Fourth Dialogue of Zhi-Guan

Lao-Zhu: “Welcome my honoured guests to my humble abode, I have invited you all here this evening as you have gained reputation for being the wisest people in our lands. I desire to hear your wisdom in hope of learning how it is I may seek enlightenment. May we begin with your theory Qiang-Shan?”

Qiang-Shan: “Thank you Lazo-Zhu it is of course a great honour to be here in your presence as you to have a reputation for being wise, or as I have heard others call you; a sage. It is has to my understanding though that enlightenment is achievable through a lifetime of studying the philosophic arts”

Lao-Zhu: “Yet no lifetime is long enough to study such a thing to its completion so by this understanding enlightenment never come to actuality, it is doomed to remain only potentiality. Sheng-Ren perhaps your theory holds better.”

Sheng-Ren: “I hold enlightenment to be knowing where limits to your knowledge lie, once one knows what it is he does not know his mind becomes free from uncertainty and confusion, thus achieves a sense of inner peace.”

Lazo-Zhu: “But how does one come to know what it is he does not know if one does not yet know what it is? I find your theory flaws my good friend, although I admire the socratic direction of your thinking.”

Mo-Zi: “Perhaps a better interpretation of what Sheng-Ren is saying might be; enlightenment comes from admitting all you think you know may be false, thus all is in doubt”

Lao-Zhu: “If so then what your proposing Mo-Zi is that enlightenment becomes almost synonymous with uncertainty and confusion. This being the case then you must even be doubtful about your doubt so that your become uncertain about your uncertainty, in which case no knowledge could ever be possible and your mind becomes forever in turmoil. Surely enlightenment is about bringing your mind to peace not conflict? So either you have missed the point of enlightenment Mo-Zi, or enlightenment is not what I believed it to be. Let us hear your notions on the subject Kina-Chan before I make my decisions about Mo-Zi’s theory.”

Kina-Chan: “Enlightenment comes from living in accordance to one’s heart not one’s mind, hence doing what it is one loves most whenever and wherever one want to. A pure life of indulgence.”

Qiang-Shan: “But how does one finance a life of such indulgence? And what about the moral issues surrouding the heart’s desires of certain men? Can we allow murderer’s to murder to their hearts’ content just so they may seek enlightenment or ought we frobid them from achieving enlightenment? I fear work is needed with your thesis dear friend.”

Lao-Zhu: “Kina-Chan it sounds to me as if what you preach enlightnement to be is the life of a bard, travelling the world singing and playing to any and every ear willing to listen to him spill out his soul in return for a meagre profit. A truly noble class of people are the bards yet if all were to be bards then no nationstate would survive.”

Tian-Zhu: “The bard is only enlightened if he directs his heart, mind and soul towards God as inner peace is found through accepting God’s divine glory without question”

Mo-Zi: “So how we know when we have accpeted God’s divine glory?”

Tian-Zhu: “This is a matter of faith Mo-Zi, it is not to be questioned by man and his limited capacities.”

Mo-Zi: “So what you propose then is enlightenment is accepting what is unknowable and not to question what is unknown, in which case how can we accept what is unknowable if we cannot know what it is we must accept? Your notion is just as flawed as mine or Sheng-Ren’s.”

Lao-Zhu: “Zhi-Guan you have yet to speak, please present to us your thesis.”

Zhi-Guan: “But my learned friends I already have presented it to you.”

Sheng-Ren: “You have not uttered a single syllable Zhi-Guan, how may we absorb your great wisdom if you refuse to share, please deliver upon us your theories so that we may bask in your light.”

Zhi-Guan: “As I feared you do not understand. I need not stay a moment longer as you have failed to realise my thesis. I bid you all goodnight now my friends.”