand meritorious deeds to
show my gratitude towards ancestors, earth and Heaven.
Upon hearing my vow, Master Yungu showed me a merit­
fault chart and taught me how to keep a daily record of all the
kind and unkind acts I committed in a day. He told me that bad
deeds could neutralize the merits I had accrued from good deeds.
The Master also taught me to recite the Zhunti mantra. Only
,vith a pure and concentrated mind could what I seek for come
true.
Master Yungu explained, "It is said, 'Those who are
considered experts in the art of drawing talismans but do not
know the right way to do it will be laughed at by spirits and
gods.' The secret behind writing a talisman is the absence of
thoughts from start to fmish. In the process of drawing, one
must not give rise to a single wandering thought; even kind
thoughts have to be let go of. Only under these circumstances
can drawing a talisman be successful. %en one asks for or seeks
something in terms of changing one's fate, it is important that
one does so with a mind that is clear and empty. In this way, one
will easily receive a response.
"l\1encius discussed in his 'Principle of Forming Destiny'
that, 'There is no difference between a long life and a short life.'

60
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

At first glance, one would find this hard to understand. How can
long life and short life be the same? In fact, when we do not give
rise to thought there is no duality, so there is no difference
between a long life and short life. \'(!e will see everything with
eyes of equality and live morally regardless of good or bad times.
If one can practice accordingly, then one can master the fate of
wealth and poverty. \Vhen we are able to create and form our
own destiny, it does not matter whether we are presently rich or
poor."
Master Yungu said, "If one can practice morality regardless
of conditions, then he or she will surely change a poor life into a
prosperous one, and a prosperous life into an even longer lasting
prosperity.
"One should also look upon long life and short life equally.
A person who knows he or she is short-lived should not think, 'I
am going to die anyway, so there is no point in being virtuous. I
should steal and kill for my benefit while I can.' One who is long­
lived should not think, 'I have all the time in the world. It does
not matter if I do something bad once in while.' One who
understands this principle will be able to change a short life into
a long life through virtuous behavior.
"The most important concern for human beings is that of
life and death. So talking about long life and short life (since this
is the matter of life and death) encompasses all conditions that
apply to wealth and poverty, good or bad reputation, whether
favorable or unfavorable, whether gain or loss.
"One who wishes to cultivate needs to do so daily and to be
mindful of his or her conduct every moment, ensuring that no
transgressions are made. \Ve have to wait until our cultivation
reaches a certain level and then our destiny will change. This
change depends on the accumulation of merits, and on seeking a
response from Heaven. \Vhen cultivating, one needs to be aware
of one's own faults and resolve to correct them just as in curing a
sickness.
"Perseverance is required and attainment comes when one's
practice matures and ripens. In that case, one's destiny will most
definitely change for the better. �'e should work toward severing

61
 WILLIAM BODRI

all bad habits and thoughts. It would be quite an accomplishment

in cultivating these teachings to be able to reach the innate state
of 'no thought.' It is the actual learning and practice of wisdom.
"The actions of worldly people usually follow their
thoughts. \Vhatever has to be 'thought' is not considered natural.
I know that you are still unable to accomplish the state of 'no
thought,' but if you practice reciting the Zhunti mantra
continuously, it will help you to overcome scattered thoughts.
\Vhen you recite, you must not think of reciting, but recite
consciously and diligently ·without any attachment. W'hen the
reciting becomes second nature, it will be effective."
Liao-Fan said, "My name used to be Xue-Hai, which meant
'broad learning,' but after receiving these teachings from ]\faster
Yungu, I changed it to Liao-Fan, which means 'transcending the
ordinary.' It signified my understanding of the fact that we create
our destiny and that I did not wish to be like worldly people, who
allowed destiny to control them."
From then on, I began to be very cautious and careful in
whatever I thought or did. Soon I felt quite different from
before. In the past, I used to be careless and lived my days in
distraction and had no self-discipline at all. Now, I found myself
being naturally cautious and conscientious in my thoughts,
speech and actions. I maintain this attitude even when I am
alone, for I know that there are spirits and gods everywhere who
can see my every action and thought. Even when I encounter
people, who dislike or slander me, I can take their insults with a
patient and peaceful mind and not feel compelled to quarrel with
them.
The year after I met Master Yungu, I took the preliminary
imperial exam in which l\,1r. Kong had predicted I would come in
third place. Amazingly, I came in first! Mr. Kong's predictions
were beginning to lose their accuracy. He had not predicted I
would pass the imperial exam at all, but that autumn, I did! None
of these were part of my original destiny. Master Yungu had said
that destiny can be changed. And now I believe it more than
ever! Although I had corrected many of my faults, I found that I
could not wholeheartedly do the things I ought to do. Even if I

62
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

did do them, it was forced and unnatural. I reflected within and

found that I still had many shortcomings.
Sometimes I forced myself to act kindly, but my speech was
still untamed and offensive. I found I could contain myself when
sober, but after a few drinks I would lose self-discipline and act
without restraint. Although I often practiced kind deeds and
accumulated merits, my faults and offenses were so numerous,
they seemed to outnumber my good deeds. A lot of my time was
spent vainly and without value. It took me more than ten years to
complete the three thousand meritorious deeds I had vowed to
do.
I was not able to dedicate the merits from these three
thousand kind deeds at a temple until I returned to my
hometown in the south a few years later. Then I made my second
wish and that was for a son. I vowed to complete another three
thousand good deeds. A few years later, your mother gave birth
to a boy and named him Tian-Chi.
Every time I performed a kind deed, I would record it in a
book. Your mother, who could not read or write, would use a
goose feather dipped in ink and make a red circle on the calendar
for every kind deed she did. Sometimes she gave food to the
poor or bought living creatures from the marketplace to free in
the wild. She recorded all of these with her circles on the
calendar. At times, she could accumulate more than ten red
circles in one day!
Everyday we practiced like this and in four years, the three
thousand deeds were completed. Again, I made the dedications,
this time in our home. On September thirteenth of that same
year, I made my third wish and that was to pass the next le,·el of
the imperial examination, the Jinshr level. I also vowed to
complete ten thousand meritorious deeds. After three years, I
attained my wish and passed the Jinshr level. I was also made the
mayor of Baodi province. \Vhile in that office, I prepared a small
book to record my merits and faults, and called it "The Book of
Disciplining the :tvlind."
From that day, I recorded all my good and bad deeds in that
book and kept it on my desk. Every evening, I would burn

63
 WILLIAM BODRI

incense and make a report of my deeds to the heavens at the little

altar in the garden. 4

This, in short, is the method that Liao Fan used to purify his mind,
upgrade his behavior and thereby change his fortune. He transcended his
fate by accumulating merit through reducing his faults that were leading
him astray. By policing his mind and behavior he was able to create a new
fate that was much better, but all of this took time and effort. If you want
to change your fate and fortune, you must accept the fact that it will require
a continuous push toward self-improvement, and then get on with it.
All achievement, whether to achieve a success in life already fated or to
achieve a success in defiance of fate, requires effort. This means a gritty
perseverance or "never give up" attitude of pursuit and endurance. In the
case of mentally watching ourselves we can say that vigilance has its limits
because attention grows tired and mental guards go down, so Liao Fan
created a ledger recording system for his efforts to help catch himself in any
acts of wrongdoing and keep himself on track.

Benjamin Franklin

The American hero Benjamin Franklin also practiced a similar form of

Confucian introspection in order to eliminate his character flaws and take
on the task of cultivating virtue. Franklin was a man who rose from
nothing, who gained no advantages from parentage or patronage and who
enjoyed no advantages of an early education, but became one of the
greatest Americans of achievement known to history. He credited a
particular method of self-observation with helping him build his character.
He used it to develop a garden of virtues and excellences that made him
both more effective in life and endearing to others, and this helped him
achieve much of his success and happiness in life.
Franklin explained in his autobiography that on a daily basis, just like
Liao Fan, he would mentally watch his own behavior and police himself
against committing thirteen different types of non-virtuous acts. His
method can also easily be emulated by any individual who wishes to change
their thoughts, attitudes, habits, character, personality or behaviors.
Either method, or some new method constructed from their

4 Liao-Fan Yuan, Lao-Fan's FourLcsso11s (Buddha Dharma Education J.ssociation, Taiwan).

64
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

similarities, can be used by anyone who wishes to pursue a pathway of great

accomplishment or self-perfection. Since they are similar to sports training
techniques, you can also vary these basic methods in various ways to create
your own technique for self-perfection or self-accomplishment. First you
must decide upon an ideal you want to strive for, and then you can use
some version of these techniques to get there from here.
The specialness of Franklin's method was that he chose to focus on
mastering only one virtue per week - either temperance ("eat not to
dullness, drink not to elevation"), silence ("speak not but what may benefit
others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation"), order ("let all your things
have their places"), resolution ("resolve to perform what you ought;
perform without fail what you resolve"), frugality ("waste nothing"),
industry ("lose not time; be always employed in something useful"),
sincerity ("use no hurtful deceit"), justice ("wrong none by doing injuries"),
moderation ("avoid extremes"), cleanliness ("tolerate no uncleanness in
body, clothes or habituation"), tranquility ("be not disturbed at trifles, or at
accidents common or unavoidable"), chastity ("rarely use sex but for health
or offspring, never to the injury of your own or another's peace or
reputation") and humility ("imitate Jesus and Socrates"). \Vhile Liao Fan
was looking to decrease every type of fault at once, Franklin chose to
concentrate on eliminating just one type of fault per week.
The number of virtues one might cultivate is always a personal mater,
but in Ana/eds 17.6 Confucius suggested that humans focus on cultivating
five traits of character: "People who can put into practice five things in the
broader world can be considered consummate in their conduct." \Vhen his
student Zigong asked what were the five, Confucius answered
respectfulness, magnanimity (so that you can influence others), being true
to one's word (so that others can depend on you), a nimble mind (which
allows you to succeed) and generosity.
Christianity suggests seven virtues - chastity or purity (abstinence),
temperance (equanimity), charity (benevolence, generosity or sacrifice),
diligence or persistence, patience (forgiveness or mercy), kindness
(compassion), and humility or modesty. Buddhism espouses ten -
generosity, morality, renunciation, wisdom, diligent effort, tolerance or
patience, honesty, resolute determination, loving-kindness or goodwill
friendliness, and serenity. Other religions propose other cardinal virtues to
cultivate, so what you decide to work upon if you choose this method

65
 WILLIAM BODRI

should depend upon your own faults and higher objectives.

Franklin wrote in his autobiography, "I judg'd it would be well not to
distract my attention by attempting (to perfect) the whole at once, but to fix
it on one of them at a time." Accordingly, for an entire week he paid very
strong attention to cutting down any offenses against a single chosen virtue
while allowing a normal (but somewhat elevated) attitude to infractions
against the other virtues he had also wanted to perfect. Unlike Liao Fan
who monitored everything evenly, Franklin considered himself a gardener
who was removing weeds from one of thirteen flower beds at a time, and
who was scheduled to return to repeat the course again after twelve weeks
with each time pass expecting to find fewer weeds amidst the flowers.
Weeding out his faults in this way may seem like a trivial affair not worth
the effort, but perfecting the mundane details of life and conduct are what
contribute significantly to the formation of one's character.
The inherent idea behind Franklin's technique, or Liao Fan's
methodology for self-change and merit accumulation, was that you have to
become conscious of yourself, watch your mind, and give self-policing your
full attention if you want to truly change in any way. Just saying you want to
change is not enough. The results of this process will not necessarily be
quick, but in time with its application there will definitely be more clarity in
your thinking and purity in your behavior. By restricting your focus and
attention to improving just one aspect of your character per week you are
more likely to be successful at achieving positive results in behavioral
change.
Franklin's method mirrors modern psychological findings that those
who try to make big changes in their life usually fail if they try to do too
much at once. People normally must scale down big desires to focus on
smaller objectives that are achievable. To become successful at character
development, you have to recognize that becoming a better person is a
gradual process of moral development that heavily depends on a steady
accumulation of simple acts rather than a grand burst of goodness.
Franklin admittedly wrote that by initially trying to monitor and change
all his faults at once, ''\'v'hile my care was employ'd in guarding against one
fault, I was often surprised by another. Habit took the advantage of
inattention; inclination was sometimes too strong for reason." This is why
he developed a gradual course to virtue that was divided into thirteen weeks
with a special emphasis on just one virtue every seven days.

66
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

Consider that those people who want to simultaneously quit smoking,

drinking, substance abuse or overeating usuallyfazl at all of them because they
place too many simultaneous demands on their self-control. Willpower then
fails them, as does their commitment to attentive watching and
concentration. Only when they reduce their consumption a little at a time
do they usually succeed, as Franklin suggested.
Liao Fan treated all his misconduct equally, but Franklin's efforts to
cultivate virtue were more focused and concentrated. However, they did
not put an emphasis on doing good deeds to accumulate merit, which is a
fantastic part of Liao Fan's system. Franklin did that separate from this
system. Nonetheless, both of their systems involved cultivating attention to
one's thoughts and behavior. Both systems also involved a recording system
of feedback so that progress could be honestly monitored and measured.
Both realized that without honest, accurate feedback (measurement or
monitoring recorded in a ledger-based system) neither would be able to
determine whether or not they were actually making progress. \v'ithout a
progress measuring system they would not be able to determine whether
they were doing something right or wrong, how they were falling short or
doing well, and where they needed to improve.
In How I Raised Myse(ff<rom razlure to Success in Selling, ex-major league
baseball player turned insurance salesman Frank Bettger decided to take
Franklin's method and adapt it for business pursuits. As a result of his
adapted technique, he became one of the most outstanding salesmen in his
company, achieving both matenal and prychological goals. This is something to
take note of, which is the fact that this basic technique can be used to help
you attain worldly goods and accomplishments rather than just character
virtues. If you want to excel in business success you might consider using it.
As stated, many Christian monks and nuns also practiced a similar
mindfulness technique by carrying around a notebook attached to their
waist, using it to record all infractions against mental purity or proper
behavior during the day. The method has even been used in Tibetan
Buddhism because it embodies the basic technique of mindfully watching
your mind for faults, and then cutting them off whenever you see them.
As previously mentioned, the great benefit of the Confucian technique
used by Liao Fan and Benjamin Franklin is that their infractions were
recorded on paper, thus formalizing their efforts and thus increasing their
effectiveness. \X'e already know about Liao Fan's exact methodology

67
 WILLIAM BODRI

whereas we didn't reveal Franklin's exactly. It is as follows: "I made a little

book, in which I allotted a page for each of the virtues. I rul'd each page
with red ink, so as to have seven columns, one for each day of the week,
marking each column with a letter for the date. I cross'd these columns with
thirteen red lines, on which line, and in its proper column, I might mark, by
a little black spot, every fault I found upon examination to have been
committed respecting that virtue upon that day.
"I determined to give a week's strict attention to each of the virtues
successively. Thus, in the first week, my great guard was to avoid every the
least offense against Temperance, leaving the other virtues to their ordinary
chance, only marking every evening the faults of the day. Thus, if in the first
week I could keep my first line, marked T, clear of spots, I suppos'd the
habit of that virtue so much strengthen'd, and its opposite weaken'd, that I
might venture extending my attention to include the next, and for the
following week keep both lines clear of spots. Proceeding thus to the last, I
could go thro' a course compleat in thirteen weeks, and four courses in a
year. And like him who, having a garden to weed, does not attempt to
eradicate all the bad herbs at once, which would exceed his reach and his
strength, but works on one of the beds at a time, and, having accomplish'd
the first, proceeds to a second, so I should have, I hoped, the encouraging
pleasure of seeing on my pages the progress I made in virtue, by clearing
successively my lines of their spots, till in the end, by a number of courses, I
should be happy in viewing a clean book, after a thirteen weeks' daily
examination."
Franklin's daily record of his progress provided a means of positive
feedback on measuring the effectiveness of his efforts. By recording his
progress on paper it forced him to admit where mistakes were continually
being made in inhibitory control. \Vriting things down allowed him to
examine his track record, whose daily review motivated him to constantly
improve on his personal best to become better than himself. As 1-fencius
said, "Those who follow what is great within them become great; those
who follow what is small become small."
Franklin's daily record employs the principle of "measurement ends
argument" because measuring things allows you to know if you are
improving or not. If you don't measure things to know where you stand,
how can you take the right steps to improve your behavior? Franklin and
Liao Fan each reviewed the day's cultivation record on a nightly basis so

68
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

that their progress was monitored.

.Another saying runs, "people respect what they measure." If you use
either of these methods of self-improvement or some variation thereof and
submit to the formal discipline of nightly review (where you "report your
progress to Heaven") you are sure to elevate your behavior because looking
at the track record will motivate you to improve upon it.
Just as in sports, only dedicated commitment to supervised training can
dri-ve you to make elevating changes in your behavior. It doesn't require a
commitment to religion, but few can develop an extraordinary purity of
behavior without the structural guidance offered by a religious path. Th.is is
why you must use these special efforts revealed by Liao Fan and Ben
Franklin, or some variant that is equally effective. In Ana/eds 1.4
Confucius's student Zengzi stated that he used a version of this technique
for he said, "I examine my personal conduct every day in three ways. First,
in my interactions with others, have I done all that I can? Second, when
dealing with friends and peers, have I managed to keep my word? Finally,
have I received and acted upon what I learned?"
The right sort of self-reflective and self-corrective practice carried out
over time always leads to self-improvement. Lectures on good behavior do
not. This type of technique is the only thing that does.
The self-observational method of vigilant mindfulness has a set of
general principles upon which various alternative methods, such as Liao
Fan's, Franklin's, Bettger's and Zengzi's, are all based. Many individuals
have found that various derivatives of these awareness-mindfulness
practices - such as ACT or cognitive therapy - have helped them change
their lives and fortunes in a most positive way. Just as people gradually learn
how to do things that were not previously possible, through these methods
they can step-by-step learn how to elevate their behavior to separate
themselves from their lower nature. This pursuit of consummate behavior
is what produces the noble person and eventually the sage, which is why
Confucius called this the Great Learning.
\'(;bat is the Great Leaming in life? To understand th.is we must first
recognize that China has three great religions - Taoism, Buddhism and
Confucianism. Taoism feels that the Great Leaming is to realize the Tao
(achieve enlightenment), cultivate the Tao (use all your enlightenment
capabilities) and prove the teachings of the Tao. Buddhism says you are to
enlighten yourself, help enlighten other people and enlighten your mind and

69
 WILLIAM BODRI

behavior perfectly, meaning that your actions should exhibit compassionate

action consummately joined with wisdom. Confucius said that Great
Leaming involves enlightening yourself as to the potential of pristine
awareness or pure consciousness (cultivating bright virtue), being kind to all
people Ooving and teaching the people and working for them), and working
to reach a final state of pure virtue.
How does a Confucian go about cultivating the Great Learning?
Through meditation practice and the daily mindfulness process of self­
reflection and self-correction. Both Confucius and Zengzi both said that
this process of self-observation - which we now call self-reflection, self­
policing or introspection - works better if we make it a daily process just as
Liao Fan and Franklin stressed. Vigilant mindfulness or self-reflection will
help us guide our thinking and behavior to higher octaves, but only if we do
so regularly. As Confucius made clear in Analects 14.42, you should
"Cultivate in yourself respectful attentiveness."
Confucius also said in Analects 14.23, "Exemplary people reach higher,
petty people descend lower." In other words, we have to make this higher
commitment work in our own lives otherwise we are just moving text
around in our heads about proper behavior rather than actually becoming
better people. We cannot develop virtues by simply talking or thinking
about them. They are actualized through repeated practice so you cultivate
them by regularly expressing them. You have to have real commitment to
them becoming part of your life rather than remaining just thoughts in your
head. An ethical, moral, virtuous life is about having a willful personal
commitment to better behavior that you self-police, self-correct and self-
1mprove.
You cannot magically act in the world in a better way simply by
studying texts about virtue and ethics. You have to establish new habits.
You have to become committed to exemplifying virtuous wisdom in outer
conduct. You have to rise up and use what you know to become the
sunshine that you want others to see. For instance, in Analects 13.5
Confucius said, "If people can recite the three hundred passages in the Book
efSongs yet still fail to make use of that knowledge when given a
government position or when sent abroad on diplomatic missions, then
what is the use of their studying? Even though they may have learned so
much, what is the use of it to them?" Only if you use what you know has
personal study been worthwhile, and only if you do what is right do you

70
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

become a virtuous person.

Countless religions teach us some of the many reasons why you ascend
higher from cultivating more self-awareness. For instance, cultivating
mental purity through this method while pushing yourself to do good deeds
stirs the Qi within your body. Yang Qi arises within you due to meditation,
as well as in response to doing good deeds and acting ethically. W'hen this
Qi arises in your body it starts to open up your Qi channels, including those
within the spine leading to the brain and within the brain.
The frictionless circulation of Qi within you benefits your health and
longevity. It also contributes to the preservation of your spirit in the
afterlife since it strengthens the cohesiveness of your internal Qi body- the
subtle energy substrate of your physical body - that becomes your deva
body after death. The stronger the cohesiveness of your inner Qi body
from tl1ese efforts, which you can improve through spiritual Qi cultivation
methods such as meditation, the better the quality of your body in the
hereafter.
In order to enhance the cohesiveness of people's subtle bodies,
enlightened beings interact with the Qi of human beings all the time in
order to help them. The reason for the intervention is to strengthen their
Qi and help them open their Qi channels. They often put people through -
or make opportune use of - strong emotional experiences of great yin ( ex.
fear and anxiety or worry) and great yang (ex. joy or ambition) to flood
people's inner subtle bodies with higher levels of yin Qi or yang Qi, thus
strengthening them everywhere so that they function better during life and
last longer after death.
As the Qi channels of the nervous system become clear of obstructions
due to the resultant Qi enervation from meditation and virtuous behavior,
over time consciousness then becomes more quiet and clear because of
better flowing energy. \Vatching your mind's mental activities therefore
becomes much easier and more natural, and your awareness seems to
become brighter because wandering thoughts die out and distractions
disappear. Troublesome, distracting or afflictive thoughts decrease, but you
still need to learn how to deal with thoughts properly.
This is the gist of spiritual training, is it not? Is it not all about purifying
our minds and our behavior? Isn't it about elevating or bettering our minds
and how we act in the world to handle experiences and interact with others?
\-X'hen you strip away everything superstitious or supernatural, all the

71
 WILLIAM BODRI

world's spiritual paths come down to the task of divinizing our minds and
our behaviors, which are controlled by our minds. The problem or
challenge is that we tend to give ourselves over to animalistic tendencies or
calculated self-interest instead.
How do we divinize or spiritualize our minds? The mind is the seat of
our consciousness, and sentience is the highest ability of a living being.
Spirituality therefore entails learning how to use the mind (consciousness)
in the highest way possible, for the mind is the ruler of behavior. Fix the
mind - purify it - and you fix behavior. Learn how to deal \vith your
thoughts and you learn how to control your mind. Learn how to create the
ones you need/want and ignore the ones you don't and then you elevate
your ordinary mental realm.
The path of spirituality therefore entails mastering your mind - dealing
skillfully with the thoughts and emotions that arise automatically within it,
some of which we don't want (but which won't seem to go away), and how
to generate or remain focused on intentional thoughts that we do want in
order to accomplish any tasks that we want accomplished.
Spirituality comes down to how to master (a) the conscious reasoning
process, intentional thought generation process and other functional
capacities of the mind (attention, mental image making, concentration,
intention, distinguishing discrimination, etc.) and (6) automatic processes of
the mind such as habits, attitudes and emotions that simply arise.
Spirituality is a process of self-improvement or self-mastery because it
ultimately involves training your mind to master your thoughts and
emotions, and from there your body (its movements and internal energy)
and behavior. You can master your behavior only if you master your
thoughts and automatic habit energies. This is the key to mastering your
body and its internal energies too.
Part of mastering your mind involves mastering concentration and
focus so that your mental realm is not always haphazardly scattered with
wild content so that it is unable to accomplish anything. Concentration
entails pursuing focus and mental stability, which entails not paying
attention to random, wandering or distracting thoughts while holding onto
the thoughts you want.
Mastering your mind also entails mastering a specific capability little
discussed, namely how to use it to control your internal energy and move it
in various ways inside your body for specific purposes. Your Qi and

72
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

consciousness are linked, so this capability is something we all have that

only needs to be developed through practice. This is what cultivation
schools such as Yoga, Taoism and Vajrayana teach.
Mastering your mind also entails mastering your physical body, such as
learning how to move it in various excellent ways for dance, athletic sport,
when you are trying to be persuasive, and so forth.
1vfastering your mind involves perfecting your outer behavior, including
the task of establishing virtuous relationships with people and the
environment. It also involves mastering external skills (such as fishing,
skiing, flying a plane, using a computer program, etc.) and the ability to
accomplish things, like knowing how to organize and manage people.
The spiritualization of our mind so that it rises as far as possible above
the realm of the animals entails how to properly use thoughts, namely how
to relate to them as well as how to gain skills from mastering our thoughts
and emotions and their expression into behavior. The spiritualization of our
mind entails cultivating the capabilities andfundions of a rational mind while
transcending the influences of the in-ational mind and emotions. A first step is to start
training yourself to witness your mind's doings so that you can gradually
develop a detached independent wisdom for dealing with the contents of
your mind.
The mind is a vehicle that creates our thoughts and behavior, so
purifying its contents of incorrect mental objects and wild randomness
while learning how to use it in the highest possible manner is the true road of
Jpirituali[y. \'{,'hat else could it be? These goals on how to use the mind
correctly might seem mundane, but are actually what the path of spirituality
is all about.
A truly empty mind absent of thoughts is essentially non-aware or
insentient. Therefore the true path of spirituality is not about pursuing
having no thoughts, but learning how to use the mind correctly and master
all its possible functions. A spiritual "mind of purity" is not totally empty of
thoughts. Rather, it is a quieter and clearer mind than untrained
consciousness that predominantly gives birth to virtuous thoughts. Csing
the mind correctly, because of the wisdom of proper judgment, is also "a
mind of correctness" or "mind of purity."
Spirituality thus entails learning how to ignore distracting thoughts or
emotions (especially how to detach from emotions), how to focus and
concentrate for long periods of time, how to effectively shift the focus of

73
 WILLIAM BODRI

your attention from one perspective to another, how to set aside short-term
gratification for longer-term goals, how to perform long-term planning,
how to persevere with tenacity and grit (zeal and hard work) through
difficulty and failure, and more.
Spirituality entails learning how to develop analytical mental skills and
how to think inductively, deductively, heuristically and dialectically. It
involves learning how to understand cause and effect relationships, how to
use the rules of logic and inference so as not to be ruled by emotions or
jump to conclusions, and learning how to handle ambiguity and manage
risks (probabilities). It entails a commitment to reasoning and questioning,
and a demand for logical justification of opinions and positions. Spirituality
should add intellectual consistency to your life, and entails becoming a
critical free thinker.
Spirituality entails learning how to discern between the true and false,
how to tell right from wrong, how to seek truth from facts rather than from
dogma or ideology, how to distinguish between the important and
unimportant, and it involves knowing the difference between proper and
improper behavior. It entails learning how to make good judgments and
proper decisions, learning how to form models of expectations and learning
how to recognize distortions in your thoughts so that you can form better
opinions "vithout bias. Being shrewd or astute is actually a characteristic of
spirituality because that is wisdom.
Spirituality must focus on people's livelihoods by emphasizing practical,
down-to-earth solutions and tangible benefits for humanity rather than
supernatural promises that cannot be proved. It must emphasize
cooperation between human beings where people work together for the
public welfare of all members of society, for it is coordinated cooperation
that builds society and holds it together. Societies are a mixture of self­
centered and group-centered activities and spirituality must address both of
these aspects.
Spirituality entails learning how to create moral values, moral emotions,
moral reasoning, moral behavioral capacity and moral willpower. It involves
the practice of ethics, morality and virtuous conduct in body and mind. It
entails getting along with other people (working with others) in positive
relationships, accepting responsibility and remaining accountable for your
actions. It entails mastering self-discipline, learning how to change
undesired habits and behaviors, learning how to identify needed personality

74
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

traits and turn them into habits, and learning how to become a lifelong
learner who can achieve mastery of any skills you want to acquire.
All these skills, and more, simply enable you to use your mind rightly
and to fullest flavor, which thereby separates you greatly from the realm of
the animals. This is what spiritual ascension is all about. When developing
these skills you don't just uplift yourself from the realm of the animals but
also elevate yourself from the realm of ordinary human beings. Iviastering
the mind in these ways is the road of the sages.
Your thoughts control your words, physical body movements, internal
energy (once trained) and your behavior so the path of spirituality entails
learning how to properly use your mind to gain control of all these
functions. Even when you make mistakes, but arrived at those thoughts or
actions using the highest methods possible, you have actualized the spiritual
way. Spirituality is learning how to use all the capabilities of the mind
without falling into lower pathways (such as being controlled by animalistic
emotions and impulses).
The spiritual path of transcendence, the pathway of the sages, is to
exhibit through your actions the highest values of humanity consistent with
wisdom, rationality, empiricism, or however else you wish to word "clear
and proper thinking." \v'e also call this the path of consummate behavior.
\'('hen you have done your absolute best to use all your mental skills to
arrive at the ethical decision "this is the right thing to do" and then do it,
you have embodied the spiritual way even when you make an error in
judgment. Another way of putting it is that virtue or spirituality consists in
using the correct, highest or best reasoning and wisdom possible to guide
your actions and behavior even if they come out wrong at times. Spirituality
doesn't mean you are always perfect, but using the best you know.
The spiritual life should be known as a life of the highest ethics and
reasoning that can be maintained independent of any circumstances. This is
what separates us from the animals. Ethics and highest reasoning
characterizes the best of humanity and leads to the best results in all affairs.
Therefore once again, seen from this angle, mastering your mind with all its
various facets and functions is the true road of spirituality. Nothing is
higher.
One must acquire knowledge and skills for life, but the spiritual path is
how to properly use the mind in general. For instance, in Ana/eds 9.8
Confucius asked, "Do I have great knowledge of anything? No, I do not.

75
 WILLIAM BODRI

Yet if a simple rustic asks me a question and I have no answer, I will pursue
it from beginning to end until I have gained deeper insight." Through this
lesson Confucius taught us how to use our minds properly - when we don't
know something we must use all our facilities to work hard to figure it out,
researching matters by going to the core of the problem and tracing things
back to their causal roots to seek answers. This is the practical way of
learning through investigation, and being above the animals this is also the
human way or spiritual way.
W'hen we meditate the Qi channels within our body start to open and
when we use our mind rightly in virtuous ways they open as well. As more
and more Qi channels open within your body you will also fill with vitality
and become healthier because your Qi can then flow more freely
everywhere. The fact that your Qi channels become less obstructed and fill
with flowing Qi helps to eliminate latent sicknesses within your body too,
which is why meditation helps to produce many spontaneous cures of
illness. This naturally leads to better health and longevity, and it all comes
about due to the practice of self-watching. Naturally if you stretch your
muscles through exercise and practice inner energy work you can reach
supreme heights through this route too.
As stated, by cultivating a mental purity via meditation, and by
establishing the habit of mindfully witnessing/watching your thoughts and
behavior, you can avoid many behaviors and blunders that would result in
negative fortunes. Confucius taught this while Liao Fan and Benjamin
Franklin proved it. lVleditation and mindfulness will help you change the
automatic behaviors of your mind that produce errors and stand in the way
of self-perfection! Trying to perfect your mental and outer behaviors is
definitely the pathway of spiritualization.
For instance, with greater awareness you might be able to resist a
temptation to yell at someone in anger and avoid permanently poisoning a
relationship. That mindfulness can help you keep your job whereas
expressing anger might lose it. Such a simple example proves that you
become a higher human being simply by transcending normal emotional
responses. Thus the path of cultivating meditation and good deeds leads to
a clear mind, the accumulation of merit, the ability to change your fortune, a
healthier body, longevity and even spiritual progress.
This is the pathway for the individual, but also for society as a whole.
For society to reach transcendence Confucius not only advised that

76
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

individuals devote themselves to ethics but that society as a whole practice

proper behavior, which Confucianism called the rites or rituals. How can
we encourage this? Through various yearly gatherings to renew the sense of
spirit in society. I\fost people think that Confucius over-emphasized rituals
in life, but fail to perceive that their purpose is simply to pose a means of
ethical aspiration.
Taken rightly, the purpose of state rituals, such as public ceremonies
and holidays, is to help uplift and unite society so that people feel more
solidly connected. They help to inspire people and allow them a rare
opportunity to directly touch a larger spirit in a transcendent fashion. They
help to coalesce cooperative and moral value-based societies. They help
create stronger bonds of safety and trust where people feel connected and
close to one another (even if just temporarily) due to belonging to a mutual
identity that shares in a joint future.
Confucius emphasized state rituals because of their ability to form
cooperative national unity and embed higher spiritual aspirations within a
nation. They can take man further and further away from his animal nature
by refining his behavior and uplifting his emotions to a sense of purity or
greatness that involves a larger whole.
Sometimes people can feel a sense of "lift," elevation, transcendence,
sublimity or even glorification at such events which greatly enriches their
lives for the better. These feelings can help to promote the group and unify
its bonds since people know it originates within the group. \'v'hen people
partake of such get-togethers and celebrations they want the benefit of
feeling that they are (1) close or united, (2) safe or protected and (3) have a
joint shared future (an aspiration). Thus rightly employed they can be used
to help unite societies.
Many individuals might not otherwise encounter these uplifting and
unifying emotions if they didn't come together during national holidays and
celebrations. This is why "state rituals" such as national celebrations and
holidays are not to be despised. They have the potential for great unifying
influences to bind together communities and countries. Cooperation, after
all, is the main thing that societies are involved with because in societies
people must work together to produce the public goods that benefit all.
Countries live or die based on the strength of their national cohesion, and
such events are the symbols of national unity. Thus everything possible
should be done to increase tl1e cooperative nature within societies and

77
 WILLIAM BODRI

countries by promoting greater cohesion.

Self-reflection helps man on a daily basis cultivate personal purity and
greatness of behavior, as well as altruistic cooperation \vith others, but
those results belong to the individual. However, the rites, rituals, holidays or
ceremonies held at yearly junctures pertain to society as well as the
individual, helping to build cooperative relationships among the people.
They are the means for helping to transform a nation as a whole to a better
state of being. They not only shape the character of those who practice
them but serve the overarching goal of helping to produce on a large-scale
the particular set of attitudes and dispositions needed for a peaceful,
meaningful, flourishing society. A Confucian cultivates personal virtue
through reasoning (wisdom), growing strong relationships, and by
minimizjng the negative while recognizing that these processes can be achieved
at the national level too if approached in certain ways.
Confucius once explained that if you simply governed a people by laws
then the people would obey them to stay out of jail, but this would do
nothing to change their moral nature. However, "Guide the people by
virtue and align them with Ii (social norms of conduct, a sense of propriety,
personal deportment and behavior), the people will develop a sense of right
or wrong and have standards to follow" (Analects 2.3). Is this not
transforming a nation and the road of spirituality as well?

78
 CHAPTER 7:
CULTIV..ATING YOUR QI

Mencius clearly mentioned the existence of our internal vital energy, Qi,
that is the equivalent of the Prana of India and "wind element" of
Buddhism. In these spiritual traditions and others, practitioners are taught
to cultivate their Qi in order to transform their bodies and attain
enlightenment, which is the equivalent of becoming a sage.
\'vithout going into the specific techniques, which are found
everywhere within Chinese culture (especially within the Taoist tradition),
the Hindu Yoga schools and Vajrayana, 5 we must note that Mencius taught
us that Qi cultivation should be considered an essential part of your self­
cultivation routine. Inner Qi cultivation is not alien to the Confucian way.
To become an exemplary (or even "spiritual") human being you must
not only practice mindfulness to purify your mind, words and behavior but
must also cultivate your body. Specifically, you must cultivate both your
physical body and your internal energy, or Qi. This is imperative. A cardinal
tenant of Confucian cultivation is to protect your body, which includes the
task of preserving it and cultivating it, in order that you create a more suitable
vehicle for becoming a sage. Cultivating your Qi leads to health along with
its traditional benefit of producing better mental states.
There is no way that you can purify your mental realm and reach a
mental state of crisp, clear (empty) clarity - often called no-thought,
emptiness or pure awareness - without opening up the Qi channels within

5 Sec }J asa Yoga by William Bodri.

_)'

79
 WILLIAM BODRI

your brain and nervous system. The idea of cultivating pristine awareness
and an observant mirror mind, wherein you can clearly know the thoughts
of your mind without sticking to then, is championed within Confucianism,
Christianity, Vedanta, Sufism, Buddhism and many other spiritual schools
because it is the pathway of spiritual cultivation. This is the means of
purifying consciousness, becoming a better human being, and transcending
the normal human mentality. This is the road of human ennoblement which
separates us from the animals as well as our lower passions. This is the
pathway of spiritualization, theosis or divinization. This is what liberates
you from the mind, and thus helps you transcend the realm of human
existence.
Spiritual cultivation actively stimulates your Qi. Your energized Qi, in
tum, affects the Qi channels of your body. Those channel pathways within
every cell of your flesh (akin to atomic bonds) naturally become cleared of
obstructions when your Qi is activated and starts moving within you.
Because the Confucian way is influenced by the philosophy of the Yijing
which advises that we learn how to take command of the changes of
phenomena and master any processes of transformation, learning how to
master the Qi of our body through various exercises, including pranayama,
fits in perfectly well with these principles. \v'e must master our mind and
behavior through willpower, and we must also learn how to use our
willpower to master our internal energy, flooding it everywhere within us.
We must perform daily exercises to guide it everywhere within our bodies,
flooding all our flesh and bones in order to transform each and every cell of
our body.
This is how you create the initial spiritual body. Basically, you
strengthen an already existent underlying Qi-substrate within your body,
which normally leaves upon death as your spirit body, until it becomes
strong enough that it can leave its physical cage at your will.
It is unfortunate that many sages of yore did not emphasize this aspect
of the sagely path, which takes twelve years of ardent effort after the real
Yang Qi (kundalini) of the body is finally awakened through such daily
efforts. In fact, however, even the Zen school, which emphasizes mental
cultivation, will tell you that you must cultivate the Qi of your body through
various exercises in order to transform your body and succeed at spiritual
cultivation. The Esoteric school of Buddhism (Vajrayana) also clearly says
you can cultivate mental cleanliness (emptiness) all you want, but without

80
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

also cultivating your Qi energy you cannot become a sage in 10,000 eons.
Taoism is founded upon this principle of inner energy work too.
Since Confucius advised students to master charioteering and archery,
which are the equivalents of modern sport (that are also potential warfare
preparations), we can understand that the Confucian path is not simply one
of quiet sitting meditation and mental watching. It is a practical pathway of
acti\-e development, and this practicality extends to mastering your internal
energy as well.
Mencius explained that your Qi is your internal vital energy, it can be
controlled by your willpower, and it can be cultivated to such a degree that
it becomes greater. Along these lines he said, "This Qi is extremely large
and extremely powerful. Nourish it with righteousness and protect it from
harm and it will fill Heaven and Earth. It grows through the accumulation
of righteousness and cannot be obtained by contrived actions. If one's
actions are not satisfying to one's mind then it shrivels up." This is yet
another reason why Confucius said that you must remain faithful to moral
behavior. \Vithout a commitment to virtue it is hard to cultivate your Qi
properly, and certainly impossible to create an independent spiritual body.
According to Confucian teachings, as well as those of other spiritual
schools, our Qi is actually nourished through the steady accumulation of
virtuous acts. This explains Mencius's comment. Doing good deeds and
practicing the virtues always transforms our Qi in a positive fashion,
purifying its impure nature. For instance, when you perform a good deed
you often feel warmth within your body because that virtuous deed,
however small, affects your Qi in a positive fashion. The warmth signifies
having done an auspicious deed and arises because your Qi stirs in response
and starts opening up your body's Qi pathways.
All types of selfless ethical deeds performed with others in mind, such
as acts of charity, move or purify your Qi in beneficial ways. This activation
actually opens up your Qi channels and that opening and movement of Qi
together produce a feeling of warmth. For instance, spiritual texts
commonly explain that when we feel warm in the heart from doing a good
deed it is because that warmth is a sign of Qi channels opening up in the
vicinity of the heart chakra. You do a good deed, your Qi moves in
response, your energy channels are thereby stimulated and open a bit, and
you feel warmth in your body where that happens.
You can indeed augment your Qi on the path of self-cultivation by

81
 WILLIAM BODRI

altruistic acts of morality, namely by practicing virtuous behavior on a

regular basis as Liao Fan and Franklin demonstrated. However, you can
lose your Qi if you end up becoming controlled by your senses or fused to
desires such as in overeating, consistently becoming drunk, engaging in
substance abuse, or dropping too deeply into other sensory enjoyments
such as excessive sex. This lack of moderation for sensual gratification falls
into the realm of the animals.
Taoism and Chinese medicine further explain that your Qi ,vill become
damaged by external forces (environmental influences) and can be hanned
when you become misled by outer things. In other words, through
fascination you can become fused with external stimuli and then cling to the
internal emotions or impulses that arise in response. You then "fall" by
succumbing to the pursuit of the senses.
This parallels the philosophy of Yoga that human beings must not
become misled by their senses. Yoga also states, as do most religions, that
the spiritual path entails practicing sense control so that various desires,
impulses, v.1ishes, hungers or emotions do not pull us into incorrect acts of
dissipation or wrong modes of behavior. For instance, at one time I<:.ing
David of tl1e Bible lusted after the wife of Uriah the Hittite, so he sent
Uriah into battle so that he would be killed by enemy soldiers, thus clearing
the way for David to have sex with Uriah's wife. This is an example of
being niled by the senses.
Confucianism correctly recognizes that your will can move your Qi,
which is actually the basis behind Nyasa Yoga, Tantric Yoga, Natl1 Yoga,
Vajrayana, Taoist nei-gong and nei-dan, qi-gong and many other schools of
internal Qi cultivation. You should certainly learn how to internally move
your Qi as this is the way to transform your physical body and generate a
strong subtle body made of Qi. To learn how to manage, guide or control
the changes of phenomena - which certainly includes learning how to move
your Qi to open up your Qi channels and do this - is one of the unspoken
but genuine principles of Confucianism. It is something you must learn to
master not only as a regular human skill but because it can produce
tremendous health benefits. It is also the road for becoming a true sage.
Leaming proper behavior, which means appropriate action in the
world, definitely includes how to use your will to move your Qi in the right
fashion. Therefore it is not only proper, but imperative that people who
practice Confucian mindfulness also take up inner energy work in the

82
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

pursuit to master th.is skill.

In the Confucian way that helps move society to a higher level of being,
people must become masters of their bodies both internally and externally.
111is is a health issue and a spiritual issue, as well as a mental issue because
of the tie-in between your thoughts and the smoothness of your internal Qi
flow. To become a more "spiritual person" who rises above the animals,
vou
, must not onlv' master the external control of .your muscles but lean1 to
better guide your thoughts and internal vital energy.
One can delve into various cultivation schools, such as those already
mentioned, to find relevant inner Qi exercises so that you can learn how to
master various internal energy cultivation techniques. This is why I wrote
J'\_yasa 1 -oga and Vfrualization P01ver that contain the most powerful of these
methods.
The Confucian way is to definitely take active steps to master the
human body a.f the.function qlthe mind, which is why many take up martial
arts, yoga, dance or physical sports. However, the Confucian way is
particularly interested in those athletic activities that can also lead to control
of internal energy because this is a more important part of the spiritual path
than simply exercise. Those who train the Confucian way practice using
their \vill to contl'ol their thoughts and behavior, and also practice using
their willpower to move and guide their muscles and internal energy to
transform their physical body.
In recognizing the importance of both mindfulness meditation
(watching thoughts) and internal Qi cultivation (which involves the process
of purifying your Qi and Qi channels), we can correctly say that the
Confucian way stresses mind-body cultivation with a particular emphasis on
mental purity and virtuous behavior. Other spiritual schools say that our Qi
and our thoughts are linked where our thoughts can move our Qi and
sometimes inner Qi movements give rise to thoughts. Confucianism simply
tells us that we should cultivate both our thoughts and our Qi, and that our
Qi is also affected by our behavior.
Our actions (behavior) are essentially our thoughts expressed, so the
basic purifying spiritual path of the world, just as is found in the Confucian
way, cannot be divorced from watching your mind in order to elevate your
words and behavior. You must work at self-improvement to purify your
mind, learn how to deal with many types of mental activity, and purify your
outward behavior too. You must learn to create your own ethical views and

83
 WILLIAM BOOR!

values, live your life in harmony ,vith those views and values, and propagate
through actions the virtuous views and values you have chosen. A life of
grace is one where we can authentically express our deepest values and who
we are without having to act artificially by going against them.
Thinking kind thoughts, doing good deeds, refraining from evil or errant
ways, and uplifting your behavior is the spiritual path. This road of practice
will transform your character, raising you above your lower nature. It will
also transform your Qi and Qi channels so that you attain greater health
and longevity. It will transform your fate, fortune and destiny as well. At its
utmost peak, which is the most important thing, the mind-body path of the
Confucian way will also lead to the spiritual achievement of the Tao, which
is the accomplishment of becoming a sage (enlightened).

84
 CH..APTER8:
ACT AND OTHER METHODS FOR CHANGING
HABITS AND SILENCING AFFLICTIONS

The Confucian way emphasizes that we constantly observe our minds

in order to discipline our thoughts. \'(latching our thoughts enables us to
correct and then elevate our thoughts, words and behavior. The emphasis
on proper behavior towards others is how culture and civilization have
appeared in the world as well as why cooperative societies have appeared
where people do not solely pursue their own self-interests at the expense of
others.
This is how we have divinized the human being. Culture has allowed
us to trust one another and rise above the realm of the animals who are
always being eaten by one another and thus doomed to constant fear.
Culture, which Confucius emphasized through the promotion of standards
of behavior (ritual or rites), elevates the human psyche. The pursuit of
culture pacifies both the participating individual and greater society.
\X:'orld cultures often tell some tale that divine beings came down from
the heavens to bestow a glorious civilization upon mankind, but the truth is
that our forbears developed it through virtuous actions and coordinated
cooperation among people that elevated us above the cruelty of nature. We
developed culture on our own by mastering self-control and promoting
behavior that separated us more and more from simply being animals.
The Confucian emphasis on virtuous manners along with the practice
of mindfulness for behavioral self-correction are some of the methods that
help elevate and purify us. They spiritualize us by taking us above our lower

85
 WILLIAM BODRI

natures and the unthinking behavior of animals.

To imagine what it would be like \vithout culture and civilization,
which is what the world previously experienced at various points of time,
just remember all the movies you have ever seen about the breakdown of
society during the aftermath of some Armageddon where people are
constantly fighting each other for resources. The Confucian way not only
builds culture and civilization but works to improve our lives, and its
emphasis on proper behavior can guide people even through dramatic
periods of societal collapse.
For instance, since politeness and civility are the foundation of all
relationships and alliances, the Confucian way emphasizes that we cultivate
virtuous social skills to both create and maintain a peaceful, polite society. It
teaches us to benefit both ourselves and others through cooperative unity
starting from the family and then extending to society and greater groups of
men. Television has been used as a substitute for involvement in the
community but this is the wrong way to conduct ourselves in life.
Once the famous businessman 1,1ichael Masterson described what he
felt was the best way of conducting yourself in business and other areas of
your life in order to produce success, peace of mind and happiness, and I
think it his words perfectly encapsulate the Confucian way: "In every
relationship you get into - every business, social, or personal transaction -
make sure that the other person gets as much benefit from it as you do.
When considering your own advantages and disadvantages in taking any
course of action, consider those of everyone else involved." Another
businessman started off all his negotiations with others using the admirable
words, "Let's see who can benefit the other the most." This expresses the
Confucian way.
The idea of individuals creating a benefit for one another is a healthy
basis for the creation of a peaceful and productive society that can move
forward. In fact, the ideal of Confucian propriety is that we live our lives in
a way where we can actually benefit others, and thus benefit ourselves
rather than become a burden on our family, friends, colleagues, strangers or
society.
As previously taught, the Confucian way not only improves personal
behavior and leads to better outcomes for ourselves and society, but the
methods it espouses also give us the ability to personally improve our health
and longevity, make spiritual progress, and improve what has been willed to

86
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

us as our personal fate, fortune or destiny.

One of the closest equivalents to Confucian cultivation can be found
in the powerful field of .Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (.ACT),
which is a behavioral therapy being used by a growing number of
psychologists that emphasizes living in the present moment through
mindfulness. It is designed to help people bring about personal change in
their lives. Its methods have many parallels to those of Confucian
cultivation because its roots draw strongly from the practice of mindfulness.
As with the Confucian way, ACT states that changing our thoughts
and emotions to something better requires progress through several steps.
The first step is to recognize that the images, perceptions, thoughts,
emotions, desires, urges and memories that arise in our mind do so
naturally, automatically. They are not are fault. The mind produces thoughts
ceaselessly even when we don't ask for them.
A mind (consciousness) always gives birth to thoughts. They come as
they please in response to conditions and circumstances, and then they
automatically disappear unless we hold onto them. Their arrival and
disappearance happens quite naturally just as the knowingness of thoughts
happens automatically. All the while thoughts are just objects in the mind
rather than a "true reality." They are a portion of consciousness.
In other words, consciousness is always moving to spin thoughts but is
itself actually just an automatic process going on within your brain - it just
functions automatically - so there is no reason to berate yourself for having
negative thoughts that automatically arise. Whatever arises isn't necessarily
true either. Thoughts just automatically happen because you have no
control over what arises within your consciousness, but you do have
control over what you will do with the thoughts that appear!
\\:'hen negative thoughts, afflictions or distractions appear in the mind
you have to learn how to deal with them. The first thing is not to become
entangled with them. They are something you must stand apart from and
simply use.
Remember that since consciousness just automatically happens, it is
what we do with our thoughts that counts. It is what we do with our
consciousness that makes us men of consummate behavior or lowlife
scoundrels akin to animals. Intentional thinking, rationality or
conceptualization means creating and manipulating objects in our minds on
purpose. In life we need to learn how to create useful mental thoughts so

87
 WILLIAM BODRI

that we can do whatever we want to do. We therefore need to master the

skills of intentional thinking, deliberate mental imagery and concentration
to create exactly what we want in our minds. As for those thoughts that
arise naturally/ automatically we have to learn how to relate to them
properly because we cannot stop their automatic generation. We don't have
to take all our thoughts with the same degree of seriousness. What we have
to learn in life is not just how to create the ones we want but how to deal
with errant, unwholesome, nuisance or unflattering thoughts that afflict us
because they appear, stay around and won't immediately leave.
The "Great Learning" in life therefore entails learning how to create
the thoughts we need and how to manage thoughts in general. It involves
mastering the mind, namely learning how to manage the mental processes
of consciousness to produce the best results. As Confucius taught, the first
step to this is awareness. You are to first become clearly aware of whatever
is in your mind, namely your thoughts and emotions, and then make use of
the beneficial thoughts that have arisen or create new ones to replace them.
You should always avoid investing in thoughts that take you away from
your higher values, and the detachment of mindfulness teaches you how to
do this.
After they arrive, ACT says that we normally put emotional
perceptions on thoughts even though whatever arises is just a bunch of
neutral words, feelings and pictures that only has a meaning we give to
them. Our thoughts and perceptions that arise pass through the network of
our memories and become tainted by all sorts of emotional baggage
including strong feelings of like and dislike. Many people may view the
same thing in the world but each of us will add different emotions to the
picture because the workings of our brains will automatically associate
whatever we see with prior memories and emotions.
However, whatever naturally arises in the mind without effort and
whatever we create on purpose are still just neutral mental events; thoughts,
images or emotions are just experiences of consciousness and nothing
more. They aren't a reality. You have to learn to treat them that way rather
than taking them as an absolute truth. Non-judgment, or dispassionate
observation of your thoughts (sometimes called "detachment") will help
you quiet this internal dialogue of your mind. You can learn how to view
your own thoughts dispassionately, without clinging or attachment, through
the practices of meditation and mindfulness.

88
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

Concepts and emotions are just moments of consciousness without

any lasting reality, and they don't necessarily reflect a truthful or accurate
judgment about your circumstances either. They are a guess at what reality
means. Because they appear in consciousness, however, we have to learn
how to deal with them skillfully or they can cause ourselves and others a
great deal of trouble, especially if they turn into errant behavior. Afflictions
that continually appear in the mind, for instance, often turn into
wrongdoing.
Thus, the subsequent step of the mental process is that we put
emotions on the sensory perceptions or thoughts that automatically arise
within our minds while forgetting that whatever arises are just neutral words
and pictures. For instance, when you "hear a robin singing" all you ever
actually hear, by virtue of having ears, is sound. However, to "hear a robin
singing" you are actually hearing all sorts of other things besides sound such
as your memories, mental habits and feelings. This additional layer we add
to our thoughts and sensory perceptions is usually an evaluative judgment
good just for our self alone, so this is where we get into trouble. Our
emotions that we add onto things only belong to us and aren't universal
reality. Too often we invest in these personal perceptions that don't hold
for everyone and become too wed to them to our detriment.
The Aghora tradition of India also suggests that we stop putting
emotional judgment on whatever arises in the mind because it teaches that
when the mind is free of such emotional latherings it will bear no
botheration for fortune and misfortune. It can make much better decisions
when unhampered by personal emotions. Aghora teaches that whatever
arises as our fortune in life has already happened, so there is no reason to
fear it or make it worse via the negative workings of our mind. We are to
accept it if it cannot be changed or change it if we can. On no account
should we invest in adding more undue negative emotions to what has
already happened.
We are at our best when we don't operate under the sticky influence of
errant emotions lathering our thoughts. As the Confucian way teaches, we
must learn to separate from thoughts and emotions to avoid mistakes in
how we use the mind. We must develop an independent distance from
them so that they don't automatically control our actions. \v'e want to work
to gain the skill of not being controlled by instincts, emotions, appetites and
impulses but instead oncerned with higher ideals.

89
 WILLIAM BODRI

We never have to identify with our thoughts and emotions completely.

Through awareness - the light of the mind - we should naturally recognize
that they exist but we only need to employ the useful ones without
investing in them as absolute realities. Instead of blindly following the
urges, desires and impulses that arise in our mind, however compelling or
attractive they may be, we must learn to choose behavior that embodies the
highest principles of virtue and propriety we know. To elevate ourselves as
spiritual beings, we need to choose noblest ways that will most separate us
from a selfish, animalistic nature.
By treating thoughts as just things in the mind that we need not
follow, we thereby liberate ourselves from identification with our
automatically functioning lower natures and through this transcension can
choose better decisions for life. Since we cannot stop thoughts from arising,
this is the spiritual path ofliberation because it frees us from the influence
oflower thoughts and inclinations. It frees us from Nature. It involves
recognizing that the world seen in consciousness is ofthe nature of
consciousness, and those images can be dealt with skillfully when the know­
how is learned.
Thoughts are just some of the objects appearing in consciousness as
are images, sensations and emotions. \'vbatever happens to you just
happens in your consciousness so the path of spirituality is all about
training yourself about how to deal with your consciousness. Religion is
ultimately this training and its linkage to your behavior. It is all about
training, purifying, mastering, controlling or transforming consciousness ...
however you want to word it. It is about correctly, properly, ethically using
and elevating the very thing that gives us sentience.
Spiritual liberation thus means developing a detached transcendence
over thoughts so that we don't just always blindly follow the first thing that
pops into our minds. In life we are to learn how to become liberated from
the mind, which means to view the objects of consciousness as objects that
might make us itch but which don't have to make us scratch. \Ve must learn
how to manipulate those objects and become their master. It means
learning how to use consciousness correctly to help it generate what we
want because the mind can and must be a tool of accomplishment and
elevation. Liberation means rising above ordinary thoughts by creating
higher thoughts to follow that represent the highest of human values.
Liberation involves learning how to generate the right thoughts on

90
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

purpose, which we call "thinking," "discrimination," "deliberation,"

"intentional thinking," "wisdom," or "rationality," and properly dealing
with the automatic thoughts that arise within us that we normally cannot
control. Many of those can be classified as animalistic, impulsive desires and
others are just afflictions or habit energies we cannot control. You can
gauge the degree of someone's spirituality by examining how far their
behavior differs from animals. Their behavior indicates mastery of their
automatic and intentional thought processes and how much each controls
their actions.
Liberation doesn't just mean being free of thoughts (being internally
quiet or peaceful) or being non-attached to thoughts but also means
controlling your thoughts such as having the ability to generate the
thoughts you need to do what you want. Generating or choosing the right
thoughts to follow is called wisdom, which requires much learning or
experience, and the Great Learning in life involves cultivating wisdom as to
the right types of thoughts to generate and follow, and how to do so. We
don't have to be perfectly right about the world but our decisions do have
to make the highest rational sense possible, and that is called pursuing
v.,-isdom in our actions. On v.,-isdom Confucius commented, "By three
methods we may learn wisdom. First, by reflection, which is noblest;
Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is
bitterest."
\'v'hen the mind isn't quiet, wisdom also involves refraining from
getting caught up in the negative, afflictive or discursive thoughts and
emotions arising constantly in our minds so that we only follow those that
move us in higher directions. We cannot always silence wrong thoughts so
as human beings we need to learn how to unhook ourselves or defuse from
any negative thoughts, urges, desires or other afflictions that arise.
Both ACT and the Confucian way of mindfulness teach us how to do
this. We must all gain control over the mental process that selects which
thoughts to follow. \Ve must learn to react correctly to thoughts and follow
wisdom or skillfulness rather than whatever automatically arises in the mind,
including emotional colorings, for the contents of the mind are often
misleading. Spiritual cultivation is learning how to do just this.
One of the most common remedies for dealing with troublesome
thoughts - which is the Confucian, Buddhist and Vedantist Way - is to
develop a detached awareness of inner thoughts that is called the witness-

91
 WILLIAM BODRI

consciousness. The witness-consciousness simply means cultivating a

transcending awareness stance, like a third person observer, that is free
from the pull of the thoughts that arise within consciousness. Being above,
separated or detached from thoughts gives you the independence to choose
wise action over just blindly following the random thoughts appearing
within your brain which you should work to quell through meditation and
other mental practices in the first place.
The Confucian way, like Buddhism, pragmatism and other major
religions, therefore espouses that you cultivate wisdom. \v'isdom means
good judgment. It means good thinking which usually (but not always)
produces a good result, or even superlative result. In life you need to see all
your thoughts clearly without getting caught up in them, and also develop
the wisest course of action for performing their objective rather than simply
accepting that your present thoughts are the best way to act. If you don't
know how to do something, then wisdom means you should seek out the
best means possible and learn how to do it. You can develop all sorts of
skills for life, but they are ultimately mental skills since thoughts control
your behavior. Learning how to do something is also called the cultivation
of wisdom.
\v'isdom enables you to make good decisions that are not just good for
you but good for others, and not just good for the present but good for the
future. \v'isdom teaches you how to put your virtues into practice according
to the where, when and how. It enables you to discern situations clearly and
basically act properly.
If you need to develop new thought directions to determine a best
course of action for some challenge then you must engage in what
Confucianism calls "study" or "learning." This could mean anything from
analyzing the situation at hand, researching for answers or benchmarking to
find the best methods or models of performance available to solve the
problem. Developing new talents and skills is also a form of learning or
study.
The point is to never just follow whatever pops into your mind, much
of which is just plain wrong, distorted, or non-optimal because of biased
emotions, wrong assumptions or simply incorrect thinking. You have to
learn to improve upon what naturally arises within your brain. If you are to
form habits, then form habits of the highest and best that ennoble and
dignify you or which take you to peak excellence so that those reactions can

92
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

become automatic.
For life you need clear thinking to determine what to do in any
situation. The mind is a tool, and the great task in life is to learn how to use
this tool correctly. You need to learn how to generate the thoughts you
need and ignore the thoughtsyou don't need. You also need to learn how to
change habit energies that might automatically impel you in negative ways.
This is the transcendence path of the Confucian way. You train to gain
the capability to generate the thoughts you need through study and mastery
of skills such as logic, reasoning, concentration, visualization practice and
other mental skills you can cultivate. You also train to attain a degree of
mental quiet and clarity - called awareness, clarity or emptiness in other
cultivation schools. You train to gain the capability to rise above your
automatic thoughts and habit energies, rather than just impulsively respond
to them, through sitting meditation practice and Confucian mindfulness.
lVIastering your mind through these (and other) practices, which enable
you to gain control over both the automatic and rational thinking processes
of your mind, qualify you to become a full human being, so this is the
spiritual path. What did you think it was ... worship? Add to this mastery of
your body, its internal energy, and your outer behavior and the path
description is pretty complete.
In essence you are fundamentally the Supreme Ultimate or original
nature that has somehow, over eons, formed itself into you and everything
else in the universe. There is no plan for you in the universe from this
process, so you have to make one for yourself. You have to determine for
yourself a life purpose or set of purposes in life which will make it
worthwhile.
From the aspect of the Supreme Ultimate nothing else exists except It
- no phenomena exist at all because everything is just the Supreme Ultimate
in a different form. From the aspect of looking at things in terms of energy
you are not a living being but just another energetic phenomena of the
Supreme Ultimate. On a conventional level we say that you are a living
being but this ultimately means nothing other than that you are one of the
phenomenon in the universe with sentience or consciousness. The miracle
of existence is that you have this consciousness and can think and know
while other phenomena cannot. The great wondrous miracle of life is this
gift of consciousness, and your mind is actually the "wish fulfilling gem" of
Buddhism and Hinduism that gives you cognizance and enables you to

93
 WILLIAM BODRI

create what you want. In life you must therefore learn to master this great
miracle, this great gift that other phenomena lack.
From the practical aspect you are indeed a living being with
consciousness (a phenomena produced wi.thin the Supreme Ultimate) and it
is within your capabilities to not just remain a simple animal but to master
your mind, body and behavior to reach the highest possible degrees of
dignity and ennoblement, which is the status of a sage. For instance, you
can even form a spiritual body that has vast capabilities and lets you live as
long as the heavens. To do so you must make your mind a tool that can
help you spiritualize your existence. Regardless of your status in life -
whether rich or poor, high or low, suffering or living in enjoyment - this is
the Great Leaming.
This is the highest you can accomplish in life, which is to become
master of your mind and elevate your thoughts, body, speech and behavior.
The method is to transcend consciousness by centering yourself in the
detached observer function that can pick and choose proper thoughts from
the options that you generate within your mind. If you don't like whatever
automatically appears, you simply ignore it and then generate new thoughts
until you attain the high standards you want.
This means that you should always study to improve yourself just as
Benjamin Franklin did. You need to master the best models of reasoning
and rational decision making to generate correct concepts and make great
decisions. You also need to learn how to learn to master new skills as
necessary. In general, we can say that you just need to learn how to best use
your consciousness, i.e. your mind. Through mastery of your mind you can
learn to master thousands of functions including your behavior. You can
control the movements of your physical body, its internal energy, your
speech and your actions. Through these skills you can then develop the best
aspects of human nature and human excellence. How is this not a spiritual
path?
Once again please remember that the judgments we usually place on
mental phenomena cannot be said to be "universal" or "absolute truth"
because not everyone will have the same opinions about the same
phenomena. That being the case, there is no way our internal views can
represent absolute takes on reality. Our mental thoughts are really just
relative objects in our mind and all our opinions are conditionals related to
us. In one sense we can even say they are "illusions" (falsities) since they

94
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

don't represent the absolute truth for any situation.

\Vb.at we perceive either through the senses or mind is not reality but
just a personal mindset. What we perceive are just events within the mind
that help us function in the world but which are not necessarily true,
complete, reflective of the way things really are, nor absolute. We are only
ever experiencing just consciousness, and never "a reality out there." \Ve
therefore, as part of the Great Learning of life, need to learn this fact and
how to use the inner life of the mind to survive and thrive so that we can
do what we want even though we are just experiencing our own
consciousness.
The big question then, which is part of the Great Learning of Life, is
how to properly relate to thoughts? Our lives are the creation of our minds
so think carefully: is it not the thoughts we purposefully generate and how
we respond to thoughts that determines life? Yes, it is the content of our
thoughts and how we deal with and respond to them that matters most to
sentient life, for sentient life means consciousness and consciousness is
thoughts. Your consciousness is your life experience. Furthermore,
thoughts produce actions so thoughts are supreme.
Thoughts are just internal words and pictures that appear in our
minds. Emotions, desires, impulses, intuition, attitudes, thinking, sights,
sounds, odors, tastes, physical sensations ... they are all just thoughts in the
brain. Without a mind you cannot know them or anything. They are part of
an internal language of consciousness that appears in our heads, some of
which just automatically happens and some of which we deliberately
generate by will. Reality is not exactly what thry are, and yet we usually heavily
invest in them without carefully editing that content using deep reason and
wisdom. The bigger problem is that we often fuse with incorrect thoughts
and emotions to our great detriment. If we simply dealt with them as
objects of the mind rather than become intractably entangled with them as
realities then we could avoid untold amounts of error, pain and suffering.
One of the most highly sought after life skills is the ability to be so
detached from thoughts that we attain a flexibility of mind easily able to
challenge prevailing assumptions and conclusions. A great mental skill is to
be able to challenge the status quo and discern truth from error regardless
of biases. Like Sherlock Holmes we need to learn strict rules of logic and
inference so that we do not rashly jump to conclusions in our thinking. This
can be done with training. For instance, a doctor is taught to rely on sound

95
 WILLIAM BODRI

reasoning to make his medical diagnoses just as a police detective is taught

to ask "Cui Bono" ("who benefits?") to solve crimes. There are all sorts of
mental skills we can and should learn like this that involve becoming less
wed to emotional reactions or incorrect notions, but which treat thoughts
as objects subject to the sieve of wise judgment and reason.
For instance, a true student of the Confucian way examines history to
derive principles of behavior and to form models of expectations, which is
why Confucius said, "Study the past if you would define the future." Along
these lines, tradition can sometimes be used to solve the problems of the
present. However, the exemplary man never becomes wed to traditional
solutions, nor to his study of history or his models for predicting human
behavior. \�'hy? Because there is always room for error. He develops the
habit of caution in reasoning to conclusions and the habit of egolessness in
correcting his errors. This is how to use the mind rightly. He keeps his eye
on his predictions to see how they are doing and immediately abandons his
working hypotheses when evidence shows errors, correcting things as need
be.
In Ana/eds 2.18 Confucius also taught this principle of mental
behavior, cautioning us against jumping to conclusions and relying on
unproven hypotl1eses. W'hen Zizhang was studying with the aim to secure
the post of being an official Confucius said, "Emphasize listening and put
aside what is uncertain." In other words, using the mind correctly means
listening, studying or investigating to ascertain true facts, and in dealing v.i-ith
ambiguity you should not rely on unproven conjectures.
ACT reminds us that whenever thoughts arise in our minds we need
not fuse with them, fight them, run from them or give them more undue
attention than they deserve. This extends to emotions, desires, impulses,
habits, inclinations, mental pictures, sound memories, sensory images and
so on. It also extends to all models, algorithms, rules, principles or
representations we mentally use to handle our behavior for they are also
rarely sacrosanct. %0 can say what behavior is right for any situation?
\'visdom can only guide us as to what we may think is best, but no one
knows what is best for sure. However, the training that leads to the best
you can possibly offer (despite the possibility of error) is wisdom training,
and that is the spiritual road.
1fany things daily appear in our minds, much of which afflicts us, and
the teachings of ACT are very useful for helping us deal with the barrage of

96
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

negative self-talk, negative emotions and all sorts of other mental problems,
such as addictions, that continually return to haunt us. In conjunction with
Confucian mindfulness teachings and meditation, learning ACT can help
you master your mental realm.
ACT was developed because bad thoughts or emotions often appear
in our minds to afflict us without leaving, and some consistent!)· afflict us.
ACT helps us manage the onslaught against our mental health and
wellbeing. \Ve must learn how to invest only in valuable thoughts that will
lead us forwards, but how do we handle the errant thoughts and emotions
that keep popping up in our minds and create an imaginary pressure urging
us to follow negative inclinations? \Ve need to respond correctly to those
pressures when they won't go away, and must never lose our ethical
bearings due to their promptings. ACT helps us do this just like the
Confucian way.
Addictions to alcohol or gambling and even phobias are perfect
instances where we want to ignore or override those impulses yet find this
extremely difficult to do. A thought/urge to drink or gamble can become
like a command that addicts must obey even though they know it is
destroying their lives. Some people know that a particular thought will lead
to peril or destruction, yet cannot stop themselves from treating it as if it
were a rule they must succumb to.
'w'henever negative afflictions like this arise in our mind we can tum to
the various remedies suggested by the world's spiritual schools to help us.
We can try to cut them off, transform them into a higher octave,
contemplate (analyze) them in order to reframe them or dissolve them at
their root, engage in distractions to divert ourselves from their influences,
keep distancing ourselves from them by abiding in nonattachment
(detachment or separation as the observer or witness of them) until they
depart, or use other various forms of skillful means to help ignore them and
minimize their harmful influence.
The ACT way of dealing with things states that if you cannot leave
something then you have to either (a) take action to improve it, or (b)
accept it. Those are your only two choices. You can either accept what
appears in your mind or take action to improve the contents of your mind.
Therefore when unwanted thoughts arise in your mind and won't leave
ACT says that you either have to accept them (without necessarily acting on
them) or improve the situation through some type of transformation

97
 WILLIAM BODRI

brought about by the skillful use of your will. At the same time, the
Confucian way says we must continually work for the greatest good despite
whatever arises in our brain, as does Buddhism and Christianity and other
spiritual schools.
ACT says that to liberate ourselves from being under the control of
unwanted thoughts or emotions we must, as in the Confucian way, start by
cultivating awareness. \Ve must bring a pristine full awareness to our here­
and-now situation with attention, interest and receptiveness, being open to
the present experience while fully engaging with it. \Ve must become fully
aware of the contents of our mind at that time. The few things under your
control in life include your attention and your actions so here we must
engage our attention on what is internally mentally happening, but we
should do so as a dispassionate observer just as ACT and the Confucian
way recommend.
Remember that thoughts, emotions, memories, urges, attitudes and
desires always arise automatically, and you have absolutely no control over
whatever arises in your mind. Things just arise regardless as to what you
want (unless you've undertaken lots of personal training to make certain
reactions/responses automatic, such as is done in sports). Therefore you
shouldn't criticize yourself for having negative thoughts and emotions. Self­
criticism should only arise, if at all, in response to how you read to your
negative thoughts. It should arise when you engage in bad behavior. If you
are not working on self-improvement this absence is what must be
criticized.
ACT firmly states that you should not criticize yourself for whatever
automatically arises in your mind. You criticize your response. As it teaches,
if you cannot leave something then you have to either take action to
improve it or accept it.
You can gain control over potentially negative actions regardless of
your thoughts, desires, emotions and impulses if you are aware of their
presence and maintain a focus on whatever you are doing so that you ignore
them and keep moving forward with perseverance. For instance, in sports
the athletes are told to "feel the fear but do it anyway." During military
battles soldiers conquer fear by continuing to move forward too. In stock
market trading you are taught to override your screaming emotions to
follow your profitable trading models. In each of these cases you maintain
control over your actions by ignoring your emotions.

98
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

It takes training but you can learn how to control your actions to do
what is deemed best despite thoughts or emotions impelling you to do
otherwise. This is why Confucius is so revered, for he taught us to do
exactly this. Detaching from thoughts so as to become independent enough
to pick the right ones to follow, or simply overriding the bad ones, is the
basis of many other eastern spiritual traditions too.
Confucian cultivation requires that you always inspect your own mind
to clearly know your good and bad thoughts so that you might choose the
best to follow, but sometimes personal introspection is not enough for wise
decisions. Sometimes we need to seek the advice of family and friends, or
even a Mastermind group that shares our interests or concerns to make
-,vise decisions. Their opinions can serve as an independent mirror of
reflexive judgment on our actions.
In Chinese culture it was considered the duty of the junior member of
a hierarchy to correct the senior if the latter strayed from the ideal of proper
conduct. This same idea of correcting elders who strayed held in ancient
Greece as well. For instance, part of the famous Athenian Oath contained
the words, ''We will revere and obey the City's laws, and will do our best to
incite a like reverence and respect in those above us who are prone to annul
them or set them at naught."
Regardless of the heights of our position or power in society, when we
cannot correct ourselves due to a lack of reflective review we need others to
help us see our errant behavior so that we can correct it. The higher we
climb the easier it is to become corrupted or blind hence the more we need
feedback systems in order to temper incorrect behavior.
As an example, the famous Emperor of the Tang dynasty, Tang
Taizong, is often argued to be the greatest leader in Chinese history because
he instituted a self-corrective method related to mindfulness and self­
reflection that depended upon the assistance of others. He knew that to
become a great ruler he had to overcome his weaknesses such as controlling
his emotions and desires, and therefore he pursued self-knowledge and self­
regu lation by inviting the comments and criticism of his officials.
Knowing that power tends to blind men, Tang Taizong made it a rule
to ask for honest comments from his officials about his policies and
behavior. He used this as a mirror to obtain the self-knowledge required for
self-correction when he had blinded himself from reality. George 1\farshall,
one of America's most revered military figures who was known for his

99
 WJLLIAM BODRI

personal virtues, also prized frank appraisal of his actions/policies and

criticized his men for not providing it to him. Self-knowledge, which you
can attain in various ways, is what these men of power were searching for.
Self-knowledge leads to self-change, personality-change leads to
behavioral changes, and those changes should improve matters for
everyone. That's the goal in life for personal cultivation and Confucianism.
As to the larger picture involving organizations, as previously discussed
even a modem government needs a free press that reports on its activities
because the honest reporting will serve as a mirror of self-knowledge. A
clear reporting is necessary to minimize government corruption and hold
the government accountable to the public good.
This is also the Confucian way. The Confucian way means self­
correction, correcting phenomena and correcting society. Each has to
become better. It means correcting people, families, communities, societies,
organizations and even the government, just as Confucius taught. The
Confucian way is that you train not only your thoughts to the best degree
possible, but also become master of yourself and "the changes" to the
extent that you become able to improve society. The ultimate purpose of
self-training is an active social position in the world that has a beneficial
impact on society and the greater good.
As Confucius said, this all starts with awareness. Awareness means
self-observation, which leads to the breaking of attachments - mental
attachments and habits. lVIindfulness practice leads to the breaking of
mental attachments as well because that third-person separation provides a
degree of freedom or liberation from the workings of the mind including
automatic thoughts whose arising cannot be thwarted. For those mental
functions that can be controlled, the Confucian way also involves the
discipline of self-correction once you have some awareness of what is
wrong either mentally or behaviorally.
The Confucian way basically involves two drives toward mental
perfection: (a) effectively dealing with the automatic processes of the mind,
some of which produce mental afflictions that won't leave or are temporary
distractions that interrupt concentration, and (b) developing to the utmost the
many countless rational and creative functions of the mind including
thinking and reasoning, concentration and attentiveness, visualization and
imagination, control of the body and its vital Qi energy, control of speech
and actions (behavior), the pursuit of virtue, transcendence over our animal

100
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

nature, and so on. With this understanding, self-perfection then involves a

pursuit to master (1) automatic and (2) deliberate or intentional mental
processes of consciousness.
When awareness is mastered the skill of focus becomes possible and
·with concentration skills you can go on to develop even more mental skills.
Mastering mindful awareness gives you the ability to focus your mind with
attentive interest for a long period of time and stay concentrated rather than
succumb to distraction. As part of the Great Leaming in life you need to
train your mind so that your attention can stay with your thoughts and
intentions (behaviors, commitments, projects, etc.) that are proper and
useful despite distractions that might pull you in other directions.
Training to develop concentration enables you to persevere with grit,
tenacity and doggedness on any path of your choosing even though you
might experience challenges, difficulty, deprivation and failure.
Concentration and perseverance train you to be able to set aside current
gratification for longer-term goals - one of the key attributes of those who
are successful in life. It enables you to continually maintain a hold on
correct principles of thinking and behavior rather than succumb to the
irrational mind, animal instincts, or errant emotions.
Life requires that we achieve mastery in the skills necessary for survival
and self-interest. This includes problem solving, critical thinking and
countless skills of the mind such as organizational skills or abilities such as
mathematics or a good memory and so on. What you want to pursue to
develop as a skill is up to you. However, all of these possibilities require a
degree of self-knowledge, self-confidence, concentration, perseverance and
a personal premium placed on self-mastery and self-education.
Heroes are born from Confucian cultivation not because they follow
the road of conformity, but because they develop such skills and put them
to use for the self and others. They learn how to manage their mind and its
ability to manipulate their body, its energy, and their behavior. They
develop strong positive character traits by following a road of personal
development, each person emphasizing different things they want to
master, and then blaze new trails for society. They learn to think for
themselves independently rather than blindly submit to the conclusions of
social groupthink. Because they learn to think for themselves they typically
develop a strong personal moral value system. Like Sikhs they usually stick
up for what is right in the name of righteousness and follow their own

101
 WILLIAM BODRI

values when higher than those of society. For instance, Confucius married
his own daughter to a man who had spent some time in jail, but not
because of any guilt on his part. A typical Chinese father of his time would
never have arranged such a union, but Confucius did what he thought was
right despite the views of society. Can you be so strong yourself?
How can we become strong enough as individuals to actually go
against the notions of society when we think them wrong? By strengthening
our own internal moral compass, for that is part of the Great Learning.
\Xlhen you think things through thoroughly enough to develop your own
independent convictions, that is evidence of the proper Confucian way.
Vedanta teaches that there is always a part of us, like a third person
observer, which is outside the stream of thoughts running within our mind.
This formless observer seems outside of the contents of consciousness
because it knows them. There is a part of us that can observe difficult
thoughts and feelings without being hurt by them because it transcends
them, and therefore does not have to act on them. ACT simply says that we
can recognize that "they are not a threat to me," which enables us to deal
with difficult thoughts and choose the right ones to follow. Being clear and
unbiased by cultivating a separation from thoughts and emotions, we can
thereby form better ideas and select the ones that are correct to act upon.
This transcendental observer part of consciousness is ever-present and
impervious to harm no matter what thoughts, emotions, sensations, or
other mental objects arise within the mind of consciousness. Our ability for
self-observation is sometimes referred to in various spiritual schools as a
pure awareness that has no physical properties, but that is only a way of
talking since awareness is always caught up with an I-center within
consciousness. It, too, is not actually transcendental but just a thought
product created by the functioning of the mind. \'v'ithout that I-thought or
I-center there is no way to know (be aware of) anything, and thus calling it a
transcendent part of us and so forth are only ways of talking. Nevertheless,
this way of talking can help us detach from thoughts and cultivate greater
mental freedom.
The Buddhist way, like ACT, says that this formless observer is what
we must cultivate in life because it is the key to all our higher mental skills,
such as our rational intentional thinking. Its existence gives us a power of
mental detachment, and from detachment is derived the power to select the
proper thoughts to act upon or the power to recognize that we need to

102
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

generate new thoughts to handle a situation better. Being detached from

thoughts but knowing them allows us to dispassionately watch our
thoughts. It allows us to separate from them and treat them as objects to be
manipulated rather than commands we must follow, as sometimes happens
when emotions overwhelm us and take control of our mind.
For the Confucian way and ACT, you must become fully engaged in
whatever you are doing, fully present with attention concerning whatever
you are dealing with. If unhelpful thoughts or emotions arise, ACT teaches
that you should try to defuse from them such as by saying to yourself, "I'm
having the thought that [etcetera]" or "I notice that I'm having the thought
that [etcetera]." This helps you create a distance from the thoughts and
emotions by labeling them as simply a mental experience, which is exactly
what they are.
This distancing is extremely powerful because it helps prevent you
from becoming so entangled in mental experiences that you lose an
independent perspective and automatically follow lower animalistic or
emotional leanings. Unchecked emotions, especially, can silence logic and
rational thinking to lead you down harmful paths.
'w'hen unpleasant feelings or emotions arise in your mind, such as
anxiety or fear, the positive way of dealing with them is by not fusing with
them. You need to acknowledge that they are there but should train your
mental processes so that you do not become entwined with them.
Otherwise you will be turning them over and over again in your head
bathing in afflictions.
Those who practice meditation and mindfulness have an edge over
others because they gradually attain this ability of detached independence
over thinking. They learn to stay centered in the transcendent, observer part
of consciousness which recognizes that thoughts are just mental objects.
Being partially freed from the pressure they normally bear upon us it
becomes easier for them not to react to unwholesome thoughts and
emotions.
There are many methods of dealing with troublesome or bothersome
thoughts and emotions that continually, habitually arise to afflict you.
Suppressing them is impossible to do completely since the mind operates
automatically and such thoughts will always sprout when they want. We
therefore need methods to deal with their eruptions.
The most common remedy is to master detachment from the contents

103
 WILLIAM BODRI

of the mind, which makes them easier to handle. Through detachment we

can simply choose to act only on those thoughts that represent our values.
However, if they continue to afflict us then we will still need some way to
reduce their reoccurrences and pressure.
In both ACT and the Confucian way you must pay careful attention to
whatever you are doing and to the effects you are having so that you can
always correct/ edit your thoughts, actions and behavior. The measuring
stick of your progress is the purity or impurity of the thoughts you tend to
deal with, your inner calmness, serenity or peace of mind, and the
virtuousness as well as effectiveness of your outer behavior.
In life you actually have no control over what thoughts will arise
within you just as you have no control over what circumstances will arise to
greet you. There may come times when you feel desperate, needy or
tortured by reality and everything is awful but you still have to mentally deal
with this. The Confucian way trains you on what to do.
Right now you actually have no control over other people or the world
around you, or even whether you will be alive tomorrow. You also have no
control over whether your actions will bear the fruit you want. Let's be
honest and also admit that life is often crap - it doesn't always bring us what
we want and you often have to "put up with shit" just to make a living.
That being the case, you have to figure out how to get what you want or
how to change situations for the better. You need to figure out what really
matters in life as well as how you should think and behave in good times
and bad times, especially when you land in unfortunate circumstances you
cannot escape.
Your actions socially interact with people and the world around you
and can affect them, but your actions are really the only thing under your
control rather than the results you want to bring about. You only have
control over your actions in life, but no control over the results of your
actions. Whether you are experiencing good or bad fortune the only thing
you can ever control are your actions and the commitment to following the
right way to behave. Everything in life is impermanent but within that
stream of impermanence you can hold fast to an ideal of greatness - that of
cultivating virtuous responses regardless of whatever happens.
When you must take action to solve some problem or address some
situation, the Confucian way is take actions guided by your highest values to
solve them. Here is the measure of the human being ... can you persevere

104
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

with actions in line with your values despite temptations to drop them? Can
you always do what is right in the face of extreme difficulty? Can you live in
a proper way that you actually benefit others without becoming a burden?
Your future is not under your absolute control, whereas what is under
your control is your ability to perform actions with value even in the midst
of misfortune urging you otherwise. All you can do in life is keep moving
forward in a direction that you value that in itself embodies the highest
principles of humanity. This is one of the mainstays of non-denominational
spiritual ethics.
The Confucian way is that in whatever you do, whether you are
experiencing tremendously good or horrifically bad fortune, you are to
always remain faithful to your personal values that must be of the highest
ethics. Actions are your will expressed that demonstrate your values. Of
course you can never be "perfectly good" in any situation but you can
always lean towardJ being as good as)'OU can be. You can always lean towards
cooperative help and away from simply satisfying your own desires. This is
what makes you fully human rather than an animal.
Actually, adopting this one principle alone of "leaning towards the
good as much as possible" sets you apart from most humans and
spiritualizes you to some extent. Few religious teachings are higher than
this. In a sense it is similar to "Do unto others as you would have them do
unto you" or Jesus's dictum to love your neighbor as thyself.
This is the Great Learning in life, namely how to select a valuable
journey and persevere in that goal while acting in accordance with the
highest ethics and values to get there - always maximally leaning towards
the good. There will certainly be obstacles along the way but you are to
greet these challenges with the highest values possible.
Once again, you should never meld or fuse with the negative contents
of consciousness that arise along this journey. You should acknowledge
them for what they are and keep moving forward despite any mental
sufferings and afflictions. Remember that for adversity to transform into
suffering your mind has to get into action. :Mindfulness can help prevent
you from letting your mental realm transform form into that scenario of
suffering.
You always have a choice on how much attention to pay to your
negative thoughts. For instance, there are many ways to handle negative
internal dialogue and afflictions but the most important thing is to be

105
 WILLIAM BODRI

present in accepting your thoughts and feelings, overriding them whenever

errant so that you connect with your highest values, and taking effective
action despite any interference they may provide.
The practice of meditation and mindfulness inherent to ACT and the
Confucian way reduce mental distractions, mental afflictions and your
internal dialogue over time. These two practices teach you to sustain your
attention (concentration) even in the midst of distractions such as negative
self-talk. Mindfulness leads to an improved ability to focus on performance
and the ability to accomplish any goals you seek in life. With mindfulness
your attention becomes automatic.
On the other hand, when mindfulness is not enough to keep you on
track because negative thoughts and afflictions become too strong, you
need to learn another mental skill, namely how to intentionally shift to more
positive thoughts and feelings that don't defile your mental state. Luckily
there are many strategies that can assist people to do this when they are still
on the learning curve in their application of ACT or the Confucian way.
\Vb.en people need more help with handling mental afflictions than what
meditation practice and mindfulness can provide they can turn to other
techniques to help them calm their minds.
\Vb.en not eliminated mental afflictions can make a hell out of heaven,
and often turn into wrongdoings that produce a terrible fate or simply go
against your values. Because of their unsettling nature and danger, all sorts
of helpful methods have been invented to help deal with afflictions when
they become too strong. Here are a few of these methods that you might
want to use when afflictions reach that threshold because meditation and
mindfulness are not enough.

Distraction and Avoidance

As stated, one way to handle disturbing afflictions such as

overpowering emotions is through distraction. The strategy is to ign ore
"bad thoughts" by occupying yourself ,vith other activities until the
afflictive impulses go away. For instance, you might avoid steeping yourself
in anger, sadness or depression by working out at the gym or watching TV
to distract yourself from the strong emotion. As another example, men
typically refrain from the urge to masturbate by occupying themselves with
other activities until bedtime so that the impulsive urge disappears when

106
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

they go to sleep.
Incidentally, the '1ust say no" campaign to help teenagers walk away
from sex assumes that they can turn passion off at will when the truth is
that many teenagers cannot cope with their emotions. The better strategy
for helping them stay chaste is to teach them to walk away from the first
fires of passion before they get drawn in. By avoiding the problem entirely
rather than dipping their toe in the water they can solve the problem
through avoidance.
Wisdom teaches that you shouldn't put yourself in a position to start
bad habits or succumb to your baser instincts but should avoid the potential
problem and its environment in the first place. The right conduct in relation
to oneself is to avoid creating bad habits that might afflict you. If you avoid
creating a new harmful habit by avoiding exposure to it - such as smoking,
drinking, gambling, roughnecking or drugs - then you avoid the need for a
cure.
Another method to distract yourself away from disturbing emotions
and mental annoyances is to occupy yourself with a hobby requiring
concentration. Hobbies usually entail a strong interest to concentrate on
something that can occupy your mind for hours and are another means to
kill mental afflictions.
Reciting mantras, prayers, affirmations or using positive self-talk can
also occupy your thoughts enough that you can put aside bad emotions or
other negative inclinations when they attempt to take over your mind. They
can also keep you mentally busy enough so that you do not engage in
afflictive mental indulgences.
There are all sorts of other ways to practice distraction, but the basic
principle is to occupy yourself with something interesting that requires
concentration - other than the demanding affliction - that you can
effectively ignore whatever is accosting you.

Higher Alternatives

We can also deal with afflictive thoughts and errant impulses by trying
to transform them into higher alternatives. An example would be satisfying
the desire to drink sugary soda pop by drinking sparkling water instead. In
this way you might be placated by the bubbles rather than the sugar, and in
that way can kill off the desire to drink something harmful to your health.

107
 WILLIAM BODRI

Another example of this technique is to take the impulse of sexual

desire and re-channel that pressing urge into exercise. Some individuals
dissipate it through strenuous kumbhaka pranayama practice (a yogic
practice of holding the breath) or physical competitive sports.
To stop smoking some people substitute a less harmful habit such as
wearing a nicotine patch, and from these examples you can see how you
might try to re-channel thoughts or habits in a different fashion until a
pressing mental affliction leaves you.

Buddhist Methods

Buddhism also has specific exercises for transforming afflictive

emotions that tend to accost our minds to produce errant tendencies of
behavior. It espouses specific meditation methods for turning greed into
generosity, anger into patience, stupidity into wisdom, conceit into humility,
and distraction into concentration. Buddhism teaches that if you don't
specifically transform six root afflictions that attack everyone then ten
thousand other afflictions will always be ready to sprout from these roots.
Visualization practice is another mental programming tool you can
learn to help deal with bothersome thoughts/ emotions. It can especially
help with anxiety or fear. As detailed in my books Visualization Power and
Sport Visualization for the Elite _,4.thlete, by repeatedly mentally visualizing
yourself performing a new type of perfected behavior the effort will form
new neural pathways in your brain for that desired behavior. This can
reduce fear as well as increase competence. Sports enthusiasts have found
that the more you reinforce those neural pathways the more you will be
able to draw upon those patterns at will to defeat afflictions.
Due to neural plasticity, you can use visualization practices to create
new neural pathways in the brain that correspond to almost any
characteristic. This includes behaviors such as generosity, courage,
truthfulness and so forth. Visualization practice can be used as a type of
mental programming to help replace negative afflictions, impulses, burdens,
vices or "sins" with more positive counterparts you personally select as the
higher way you want to act in life. If you want to become a better you,
visualization practice can help you do so.
Every time your behavior follows the same mental pathway, including
those forged through visualization practice, that specific pattern gets closer

108
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

to becoming the pattern of automatic unconscious default. Thus, through

the daily practice of visualization exercises for behaviors you want to instill
in yourself (like Franklin, Liao Fan, etc.), you can actually build new
behavioral patterns that can eliminate recurring mental afflictions.
Many neurolinguistic programming (NLP) practices, such as the
"Circle of Excellence" technique, also train you to create positive internal
states that you can call upon at will in order to deal with mental afflictions
when they arise. These techniques, like visualization practice, also help you
to rewire your brain and reframe emotions so that they no longer take
control of your psyche.

Detoxification and Exercise

Another method of dealing with mental afflictions is to decrease their

tendency to arise in the first place. This can sometimes be done by making
your body more healthy when these afflictions are connected with your
physiology. You make your body more healthy by exercising your muscles,
rotating your internal energy everywhere, altering your diet towards more
natural foods, taking supplements, and then detoxifying and supporting
your body with alternative medicines (see Detox Cleanse Your Bocfy Quick!J
and Completefy). This will often reduce the volume of afflictions that arise
because most thoughts are connected with your physiology, such as tending
to get angry too easily when you have a weak or damaged liver or suffering
from depression or mental illness due to a niacin and other B-vitamin
deficiencies. By strengthening your body and its organs you can therefore
reduce or eliminate certain types of recurrent mental afflictions.
Here is why this works. Your Qi and your consciousness (your
thoughts, emotions, impulses and afflictions) are linked. In other words, the
vital energy of your body and your thoughts are intertwined. The health of
your Qi and Qi circulation throughout your body is related to your body
and consciousness - your mental activity. This is a principle consistently
taught by many different spiritual schools.
Pure Qi and smooth Qi circulations within your body produce a pure
mind, but erratic or irregular Qi flows within you tend to cause more
scattered thoughts (the "monkey mind") and improper behavioral impulses.
\v'hen your Qi flow becomes smooth then the thoughts that arise in your
mind will tend to become more easy and peaceful. To therefore reduce the

109
 WILLIAM BODRI

physiological influence of your body on your mind you must work to open
up your body's Qi channels everywhere. This means the pathways that
penetrate every cell and tissue that you can help open by using stretching
exercises, pranayama, and other detoxification techniques. Since poor Qi
flow is often caused by states of illness or body imbalances, becoming
healthier in all ways, especially through better nutrition and exercise that
stretches all the muscles of your body (and thus all its Qi channels), will
help you reduce the volume of bothersome thoughts.
Chiropractic adjustments, to help correct spinal misalign ments of your
nervous system are also helpful in this regard. Bodywork sessions involving
deep tissue massage therapy (Rolfing, Hellerwork, etc.) and exercises such
as Pilates or Yoga can help you open up your Qi channels too.
Detoxifying your body to discharge accumulated toxins and poisons,
so that it reaches a higher stage of structural, biochemical and energetic
balance, is also something that can greatly help because it causes you to get
rid of poisons that interfere with internal Qi flow.
Remember that meditation and pranayama can help you to open up
your Qi channels so that you experience a higher degree of mental peace,
purity and serenity free of recurring mental afflictions. Detoxing the body in
conjunction with these practices will help because they will all cleanse the
energy flow lines within your cells and tissues that your vital energy has
trouble traveling through.
Since the inner Qi flow of your body is intertwined with the
development of your thoughts and inclinations, opening the Qi flow
pathways and improving your Qi circulation will help quiet your mind and
reduce mental afflictions.

Homeopathy, Acupuncture, and Other Types of Energy Work

As stated, sometimes recurring negative thoughts and emotions can be

due to errant circulatory Qi flows within your body, and often these errant
Qi flows can be adjusted to normal through consistent application of
various forms of energy medicine.
The energy medicine modalities you might try to help heal medical
conditions or reduce emotional issues include acupuncture, EFT
(Emotional Freedom Technique), homeopathy and nutripuncture. Such
therapies, because they are based on transforming the energies or energy

110
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

pathways connected with thoughts, may help you change your thought
patterns and habits of behavior.

Perfuming Permeation

Yet another method for transforming excessively negative internal

dialogue is by avoiding exposure to negative influences that might kick it off
and instead visiting or surrounding yourself with positive influences that
will permeate your consciousness. Over time an exposure to positive
environmental influences will slowly change the underlying seeds of your
thoughts and behavior.
We all have innate seeds of virtuous behavior, but those moral sprouts
require a proper environment and nurturing to develop as they should. The
development of virtuous tendencies needs both proper instruction and a
proper environment.
Continually exposing yourself to positive influences will help sprout
the seeds of virtue and slowly transform your thoughts and behavior for the
better, and thereby help to quell various negative mental patterns. The
practice of habitually associating with positive influences will transform you
in a positive way while the habit of associating with negative influences can
be a road of destruction.
History states that the mother of Mencius sought the influence of a
good neighborhood for her son, changing her residence three times on
account of the bad influences he was encountering in the neighborhood.
She changed houses each time she felt that the local environment would
influence him in a negative fashion.
In moving her home, Mencius's mother showed that she knew the
power that perfuming influences held for sowing the seeds of character and
behavior. If a child continually associates with a negative environment they
will probably absorb those tendencies, and so would you. However,
associating with positive environmental influences over time will, through
slow perfuming, improve your mindset and behavior. People acquire
mindsets, viewpoints, virtues and skills as a result of their environments and
the daily practices that they continually pursue over time, so use this to your
advantage.

Reading Books

111
 WILLIAM BODRI

Reading the right type of books can also help you to learn how to
control your thoughts, reduce afflictions, develop mental skills, change your
personality, improve your character and elevate your behavior. Therefore
this is another road available for helping you deal with negative thoughts
and afflictions that often bother you, and is also a road for cultivating
virtue.
Excellent moral examples of individuals from antiquity, both good and
bad, can be found in Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans. The
beauty of Plutarch's Lives is that it focuses on the characters of individuals
and their fortunes and misfortunes. It prompts you to think about what
type of person we should become whereas modern ethics simply focuses on
the right or wrong of actions. Nan Huai Chin's Analects also offers one of
the finest explanations of Confucius's teachings on morality.
Methods for transforming your behavior so that you can cultivate a
character of excellence can be found in Liao f<an '.r rour Lessons, The
Autobiograpry ofBer!Jamin Franklin, and Frank Bettger's How I Raised A'[pe!f
from Failure to Success in Selling. Both }.1.ove Fo1ward along with Quick, Fast,
Done also join this list
For the development of mental and physical skills and how to use the
mind correctly, which is also the Confucian way, there is Visualization Power
by Bill Bodri, The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris, The Power ofHabit by
Charles Duhigg, and As a Man Thinketh by James Allen which teaches that
the way you think is how the world tends to manifest. Related to these
books is Courage Under Fire by James Bond Stockdale.
Various books that teach how to cultivate the active virtues include
Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, Napoleon Hill's Think
and Grow Rich and The Wisdom ofAndrew Carnegie as Told to Napoleon Hill.
For further teachings on the wisdom of living there is The
Autobiograpry ofBer!Jamin Franklin and Franklin's The Wtry to IPealth, The Art
of Worldfy Wisdom by Baltasar Gracian, Influence by Robert Cialdini. Letters
from a Se!f-Made Merchant to His Son by George Horace Lorimer, and
Xenophan 's Cyms the Great by Larry Hedrick.
Skill development, which includes the task of mastering virtue, is
entirely a practice-based result whose deliberate, deep practice methodology
can be found within Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin, The Talent Code by
Daniel Coyle, and The Little Book ofTalent by Daniel Coyle. These books

I I2
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

teach how the superlative performance of excellence is not due to talent but
is produced by the aggregate of countless small habits, trained to be done
consistently and correctly, fitted together into one synchronized whole.

Instituting Self-Discipline by Conforming to a Higher Code of Ethics

By simply according with the proper rules of societal conduct (which

Confucius referred to as rites) you can often stifle the eruption of mental
afflictions through that discipline. Confucianism offers social guidelines of
propriety as do other major religions such as Christianity, Hinduism,
Judaism, Islam and Buddhism with its eight-fold path (right view, right
thinking; right speech; right action, right living; right effort; right memory;
right meditation). For instance, I'vfoslems do not drink alcohol according to
religious rules and thereby avoid the problem of alcohol addiction and
drunkenness.
Some cultures so occupy you with community activities for the benefit
of others that your mental concerns are trained to focus on altruism and
compassion, and through this path of showing concern for others you will
also be able to put aside some afflictions.
Following an ethical code of conduct will discipline your urges and
elevate your life so as to take you away from many afflictive thoughts, baser
impulses and negative seeds of behavior. These negative influences might
still appear but will find no avenue of expression if you desire yourself to a
loftier discipline. By channeling your thoughts, speech and behavior
through higher cultural pathways you can keep them occupied and deny
your mind and behavior an outlet for wrongdoing.
Rules of conduct and moral principles of behavior promote harmony
in social interactions because they channel how society acts. Following the
proper rules of conduct reduces behavioral problems so that a society runs
well. They help us become morally better people. Such rules help
harmonize human relations so that cooperation and friendship grows
within a society, and this reduces afflictions.
Conforming to the rules of society while following the path of
mindfulness of your behavior can therefore help you avoid bad outcomes
and elevate your mind/behavior over time. However, one should not let
such behavioral rules ossify into strict rules of conduct never to be broken.
As Jesus demonstrated with the tale of pulling a donkey from a ditch on the

113
 WILLIAM BODRI

Sabbath, any rules are simply guidelines but not absolutes. Confucius gave
several teachings that emphasized this same point. Traditional rules of
behavior can and should be abandoned in special circumstances such as
emergencies.

Using Contemplation to Dissolve the Root ofYour Afflictions or

Eliminate Being Controlled by Emotions

One of the most powerful strategies for dissolving afflictions and

reducing their appearance is to ponder their past appearance with both
disapproval and a remorseful heart. The focus of regret on the harm and
wrongdoings they may have caused \Vil.I help dissolve those afflictions and
change your behavior.
The more often you examine a negative affliction and then mentally
give rise to feelings of remorse and repentance for those inclinations, the
more that this type of analysis will serve as a type of antidote.
Contemplation on a negative impulse will change how you think about the
motivations at hand and may help you tum your back on such afflictions.
This practice of analyzing your behavioral impulses is called "wisdom
analysis" or the "fire of contemplation." Contemplating an affliction like
this is the basis of Confucian self-reflection and many other spiritual paths.
This practice of contemplation will help to unravel the hold that any non­
virtuous tendency has upon your mind. You gradually work at eliminating
negative tendencies by analyzing why they are improper, what harm they
might cause or have caused, why they keep arising and what in general to
do about them.
As Meher Baba states, contemplation is thus another way, other than
mindfulness where you simply observe your thoughts, to help consume
those tendencies. Contemplation, or introspective reflection where you
analyze something, helps to slowly cut off afflictive mental knots and
compulsions.
The use of reason in real time to deal ,vith irrational emotions also falls
into this category of using contemplation to help dissolve afflictions. Our
reason is our highest nature, and it allows us to set errant emotions and
baser thoughts or inclinations aside so that we are free of lower influences.
We normally train to do this through mindfulness and meditation, but
sometimes using reasoning, or wisdom, to work through afflictive emotions

114
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

is what can free us of their influence.

\Ve can cannot control their arousal but we can control our minds to
prevent emotions from taking possession of us and causing us to act. We
can also use reason to sometimes overrule passions when they overtake us.
Furthermore, we can learn how to live undisturbed by our emotions rather
than lose control whenever they strongly appear. A moral life requires a
rational control of our emotions so this is something we must master in life
as part of the Confucian way.
Reason (wisdom or thinking) gives us the chance to control our
internal lives and the choice of whether to succumb to desires, urges,
emotions, and impulses or not. It gives us the ability to control our actions,
but of course this doesn't mean they can accomplish what we want.
Therefore we must accept the results our actions produce in the external
world, and "mastering the changes" means that we must keep working at
changing those results until we finally produce/ get what we want. We
cannot control what the world will do, but we can control our reactions to
what happens and keep working to change things until they become the
way we want them to be.

Dissolving Habit Energies

Many people want to quit various negative habits such as smoking,

drinking alcohol or even criticizing people but find it extremely difficult ...
even if they practice meditation and mindfulness. However, once you
sincerely decide to start changing in a certain way then those changes can be
made to become real. When we wish to modify a child's behavior we can
give him direct moral instructions along with positive alternatives to the
behavior we want to correct, and this helps. However, as adults who are
trying to break habits to change ourselves the process is not as simple.
The Confucian way is that you must learn how to master
transformations, but you need a model or guide for going about this in the
most efficient manner so that you can give yourself the highest probability
of success. When mindfulness and detachment or other techniques don't
help, here is one of the most successful methods for breaking a habit "by
transformation."
All habits are routines performed in response to a cue to obtain a
reward. The key to changing habits is to first achieve a self-awareness about

115
 WILLIAM BOOR!

the rules of your habit, namely the cue and rewards that produce your habit
pattern. From self-observation you can derive a full picture of your habit,
and by then taking some of the power out of that pattern the habit will
become easier to transform. The way to go about eliminating or
transforming a habit is to first identify the full habit cycle and then
experiment with various ways to interrupt it to break its hold. This includes
trying to transform it into something higher.
There is no one perfect prescription for changing habits. However,
there is a common scientific framework that has been found useful for
understanding them so that you can more readily overcome them. Think of
the problem of unwanted habits in this way. Essentially, some cue causes
you to engage in a habitual routine for a specific reward that you mentally
or emotionally crave. A habit means that your brain has established a
formula it automatical!J follows where it sees a cue, and then you perform
some routine in order to get some specific reward. To change this, you first
have to determine the components of that circuit.
The key to breaking a habit is to use awareness to analyze what is
occurring during the habit and then intervene to break the automated cycle.
Thus the first two things to determine are (a) the reward you hope to
receive from the habit and (b) the actual habit routine you engage in.
It takes some work to figure out the "reward" because some people
don't know what they are actually seeking from their habit. Nevertheless
there is always a reward being expected for the behavior otherwise the brain
would not consider this particular loop worth remembering to make a habit
out of it. To find the reward you are seeking you must test different
hyp otheses to determine what craving is actually the real one driving your
routine. \Vhat is seeking to be satisfied? As to the routine, it is easy to
identify because the routine isyour habit (which can be something physical,
mental or emotional) and you already know what it is.
Once you have discovered the habit loop of a routine and its satisfied
craving then you can look for ways to transform that particular habit into a
newer routine with better outcomes. To get rid of a habit you have the two
options of either (1) dropping it entirely or (2) redesign ing it into something
better.
The final piece of the puzzle is determining what triggers the initiation
of your habit energies, namely the cue. There are five cue categories that
typically set off habits: location, time, emotional state, other people, or an

116
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

immediately preceding action. To determine which cue triggers your habit,

for several days you need to go through this list and write down these five
things the very moment the habit urge hits you. From a compilation of this
history you must derive an inventory of your actual triggers and then
determine the most probable candidate for the cue that sets you off.
Once you know your trigger cue, your routine and your expected
reward you can then work to turn off automation and become fully alive
again. You can start to fiddle with these three components to re-engineer
your automatic mental processes with substitutes. The goal is that with
active awareness you can make behavioral choices that substitute new
behaviors for old habits. That's how you break automatic habit energies.
All this requires repeated experiments to determine portions of the
habit loop that might collapse it entirely. However, once you gain some
self-knowledge of your trigger cues, habit routine and expected reward then
you will have some power over this loop because you can try out various
ways of re-engineering it. You might intervene to destroy it or create an
entirely new habit to transcend it.
No specific set of steps works for everyone, but in general the best
course of action for changing a habit is to keep the cue and reward, but
replace the routine with something better. You must try alternative routines and
competing habit responses whenever your trigger cue arises to see what
brings satisfaction. If you can change the routine then you can shift your
habit, and in this way almost any habitual behavior can be transformed.
In other words, if you use the same cue and keep the same reward you
can shift the habit routine and then change your habit. For instance, when
thirsty and you need a pickup, instead of drinking soda try drinking
sparking water instead to see if it satisfies you. Trying different drinks
instead of soda is changing the routine while keeping the reward of a pick­
me-up to satisfy thirst. This type of approach of changing the routine is
important when mindfulness and '-"-illpower don't seem to be enough.
\Ve are dependent upon habits in order to live and use them every day.
A habit simply means that the brain has stopped fully participating in
decision-making to go automatic. Some of our habits are even harmful, but
you can regain control of yourself and transcend their power by altering the
routine set off by a cue that prompts you to seek a reward.
The ability to transform a habit, such as a personality trait, is one of
the goals of Confucian cultivation, and another is that we learn how to

117
 WILLIAM BODRI

build positive, virtuous habits out of choice. Typically the Confucian way is
used to help us unlearn or reroute the habits we don't want. However,
humans need to create habits they want to become part of their automatic
behavior for specific purposes, as is done in sports training. "Mastering the
changes" like this is also part of the Confucian way.

Inner Watching

The Confucian Liao Fan was taught to watch his inner thoughts and
outer deeds to determine whether they were positive or negative, good or
bad, high or low, helpful or non-helpful. He was taught to perform good
deeds and virtuous acts instead of wrongdoings, which the Confucian way
calls practicing consummate conduct or benevolence, but he needed some
method to help himself continually exert himself in this direction. As
Confucius said, you need to observe the standards of conduct unswervingly
without going off course.
Liao Fan, as taught, therefore started recording his mindfulness efforts
in a daily journal to help track his efforts and keep himself on course. By
recording the plusses and minuses he achieved in trying to transform
himself he developed a monitoring system that helped him change his
behavior over time. Confucius would have approved of this system heartily.
In Ana/eds 5.27 Confucius said, "I am exasperated! I have not yet met
the person who, when faced with his own errors, takes himself to task and
looks deeply at his conduct." This method helps you do just that. Confucius
felt that consummate conduct (often translated as benevolence or
humanity) was the center of all his teachings, and constant self-reflection
was the way to achieve it. Liao Fan and Franklin showed how to institute
such principles.
The great businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie once
recommended that everyone should construct a check chart and make a
daily habit of rating themselves on each one of the following negative and
positive emotions: fear, jealousy, hatred, envy, revenge, malice, greed,
superstition, distrust, anger as well as love, sex, hope, faith, desire,
optimism, loyalty. In The Wisdom ofAndrew Carnegie as Told to Napoleon Hzll
he said, "This experiment will surprise anyone who attempts it. It may also
lead to changes in one's personality which will agreeably surprise all of his
associates. This is a positive approach to self-mastery." 6 Is this not similar
to Liao Fan's method as well as what Confucius wanted?

118
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

If you really want to purify your mind and behavior to engage in self­
transformation you should emulate the methods in Move Fonvard· Powerful
Strategiesfor Creating Better Outcomes in Life and Quick, Fast, Done as closely as
possible. During the day you should watch your thoughts and behavior to
keep track of any violations against what is right and proper. You must
learn to transcend negative thoughts and impulses by continually witnessing
your mind but you shouldn't act on errant impulses, in effect distancing
yourself from your thoughts so that they don't control your actions. The
more you can do this the more you can cultivate your Qi channels and
purify your behavior.
If you set out to purify your mind by cultivating the seeds of good
deeds rather than just refusing to act wrongly then you can slowly become a
truly virtuous human being. The method of Llao Fan, Franklin, Bettger or
Carnegie should become your new way of living. Furthermore, you should
set up a small shrine in your house (such as a section of a table) with an
incense burner and any statues or images of sacred ideals to which you
aspire. At the end of the day you light the stick of incense and
formally/ritually report that day's efforts and progress to Heaven.
This is a daily practice I very much encourage in order to help people
transform themselves. It is a method of ethical and moral reset that will
uplift society and culture if practiced on a vast scale. Every individual and
family should have a small table or shrine in front of which they can report
their personal attempts at self-perfection and elevating their behavior (in the
manner described by Franklin or Llao Fan) to Heaven for approval. This
one practice alone will most definitely change the culture of a nation.
The family has the primary role to educate children in terms of
character and behavior, and a school's job is to reinforce the positive
behavior, character traits and values that the country and community deem
proper. The family lays down the foundation of virtue and character,
especially through the regularity of reaffirming family rituals, and the school
builds upon that base. Teaching this inner watching method to children at
home is therefore one means to help ethically reset the fiber of the nation.

Developing a Mental State Free of Attachments

6:\iapoleon Hill, The Wisdom ofAndrew Carnegie as Told to Napoleon Hill (l'he Napoleon Hill
Foundation, Virginia, 2004), pp. 64-65.

119
 WILLIAM BODRI

You can use many strategies to help you transform your mind and
transition yourself to better behavior, but since the stream of errant mental
afflictions is endless many policing strategies can end up tiring your
willpower. \'vbat then do you do?
As taught, one of the highest mental attainments is to byp ass the need
for all these helpmates by actually emancipating the mind from all mental
tendencies, freeing it from attachments to all mental habits, good and bad.
To do this you must gradually cultivate a detached mental state through
regular meditation and mindfulness practice so that eventually when
negative thoughts arise you have enough mental powers to prevent them
from transforming into negative behavior. Once again, you cultivate this
degree of mental liberation through devoted meditation and mindfulness
practice. \Ve are normally bound to our thoughts, so mental liberation from
their pull doesn't just happen without practice and training.
\Vhen thoughts arise that you do not want in regular life, you have to
learn how to detach from them (or ignore them) so that they stop bothering
you. By unhooking ourselves from thoughts by remaining as their observer
who doesn't get entangled with them there is another great boon in
addition to what we have already covered. This is the fact that we also bring
ourselves closer to the world of direct experience.
Detachment and rationality are two of the highest methods for making
your mind the tool it needs to be for life. They help us transcend the animal
parts of our nature so that we can attain a higher stage of being and ennoble
ourselves. In life you have to learn how to properly relate to your thoughts
both good and bad. You have to learn how to deal with those that are
unwanted, and generate the ones you need. The Confucian way teaches you
how to do this.
A mind properly trained through meditation can remain balanced and
unmoved in the presence of unwholesome thoughts or desires, and this is
detachment. Detachment gives people the ability to ignore afflictions even
though they may seem to overwhelm you. One remedy for dealing with the
flooding of afflictive emotions, where you become extremely upset and
physiologically aroused, is to call a time-out to the situation you are
involved in. You might try to calm down by taking an intermission break
and engage in other activities such as listening to music, practicing
relaxation techniques, or other methods that prevent you from falling back
upon automatic behavior once you've become flooded.

120
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

lvlindfulness practice or inner watching develops your ability to detach

from thoughts by having you shine awareness on them without becoming
entangled with them. You practice observing thoughts, desires, attitudes,
impulses and emotions without necessarily acting on them (without giving
them extra energy) until this independent detachment becomes a habit. As a
bonus, in time your mind will reach a higher state of inner quiet because of
your disengagement and practice of defusing from them.
This practice doesn't mean that you adopt a laissez faire view of the
world where nothing matters because you don't cling to your mental
processes. It just means that you can create enough distance from thoughts
when you need to be that way. Through detachment you can become an
independent observer who can see them for what they are, and
transcending them can make wiser choices than if entangled in their
network. Of course when you need to practice focus and concentration you
should still become fully engaged with thoughts as is necessary.
The point is that the spiritual path entails developing self-control to
use thoughts but without succumbing to them so that they gain control
over you. You are to always be their master. Detachment allows you to arise
above your emotional, irrational or animalistic nature that usually masters
you, and this will restore you to your rightful place as the ultimate master of
your behavior.
As previously taught, the usual alternative to detachment is to use
contemplation (wisdom analysis) to unwind attachment to thoughts and
impulses, which is discriminative reasoning or comprehensive
understanding, to help unravel the knots of afflictions at their root. \Visdom
analysis involves more mental engagement, but usually produces a deeper
and more long-lasting result when successful. Both methods must be
practiced on the spiritual path.

Helping Society

\Ve commonly lament that civic virtue has vanished in society and
public morality has declined. The crux of the problem is that we do not
emphasize self-improvement in society and so it has naturally become this
way. ,-\11 these methods of self-cultivation, for instance, remain unknown to
the public yet are the most effective means for helping people in their lives.
Is not self-cultivation the right methodology for the moral reset of

121
 WILLIAM BODRI

society? Should we not master both the automatic irrational as well as

deliberate rational aspects of our mind, and bring mental control to fullest
flower? Isn't this task, and its blossoming into virtuous behavior, what will
make us fully human, noble or even divine?
In Analects 7.22 Confucius said, "Even when walking in a group of
three companions, I will surely find instruction. I select what is positive
from them and pursue it. I reflect upon what is negative and try to inwardly
correct similar negative qualities that I might have." Once again, isn't this
what we want everyone to do, which is to emulate the best we see in others
but to use their negative qualities as a mirror for self-correction and self­
improvement?
Confucius taught the practices of mindfulness, contemplation and self­
improvement His example once again demonstrates why you should take
up the methods of Yuan Liao Fan and Benjamin Franklin since they
embody this approach, elevating both the self and society. Their methods,
which we should emulate as part of the Confucian way, entail the daily
practice of watching your thoughts and monitoring your behavior by
establishing a continuous mindfulness of inner observation. You can first
develop this skill through sitting meditation practice that cultivates pristine
awareness via witnessing, and then you can carry this skill into the regular
world.
The Great Learning entails recognizing that you are separate from
what your thoughts are saying and that you can change them to change your
life. You can unhook or defuse yourself from thoughts rather than take
them as absolute truths to be followed. You can use wisdom to override
their pressure that often seems like a loud command demanding obedience.
The Confucian way, which actually involves adopting any or all of
these techniques to help you transform your mind and behavior to
whatever you want, will help you to stop investing in strong negative
thoughts and detach from bad habit energies. By focusing on awareness,
achieved through meditation and mindfulness training, one can transcend
thoughts and become liberated from the contents of the mind.
The Confucian way of mindfulness helps you cultivate a clear clarity of
mind that we call "being bright" because through this practice your mind
will quiet of wandering nuisance thoughts. If you become perfectly clear
about whatever are the contents of your mind, this is bright awareness or
pristine awareness. It is not something new you create but something you

122
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

always have. It is really just your ordinary mind. Using your bright
awareness that is detached from the contents of the mind you will become
able to transcend the habit of getting entangled with your thoughts, and by
separating from your thoughts you can begin to transform your habit
energies because of this independence.
Most types of schooling and education concentrate on teaching
academic topics to children instead of training them how to cultivate bright
awareness, how to properly use their minds to handle unwanted thoughts,
or how to cultivate virtuous behavior through mental watching. Some
countries even use their educational system to brainwash children with
strange indoctrinations while leaving aside these most important lessons on
virtuous character traits and how to control, use and develop the mind.
Rather than academic topics that we'll forget, aren't these more important
lessons for life? Don't we need to better learn how to fully control and use
the mind?
Most often schools teach children how to develop mental skills such
as logic, language, reasoning, communication and so on, which is found as a
standard across the world. Yes, we do need to learn how to develop all the
possible functions of the mind such as this and all the arts and skills
necessary for survival and livelihoods. However, schools regularly fail to
teach that we can silence afflictive thoughts and emotions when they arise
in addition to the mental skills involved ·with intentional rational thinking.
They fail to teach that our mind can control the body's internal energies
too.
Since our thoughts can turn into outward behavior, in the end our
education systems should teach children how to form better thoughts and
transcend their animal natures so that they don't just blindly follow their
urges and passions. They need to teach them how to use their mental
capacities not just so that they can achieve excellent accomplishments, but
so that they can achieve excellence in ethical behavior as well.
Unfortunately, schools don't teach the deep social message that a
virtuous character is the basis of all trustworthy social interactions that
students will eventually face in life. \Ve can cultivate our character in order
to become a noble, helpful actor in the larger world or an individual
primarily consumed by the motivations of self-interest. People will know
the difference through your behavior, and adjust themselves accordingly.
In _Analects 4.15 we can discover which path Confucius preferred.

123
 WILLIAM BODRI

Confucius said, "Zeng! My Way is held together by a single strand." lvfaster

Zeng then replied, ''Yes, certainly." After Confucius departed the other
students asked Zeng what their teacher had meant and he replied, "The
Master's \Vay lies in exerting all of one's effort and relating to the needs of
others. That is all." This is the idea of compassion, giving or altruistic
cooperation, which is the glue that binds together and uplifts societies. The
idea is service to help others.
Our schools don't normally teach children how to detach from
improper impulses. They simply command, "Don't do that." They don't
teach the many ways we can transform unwholesome thoughts and habits
into good ones either. They don't teach that people can cultivate virtue and
goodness and even break bad habits through self-reflection, self-discipline
and quiet sitting. They don't teach that one of the great goals in life is not
necessarily worldly success, which can never be guaranteed, but the pursuit
of serenity and the personal perfection offered by self-cultivation.
Our school systems teach children absolutely nothing about how to
properly relate to their thoughts and emotions, especially unwanted ones.
They don't teach the younger generation the specifics about how thoughts
and emotions don't have to automatically determine their actions because
they can always choose to generate and then follow higher ideals than
whatever first appears in their mind. Despite all of us possessing habit
energies of lower, baser inclinations children are never taught how to
change their habit energies so that they are pointed toward more valuable
directions.
As Confucius said in Analects 14.23, "Exemplary people reach higher,
the petty descend lower," but do we teach children how to reach higher?
Our educational systems focus on academic topics rather than moral topics.
They don't teach children that they should strive to become exemplary
individuals, admirable moral agents who will give their utmost to make a
better world.
In order to operate well, greater society requires a community of
virtuous, cooperative individuals who are together because they are willing
to help one another. It requires individuals of righteous character who
know good from evil and choose righteousness for their behavior rather
than what is purely profitable. To produce such individuals we need
educational systems that will stress character, and which teach children how
to travel a road of self-perfection just as you have been taught. The

124
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

Confucian way does this and it is non-religious and non-denominational.

The foundation of your character is always established in your youth,
and the habits you form in adolescence usually persist into adulthood. Even
the twists and turns of your fate can usually be traced back to the character
traits you developed in your youth. With this in mind, think about what and
how you might teach children to give them the power to perfect their
characters and fortunes.
The Confucian Analects are all about wise and proper living among
others and getting good at life, which is why the principles within them are
still valuable for modern living. However, they often focus on the larger
picture without going into smaller remedies such as how to create a ledger
system like Liao Fan's or Franklin's and how to handle some of the
automatic negative processes of the mind. As a society we need to work at
promoting knowledge of these various techniques in order to help people
attain better self-mastery because self-improvement is the road to mental
peace, accomplishment and prosperity.
These methods just reviewed are some of the many that can help us to
master our minds when they consistently, automatically keep going astray
despite our best efforts at mindfulness, inner viewing and detachment. By
promoting them and the concept that we can and should learn to
control/manage the automatic afflictions of the mind, we create a means
for bringing about an ethical reset that society needs. They are the means of
creating better communities everywhere because mastery of the mind leads
to positive character traits and virtuous behavior.
Building a better world and benefitting others starts with building a
better character. With a better character you have a greater chance to
influence others and the world. These methods will give you some powerful
ways to start getting control of your mind and dealing with thoughts
properly so that you can improve your character and the power of your
behavior. When mindfulness and meditation are not enough, you should
use helpmates such as these to help eliminate afflictions and gain control
over your mental processes, through which you can build the world.

125
 CH.APTER 9:
DE1'\LING WITH DEPRIVATION
AND DIFFICULT TIJ\,1ES

Over the next century many men and women in developed nations
will fmd themselves in the unfortunate state of perpetual unemployment.
Globalization will have displaced many jobs to lower cost nations, and
automation will have reduced employment opportunities as well.
Joblessness will reign . The oil reserves of many petroleum nations will have
run out collapsing their economies and producing poverty. W'here there was
once adequate employment opportunities, many people in what are now
rich nations will face the agony of deprivation.
\Vhat can we expect during those future times of hardship and
desperation? \Vhat should anyone do if their nation is faced with the terrible
fortune of deprivation? We can tum to a story from the past to gain a few
insights.
'The great explorer Henry I'vforton Stanley, who charted the course of
the Congo River in Africa, often took Europeans with him on his African
expeditions. Typically two out of every three Europeans who went ,v:ith
him through Africa died along the way due to disease, starvation or attacks
by natives.
At one time when he was leading his third expedition into Africa,
Stanley made camp and then proceeded to venture into an uncharted rain
forest by himself, leaving behind a rear column comprised of men from
some of the most prominent families in Britain. \X,'hat happened next may
come as a surprise.

126
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

"Those men, along with a British soldier and doctor who were
left in charge of a fort along the route, lost control once Stanley
was no longer there to command them. They refused medical
treatment to sick natives and allowed Africans under their
command to perish needlessly from disease and poisonous
food. They kidnapped and bought young African women to
keep as sex slaves. \'\'hen one of the very young concubines
tried to be returned to her mother and father, she was ignored;
when another escaped, she was retrieved and trussed to prevent
another escape. The British commander of the fort savagely
beat and maimed Africans, sometimes stabbing them with a
sharp steel cane, sometimes ordering men to be shot or flogged
almost to death for trivial offenses. l'vfost of his officers raised
no objection. 'When some Pygmies living near the British fort -
a mother and several children - were caught stealing food, parts
of their ears were cut off. Other thieves were shot and
decapitated so that their skulls could be displayed as warnings
outside the fort. One of officers in the Rear Column, a
naturalist who was an heir to the Jameson whiskey fortune, paid
for an eleven-year-old girl to be killed and eaten by cannibals -
while he made sketches of the ritual."7

Stanley wrote of these men, "At home these men had no cause to
show their natural savagery ... they were suddenly transplanted to Africa &
its miseries. They were deprived of butcher's meat & bread & wine, books,
newspapers, the society & influence of their friends. Fever seized them,
wrecked minds and bodies. Good nature was banished by anxiety.
Pleasantness was eliminated by toil. Cheerfulness yielded to internal anguish
... until they became but shadows, morally & physically of what they had
been in English society." It is as I:viencius once said, "In years of plenty
many young men are reliable, but in years of want many cannot control
themselves."
This descent into barbarity occurred because these men, despite
having grown up in a highly civilized society, had not deeply internalized
what Confucius called lz; which are the socially expected rules of proper

7 Roy Baumeister and John Tierney, Wiltpower (Penguin Books, London, 2012), pp. 142-143.

127
 WILLIAM BODRI

conduct and societal interaction that we must extend to even those we

consider inferiors. Confucius's concept of Ii is often translated as "rites" or
"rituals" but the meaning embodies a spirit of universal respect for others
expressed through the norms of proper social behavior. Li represents the
formalized, expected and therefore "ritualized" behaviors of a culture.
Ii embodies the entire spectrum of human interactions within society,
all of which should embody respect for others as the guide to personal
conduct. It guides public expectations of proper behavior such as showing
respect for one's parents, loyalty to one's superiors, trust to one's friends,
integrity (honesty) with strangers and other factors related to social order.
In short, Ii represents proper behavior - rules of social etiquette and
standards of personal conduct for the right way of doing things ,,rithin
relationships. It is preventive, for the principles of Ii are meant to turn a
man away from evil before he has a chance to commit it.
Confucius taught that governing the masses should be based on
concepts of Ii because the ideal is "to lead others by virtue and guide them
\Vith the rules of proper conduct." The principle of governing is that the
concepts of virtue must be the highest standard so that people ,vil.l know
shame if they do something wrong, and wishing to avoid shame \\rill
become better people.
\'(:bat is one such rule of Ii, or proper conduct? \-x;'hen Zigong asked
Confucius ,vhat principle could serve for the conduct of life, Confucius
ans,vered "Perhaps the word 'reciprocity': Do not do to others what you
would not want others to do to you." Rabbi Hillel, one of the most famous
figures in Je"\\rish history, said something similar, "That which is hateful to
you, do not do to your fellow; this, in a few words, is the entire Torah; all
the rest is just an explanation of this one, central point. Go and learn this."
�'hether Stanley's companions in Africa acted horrifically because they
thought of themselves as superior to the natives, this central principle of
behavior was something they definitely ign ored.
Confucius said that correct behavior comes from internalizing culture
while self-restraint comes from studying and mastering lz� the standard
forms of propriety through which one expresses respect for others. The
problem demonstrated by these Europeans in Africa is that during difficult
times they lost all f01n1s of social self-restraint because they had not
internalized a universal respect for others. They though of themselves as
civilized, but they acted in quite the opposite fashion. Despite Christian

128
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

upbringings, because they had not truly internalized Ii or ren ("loving

people") they engaged in all sorts of barbaric acts. Their behavior was
neither a Christian way nor the Confucian way.
In a future state of economic decline and deprivation, should we not
expect this as well? \X!ill people turn aside from ethics and virtue to engage
in lies, thievery and even killing? Yes.
\v'e personally choose how to treat other people in life. \Ve have even
instituted laws so that during a state of war we are to treat captured enemy
combatants in a humane and decent manner. Their treatment as human
beings deserving of respect, who are simply ordered to do whatever their
country tells them to do, is based upon concepts of Ii. So that we do not
revert to being animals, the higher principles of human propriety (lz) are
never to be discarded in life regardless of the difficulties of the situation.
There is a famous story of Confucius suffering great deprivation in the
small Chinese state of Chen that we can compare to Stanley's African
experience. The Ana/eds records, ''\X-bile in the state of Chen, food supplies
for the journey were cut off. Followers fell ill and none was able to rise to
his feet. Zilu saw Confucius and asked, 'Is it right that even the superior
man should be reduced to poverty?' The 1'v1aster replied, 'A superior man
remains steadfast in the face of poverty; the small man, when impoverished,
loses all restraint."'
This is what we saw in Africa, and the question is whether many of us
will hold to propriety if we face future difficult times of deprivation
ourselves when economies sour and jobs disappear. \v'hen that happens,
what is to be our guide for proper behavior other than just survival?
During the difficult times when we are tested we must strongly hold
onto our concepts of Ii. Hindus and Buddhists tend to refrain from
wrongdoing during difficult times because they are afraid of negative karma.
Christian teachings are to always maintain a state of virtue and not fall into
evil ways even if survival is at stake. Even so, all people who are reduced to
having no income or food typically face a challenge to maintain proper
behavior during times of want.
\"Xt'hile Confucians also hold to the Yyi"ng'.r principles of behavioral
karma or merit for avoiding misfortune, Confucius simply said that we
should hold to ethical, virtuous ways no matter what, even when life
becomes horrifically awful. This is why Socrates also risked death under the
Thirty Tyrants rather than abandon his principles.

129
 WILLIAM BOOR!

Mencius also taught that we should maintain our strength of character

to "have a constant heart" in the face of deprivation. At some time or
another it is likely for us all to suffer some form of deprivation in life so the
lessons are important. A Confucian is taught that he must learn to bear the
pain with resilience, perseverance and determination to forge through it
without losing his morals. He must tightly hold to the pathway of virtue
while working through the deprivation and difficult times to change things
for the better. A Confucian takes inner strength and invincible striving as
the ideal model of behavior, which is to retain one's moral strength in tl1e
face of adversity.
It is not deprivation itself that leads us to abandon our sense of values
when we are in need. People readily abandon their values when times
become too difficult because their respect for virtue and proper ("ritual")
behavior isn't strong enough.
J\1encius warned, "The \vay of the people is this: if they are full of
food, have warm clothes, and live in comfort but are ,vithout instruction,
then they come close to being animals." Men must be taught higher
spiritual values for life that they should always maintain otherwise they ,vill
be no different than animals. Unfortunately, such instmction rarely holds
during difficult times but only during times of plenty.
Spiritual cultivation and the Confucian way are all about rising above
our animal nature, which medieval European alchemists called the irrational
soul or impure soul of impulses and desires. To become truly human we
must learn how to transcend our baser impulses, which some religions have
called transcending our "lower self." This is how to realize our divinity. The
spiritual path is a path that raises us above tl1e animals, and thus it teaches
us to become more humanitarian and altruistic rather than selfish or self­
centered. Although you may imbibe, it is not a pathway of constantly
follmving sensual desires.
Part of society's job is therefore to help people develop strong internal
values through education, which is a responsibility that has traditionally
been accomplished by the family and religion. Without family teachings and
religion - the traditional mainstays of morality - can we expect the state to
do this cormt!J? The answer is no, for while schooling can and should play a
role of building on the foundation that families and religion build, the state
will surely subvert the teachings for its own self-interest. Such is the history
of the world. Once again, it is primarily the duty of religion, the family, and

130
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

community to teach children ethics, morality, virtuous ways and strong

values.
The ethical and moral reset required of society necessitates that the
family assume a stronger role in educating children, next religion (where
parents should override what is not proper from ancient religious codes
being carried forward), and then communities. The ideal is to strengthen
the ties ,vithin the family and community, especially by reaffirming rituals of
family and neighborhood unity, and inculcate the civic notion to work and
sacrifice for the common good. The entire burden of moral education
should not be put on the schools.
'v(/hile our own lives may involve a constant striving for better
conditions for ourselves and others in a difficult environment, we must
never neglect the importance of positive character training for our children,
for they are to eventually build a new society. Our children are fated to
create the future prosperity of our nations and they need character to do so.
Despite the many difficulties and challenges we will face in our own lives,
we must always focus on rising above baser ways of being. \'ve must
ennoble ourselves through devotion to proper conduct and the cultivation
of virtues. This is how we build character, and is something we must
demonstrate to our children through our own example.
How do we do this? How do we pursue a pure mind and pure
behavior through difficult times? Confucius once commented, "The noble
person who studies broadly in culture and restrains themselves through
proper conduct will not go astray. (Analeds 6.27)" An exemplary man - a
man dedicated to perfecting his behavior through cultivation - studies
culture and restrains himself through rules of propriety so that he won't
jump the track when confronted with deprivation. Poor and destitute, one
can still remain noble. The opposite is what had happened to these British
men whom we would normally expect to have embodied the highest levels
of culture despite their circumstances.
To become a truly virtuous person you must be taught to really think
about what is really moral rather than just memorize rules of conduct like
the Ten C01mnandments. Everyone needs to develop their own personal
code of ethics for life, but it requires thinking to do so. You have to
become committed to a moral path after deep reasoning, such as the
"skillful means" moral pathway of Buddhism.
Everyone
., is a member of a familv., and local community.
� Also' we all

131
 WILLIAM BODRI

have a regional, national and then civilizational identity. You derive your
personal code of conduct through the influence of all these relationships -
through the teachings of your family and religion and community, through
personal experience and by thinking through the consequences of whatever
you are about to do. TI1is is how you can create a personal behavioral code
for yourself.
Confucius said, "Against the rites (/z), do not speak; against the rites,
do not act." The idea is, "against the rites, do not look; against the rites, do
not listen." In other words, find your code of behavior, practice that proper
behavior and do not stray from what is proper. "Rites" does not mean
rituals or ceremonies but the proper way for doing things in any situation
according to the proper etiquette of social interaction. It stands for the
formalized (accepted as proper) virtuous behaviors of a culture.

Rules of Conduct

Confucius also said, "Conquering yourself and returning to Ii

constitutes Goodness. If for one day you could conquer yourself and return
to Ii (proper behavior), the world would respond to you with Goodness.
The key to achieving Goodness lies within yourself-how could it come
from others? (Analects 12.1)"
\X'hat might those principles of Goodness be? \"Xibat are the principles
of exemplary behavior that constitute the "consummate conduct" of which
Confucius speaks?
Throughout the ages men have endeavored to create proper ethical
rules and moral philosophies on how we should interact with others. They
proposed rules for behavior such as the conscience test (does this go
against my conscience?), the consequences test (would this behavior create
bad consequences?), the broadcasting test (what if everyone knew I did
this?), the religion test (does this go against the rules of my religion?), the
fairness test (is this fair to all the parties involved?), the "what if everybody
did this?" test and all sorts of other tests to judge the properness of actions.
Along these lines Confucius espoused the ethical test of reversibility:
"Don't do to others what you would not have them do to you." In other
words, whenever somebody does something to another you should ask
yourself whether you would be willing to accept this if it was done to you.
\lC'hen you measure the treatment of another by substituting yourself in the

132
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

sinrntion, whether it is proper or improper soon becomes clear. Thus the

Golden Rule is to treat others as you would have them treat you ,vith Rabbi
Hillel's addition that "the rest is commentary."
On the ethics of behavior, Kant said that people should think about
whether a rule guiding their actions and behavior could be proposed as a
universal law, and thus arrived at the rule of universalizability: "Act in
accordance with the maxim that your actions should become universal law."
I personally feel that you should "move in the direction that most elevates
you above your animal nature." Doug Casey proposed as the basic ethical
rule of interactions, "Do not egress in any way against another person or
their property." Chamfort (Products �f the Peifected Civilization) said, "Enjoy
and give pleasure, without doing harm to yourself or to anyone else - that I
think, is the whole of morality."
The rule of John W'esley is to "Do all the good you can, in all the ways
you can, in every place you can, at all the times you can, with all the zeal you
can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." Buddhists espouse,
"Do everything good you can, cut off any evil when you see it, don't block
any unborn good from being born but never let unborn evil be b01n."
Since it seems almost impossible to establish a completely objective
and universal set of ethical rules, it appears that the proper ethical rules to
apply for any situation should be arrived at through careful reflection. This
conclusion is embodied in the l\.fahayana principle of skillfulness where the
ethics you are to apply to a situation are not rigid rules but flexible
standards relative to the situation at hand.
\"X'hatever the foundational rule we apply as our test of propriety,
ethics and morality, we should remember the story where Master Zeng said,
"The Master's Way lies in exerting all of one's effort and relating to the
needs of others. That is all." Your actions in the world should be geared
toward helping others.
There are many suggestions as to the fundamental moral principles
that should guide everyone's life, and for years I searched for a fundamental
few such as these that could serve as a single foundation. Everyone is
searching for a fixed point, a center that will hold, and that center must
involve foundational principles of behavior for your life. The Confucian
way offers some suggestions for these principles, but the truth is that you
must think deeply about these things to derive a clear code of conduct for
yourself.

133
 WILLIAM BODRl

Even if you don't buy into the established shared value expectations
(ritual conduct) of your country, culture, religion or family and friends, you
still need to develop a set of standards for your own life, otherwise you
have nothing at all to guide you. Developing such principles to guide your
character and behavior is one of the expectations of Confucian cultivation.
Finding those principles, adopting them into your life, and making your
behavior conform to the higher standards you select is actually the road of
all spirituality which religion is supposed to espouse.
Acting according to "ritual" (expected behavior) plays a constructive
role on the road of Confucian self-cultivation because it helps you reshape
your inner endowment towards a higher way of being, a more noble form
of behavior. The "rites" perform a humanizing function of ennoblement by
forcing you to practice conducting yourself as an exemplary being until that
behavior becomes automatic. Only with awareness and understanding of
what is proper, and then practice in effecting those proper forms of
behavior, do we actually build the habits that ennoble us.
l.Jntil Confucius, a man acquired the status of being a gentleman or
noble only through his birth into nobility. After Confucius's teachings
became established in China, the correct idea took root that nobility was
bestowed by merit rather than birth. You cultivated your behavior to
develop cultural, spiritual and humanitarian values and thereby made
yourself noble by your own effort. The nobility of blood was therefore
replaced by tl1e nobility of virtue and merit. This is one of the reasons that
Confucius's teachings made a big impact on society throughout Asia. By
elevating your own attitudes, thinking and behavior you raise yourself up
and turn yourself into a gentleman, a noble, an exemplary being, a sage.
Confucius stated, "[human] natures are close to one another, but
become far from one another by practice" (Ana/eds 17.2). Because of
exposure to different environments and because they repeatedly engage in
certain types of good or bad behavior that become habitual, people slowly
differ from purity and start to become shaped in different ways.
Understanding this principle, which is tl1at the environment is important for
a child's upbringing, we can now understand why Mencius's mother moved
three times. Her wisdom recognized the perfuming principle of slow
permeation that slowly changes people's behavior for good or bad. 111e
important question to therefore ask is this: since people become far from
one another due to practice, with "becoming far from one another" meaning

134
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

that some people choose lower roads that silence morality and ethics, what
type of pradice will ennoble people?
Mencius also said that human beings have a natural constitution that
embodies certain emotional predispositions. He felt that each hwnan being
"inherently" has a heart witl1 tl1e capacity for positive virtues and it need
only be developed. Education is supposed to do just this. The Confucian
way is to believe that human nature is inherently good and that becoming a
good person is the result of personally developing our innate tendencies
toward benevolence, righteousness, and propriety. In other words, the
Confucian way is that we can all become better through a road that teaches
us to become one with our inherent goodness.
In oilier words, our natural predispositions already point in the
direction of goodness, and because of tl10se predispositions we are capable
of perfecting ourselves even more if we have the benefit of a positive
environment and training. Th.is is the proper attitude to have in life for even
when we seem to lack talent in some life area, training can develop our
skills and abilities in a new direction of our choosing, and that includes the
fields of virtue, morality and ethics.
Mencius felt that "becoming bad" is not the fault of one's constitution,
but a matter of either injuring or not fully developing one's constitution in
the appropriate direction. He also believed that through training by parents,
relatives, teachers and through personal se!f-cultivation we can develop our innate
capacities into fully formed virtues.

Daily Review

How then should you proceed to develop yourself to become better?

The premier Confucian way is meditation practice and the mindfulness of
self-correction, and Liao Fan and Benjamin Franklin showed how we can
formalize this into a daily practice. Franklin once wrote of this technique,
"On the whole tho' I never arrived at tl1e perfection I had been so
ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavor, a
better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not
attempted it."
Franklin's attitude showed evidence of Mencius's growth mindset that
your character virtues can definitely be developed in the direction that you
want even if you never attain the final goal you seek. This is the correct

135
 WILLIAM BODRI

attitude of mindfulness cultivation. Just as you struggle hard in twelve to

twenty or more years of schooling to develop your intellectual potential,
Franklin and Liao Fan showed that you must also struggle for positive
character development by reducing the errors marring moral perfection.
Hard it may be, but as Franklin said the effort is worth the joumey.
The point of mindfulness is to identify personal faults and errors you
have and to continuously, monitor vourself
' to cut them off immediatelv,
whenever they appear. You are ahvays to catch yourself and stop rather
than continue doing what you see and know to be wrong. Throughout
history the influence of religion and moral teachings have been the
traditional means to redirect people away from non-virtue and teach them
self-control, but this method of self-control is even higher. It is part of a
culture of continuous improvement and it works because you are forced to
track your personal progress to really see whether you are improving or not
Science will tell us that the methods of Liao Fan and Benjamin
Franklin will create positive changes in the brain, as does any sort of
behavioral training, and those neural changes can help you alter your
behavior permanently. The mindfulness method of observation they both
employed is not only how we normally correct what's wrong with our
behavior but also how we should develop our potential. It's how we can
build skills in the virtues we want, but we need the determination of follow­
through to do so.
Along this pathway of development, it is especially important to start
cutting off behavioral errors that go against the virtues you want to instill in
yourself. Franklin best showed that we can cut off errors in order to
cultivate positive virtues. Liao Fan showed that we can also use self­
observation to push ourselves to do good deeds. The right sort of mindful
self-corrective practice carried out over a sufficient period of time will
indeed lead to any type of improvement you want to engineer, and the
methods we've revealed will certainly help you perfect yourself as Confucius
recommended. No other techniques work as well as these.

The Weekly One Hour Review

In Character Lvlatters, author Thomas Lickona even recommends that

our schools organize a strategy for promoting virtues to children along the
lines just covered. He suggests various curriculum options for teaching
children such as promoting one virtue a month, a virtue per week, a three-

136
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

or four-year teaching cycle of virtues, a yearly theme of virtue, a

developmentally appropriate virtue emphasis per grade level, and so on. A
point to take home from his plan is that character development ought to
involve a continuous effort to develop moral potential.
\'(,'hether at home or at school, I strongly recommend that we teach
Franklin's method of concentrating on one virtue per week, or Liao Fan's
method of daily watching your mind to promote good deeds as well as cut
off faults. I also recommend people be taught that the Daily Review
Method should be supplemented by a One-Hour Per \Veek review of your
progress and_your life as detailed in my book Quick, Fast, Done.
The practice of spending an hour per weekend reviewing that week's
efforts at self-cultivation (or the events of the week in general) will give you
a chance to step back and re-assess how you are living and what you are
really doing in life. A weekend review provides you with the opportunity to
introspect and see a larger picture, and by regularly practicing this type of
awareness you can learn how to step out of the stream of your daily affairs
to improve your life and bring it back on track whenever necessary. This
method of weekly review will allow you to reach the highest stages of moral
development and personal accomplishment.
In How to Win Friends and Influence People Dale Carnegie told the story of
the president of an important Wall Street bank who admitted that he owed
most of his career success to reviewing his life for just one hour every week.
The banker, addressing one of Carnegie's classes on self-improvement,
described his method:
"For years I have kept an engagement book showing all the
appointments I had during the day. My family never made any plans for me
on Saturday night, for the family knew I devoted a part of each Saturday
evening to the illuminating process of self-examination and review and
appraisal. After dinner I went off by myself, opened my engagement book,
and thought over all the interviews, discussions and meetings that had taken
place during the week. I asked myself:
"'\vhat mistakes did I make that time?'
'"\vhat did I do that was right - and in what way could I have
improved my performance?'
"'\'<,'hat lessons can I learn from that experience?'
"I often found that this weekly review made me very unhappy. I was
frequently astonished at my own blunders. Of course, as the years passed,

137
 WILLIAM BODRI

these blunders became less frequent. Sometimes I was inclined to pat

myself on the back a little after one of these sessions. This system of self­
analysis, self-education, continued year after year, did more for me than any
other one thing I ever attempted.
"It helped me improve my ability to make decisions-and it aided me
enormously in all my contacts with people. I cannot recommend it too
highly."
Taking one hour per week to review your previous week's activities,
such as your self-improvement efforts, is a great way to help you stay in line
with your core values, help you eliminate any habitual errors you have been
making in life, and accomplish your life goals. It falls directly in line \vith
the Confucian method of daily self-observation.
In his book Make it Big! 49 R.ulesfor Building a Leffe ofExtreme Success, the
real estate developer Frank McKinney explained how he would take time
off every weekend to proactively review his life and his business in the
manner discussed:
"Every Saturday afternoon ... I sit down with the previous week's
chart and a copy of my personal vision statement. I review my vision
statement first, to remember the big picture of what I want my life to be
about this year. Then I look at the previous week's accomplishments and
what hasn't gotten done, and I ask, 'How was this week? How did I
approach things? W'hat did I do well? \Vhat did I do wrong? Where did I
fail, not only professionally but personally? \v'here did I not live up to my
personal vision statement?' Then I ask the most important questions: '\'v'hat
can I learn from this? How can I be a better person next time?' I write the
answers to all those questions on the back of the previous week's chart.
Once I have done my introspection, then-and only then-am I ready to
plan a new week. Weekly introspection gives me the ability to grasp
everything that's going on around me and, for the most part, to feel in
control of the direction of my life." 8
This type of weekly review, which will help you gain an accurate
perspective on your life, should certainly be performed regulaly. Everyone
needs to set aside a regular time where they perform some self-reflection
and evaluate how well they have lived the past week, month, quarter or year
or whatever the time period being considered. This \Vill make the

8 Frank l\IcK.inney, Make It Big! 49 Secretsfor Building a Life ofExtreme Success Qohn Wiley &
Sons, New York, 2002), pp. 31-32.

138
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

mindfulness technique much more powerful. If you make this a regular

ritual you can use it to substantially improve your life and help you keep on
track towards achieving what you \Vish to accomplish. This will help you
achieve your aspirations for creating an outstanding life.
In line with these same principles you might consider the following
methods to help strengthen your family. Consider instituting weekly Family
Get Together days such as regular family movie nights, Sunday brunch, or
some other regular weekly function. .A regular ritual might involve a weekly
date night with your spouse or a weekly get together where they jointly pay
their bills and talk about their finances. You might even establish regular
riruals with people whose presence in your life is part of your greater life
goals such as a workout buddy, close friends, a :tvfastermind group of like­
minded business associates, etc.
Regular family traditions will bring about a feeling of family unity and
closeness. This type of regular activity, which offers a potential period for
meanin2ful communication between everyone, can strengthen family bonds
tremendously. Most families already have their own periodic traditions such
as a yearly Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas season get-together, regular
Sunday meal, and other special occasions. \v'e should always try to maintain
such traditions, even during periods of deprivation, because they are
necessary for the development of a close-knit family.
Reading to your children or discussing moral tales or intellectual topics
with them, such as at the dining table, are other ways to influence them
towards virtuous behavior. These types of activities not only build moral
character but build the family too. By interacting strongly with your
children on a regular basis you can influence them to develop special
interests and proper conduct, which is the Confucian way. The more
positive interactions you have with them to guide them, and the more
meaningful conversations you have with them to help them develop their
independent thinking processes, the more you can protect them from the
pressures, bad examples and temptations they will regularly find outside of
the home.

Public Holidays and Ceremonies

Family gatherings held on a regular, rhythmical basis add to the

seasonality of life, put meaning on the passage of time, and their feelings of
togetherness create group comfort and security. They create wonderful

139
 WILLIAM BODRI

lasting memories for everyone that help solidify family culture and bind
members closer together. They impart cohesion to the family, connect us
with our past, and help families shape a sense of shared identity and values.
In short, the regularity of family traditions helps to build successful families.
We need this to build strong ethical communities. Tbis is all part of the
Confucian way.
Holidays and large societal gatherings (ritual) have the magical power
to cooperatively integrate disparate elements of communities and larger
society into one harmonious whole for a short period of time. They fulfill
our need to feel a transcendent whole that is great and harmonious ,vi.thin.
At those times people will often share a unified body of emotions; even the
non-religious might partake of great feelings of unity, closeness, elevation,
awe, sublimity or grandeur. Thus public holidays can create a cooperative
positive culture that can uplift (transform) people's characters for the better.
Such large get-togethers also belong to Confucius's concept of rites or
rituals and their ability to transform people.
It is a powerful technique to use the method of perfuming as a means
of cementing national unity. Public holidays and ceremonies fall into the
category of annual perfuming activities for developing national cohesion.
They help create a "high-purpose environment" that can unify disparate
peoples into a single purpose. On this Daniel Coyle said, "Purpose isn't
about tapping into some mystical internal drive but rather about creating
simple beacons that focus attention and engagement on the shared goal.
Successful cultures do this by relentlessly seeking ways to tell and retell their
story. To do this, they build what we'll call high purpose environments.
"High purpose environments are filled with small, vivid signals
design ed to create a link between the present moment and a future ideal.
They provide the two simple locators that every navigation process
requires: Here is where we are and Here zs where we want to go."9 This type of
strategy can be nationally applied for the objective of aiming a country in a
particular direction and creating stronger national unity along those lines.
High-pm-pose environments deliver an unbroken array of consistent
little signals, and the total environment of perfuming they create can lead a
person or people to some greater degree of morality, altmism, coopei-ation
and wellbeing. Holidays and national ceremonies, when skillfully
administered, can therefore help accomplish difficult things like producing

9
Daniel Coyle, The Culture Code (Random House, London, 2018), pp. 180-181.

140
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

national unity, internal peace, wealth and greatness.

All societies need the regeneration created when disparate elements of
society harmoniously come together for holidays, and other periods of
communal excitement. The sentiments shared by the group are larger than
what an individual can normally experience on his own, and feeling that
great energy everywhere is transformative in building cohesive community
spirit. People who participate in the event can feel the overwhelming energy
of the group spirit in a cooperative mode, which helps to stimulate
emotions and transform society.
1v1ost nations have developed on the basis of farming and agriculture.
lvfany community celebrations and festivals therefore occur just after
harvest season when the crops of the field are normally brought in. At that
time, farming families usually possess an abundance of riches (the crops
they have grown), which typically gives rise to a great moment of joy where
generosity is shared throughout society because of the abundance. Such
moments help unify society by creating a shared sense of community.
Do we not need a sense of shared national unity where we live, or do
we want identity politics that aim to split a nation apart? History clearly
shows that splits within nations are often carefully orchestrated by various
parties in order to weaken or destroy the country. lvfany times they are
promoted behind the scenes by some minor group so that it can gain
power. \'{le must teach people to think for themselves so that they can see
when this is happening rather than remain blind to such events and subject
to manipulation.
Are we so gullible as to let deviant forces gain such control that they
can destroy the cooperative integration of society? Confucius warned
strongly against letting this happen for many of his teachings are about
cooperation and social cohesion. Communities are built through social
cohesion which is in turn built upon cooperative social harmony. The
leadership hehn of a country is at fault if it ever lets the social glue weaken.
Along these lines, public holidays and ceremonies can be used to
counteract such trends by cementing a feeling of harmonious unity and
goodwill within communities and the larger whole. All of us should desire
that the social bonds within our nation get stronger rather than fracture
because people start emphasizing differences rather than community.
Unfortunately, Ai11erica has been guided over the past few decades by
a cabal of liberal intellectuals with strange ideas of social engineering that

141
 WILLIAM BODRI

don't work, but which are actually fracturing and destroying the country. It
is as if they have been undermining Amei-ica on purpose. Their ideas and
influence have been so bad that one can only suspect that they have a
hidden agenda to actually fragment the nation into bitter factions, create
endless internal war and marginalize ti-aditional culture, pei-haps because
they believe it will allow them to gain even more powet or ultimate control.
l\1any intellectuals wrongly promoted Communism in the past hoping they
would become leaders within the new power bloc, thus illustrating this
mistake. Along these lines, certain groups have certainly organized with the
intent to destroy 1\merica and its traditional values, but the narrative is
being controlled to hide this fact and silence any criticism of the efforts.
Because of the importance of national unity, the diseases and
aberrations of the social body are not to be trumpeted everywhere as
normal occurrences eithet, nor are everyday life and commonsense views to
be made into perversions. This is not the Confucian way. For national
renewal, people must come to their senses and stop allowing this type of
nonsensical messaging. Integrity and harmonious cooperation must once
again become promoted throughout any society that wants internal peace
and affluent prospei-ity.

The Importance of National Unity

Confucius taught many lessons on promoting national unity, and the

Confucian emphasis on virtue and mindfulness plays a role in this objective.
Every nation should try to create an internal shared vision and purpose with
a high collective solidarity that brings out the country's magnificence.
People instinctively experience an "Attraction to the Great" and want
to connect themselves to something bigger than themselves in life. They
want a life purpose lai-get than themselves and want to associate with ideals
or movements greater than themselves too. They want to feel a sense of
unity from being at one with something that is grand and uplifting. They
want to feel like they are part of something big and important. They want to
connect to a larger story, a unifying vision, a broader current rather than
just the typical human life cycle of birth, adolescence, middle age, senior
times and then death. They want to feel part of something bigger than
themselves and surrender to that bliss. This is why national holidays are
important, and national unity too.

142
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

In order for a small group to take over the leadership helm of a nation
it must employ well-used methods from the playbook of history to destroy
its unity. For example, it must strive to weaken the population by breaking
its internal ethnic unity (or other types of cohesive unity) which it will try to
accomplish by emphasizing differences. It must employ immigration to
flood a country with foreigners in order to replace the current population
and dilute its strong identity. It must promote identity politics, dissension
and hatred to create factions since it is a small group itself, and once there
are many factions it can rise from among them to rule.
A smaller group needs multiple factions to protect itself, which is why
it promotes them even when they are radical. Once established it v.1ill use
the strategy of divide and conquer to destroy any groups that oppose its rise
if it truly wants to take over the leadership helm. All these efforts involve
destroying national unity to gain control. An aspiring gr oup will never stop
trying to move its agenda forward even if it takes decades, doing everything
possible to destroy the ancient sovereignties of the people. This is the
common pattern of history.
Such groups hate independent people as well as any populations who
can resist them, so they try to destroy traditional cultures in order to gain
control of everyone. Once they obtain the weapons of any people who
might resist them (thus decreasing the military power of potential
opponents) they typically move to crush a population, take away property
rights and put a country under totalitarianism. If not in complete control, a
group will simply fracture national unity, using the methods discussed, to
gain dominant control while leaving the governmental system in place.
This is the strategic playbook that a smaller group, perhaps a tribal
minority, often uses to gain control, domination and subjugation of a larger
population. It is a strategy that wipes away national traditions and religion
and embeds animosity in order to create and sustain segregation rather than
to promote a national unity of shared values.
All this is against the Confucian way. To avoid becoming a victim,
such strategies must always be seen for what they are although they are
often disguised by lofty words and their uncovering is actively opposed.
You must cultivate wisdom and clear awareness to see what is really going on
in order to oppose this type of effort. This is one of the reasons you are
taught to cultivate clarity, wisdom and awareness.
President Putin of Russia once gave an indication of the proper

143
 WILLIAM BODRI

attitude for protecting a country when he spoke about minorities who

wished to live in Russia. Putin said, "Any minority, from anywhere, if it
wants to live in Russia, to work and eat in Russia, it should speak Russian,
and should respect the Russian laws. For instance, if they prefer Sharia Law,
and want to live the life of Muslims then we advise them to go to those
places where that's the state law. Russia does not need minorities.
I\1inorities need Russia, and we ,vill not grant them special privileges, or try
to change our laws to fit their desires, no matter how loud they yell
'discrimination.' \�'e ,vill not tolerate disrespect of our Russian culture."
The deep message within the Ana/eds also concerns bringing about
national unity. Confucius taught that the goal of a great society is for the
people to interact harmoniously and cooperatively in one whole, but today
across the world certain groups are working to internally fracture many
nations in order to dominate or destroy them. They work to collapse the
social bonds bet\.veen people with the target of destroying national
sovereignty so that the countries might be controlled by other parties. They
work to erode and eviscerate the national fiber within many countries step­
by-step in order to gain power themselves or tum the country into a
collectivist system controlled by others. Despite their utopian promises, the
only way to ensure real peace and prosperity for people is to avoid
divisiveness and pursue the unity message conveyed \v-ithin the Analects.
The strategies used by groups intent on dividing and conquering, using
"diversity," "white supremacy" and religion or other means to hide their
true intentions, would be strongly censured by Confucius. In Ana/eds 14.42
Confucius said, "The exemplary man cultivates himself by bringing calm to
the people - even a sage king such as Yao or Shun would be challenged in
that regard." If even sage kings would be challenged in trying to bring
internal peace to a country, how can a strategy of fragmentation help a
nation? It \v-ill either destroy a country or lead to radical power-hungry
minorities gaining control, and once in control they will repress others and
destroy the national fabric.
Confucius taught much on how to properly mle a country. For
instance, Confucius was not worried about poverty and deprivation but
instability in a nation. He did not worry about underpopulation but about
unevenly distt-ibuted income because a large income disparity berureen the
elites and the populace usually leads to a revolution and overthrow of the
government.

144
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

\'>C'hen wealth is poorly distributed within a country then there ,vill be

poverty. The cure is a strong middle class and policies that end up storing
the country's wealth among the people. If the leaders work to do this while
creating national unity and harmony then the chances of overturning the
government through revolution - an event seen countless times in history -
will be prevented.
Today there is a worldwide attack against nationalism, but what can
replace the mechanism of social solidarity and unity consciousness provided
by patriotism? If you say religion then you must realize that unseen forces
within many countries are also striving to weaken religion in order to gain
control of those nations. Yes, they strive to weaken religion in order to
promote their own agenda! Therefore we cannot always rely on religion to
help, but we might be able to rely upon clear awareness to see the attempts
at destruction and thwart them. You already know the Confucian method
for cultivating such clarity.
A country needs to develop a unity of mentality that holds the whole
together and unites people through social cohesion. Every nation needs to
make a very strong effort to educate its people about the spirit of real
patriotism, cooperation, civic participation and national unity so that
divisionary forces can be resisted despite however nice they are dressed up.
Everyone must be encouraged to love their country and work for its
development.
There is a great benefit when a nation's free citizenry sustain their
inner lives with a vo/unfatJ' vision of national magnificence to which they can
subscribe even if the country is poor and suffering deprivation. That vision
must something greater than found in mundane life so that people can find
gratification in elevating themselves to that higher standard, even if for only
a short while. At the same time the people must see that the government is
helping them work towards that better future.
The entire line of thought in the Analects is that deprivation is not to
be feared. \Xlhat we should fear is that we do not cultivate moral wholeness
during that time and keep working to make things better. Confucius said in
Analects 2.3: "Guide the people with virtue, keep them in line with expected
behavioral norms and they will, besides having a sense of shame, reform
themselves." This is true.
Feeding the people, argued Confucius, is not the most important thing
in managing a country. \Xlhat's important is that the ruler becomes known

145
 WILLIAM BODRI

as embodying virtue so that the people trust him and not lose faith in him
or the government even during deprivation. A simple story illustrates this.
\v'hen Tzu-kung engaged Confucius in a conversation about
governance Confucius said that you should give the people enough food,
and defense (arms) and then they will have trust in you as a leader. Tzu­
kung then asked him, "If you had to give up one of these three (food,
protection or trust), which should you give up first?" Confucius replied,
"Give up arms." Tzu-kung then asked, "If one had to give up one of the
remaining two, which should one give up first?" Confucius answered,
"Give up food. The reason is because death (due to lack of food) has
always been with us since the beginning of time, but when there is no trust,
the common people will have nothing to stand on." In other words, when
managing a country the major concern is not prosperity when a nation
starts out poor. Rather, the concern is having leaders whom the people can
trust, for you need great leadership to lead you out of poverty.
Just as we learned from Stanley's men in Africa who abandoned their
values during a state of deprivation, here Confucius reminded us that death
is always with us but this is preferable to abandoning your values. Socrates,
who chose to drink poison hemlock rather than depart Athens to save
himself from certain death, also taught the same lesson - holding to your
values by refraining from doing wrong was more important than death or
deprivation. \Xlhen the members of society are unwaveringly devoted to
pursuing virtuous ways despite the difficulties then the result is that they
will produce a culture that is maximally great, even if it has to suffer
through states of deprivation.
The message is simple. Society as a whole may become poor or
destitute, as is presently seen in many countries of the world and has been
seen throughout history, but that is not the important thing. The important
thing is that a people must deeply cultivate culture and ethical values as
strive to push things forward. They must never forgo their sense of culture
and values because of their current poverty. In fact, deprivation calls for an
even greater need for altruistic behavior and community cooperation rather
than selfishness. The worst that can ever happen to a population is to die,
which is a natural thing that happens to everybody, but if we discard our
values because of poverty we become nothing but mere animals.
The principle actually being taught in the conversation between
Confucius and Tzu-kung is that a government should exhibit a strong

146
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

enough moral basis that the people will trust it even if the country
encounters difficulty. From time to time calamities will happen in countries
- such as plagues, floods, famines, economic catastrophes or war - but the
biggest worry is that the government should lose the trust of its people.
This is when progress comes to a halt because of poor leadership.
If the people are to trust the government through times of difficulty
they must see that the officials are commonly acting ethically, and this can
only happen if ethical values are deeply embraced by society. How do you
spread such values through a society? This feat is accomplished through a
nationwide emphasis on proper behavior starting in families, in the schools
and religion. It derives from a public emphasis on self-correction through
self-reflection, an emphasis on good citizenship and civic responsibility, and
an emphasis on shared traditions and forward efforts. Confucius also felt
that elevating art and music had the power to transform human nature in
the direction of virtue by ennobling the human heart. Therefore what the
nation chooses to elevate in art and music will have a deep effect on its
national character as well.
If we want to bring about an ethical and moral reset for a country,
people need to take these ideas to heart and stew on them. Only if all the
people are taught to pursue virtue will government officials have a natural
tendency to pursue virtuous ways even in the darkest of times. When
infractions occur they must be prosecuted because there is no limit to the
ruthlessness and murderous cruelty that some men will engage in to seize
money or power if they go unchecked. The good must therefore restrain
evil rather than put up with it. This is usually a distasteful task that the
virtuous abhor, but this is a necessity.
If the populace sees that good is rewarded and evil punished, it will
remain committed to the road of virtue during difficult times. The people
and government will together be able to work together to pull themselves
out of deprivation. Countries are built upon a foundation of internal
cooperation for the public good. When a people decide to put aside selfish
motiYes to pursue a higher mission of helping the country then it will move
forward in strides and bounds. You can encourage this by stressing the
Confucian way.

147
 WILLIAM BODRI

CHAPTER 10:
ERRANT MEN OF BUSINESS

The very opening of the book of Mencius starts out with a special
conversation. It is between Mencius and King Hui of Liang, who greeted
Mencius saying,

'Sir [Mencius], . . . You have come all this distance, thinking

nothing of a thousand li. You must surely have some way of
profiting my state?'
'Your majesty,' answered Mencius, '\Vhat is the point of
mentioning the word "profit"? All that matters is that there should
be benevolence and rightness. If Your Majesty says, "How can I
profit my state?" and the Counselors say, "How can I profit my
family?" and the Gentlemen and Commoners say, "How can I
profit my person?" then those above and those below will be trying
to profit at the expense of one another and the state will be
imperiled. \Vhen regicide is committed in a state of ten thousand
chariots, it is certain to be by a vassal with a thousand chariots, and
when it is committed in a state of a thousand chariots, it is certain
to be by a vassal with a hundred chariots. A share of a thousand in
ten thousand or a hundred in a thousand is by no means
insignificant, yet if profit is put before rightness, there is no
satisfaction short of total usurpation. No benevolent man ever
abandons his parents, and no dutiful man ever puts his prince last.
Perhaps you will now endorse what I have said, "All that matters is

148
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

that there should be benevolence and rightness. What is the point

of mentioning the word 'profit'?"'10

Consider this: If the ruler of a country is motivated primarily by profits

(money) then how can he expect higher ideals from anyone else in his own
kingdom? Mencius, like Confucius, therefore emphasized virtue and ethics
over the pursuit of personal wealth and advantage. A well-known truth is
that when greed and corruption are seen among the country's elites it tends
to foster greed and corruption at all lower levels of society.
There is a story about the reaction of the Grand Historian of China
when he read this passage:

As the Grand Historian was reading Mencius, he

unconsciously put the book down and sighed when he came to
the place where King Hui of Liang asked I'v1encius, 'How will you
profit my country?' The historian said, 'Ah, profit is truly the
beginning of disorder. That is why Confucius seldom spoke of
profit, always shoring up the source.' The source is the beginning.
\'v'hether it is found among the upper classes or the lower classes,
the degeneracy of lust for profit is basically the same. When those
in public office profit unfairly, then the law is disordered. When
those in the private sector profit by deception, then business is
disordered. When business is disorderly, people are contentious
and dissatisfied; when law is disorderly, the citizenry is resentful
and disobedient. This is how people get to be so rebellious and
belligerent that they don't care if they die. Is this not a
demonstration of how, 'Profit is truly the beginning of disorder'?
The sages and saints were deeply cautious and aloof from profit,
giving honor and precedence to humanity and justice. But in later
times there were still those who deceived each other in hopes of
profit; what limit is there to those who destroy morality and ruin
education? How much the more serious is the problem when the
path of adventurous profiteering is publicly espoused and
pursued; under these conditions, how could we hope for the

10 l\tencius, Volume One, transl. by D. C. Lau (The Chinese University Press, Hong Kong,
1984), p. 3.

149
 WILLIAM BODRI

world's morals and customs to be upright, and not be thin and

weak?11

We cannot assure ourselves of anything in life such as the attainment

of riches, power or honors. Therefore throughout the _,4naleds Confucius
continually stressed that self-cultivation should take preference over the
pursuit of wealth, salary or profits:

The 1faster said, "Exemplary persons make their plans for the
sake of the \Vay and not for the sake of sustenance. Tilling the
land often leads to starvation as a matter of course; studying
often leads to an official salary as a matter of course. The
exemplary person worries about the \X'ay, not about poverty."
(/4naleds 15.32)

The exemplary man understands what is moral. The small man

understands what is profitable. (Analects 14.23)

\X!ealth and high station are what men desire but unless I got
them in the right way I would not remain in them. Poverty and
low station are what men dislike, but if thev cannot be avoided
• J

while staying in accordance with the \X'ay you should not try to
avoid them. (Analects 4.5)

The l'vfaster said, "To eat coarse food, drink plain water and
pillow oneself on a bent arm - there is pleasure to be found in
these things. But wealth and position gained through
inappropriate means are to me like floating clouds." (Analeds
7.16)

The exemplary man (gentleman) seeks neither a full belly nor

comfortable lodgings. (.4.nalects 1.14)

There is no point in seeking the views of a gentleman who,

11 Nan Huai-Chin, The Story of Chinese Zen (Charles E. Tuttle Company, Vermont, 1985), pp.
205-206.

150
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

though he sets his heart on the \'(fay, is ashamed of poor food

and poor clothes. (_4na!eds 4.9)

The Master said, "Exemplary persons cherish their excellence;

petty persons cherish their land. Exemplary persons cherish
fairness; petty persons cherish the thought of gain." (Ana/eds
4.11)

The Confucian Cheng Yi (1033-1107) said, "A gentleman never fails

to desire profit, but if one is single-mindedly focused on profit then it leads
to harm. If there is only benevolence and righteousness then one will not
seek profit, but one will never fail to profit."
Let us be clear about this topic because no one can live life '.vithout
self-interest in mind. Self-interest should definitely lead us to want to profit
ourselves, and we should definitely pursue profits if we have a job or
business other'.vise we will have no income or way to survive. The real
lesson is to undertake this pursuit of profits in the 1ight 1vq;·.
The principles is that in seeking profits we should never abandon our
ethical values by forgetting self-cultivation and what it ultimately entails.
Every profession, for instance, has its own identity, mission, best practices
and standards. In executing your job or profession, just as it has its own
standards you too must remain true to your own values and standards.
The cruelty we see in nature of animals eating one another finds an
equivalence in the world of men. That equivalence is men battling one
another in single-minded pursuit of selfish interests (profit) without regards
to humanity. Men will turn to corruption, lawlessness and go as far as even
raping, crippling or killing others to pursue status, power and profits. Men
must therefore insist on safe checks against rampant abuse by others and
learn to police their own behavior so that they do not become as cruel as
animals in pursuing self-interests.
Just as the economy cannot be the be-all and end-all of life, a society
cannot be based on pursuing profits alone. It must instead pursue the
achievement of prosperity and harmonious happiness that embodies a wide
variety of creative interests and a high measure of cultural advance.

Errant Men of Business

151
 WILLIAM BODRI

Profits do not lead to spiritual redemption. However, many men

become seduced by profits because they represent the potential to fulfill any
desired appetite and give avenue to the anirnalistic drive for power. If a man
so pursues profits that he abandons his humanity then like Ebenezer
Scrooge he becomes an "errant man of business."
%at is an "errant man of business"? It is someone who compromises
professionalism, ethics and humanism in pursuit of profits. They may look
like gentlemen and outstanding members of society but errant men of
business have put aside their souls, their humanity and responsibility to
fellow humans in pursuit of just money. Here are some blatant examples of
"errant men of business" who were willing to commit gigantic crimes that
harmed other human beings just for the pursuit of money.
\"Vb.en the executives of cigarette companies maintained that there was
no relationship between smoking and cancer, attempted to engineer
cigarettes to become maximally addictive by manipulating nicotine levels,
and stood in front of Congress testifying that they firmly believed cigarettes
were not addictive, they proved themselves as errant men of business. They
choose profits over lives.
\'v'hen Nestle executives distributed the company's baby formula to
nursing mothers in the Third \Vorld for free, it gave just enough so that
lactating mothers would have their milk dry up. lvfothers and their babies
became entirely dependent on the formula, which they could not afford to
purchase after the trial period, and thus thousands of babies died. Through
this deed alone in order to increase sales, Nestle executives became errant
men of business.
%en vaccine manufacturers deny that there is any link between using
vaccines and damage (such as autism) when evidence strongly indicates
otherwise, they become errant men of business who choose unethical
profits over human lives. In 1987 Smith-Kline Beecham released a vaccine
in Canada, Triverix, that caused meningitis. Forced to stop selling the
vaccine in Canada, it changed the name to Pluserix and sold the vaccine in
the UK, again causing an outbreak of meningitis. Forced to stop selling the
vaccine in the UK, it then sold the vaccine in Brazil and caused another
meningitis outbreak. \'v'hen executives act in this manner they are errant
men of business.
\'v'hen Monsanto sued farmers because its own GMO products
contaminated their fields, its lawyers and executives became errant men of

152
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

business. The company in thousands of actions has shown that its

executives have positioned it incorrectly in the moral universe. In many
arenas Monsanto has clearly demonstrated that when profits become the
only destination that matters then people will often choose the low road to
get there.
When investment banking employees mislead their clients to sell them
shitty products to clean their books and then bet against those same
products they just sold to "suckers," they become errant men of business.
\Vb.en the executives of Goldman Sachs perjured themselves before
Congress about the doings of their firm (claiming that they were not
significantly net-short the mortgage market when their own position was
internally called "the big short" that accounted for 54% of the bank's risk)
they also became errant men of business.
The top salesmen at many firms regularly lie to their clients all the time
through exaggeration and omission in order to make sales and stay
employed. They too have become errant men of business.
Many other examples can be given of lawyers, lobbyists, government
officials and politicians who lost their moral center in the pursuit of profits,
namely self-interest. Many corporations, given the blessing of making "legal
profits," would readily suck the blood out of any humans until they killed all
of humanity. For the United States, one of the kisses of death that
accelerated this reign of terror appeared when it gave corporations the same
rights as individuals and allowed them to contribute to political campaigns,
thus sealing the fate of its citizenry to be treated as unchecked plunder. The
C.S. did not design its system towards just ends. It forgot that people are
primary, not corporations, and there should be principles to follow that are
higher than making money.
Higher than pursuing profits is staying true to humanistic values,
offering benefit to others while doing the right thing in all situations even
though profits might entice you to do otherwise. This is a humanistic
principle ign ored by modern profit-seeking corporations. The principle of
the Confucian way, on the other hand, is to live a moral life that contributes
to communities rather than preys on society by sucking out profits through
unethical or immoral means.
"Success" or "station" in life are typically measured by extreme wealth,
power, station or prestige. However, Confucius reframed the importance
people normally held for this type of success by recasting success in terms

153
 WILLIAM BODRI

of a man's behavior. He focused our efforts on becoming what has been

translated as virtuous individuals, gentlemen of benevolence, exemplary
men and women, or men and women of consummate conduct. \'vhether or
not you become an exemplary man or woman is determined by whether
you are living according to the highest ethical values.
Confucius shook the ancient world by storm for he taught that the
noble was not a man born into nobility but someone who became
exemplary because of their consummate conduct. He thereby put nobility
within everyone's reach by labeling the measuring stick as one's behavior.
The Confucian way recognizes that people do not always achieve their
goals in life such as their dreams to become powerful or financially wealthy.
For instance, only one person can become the winner of a sports
tournament, the biggest in their industry or top of their class. Therefore,
people must pursue a universal goal achievable by all where everyone can
become winners. Pursuing consummate conduct, which is part of the Great
Learning, must become that preeminent goal rather than the pursuit of
perishable and perhaps unachievable profits, assets and other selfish
interests.

Epictetus and Stoicism

Interestingly enough, the Greek philosopher Epictetus also taught that

the highest prize in life was not assets, position or power but serenity and
peace of mind, and that self-mastery over our desires and emotions lead to
this spiritual peace. Accordingly he said that we should not focus on
"revenues or income, or peace or war, but about happiness and
unhappiness" in life. He said that becoming entangled in concerns over
matters such as profits (revenues or income) turns you into a slave because
in so doing you lose control over your inner world. To Epictetus the true
meaning of success in life did not involve profits.
Just as with Confucius and :tviencius, Epictetus felt that ethics rather
than profits, power or status should be the main focus of human striving.
He taught that human beings should concern themselves with pursuing
mental peace and you attained this by learning how to free yourself from
being controlled by your thoughts. He taught the Stoic view that "virtue is
sufficient for happiness."
Just as we learned in the story of Liao Fan, the Stoic Epictetus taught

154
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

"The course of the \Vill determines good or bad fortune, and one's balance
of misery and happiness." In Stoic philosophy, a man needs to master his
willpower to do good and refrain from evil, to ennoble his behavior, and
refrain from succumbing to what is lower. The Confucian way emphasizes
that we master our thoughts, attitudes, emotions, willpower and the changes
of phenomena, and the Stoic way of Epictetus also speaks of the same
mission. The Stoics believed that we shouldn't let our emotions result in
errors of judgment, and that we should work with others and treat everyone
in a fair and just manner. In Stoicism all people were considered
manifestations of the one universal spirit (which has parallels to the
Supreme Ultimate of Confucianism) and should therefore live in brotherly
love helping one another.
The reason we have made a sidetrack to Epictetus is because his
teachings on how we should handle the mind are similar to ACT, so now
we have three schools of thought intersecting with the same conclusions
and guidance. In general, the Stoics held that one could transform emotions
by developing clear judgment (wisdom) and inner calm, which is the
Confucian way in another form. A man, through dispassion (detachment)
could also learn how to become indifferent to pain, pleasure, joy or grief
just as happens naturally with correct mindfulness practice.
Epictetus taught that for all men there are (a) things within your power
that are therefore "up to you," and (b) things beyond your power or "not
up to you." Stoics are taught to work on what thry have control over and to be
accepting, or indifferent, to what they cannot control. To have concern
over what you cannot control brings you no benefit since there is nothing
you can do about it. Thus a Stoic is taught to discipline his mind in the
same way as ACT. He relies on virtue, reason, self-control and mental
fortitude as a means of overcoming the control of destructive emotions.
The only thing that ultimately compels you, claimed Epictetus, should not
be your thoughts or emotions but your will. In short, how you apply your
will is what matters in life.
If you covet things beyond your power and control such as externals
like fame or fortune (things controlled by others who may or may not give
them to you), you actually become a slave to emotions such as desire, fear
or anxiety. Epictetus said, "A man's master is he who is able to confer or
remove whatever that man seeks or shuns. \Vhoever then would be free, let
him wish nothing, let him decline nothing, which depends on others; else

155
 WILLIAM BODRI

he must necessarily be a slave."

James Bond Stockdale, who became a prisoner of war who underwent
eight years of regular torture, wrote Courage Under Fire recounting his ordeal.
A student of Epictetus, whose philosophy mentally saved him, Stockdale
refused to desire things from his torturers. As an incredibly valuable lesson
for us all, Stockdale explained that if you want to remain ultimately free
then you should not seek from others what they control and you do not,
but must remain indifferent to the fate of their giving or taking things away.
He explained that to remain fully human and retain your inner respect in
times of torture and difficulty you must learn detachment from the contents
of your mind. You must teach yourself to become indifferent to whatever
you cannot control. In other words, if there are "changes" you cannot
master or manipulate, then because you cannot do anything about them you
should resign yourself to their outcomes.
Your will and actions are the only thing you can control in life. \v'hat
should therefore occupy your concern is your actions and behavior
controlled by your will, namely how to behave in the world under all types
of circumstances. You cannot always control the outcome of your behavior
but you can always try to go beyond yourself by making it the best possible,
expressive of your highest values, and move forward from there.
For example, while an exemplary man should try to build a good
reputation through positive behavior, other people are the ones who
actually decide your reputation. You should therefore focus only on acting
in a virtuous manner, since this is what builds a reputation, rather than run
after a reputation. %ether it comes or not is a matter of fate. Othenvise
you will become like the vaporous movie stars and singers who pursue fame
as if it were profit, often doing the unmentionable to win an empty prize.
Commenting on people who pursue a reputation, Epictetus said that your
reputation is not something to get mixed up with your moral purpose.
Epictetus taught the importance of cultivating the supremacy of your
mind and willpower saying, "It is neither death, nor exile, nor toil, nor any
such things that is the cause of your doing, or not doing, anything, but only
your opinions and the decisions of your Will." Just as ACT teaches, our
mind controls our actions and behavior; to control our behavior we must
therefore learn to control our mind, and ultimately our will.
\v'hat you think ultimately decides what you do in life and what you do
determines what you achieve. To a Stoic, self-cultivation is therefore

156
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

ultimately about how you discipline your mind to control your actions and
behavior to attain accomplishment or serenity, which parallels the
Confucian way. Because of such viewpoints, if you wish to study the way of
Confucian cultivation you would surely benefit from also studying Stoicism
as well. Stoicism also teaches that the mind is a tool that must be mastered.
The Confucian way is that we should only take actions in line with our
highest values, and must always return to our values no matter how often
we go off track. Confucius and Mencius also both said that our values
should never be based on seeking profit, which the Stoics taught as well.
Our values should revolve around morality and ethics, relationships,
virtuous living, and with cultivating the \Vay.
In all of this, please remember that the cultivation way eschews profits
over people. For instance, at one time Confucius's stables were burnt down
while he was away. The first question that a rich man would normally ask
upon returning would be if any of his expensive prize horses were hurt, but
Confucius immediately asked, ''Were any people injured?" This shows his
emphasis on humanity rather than wealth and possessions. He did not treat
humans as commodities.
Confucius is important because he takes us out of egotism and
materialism to altruism. He provided many examples of proper behavior
like this, providing us with valuable lessons on the template for proper
behavior. llis Analects should therefore be considered a lifetime teaching
text for ourselves, our communities and our world.
At the beginning of this chapter we were eavesdropping on a
conversation between Mencius and King Hui of Liang that went as follows:

\v'hy must Your 1fajesty speak of "profit"? Let there

simply be benevolence and righteousness.If your majesty says,
"I-low can I profit my state?" the Chief Counselors v.--ill say,
"How can I profit my clan?" and the nobles and commoners
will say, "How can I profit my self?" Superiors and
subordinates will seize profit from each other, and the state
will be endangered.... Never have the benevolent left their
parents behind. Never have the righteous put their ruler last.
Let Your l\:fajesty speak only of benevolence and
righteousness. \v'hy must one speak of "profit"?

157
 WILLIAM BODRI

The famous Confucian philosopher Huang Zongxi once wrote, "A

real man does what is right regardless of his self-interest; does what is
sensible regardless of success or failure; and does what is good for future
generations, not just for his own generation." \Vhen someone obtains a
career, job or occupation the Confucian way is to keep these principles in
mind.
Consider the following. \Ve belong to the realm of animals but have,
through the use of our minds, gradually risen above them through the
creation of culture, civilization and society. However, it is a constant battle
not to give in to our animal nature. If we were to let ourselves to be guided
in life by the pursuit of self-interest and profits alone, like a Ferengi on Star
Trek, what actions would not be forbidden in the pursuit of profits? For
instance, if the purpose of life was purely self-interest then why should we
be honest? \Vhy not just steal with cleverness so that you escape being
caught since honesty will severely limit your wealth? How are we not like
animals if we act in this manner? Furthermore, how can we extend this
realization to corporations that pursue profitability to such an extent that
they actually harm humanity?
As oxygen is important for life but is not the point of life, profitability
is necessary for a business to survive but should not be considered the
purpose of the business. You must think of it this way: a business has a
purpose of adding value or benefit and profit is the measuring stick of that
addition. Profit is necessary for a firm's survival, but if you want the owners
and employees to consider it as having a higher purpose then profit should
be viewed as the payment for adding value, benefit and welfare to peoples'
lives.
Profit enables a business to continue providing a seroice mission to
others that supplies benefit or value, and so it is necessary for survival just
as is the capitalist system if people want protection of their personal assets.
Leftists tend to push for collectivist solutions to problems (where
individuals are considered disposable while the group is supreme) such as
Communism, Bolshevism, Marxism or Leninism-Trotskyism but those
systems are based on phantasmagorical delusions. They have been
historically revealed everywhere as utter failures. Their only result has been
unimaginable human suffering and the dehumanization of entire
populations while leadership elites enjoy the benefits of power.
Men become powerless to live \vith dignity when such systems rule. In

158
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

a practical sense time and again they ultimately boil down to the idea that
citizens only exist to serve the state. They lead to people living their entire
lives under a virtual slavery of thought, word and deed trying to meet the
demands of those in control. The only realism ever produced by such -isms
has been death, terror and suffering.
No economic system is perfect, but for all its faults the capitalist
system is still the best, especially when certain protections are rendered for
the population that temper its potential abuses. As lv1ax Weber analyzed
matters, the rise of capitalism is actually due to the values of Protestantism,
and clearly illustrates Confucius's views that cultural values are what
promote civilization.
Capitalism, which espouses the self-determination of the individual,
allows men and women to make a fundamental contribution to society of
their own choosing. It allows for the evolution of the self to be put at the
forefront of society. Even so the pursuit of private interests, however
essential to progress and human flourishing, should not be allowed to
destructively infringe upon the public good. There must be legal restraints
against massive abuse. Businesses must certainly be economically self­
sustaining but not infringe upon people and the public purpose.
\Vhile the profit motive can be socially destructive if left unchecked,
capitalism allows social energies to be concentrated upon the promotion of
economic means that carry the promise of social improvement, thus serving
a social end. Under capitalism, which makes human strength productive,
personal strengths create social benefits. The profit motive prized by
capitalism is not and never should be the supreme ruler of social behavior,
but of all systems available the capitalist free market is best of all. Fascism is
a disaster and the problem with socialism, as attractive as it seems to
intellectuals, is that socialist governments soon run out of "other people's
money" for their missions.
I want you to think of matters this way. Both Buddhism and Hinduism
arose in India where human beings surveyed the sad fact that life is difficult,
full of suffering, and in nature all around animals are cruelly killing one
another for food. Animals experience a constant fear of death because they
are always in danger of being eaten or not finding food. Everyone is a prey
and predator, for even a deer is a predator to the grass. Every victim in
nature is also somehow a victimizer and there is no escape from this
painful, burdensome cycle of life.

159
 WILLIAM BODRI

Humans would act just like animals and engage in unrestrained killing,
thieving and raping if cultural constraints were not imposed upon their
behavior. Men will even kill one another just because of different ideas in
their heads and have done so continually throughout history. Nonetheless,
humans are also capable of higher thoughts and conceptions that enable
them to rise above their animal nature. This is because man can invent
civilization and culture. Culture and civilization have tamed a large measure
of man's barbarity and wildness.
Through purifying thought, discipline and self-cultivation man
becomes capable of an ennoblement that transcends the ordinary realm of
the animals. He can rise above the animalistic role play of predators and
prey such as a stronger stealing the possessions of the weaker. The
continual striving to uplift yourself above this sort of behavior is the entire
purpose of Confucian cultivation. While it is not religion, it is a spiritual
path of purification when you choose to use its methods!
On the one side stands nature where there is a web of eaters and the
eaten. On the other side there are humans who can create civilization and
culture where the laws of the jungle are transcended; human behavior can
elevate itself above naked self-interest such as motivations of sex, power.
money and preeminence. This is what Confucius wants everyone to strive
for. This is the meaning of consummate conduct. The Confucian way is to
pursue consummate conduct, benevolence, ennoblement, or exemplary
behavior rather than simply pursue profits, which is akin to the realm of the
animals once again.
Pursuing a higher purpose is the main thing that separates man from
the animals. It is what produces a meaningful life, and it is a life of strong
values and higher purpose that we must take as our ideal. We are all citizens
of a country owing allegiance to it, members of communities with
responsibilities within it, members of families with relationship duties to
our parents, spouses and children, and friends to others. These are all
relationships that need to be cultivated. Each of us have identities within
these frameworks (national, civic, community, familial, friendship, religious,
etc.) and what we do within these relationships ry being led ry our rational
minds is what gives our lives meaning.
Everyone wants to live a meaningful life with purpose, but how do
you do that? How do you give yourself a purpose so that you can bear the
inevitable suffering that life entails? How do you protect yourself from

160
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

living an unfulfilling miserable script that only pursues what is necessary for
survival? To do so you need direction as to a higher life purpose and that
direction must come from your own values.
You have to separate yourself from the script you are presently
following and ask, "'Who am I? \Vhat do I stand for? \Vhat do I ultimately
want to do in life? \Vhat do I want to accomplish? \Vhat do I want to make
of myself? How do I want to be in whatever I must do? Despite my
circumstances, am I living my ideal of an honorable and virtuous life? Am I
living in good faith to my true values? Am I cultivating my humanity? Am I
committed to my own individual excellence? Am I living life for work or
for being a human being? Am I a person creating benefit for others? Am I
doing anything that society finds useful? Am I helping to make a better
future? Are my goals serving a higher purpose? Am I trying to make a
difference, do as well as I possibly can or do things better than they have
ever been done before? At the end of my life, facing death, will I be able to
say that it is better that I was here? Did I remain silent, or did I stand up
and raise my voice?"
You are the one who has to answer such questions and find a sense of
purpose within life, for no one can or will do it for you. Meaning is a form
of personal vision that lets you know it is all worthwhile. In order to fully
embody the self-determination of personal meaning and purpose you must
draw guidance from deeper spiritual values inside you. Then you must live
according to those values in order to experience a life worth living. There
are many goals and purposes you can choose for your life or within your
life, but all the roads of meaning, purpose, satisfaction and contentment will
entail that you become a better moral person.
You can never know whether you will rise enough in life to become
great in terms of wealth, power, fame, status or some other prestige. You
cannot even know whether you will achieve the goals you want either. You
don't know whether you will even be living tomorrow. The future isn't
under your control but your will is, and thus so is your behavior. \Xlhat is
under your control is your ability to move ahead in life in accordance with
your values and getting back on track whenever you wander.
Unfortunately, most people are limited in their ability to do the things
they want in life because they are constricted by the circumstances in which
they live. For instance, because of the economy you might not be lucky
enough to obtain a satisfying job to put bread on the table and might not

161
 WILLIAM BODRI

have enough free time either. However, no matter how scanty the resources
you have any voluntary activities you undertake (exercise, reading,
meditation, singing, learning a new skill, etc.) can provide you with a way to
exercise your values.
You might not be able to achieve any of your big goals in life, but you
can remain committed to your values and work on perfecting your behavior
no matter how long or short or wholesome or poor your life might be.
People normally feel there is no such thing as a good life during a state of
want, but as much as you suffer during deprivation you are always left with
your ethics and values.
Everyone in life is actually always seeking how to get out of a state of
misery and move into a happier state. \'vb.en pursing excitement, distraction
or material indulgences, most people don't realize that they are actually
seeking serenity - a more peaceful place in their life. Everyone is also
seeking a road to exhibit their integrity and authenticity. \Ve are all seeking a
way to present ourselves to the world as the core of who we really are. To
do so we must break the negative habit energies that hide our true selves so
that we always appear straightforward and authentic.
Thoughts can guide us and thoughts can hamper us in this quest. They
are just experiences in your head and nothing more. Sometimes they are
even a barrier that doesn't let you directly experience your surroundings
clearly because your mind layers on too many emotional memories and
preconceptions. Confucian mindfulness unhooks us from this and thus
brings us back to the world of direct experience and authenticity. Aren't you
after this? This is the Confucian way.
Previously we examined Frank McKinney's method of reviewing his
life on a regular basis in order to strike a balance between profit-seeking and
purpose. In order to provide his business with a higher mission other than
just making money, once a year he would set aside some time to review his
business and try to see it from a higher perspective. During that annual
event he would go through an exercise to hammer out a core ideology of
purpose and values that embodied a higher service mission other than just
profits. Then he sought some way to align his goals, strategies, and actions
around that higher mission that he had just refreshed for his own benefit.
In Make It Big! 49 Secretsfor Building a Life ofExtreme Success he wrote,
"This simple planning process-setting aside one weekend a year to create
a new personal vision statement, and then taking a couple of hours each

162
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

Saturday to establish the goals that will help me turn that vision into
reality-has been the bedrock underlying my success for the past 10 years.
Once I started doing this, I found a marked change in my life and in my
results. Sure, I was accomplishing more, since I was taking the time to plan
my week. But more than that, I was linking my weekly goals to the vision of
who I wanted to be.
"A personal vision and mission statement is the agreement you make
,vith yourself that this is who you want to be, how you want to act, what
you will and won't do, and how you want to appear in the world. It's also a
living, breathing document that \vill change over the years. I know there are
some people who like to create 5- and 10-year plans for their lives, but I'm
not one of them. Sure, I can have a sense of who I want to be 10 years
from now, but I have found that redoing my vision every year keeps it
fresh. It allows me to take into account the progress I have or haven't made
and set my direction based on what I see as my next step. After all, I have
the big picture of my highest calling ... that pulls me toward my ultimate
future much more strongly than a 5- or 10-year plan. ... "
Creating a mission or vision statement for a business or career is
taking one of the first important steps of aligning yourself with a higher
calling that you can be proud of in life. Turning that service mission into
tangible operational goals is then the next step to take. Do your quarterly or
yearly goals have anything to do with your larger mission or are they just
about money? This is something McKinney would always ask himself.
Continuing he explained, "The last step is to make sure your daily
efforts represent the goals you've set and the vision you've created. \Vb.en
your business spends its days pursuing goals based on your corporate
vision, your customers as well as the business community will see you as
having integrity. And isn't that the kind of reputation you want?" 12
Frank McKinney's writings reveals a clear understanding that business
must be profitable, but your business can also encompass a higher purpose
other than just the quest for profitability. He personally started viewing his
business as improving the state of the world. He saw its purpose as offering
benefit, value and service to others. Can you do this, and even rearrange
your business to perform more of this function?
It is definitely proper to view your business from the aspect of a larger

12Frank McKinney, Make It Big! 49 Secretsfor Building a Life ofExtreme Success (John Wiley &
Sons, New York, 2002), pp. 27-28, 30.

163
 WILLIAM BODRI

mission such as that you are building a cathedral rather than simply building
a wall or that your business is meant to help humanity. This type of
thinking will help you align your actions with a higher outcome. You cannot
dispense with the need for profits but the proper ideal to maintain ethical
behavior while pursuing profits and a mission of service is the Confucian
way.
As we have seen over and over again, it is of great benefit to step back
on a daily, weekly, quarterly and even yearly basis and ask yourself, "Is my
life on track? \Vb.at do I want my life to be about? \Vb.ere are my actions
taking me? Am I growing in the right direction? Are the goals I am seeking
worthy of my time and effort? Is my behavior reflecting my values? \X'hat is
the ultimate purpose of my career or business other than just making
money? Am I living with integrity?" For true personal success and
happiness in life, one's personal goals and caring goals must synchronize.
The great management expert Peter Drucker once said, "Always ask
yourself if you are doing the right thing before doing things right." Ask first
if you are doing the right, correct thing! We must all follow our own moral
compass in life, which is part of the Great Learning, but if your moral sense
is broken you can create a living hell for yourself and others.
The Confucian way is to always practice mindfulness, but also to give
pause for reflection and ponder such things on a regular basis. You should
do this while always pursuing the path of consummate conduct and holding
to an intent to make a positive contribution to society.
The methods you have been taught will enable you to do this in many
ways. They will help you deal vn.th thoughts as objects rather than realities.
They give you a structure for understanding how personal change happens
starting with the mind, and can help you change your attitudes, habit
energies and behavior. They can help you to decide the purpose of your life
and ultimate direction you want to take vn.th your actions. You can develop
a purpose for life and within life as a result of these methods.
The Great Learning in life is learning how to use our minds to control
our attitudes and behavior and direct our lives in wholesome, valuable
directions. The Confucian way teaches you just this. It helps you make
significant fundamental changes to get to where you want to go.

164
 CHAPTER 11:
YOUR LIFE PURPOSE AND
PURPOSES WITHIN YOUR LIFE

The Confucian Zhang Zai said that the ideal purpose or goal of life
entails:

To establish true mind for the universe,

To build up a good life for the populace,
To re-establish the discontinued studies of the ancient sages, and
To establish great peace for 10,000 generations.

Master Nan Huai Chin always said that one's life purpose should
include the following three objectives: "realizing enlightenment, saving
people and saving the world." Since most people would not consider this
their life purpose, you should consider these objectives as possible purposes
within life that you might work to accomplish.
Too often people are looking for one greater life purpose and become
befuddled and bewildered when they actually should be devoted to a
number of smaller purposes within life that they feel are important. You
must decide whether to be pursuing a vision of establishing virtue, justice,
prosperity or anything else for others and then work toward it. One guiding
principle is that a purpose is more motivating if it is bigger than yourself.
"Saving the people," which Confucius called "loving the people,"
doesn't mean that you must undertake grandiose actions or missions. It
simply means that you should try to contribute as much as you can. Most

165
 WILLIAM BODRI

people don't have big resources and not everyone can be a superman of
compassion with a superhuman commitment like Albert Schweitzer who
donated his life to help others. \'(-'bile the work of Mahatma Gandhi,
Mother Theresa, Muhammad Yunus, or l\1artin Luther King can be
incredibly inspiring, few can emulate the great sacrifices they made. Few of
us can consider such great missions, especially when we know that such
roads are filled with deprivation and hardship. The ideal is to definitely help
make the world a better place as much as you can even though your
contribution might be small. Small does not matter. It means cooperating
with others in all sorts of ways to help to bring peace and prosperity to the
world.
\'\1hat people are really seeking in life is some way to make a

contribution, some way to be part of a larger context or mission. People

want to feel that their life has meaning, and they usually feel that it does
when it incorporates service to and care for others. Life has meaning when
it is not an ascetic's solitude but involves an active virtuous participation in
a larger whole.
All people, whether they know it or not, are seeking to forget
themselves and bring their lives into harmony \\-1.th something they deem
divine, transcendental or universal - a larger and more perfect greatness.
They are seeking a connection between their own lives and a larger context
outside of it. That larger context is the condition of your community,
society, nation, and world. The context is the fact, previously discussed, that
you are intimately bound up \vi.th everyone such that the burdens and
benefits of others are also yours through the interdependence of cause and
effect. Therefore by alleviating the pains and sufferings of others/society
you not just help them but yourself.
There is a pervasiveness of suffering in the \vorld, but if everyone acts
just a tiny bit altruistically so as to improve the whole, do not we all benefit
from a better whole that becomes elevated because its burdens have been
reduced? Do we not all share in that benefit, including the giver? Isn't this
the way to materialize the dream of a better society? It doesn't need grand
schemes. It just needs the multitude of many tiny beneficial actions.
\\"le have an opportunity to make a difference rather than simply be
mechanical cogs within a wheel. Our lives are actually valuable because in
this universe we are the rare phenomena that have consciousness so that we
can think and act in ways to make things better.

166
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

Associating With Larger Groups

Although most of us can only make a small contribution in helpful

directions, nonetheless many great men have taken upon themselves lofty
goals of not just helping themselves and their families but of extending a
helpful influence to their community, state and then the world. As
Confucius said in The Great Learning, one extends their influence outwards
from themselves to their family, their community, and then larger groups of
men. 1bis is the standard progression of expansion, which is to
progressively enlarge one's group feelings to greater wholes starting from
identification with your family to your clan, society, state, country and
world.
Napoleon Hill taught us how to extend our influence and associations
to a larger group and use it to help our own selves using a Mastermind
alliance. In a Mastermind alliance a group of men come together for similar
interests. A common focus brings the people together to solve problems
and work on some common goals. They pool their mind-power,
experience, education and knowledge and move in response to a common
motive to change things for the better.
Can a small group of people actually change the world or a community
even though small? Margaret lv1ead correctly said, "Never doubt that a
small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed
it's tl1e only thing that ever has." Local level initiatives can produce national
and international fruits.
The Mastermind alliance has been used across the world to achieve all
sorts of objectives, and is something you should start using. There are many
such useful techniques in Napoleon's Hill's success classic Think and Grow
FJch, which has sold over 100 million copies since it was initially written to
become one of the most popular self-improvement classics of all time. I
urge you to read it; most business millionaires have.
If you start banding together with a group of people of like mind then
camaraderie will sustain you during your efforts to achieve group objectives.
Even Benjamin Franklin formed a Mastennind group, creating a mutual
improvement club in Philadelphia named the Junto whose club members
met on a weekly basis to encourage each other's intellectual pursuits. You
should use participation in a group like this to achieve your greater

167
 WILLIAM BODRI

objectives.
All progress in the world starts with an individual, and that individual
might even be_JOU for some special initiative. Some unexpected spark of
motivation might suddenly tum you into a hero of change. All one can say
is that change in the world starts \vi.th awareness, action and a commitment
to perseverance of effort. It starts with what you think, say and do and
moves on to how this involves others. It involves learning how to use your
mind rightly to accomplish what you want. Thus the importance of the
Confucian way for mastering your mind.
From the work on ennobling your personal conduct you can influence
your family, community and then the larger world for the better. You are
almost always influencing others in some way even if you don't know it.
You can also band together with others of like rapport to pursue some
mission of higher calling that serves a greater objective. After all, many
people want to add something to life and this is a way to do it.
Confucius made it perfectly clear that self-cultivation ("learning")
involved cultivating a heart of public virtue, which we can also call
beneficial cooperation or altruism. Buddhism calls this charity or
compassion while Christianity calls this "good works." The purpose of self­
cultivation is not withdrawal from the world, but rather an altruistic active
participation in the world dependent on contemplative reasoning. Think
before and while you act. It is a commitment to positive change through
personal efforts. In Analects 2.2 Confucius said, "The three hundred items
in the Book ofSongs (a foundational text of Chinese culture) can be
concentrated into a single expression: Charge forth without swerving."
According to Confucius, personal conduct is always tied to social
action; you cultivate yourself in order to be a helpful actor to people. The
Confucian way thus mirrors the ideals of Christianity to make the world a
little better because you are in it. As Zengzi had said (Analects 4.15), "The
:Master's way lies in exerting all one's effort (giving one's utmost) and
relating to the needs of others."
According to Confucius, you don't have to be a hero who stands apart
from others, but you should strive to better your own behavior and become
a positive influence on others. The best way to influence others is to first
become a model of behavior yourself by deciding to devote yourself to
consummate conduct. This is the road that Benjamin Franklin chose.
The spiritual path doesn't start with rabble-rousing that demands a

168
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

better government or utopian world, but starts with this decision to perfect
your own individual behavior instead. You must be unrelentingly persistent
in trying to cultivate a higher standard of personal behavior using the
transformative process of self-correction, which is why the Confucian way
espouses mindful self-observation. First change yourself, and then "guide
the changes" to help others.
Cultivating consummate conduct (man being his very best) was the
center of all Confucius's teachings and should become the center of your
life today, the center of your life story. Since we cannot control what arises
as our thoughts nor control the results of our actions, and since we cannot
even control our fate then is this not what life is about? Is it not about
learning how to use our mind as a tool, and learning how to properly deal
with our thoughts and will? Is it not about the path of behavioral
ennoblement? \v'hether there is an afterlife or not, we can and should
consider this life a process of purification.
As your own behavior improves from the admirable self-effort to
become better than how you currently are, your conduct can serve as a
model that radiates the message of proper conduct to others. Confucius
stated in Analects 12.17, "The key to governing lies in being correct. \v'hen
leaders are themselves correct their influence will pervade the rest of
society." The more that you perfect your behavior towards ennoblement,
the greater can and will be your influence in the outer world. The message
is to go ahead and try to be the possible person you always wanted.
Thoughts are needed to guide our cultivation of self-control and
ennoblement, and yet thoughts are also our problem. However, one of the
most powerful principles discovered by modern research is that thinking
lofty thoughts can help us achieve control of our thoughts, just as
Confucius recommended. Lofty thoughts, such as devoting yourself to
something larger than yourself, can guide you away from lower actions and
the baser habits of behavior that are leftovers from the barbaric realm of
animals.
Lofty thoughts and goals raise us higher. Giving in to baser thoughts
and instincts takes us lower. Think in high-level terms to inspire yourself,
associate with others similarly motivated whenever possible, and this will
help guide your behavior to something better, which is the Confucian way.
We must all cultivate lofty goals in life and a persevering spirit to try to
reach them.

169
 WILLIAM BODRI

The methods of Confucian cultivation are so powerful because they

are clean, non-denominational and extremely effective at helping people
attain their higher goals in life. They can separate you from your animal
nature so that you are not ruled by the irrational mind. By emphasizing the
rational mind together with mental discipline they lead to an ennoblement
stage of existence - they spiritualize the individual. They also purify and
harmonize society. The road of spirituality simply involves a process of
learning how to use the qualities of your mind to become a true human
being rather than a beast.
\Vhether we employ the related methods of Liao Fan, Benjamin
Franklin, Frank Bettger, Napoleon Hill, Frank McKinney and others, rest
assured that the method of mindfulness when practiced with persevering,
resilient commitment will change your life for the better. They will enable
you to overcome the environmental and even astrological influences of fate.
%en you can so purify yourself that you always rise above these normally
dominant influences then you will have become a master, a man who can
skillfully operate and control his mind. This is the objective of a sage. At
this point you can become a great leader of mankind.
Mindfulness exercises our mental muscles to observe our behavior and
its impact on others. It teaches us to distinguish between good and evil in
real time so that we can do more of one and less of another. The Confucian
way of mindfulness in its various forms has enabled countless people to
raise themselves higher by purifying their behavior so that they could
accomplish great things. Although only a small minority might subscribe to
its standards, everywhere it produces the best. \'v'hen we ask how "good
behavior" may best be developed in society, the method is by promoting
the non-denominational methods of the Confucian way. A man is to master
his mind not only to accomplish great things in the world, but also so as to
beautify his behavior and find the greatest internal peace and happiness.
The structured method of Liao Fan/Franklin, if you truly apply it to
your daily life with consistency, will radically transform all your outcomes
just as it did for Franklin and Liao Fan. The baseball player Frank Bettger,
wishing to change his business fortunes, reasoned that it should also work
for him in the business field via his sales efforts. It paid off in spades, which
he recounted in How I Raised MJ,·se!fFrom Failure to Success in Selling. Dale
Carnegie and Frank McKinney revealed how to successfully use it on larger
time scales to have even greater impacts on your life purpose. These are all

170
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

sample methods you should emulate.

Death can snatch us at a moment's notice, so knowing this you must
ask yourself what goals, purposes or objectives are truly worthy of your life.
\'vhat holds meaning since you can die at any moment due to some
unforeseen accident? Confucius advised (Analects 4.8), "If at dawn one hears
and grasps the \Vay, even death can be faced at dusk." Know the path and
get started - this is enough.
Determining a life purpose is truly a subjective thing. It is something
you create because you define it yourself. Yours is different than mine, and it
should be that way because no two people are alike. You can derive
inspiration from others for developing your own life purpose, but it should
truly be yours alone. Some purposes can be large and some should be
humble because the resources and circumstances available to you prevent a
greater vision from being possible. Who can criticize you as to whether you
go for something big or stay with something small? At the end of your life,
you are the final judge who measures yourself. The key determinant to
success or not is whether your efforts have helped care for other people,
meaning that what you did mattered to people other than yourself. This is
what gives a life purpose true meaning other than its existence as simply a
goal.
In any form that it takes, Confucian practices should be part of the
personal effort you make to fulfill your life purposes. Whatever you choose
to accomplish in life - be it a somewhat minor goal or a higher, loftier
objective - the going will be easier when you use the methods of Confucian
cultivation. I have detailed the best methods in Quick, Fast, Done and Move
Forward to help with your journey.
\'vherever you apply your efforts in life there will be a result. \'vhat will
that result be? Not a single human being can guarantee your success in
achieving your dreams or goals, but you can certainly maximize your
chances of doing that. Confucian cultivation provides a reliable vehicle and
structural guide to help you get there. The only question is what pursuits are
worthy of your time.
Your life has a time limit, and if you do not use your time wisely then
you will not have a second opportunity for each second lost. If we have an
opportunity to benefit the world and then don't use it, when will it come
again? Since our moments of life are limited, valuing the moments we have
means they should be put to good use. That being the case, what will you

171
 WILLIAM BODRI

fill your life with in the free moments still left to you?

Charity and Merit Making

Here we should once again tum to the topic of merit because life
purpose is ultimately about the creation of merit from trying to build a
better world. Liao Fan and his master both taught that accumulating merit
is necessary if we want to be able to change our fortunes for the better.
Confucius also taught that the purpose of self-improvement was social
engagement in moral acts of service to the community, which is creating
merit. Ben Franklin, through a wide variety of his actions, also showed a
dedication to altruistically helping people through many acts of charitable
merit. Because few understand what "merit" entails or how to accumulate
it, let us reveal some of the practical ways by which we can improve our
lives and those of others by performing merit.
The question is, what are the various types of good deeds we can do in
life that might produce for us a stock of merit? Buddhism, for instance,
traditionally says there are three forms of charity that accumulate merit:
giving money and material goods, giving helpful teachings or instructions
(dharma) to others, and giving them fearlessness (confidence or mental
support). If we decided to devote ourselves to performing such good deeds
in order to collect their positive results as "merit," what should those deeds
then be? \Vb.at did Liao Fan, for instance, devote himself to?
Liao Fan showed through his confession it was his own faults - what
he called his own lack of virtue - that prevented him from achieving the
merit he desired in life such as obtaining a son and higher position. He
started to accumulate merit by not only doing good deeds but by
transforming his own attitudes and behavior.
\Vb.en you are virtuous, moral and righteous in your behavior you are
accumulating merit, and Confucius emphasized that this was more
important than pursuing profits, status, power or any other objective in life.
Basically, when you extend kindness and respect to others in ways such as
charity, without doing so as a calculated investment seeking a dividend, this
is accumulating merit.
Most people lack the wealth of independent means so they must work
for a living. Holding a job is their primary source of income and they
usually do not have much money to spare. Some people, however, start

172
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

businesses to create income. One way to help these people and generate
merit might be by offering them practical support for their business or
occupation such as farming. This could be done by extending resources to
them or even by offering courses on success training.
A perfect example of such help might be to support Kiva.org, which
makes microloans to budding entrepreneurs so that they can create micro­
businesses that improve their lives. Heifer International also makes the gift
of farm animals to those in poverty while teaching the recipients how to
raise them. The animals will typically produce both food and income for
poor families for the rest of their lives. \Vhen an animal reproduces, the gift
recipient is charged with the responsibility of also making a similar gift to
others.
Another way to help others is by supporting those who are suffering
disabilities such as those who are blind, deaf, or disabled. Many charitable
organizations have been established to do just this, and focus on helping
those who are suffering through a variety of different means. By supporting
these charities with your labor or funds you also build merit.
\'('hen we find people who are mentally suffering in life and teach
them the way to happiness, such as teaching them the methods of
Confucian cultivation or that taking niacin supplements can end mental
illness, we also generate merit. Once we help people recognize that
happiness or unhappiness comes from within their own minds then we can
help them cut off their unhappiness and create new mental attitudes.
Sometimes we cannot stop the mental pain a person experiences.
However, we might be able to help reduce their pain and prevent those
individuals from doing whatever might create future pain and misery. In
ministering to others this way, even though we might stand at a higher
vantage point we still need to accord with their dispositions. Skillfulness
and patience are required in yourself if you want to help others and prevent
them from pursuing goals that work against their own happiness.
Nonetheless, the overall principle is that directing those heading for trouble
back to the right path is a type of merit. This type of service improves
peoples' lives by helping them avoid present and future suffering.
Another means of helping others, which is espoused by most religions
across the world, is to extend courtesy to travelers and assist them in a
gracious and friendly way. In many cultures it has always been considered of
great merit to offer hospitality - including food, medicine or

173
 WILLIAM BODRI

accommodations - to strangers on journeys. As John \'v'esley's maxim

summarized, you try to: "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can,
in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to
all the people you can, as long as ever you can."
Another means of aiding others is by "offering fearlessness," which
means protecting, calming or giving confidence to people who are unsettled
because of suffering anxiety or fear. For instance, we might console the
grief-stricken who lose their possessions due to some tragedy or suffer the
loss of loved ones. This is offering fearlessness. By offering counseling,
resources, and other types of support to those at emotional lows we can
accumulate merit by lightening their load and helping them recover. By
helping the emotionally discouraged we can assist them to get over troubles
and continue onwards in the pursuit of a higher purpose.
Another type of merit-making is protecting life. For instance, helping
people survive an accident, paying for a surgical operation or medicine, or
protecting people from discovery during times of persecution is a type of
merit-making. Volunteers who try to save animals from being burned in
forest fires, dying from toxic oil spills, or from being cruelly farmed and
killed also accumulate this type of merit. Becoming vegetarian or reducing
your meat intake also falls into this category of merit-making as does
protecting people's jobs since protecting their income preserves their lives.
\'v'hile we might not be able to free people from prison, including
those jailed unjustly, we can often help those in prison in order to
accumulate merit. \'v'e can also provide aid to those suffering torture or
refused basic human rights by contributing to organizations like Amnesty
International that champion human rights and freedom.
Helping the poor and needy through charity is another way to
accumulate merit. This type of merit-making is called "giving wealth" and
means addressing poverty with various remedies that involve sharing what
we have. "Giving wealth" doesn't just mean giving money to the needy but
providing valuable resources they might need to improve their conditions.
For example, you might provide the needy with some of the basic
necessities for life they need but are too poor to purchase. We can even
help finance special events in their life such as by paying for funeral costs or
wedding expenses as is done in Chinese culture.
Charitable contributions always generate merit but when people have
little income, how is giving charity possible? Remember that charity is not

174
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

just giving money. It is a type of sacrificing of yourself for the sake of

others, either for individuals or for a collective good. It is sacrificing your
individual advantages (whether they be money, time, labor, etc.) for the sake
of someone else's benefit in order to help them.
You should also consider charity as a type of cooperation. Civic
participation (which societies hope to encourage by stressing the ideal of
"civic duty") is a form of charity, or we can say that charity is a form of
civic participation since it helps others. Charity, whether provided by
individuals or a group, is basically a form of cooperation.
Cooperation is the glue that holds societies together. Religion usually
provides the integrative ideology that helps hold society together because it
engenders cooperation at a very large scale beyond ethnic communities.
Religion serves an integrative role for society by instilling cooperation
among disparate groups. This is important for a nation, which is why
groups trying to take over a country immediately try to fracture religion.
Charity itself, in terms of helping others, must be seen in the same way
as it is also a form of beneficial public cooperation that helps glue people
together. It is a cooperative contribution to others - a means of providing
some form of aid or goods that benefit members of society.
\Vithout having income to spare, one's time and labor volunteered for
the public welfare (doing something for others instead of leisure) are indeed
a form of charity that you can also label as beneficial cooperation for the
good of all. The contribution, in whatever form it takes, is a kind of
sacrifice for the welfare of others. By engaging in charity you help others,
and when many more people act benevolently in the same way then
everyone will benefit from this cooperative effort. Cooperation or harmony
builds societies, which is one of the reasons that it is stressed in the
Confucian way.
Cooperation is not just one of the things that societies do - it is the main
thing thQ' do, so it must be encouraged in all ways possible. Without mutual
trust and cooperation between its members most societies will collapse into
instability and disorder. The byproduct will be social dysfunction. Without
the cooperation of the masses, sometimes a ruling government is
overthrown through revolution too. Confucius often taught lessons on how
to rule a country by stressing social harmony, which is why I am
emphasizing these lessons that update his original teachings.
Societies are built upon the foundation of cooperation, which includes

175
 WILLIAM BODRI

altruistic acts of charity that solve problems for the public good. \X'hen you
examine many historical events such as the collapse of the Roman Empire,
the Hundred Years \Var, English Civil \Var, the Russian Revolution and
War of the Roses you will find that disintegrating cooperation was a leading
indicator of the coming social collapse.
Countries disintegrate when they lose their ability to cooperate at the
level of the whole society, which is why public holidays, ceremonies and
shared national ideals are needed to keep strong the glue of social cohesion.
Failed states, more often than not, suffer from losing their ability to
cooperate at the level of the entire society. This is why charity, in sacrificing
for others' benefit, helps build communities and national solidarity. The
very fact that many members in a society think of others in this way reveals
a strong degree of cooperative spirit in the country, making it harder to
conquer, and that common attitude will also help those people to achieve
any shared goals.
Addressing spiritual poverty is another means of rendering assistance
to others and thereby accumulating merit. l\fany people have a strong
longing to seek inner change or outer behavioral change but don't know
how to bring it about. Seeking personal change is usually a do-it-yourself
project but people often have no one to tum to for guidance and advice. By
teaching others the road of genuine spiritual practice, which includes
meditation and reflective self-correction, we can help them to positively
change their lives.
True spiritual training teaches people how to properly deal with their
thoughts, how to counteract disturbing emotions and afflictions, how to
master many life skills, and how to transform themselves through self­
correction. Devoting yourself to the \Vay will change your life for the
better. The far-reaching positive effects of the Confucian way cannot be
understated.
Since Buddhism says we should "do good, avoid evil, never oppose all
unborn good from being born but oppose all evil from being born,"
accumulating merit means supporting others involved in various types of
good works and helping them in their efforts. Benjamin Franklin, for
instance, led a large number of private, voluntary initiatives to enhance
society during his life. Though a Deist, he financially contributed to nearly
every church in Philadelphia, including the first synagogue, since he felt that
houses of worship helped people fortify their self-discipline and morality.

176
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

He was non-denominational in his outlook.

A final type of merit-making is to remind people who practice charity
of the excellent results they have brought about due to their efforts, which
in tum encourages givers to continue their social contributions. Everyone
likes to hear they did a good job or good deed, and publicly recognizing
whoever gives is a form of merit that encourages equivalent efforts from
others in society. As a form of merit we can also work to remove obstacles
standing in the way of people trying to do these good deeds and
encourage/support them so they are not discouraged in their attempts. We
want to see more of such offerings rather than less.

The Time Remaining

Since the crux of any life purpose or purposes within life involve
improving yourself and helping to build a better world, ask yourself what
merit you want to do with the time left in your life. How will you best
spend the one precious resource you have, which is your hours of living?
Are they to be wasted away absorbed in television? Are they to be frittered
away in the pursuit of superficial trivialities that might be wiped out in an
instant through some tragic accident or disaster?
Every now and then you need to step back and ask yourself, ''While
I'm still healthy and have the opportunity to devote my energies to
something larger than myself that is of importance to the world, even if my
contribution might seem only a little, what should it be?" You need to
become the architect of your deeds just as you need to become the architect
of your thoughts.
This very moment you must ask yourself, "Who am I really and what
do I stand for? What is the most sign ificant and worthy goal I want for my
life? \"X'hat am I trying to realize as my best self? Am I satisfied with the plot
of my life? Am I being or supporting the light that I want others to see?
\Vb.at do I want to accomplish with the time I have left?"
After you choose your ultimate purposes, the next steps involve
associating with the people who will help you achieve your goals or finding
a way to tread those steps on your own. Most people cannot achieve their
goals by themselves but need to associate with others who can help them
achieve what they want in life. From just yourself you move to associating
with a larger group of people and then from strength in numbers you can

177
 WILLIAM BODRI

create a greater impact on the world. Sometimes you can indeed make that
impact just by yourself, but most people require the camaraderie of others.
Confucianism says that an influence starts with the self and then moves
onto involving greater numbers.
Confucian cultivation essentialfy entails improving)'ourse(f to improve the world
We strive to improve in order to do better by ourselves and our world.
Working on yourself is therefore enough in life because sometimes that is
all that you can do due to the lack of opportunities and resources. Never be
ashamed that you don't have much to contribute. Only be ashamed that
you don't cultivate yourself in life. People regularly become monks, nuns,
priests, etc. who take on vows of poverty in order to cultivate, so there is no
guilt or shame in not having money in order to perform charity and
accumulate merit in that way. \Vb.at is important in the world is that you
cultivate your self-behavior.
All throughout life, from the Emperor down to the common man,
everyone must cultivate mindfulness to help purify their mind and behavior
and continually guide them on a path of merit. Do not worry about the
results of your actions in the world. Only worry that you are doing this and
the right thing. Hinduism rightly says to become indifferent to the results of
your actions, but strive to bring about what is better. Your guideline
throughout all activities should be as Mencius said, "b!Jou sh!Jan"which
means "always work at self-cultivation."
The Confucian way is excellent because it offers a fusion of the
highest aspirations with down-to-earth practical methods. It teaches you
how to master unwanted mental activities, use your mind properly, rise
above your natural animal tendencies, and live your life in a higher fashion.
This is what the spiritual road is all about. If in using its methods you
don't reach the highest heights, you will still be able to look back and say
you have improved yourself, your outcomes, and have dramatically
progressed from where you started. If you get really good at this, and
cultivate your internal energy, you may even become a sage.
People often wonder about the role that religion should play in the
future but those following the Confucian way don't worry. Why? Because
you spiritualize yourself through these very methods. You divinize yourself
by subscribing to higher, loftier principles that ennoble yourself and
improve society. This is the highest road of philosophy, science and
religion. This is the spiritual path.

178
 COLOR ME CONFUCIUS

The Confucian path of self-cultivation is that you work to cultivate

both your body (including its internal energy) and mind for you can and
must spiritualize both. You must train to master both the automatic and
rational thinking processes of your mind with the objective of purifying
both so that your mind can be used as the wish-fulfilling gem that it is.
You must also train to gain control of both your physical body and its
internal vital energy or Qi.
You must also train to master your outer behavioral conduct of word
and deed, involving yourself in harmonious relationships that help others
while working to accomplish anything else you want to achieve in life.
\v'hatever your status in life - whether of wealth or deprivation - you
should strive to find a purpose for your life along with purposes within your
life. Hitch yourself to a dream or vision bigger than yourself. Unfortunately,
many people must live in a restrained or inhibited way because of
constraints or obligations, but the ideal is to liveyour work because of its
contribution or importance rather than working to live. You want to find
something to do in life that is contributing to make the world a better place.
You want to devote yourself to a higher ideal greater than yourself with the
free resources you have.
\v'hat you want to work on in life is becoming a better person, family
member, friend to others, and member of your community and country.
You want to perfect yourself by mastering purity of thought and deed,
recognizing that your only true possession is consciousness that must be
perfected. You want to work on polishing your character and freeing your
thought processes of unnecessary afflictions so that you are always involved
in correct thinking, and you want to seek out, learn and employ the best
models you know of for arriving at decisions, determinations and plans of
action. You want to master your body and its energy, your emotional
attitudes and your behavior in the world of men and accomplishments.
This path of perfection is the Confucian way.

179
 1'\BOUT THE UTHOR 1'\

\Villiam Boclri is the author of several books on business performance,

health and self-help including:

• Socrates and the Enlightenment Path

• Move Fonvard· Poweiful Strategiesfor Creating Better Outcomes in Ufa
• Quitk, Fast, Done: Simple Time Management Secretsfrom Some efHistmy's
Greatest Leaders
• Look Younger, Live Longer
• Sport Visualizationfor the Elite Athlete
• Visualization Power
• l\[yasa Yoga

The author can be contacted for speeches or interviews through

[email protected].

180