An In-depth Interpretation of Mencius' 'The Trees of Ox Mountain' Chapter: The Core of Innate Goodness and Cultivation of Mind and Nature

Chapter 18: The Cultivation of "Holding, It Exists" — Pre-Qin Cultivation Practice

Section 18.1 The Multi-layered Cultivation of "Holding" (Cao)

"If held, it exists" (Cao ze cun)—Grasp the heart (conscience), and it exists. This word "Cao" encompasses rich layers of cultivation effort.

(A) The Bodily Aspect of "Holding" — Rectifying the Appearance (Zheng Rong Ti)

Cultivation begins with the body. A proper bodily demeanor aids in the rectification of the heart.

The Analects (Xiang Dang) details Confucius's deportment in various situations:

"When entering the palace gate, he bowed deeply, as if he could not enter. He did not stand in the middle of the gate; when walking, he did not tread on the threshold. When passing by a seat of honor, his expression was stern, his steps hesitant, and his speech as if too weak to speak. When ascending the steps to the hall, he bowed deeply, as if he could not breathe. When going out, he descended one step, his expression brightened, and he appeared pleased. When moving down the steps, he advanced quickly, as if with wings. When returning to his place, he stood with caution."

Confucius entered the palace gate with deep reverence and caution; when passing a seat of honor, his expression was solemn and his steps hesitant; when ascending the hall, he bowed deeply and held his breath—all these actions use the rectification of the body to maintain the heart's reverence. This is the bodily aspect of "Cao"—preserving the inner conscience by regulating external demeanor.

(B) The Emotional Aspect of "Holding" — Rectifying Feelings and Dispositions (Zheng Qing Zhi)

The Book of Rites (Yue Ji) states:

"Man is naturally quiet; this is Heaven’s nature. Stimulated by things, desire arises from nature. When things are known, likes and dislikes become manifest. If likes and dislikes are unrestrained internally, and knowledge is seduced by externals, and one cannot reflect upon oneself, the Heavenly Principle (Tian Li) is extinguished. When the stimuli of things are endless, and man’s likes and dislikes are unrestrained, then man is transformed by things. That which transforms man extinguishes the Heavenly Principle and exhausts human desires."

"Man is naturally quiet; this is Heaven’s nature" (Ren sheng er jing, tian zhi xing ye)—Man’s innate state is quiet and pure; this is the endowed nature. "Stimulated by things, desire arises from nature" (Gan yu wu er dong, xing zhi yu ye)—Upon contact with external things, desires arise, which is the dynamic expression of nature. "If likes and dislikes are unrestrained internally, and knowledge is seduced by externals, and one cannot reflect upon oneself, the Heavenly Principle is extinguished" (Hao wu wu jie yu nei, zhi you yu wai, bu neng fan gong, tian li mie yi)—If emotions of like and dislike are unrestrained, and cognition is lured by the outside, and one fails to reflect internally, the Heavenly Principle (good nature) is extinguished.

This passage’s logic aligns perfectly with the "Wood of Ox Mountain" chapter: "Stimulated by things" is like "cutting with axes and adzes"—external temptations erode the nature of goodness. "Unrestrained likes and dislikes" is like "cutting day after day"—unrestrained desires consume the sprouts of goodness daily. "Heavenly Principle is extinguished" is like "night energy insufficient to be preserved"—good nature is ultimately destroyed.

Therefore, the emotional aspect of "Cao" is "restraining feelings" (Jie Qing)—regulating the emotions of likes, dislikes, joy, and anger so they do not erupt without limit.

(C) The Cognitive Aspect of "Holding" — Rectifying Deliberation (Zheng Si Lü)

Mencius (Gaozi II): "The function of the heart is to think (si); when thinking, one obtains; when not thinking, one does not obtain."

In terms of cognition, "Cao" the heart means maintaining correct thought—thinking about benevolence, righteousness, good and evil, right and wrong, rather than thinking about profit, sound, or sight.

The Analects (Book 2, 15th chapter) states:

The Master said: "Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous."

"Learning without thought leads to confusion" (Xue er bu si ze wang); "Thought without learning leads to peril" (Si er bu xue ze dai). Learning and thinking must be combined. In the context of moral cultivation, this "thinking" (si) is the self-reflection and awareness of one's own conscience.

Section 18.2 The Danger of "Releasing" — The Consequences of Not Cultivating

"If released, it perishes" (She ze wang)—Abandoning the grasp of conscience causes it to vanish.

There are many ways to "release" (She):

(A) Active Abandonment — Pursuing Profit and Desire

The most direct form of "release" is the active pursuit of material gain, abandoning moral integrity.

Mencius (Gaozi II) records:

"Fish are what I desire; bear's paws are also what I desire. If I cannot have both, I will give up the fish and take the bear’s paw. Life is what I desire; Righteousness (yi) is also what I desire. If I cannot have both, I will give up life and take Righteousness. I desire life, but I desire something more than life, so I will not grasp at things for the sake of living. I detest death, but there is something I detest more than death, so I will not avoid what I detest."

Mencius discusses "giving up life to take righteousness" (She sheng qu yi)—when life and righteousness cannot be had together, one should forsake life for the sake of the Dao. This "She" is an active, conscious choice. However, most people, when faced with a conflict between profit and righteousness, choose "abandoning righteousness for profit"—actively giving up moral integrity to pursue gain. This is the most typical manifestation of "if released, it perishes."

(B) Passive Abandonment — Following the Crowd

A more common form of "release" is passive—not actively pursuing profit, but unconsciously abandoning the adherence to conscience due to environmental influence.

The Analects (Book 4, 3rd chapter) records:

The Master said: "To live in a benevolent neighborhood is praiseworthy. If one chooses not to dwell where benevolence is, how can one be considered wise$31"

This implies that the environment has a huge influence on a person. Even if a person is inherently good, if they remain in an unrighteous environment for a long time, they will unknowingly conform.

This is analogous to the Ox Mountain wood—the mountain’s nature is "once luxuriant," but because it is "near the suburb of a great capital" (in an unfavorable environment), it is cut down daily and grazed upon, eventually becoming "barren."

(C) Intermittent Release — Sunning for a Day, Chilling for Ten

Mencius (Gaozi II): "Even the things in the world that grow most easily, if exposed to the sun for one day and chilled for ten, none will survive."

"Sunning for a day, chilling for ten" (Yi pu shi han)—Cultivating occasionally, then relaxing for a long period. This intermittent cultivation is equivalent to no cultivation—the sprouts of goodness have a brief moment of recovery during the occasional cultivation, but they are annihilated during the long period of relaxation.