Ones heart will be unperturbed when ones mysterious point controls ones body. This mysterious point is the gate to the hidden axis of the mans nature where the spiritual nature resides. It is not easy to know its whereabouts, unless it is pointed out and its secrets are unlocked. Without the decree of Heaven, no teacher dares to transmit this secret and it is only by affinity that one will get to encounter such great learning.

Upon the initiation and the receipt of such great learning, one will be able to understand the great realization and wisdom of life. The great learning teaches us:

1] That being unperturbed, one may attain to calmness, 2] That being perfectly calm, one may attain to perfect repose and all other parts of the body will act accordingly, 3] In that repose, great wisdom will be engendered, 4] After getting that great wisdom, one has already attained the true standard of the great man, 5] Will understand things have their roots and their branches. To learn from the works of the great man and thus regain our bright nature is the root, while to lead and assist the masses to recover their bright nature is the branches, 7] Understand that affairs have their end and their beginning. The beginning is when ones nature rests on ones mysterious point and controls ones body and ones heart will be unperturbed. After gaining that great wisdom, one has attained to the true standard of the great man is the end and 8] He will know that the root or the beginning is the first and the branch or the end is the last in serial order. This has to be carried out with the least error or mistake.

The great learning also teaches us that:

1] The ancients who wished all the people throughout the Kingdom to be of good and great virtue must themselves govern well their own states, 2] Wishing rightly to govern their states well, they must first set about keeping their families well controlled by rules, 3] Wishing to keep their families well controlled by rules, they must first have themselves highly cultivated, 4] Wishing to have themselves highly cultivated, they must first have their hearts rectified, 5] Wishing to have their hearts rectified, they must first seek to be sincere in thoughts, 6] Wishing to be sincere in thoughts, they must first have their nature free from impurities and their true knowledge to utmost perfection and 7] Wishing to have their nature free from impurities, they must have all desires for worldly things wiped off from the very start.

We can only be brilliant and free from all impurities if our desires for worldly things are entirely wiped off. By then only our thoughts will be sincere and be able to keep our hearts right. Having our moral hearts put right, then we can only cultivate our bodies and be role model of the family. By having families under control by rules, then states will be rightly governed, because the family is the model of the state. Having states rightly governed, the whole world will be made peaceful and happy, because the state is the model of the world.

To cultivate ourselves is the root. To have the family well controlled by rules, to govern the state rightly and to make the whole world quiet and happy are the branches. If the root is well ordered, naturally the branches are well ordered; if the root is not well ordered, their branches will be the same.

The true nature is the root of the body. If one knows how to cultivate the true nature and nourish the true knowledge to the highest perfection, then it is called knowing the root and the perfecting of knowledge.

The great learning teaches us how to learn from the deeds of the great men. It teaches us how to sweep away our desires for worldly things, bad habits and wrongful thoughts so that we may regain our original nature and be bright.

Author: T.A Chew