“The Way of Heaven and Earth is that of right observation.” This is also found in the Xici Zhuan (The Great Treatise, Part Two) of the I Ching. What is the greatest Way of Heaven and Earth? Right observation. Zhen (贞) means right, correct, steadfast; guan (观) means to observe, to display, or the interaction between us. “That of right observation” means we go to understand nature, understand the cosmos, comprehend nature, comprehend the cosmos. Do not regard the cosmos as a lifeless place, but regard it too as a place possessing life. Only then can we find the true mutual touch between humanity and the world.
There is no principle outside the mind, no Heaven outside the mind, no cosmos outside the mind. Chan (Zen) Buddhism also speaks of this: one flower is a world, one tree is enlightenment (Bodhi), one blade of grass is a heavenly kingdom. I believe this is not simply reducible to religion or superstance solving problems. It is reducible to our lives unfolding anew, blooming like a flower. At that moment, all rigid classical texts will pulsate with vitality, restored to life and vigor. Consider just that one phrase: “Is it not a joy to learn and to practice what you have learned from time to time?” (Analects 1.1). The feeling you have after hearing it today is different from the past – it’s not just about memorizing it. Rather, I understand it, I know it, and I feel it. Your way of learning and your harvest will undergo a profound transformation. Hence, “The Way of Heaven and Earth is that of right observation.” Right?
Why do we call the Bodhisattva Guanyin(觀音, Perceiver of the World’s Sounds)? Why not Kanyin (看音, Looker of Sounds)? Guan (觀) is not merely looking outward; it also means looking inward – outward observation and inward contemplation, cultivating both simultaneously. When we study calligraphy, we also cultivate both inward and outward, right? Only through cultivating both can true enlightenment be attained.
Also discussed in the Xici Zhuan (Part Two) is: “The great virtue of Heaven and Earth is giving life.” As I mentioned earlier, whether in the I Ching itself or the Commentaries, these are crystallized phrases. But merely memorizing them as maxims is only the first, preliminary step. One must continually dissolve them into one’s own consciousness. Make your entire consciousness the soil, plant these classics as seeds within your soil, and through assimilation over time, life begins to grow. Of course, this life is spiritual life, cultural life.
Therefore, the Tuanzhuan (Commentary on the Judgment) of the Ben(Adornment, 賁) Hexagram states: “Observing the celestial patterns (tianwen), to discern the changes of the seasons.” That is, observing nature, observing the external world. We only know the changes of spring, summer, autumn, winter; the cycle of Yuan, Heng, Li, Zhen; the seasonal shifts. We have the 24 solar terms, which we understand as rhythms for humanity, nature, agriculture, production, and daily life, right? But this is merely what? The effect of outward observation.
However, when we turn to inward contemplation, the second part follows: “Observing the human patterns (renwen), to transform (hua) the world.” This hua (化) means transformation, creation – the transformative power of cultivation.
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