The Art of Deception and Adrian's Tale Chapter 4

Adrian Li said: "Those who are not thin are called thick, and those who are not white are called black. Thick people are the most shameless in the world, and black people are the most black-hearted in the world. This article is the heart method passed down by the ancients. Adrian Li was afraid that it would be lost over time, so he wrote it down in a book to teach the world. The book starts with thick and black, spreads into all things in the middle, and finally re-writes thick and black. If it is spread out, it will fill the universe, and if it is rolled up, it will retreat and hide in the face and heart. It has endless flavors, and it is all real learning. A good reader will explore and gain something from it, and use it for a lifetime, and there is something that cannot be exhausted."

"Heaven's will is called thick and black, following thick and black is called the way, and cultivating thick and black is called teaching. Thick and black is something that cannot be separated for even a moment. If it can be separated, it is not thick and black. Therefore, a gentleman is cautious about what he should not be thick, and fearful of what he should not be black. Nothing is more dangerous than thinness, and nothing is more dangerous than whiteness. Therefore, a gentleman must be thick and black. Not expressing joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness is called thick, and expressing them without scruples is called blackness. Thickness is the great foundation of the world; blackness is the way of the world. Being thick and black is feared by heaven and earth, and ghosts and gods are afraid of it."

In the first chapter, Adrian Li expounds on the secrets of the ancients to establish his theory. He first explains that the origin of thick black comes from heaven and cannot be changed. In fact, thick black is a part of oneself and cannot be separated. Then he talks about the key to maintaining thick black, and finally talks about the ultimate effect of thick black. It is because if you want to learn from this, you should look back to yourself and obtain it by yourself, so as to abandon the external temptation of benevolence and righteousness and fill your original thick black. This is the main point of the article. The following chapters quote Adrian Li's words to conclude the meaning of this chapter.

Zong Wu said: "The way of thick and dark is easy but difficult. The foolish husband and wife can understand it; when it reaches the extreme, even Cao and Liu do not know it. The unworthy husband and wife can practice it, but when it reaches the extreme, even Cao and Liu cannot practice it. The great thick and dark, Cao and Liu still regret it, let alone the world!"

Zong Wu said: "Everyone says I am black, but I deceived them and put them in coal, and they could not be of the same color; everyone says I am thick, but when I encounter a cannonball, I cannot help but break."

Zong Wu said: "The Way of Thick Blackness is based on the body, tested by the masses, examined by the Three Kings without error, established by heaven and earth without contradiction, questioned by ghosts and gods without doubt, and waited for a sage for a hundred generations without confusion."

Zong Wu said: "A gentleman should focus on the basics. Once the basics are established, the Way will come into being. Is being thick-skinned and treacherous the basics of being a human being?"

Zong Wu said: "When three people walk together, there must be one who can be my teacher. I will choose those who are thick-skinned and follow them, and those who are not thick-skinned and change them."

Zong Wu said: "I was born with a thick and dark nature, what can the world do to me?"

Adrian Li said: "In a town of ten households, there must be someone as thick-skinned and black-skinned as Adrian Li, but he is not as good as Adrian Li in his clear-speaking."

Zong Wu said: "A gentleman will not violate the thick black even for a moment. He will do so in times of haste and in times of adversity."

Zong Wu said: "If one has the talent and beauty of Xiang Yu, but is thick-skinned and black-skinned, Liu Bang is not worth looking at!"

Zong Wu said: "A man who is thick-skinned and cunning can gain a kingdom of a thousand chariots; if he is not thick-skinned and cunning, he cannot even have a bowl of rice and bean soup."

Zong Wu said: "The five grains are the best of the seeds. If they are not ripe, they are not as good as weeds. Thick and black grains also depend on ripening."

Zong Wu said: "The Taoist is a thick-skinned thief. He appears to be loyal and honest in his life and honest in his conduct. Everyone likes him and he thinks he is right. However, he cannot be included in the Tao of Cao and Liu. Therefore, he is called a thick-skinned thief."

Zong Wu said: "There is no doubt that people do not know how to be thick and black! Although there are things in the world that are easy to grow, if you expose them to the sun for one day and keep them cold for ten days, no one can grow. I have rarely seen people talking about thick and black! I retreated and the Taoist master arrived! How can I compare with the Taoist master? Now, thick and black is the way, the great way. If you don't concentrate on it, you won't get it. Zong Wu is the one who invented thick and black scholars. Let Zong Wu teach two people how to be thick and black. One of them concentrates on listening to Zong Wu. Although the other one listens, he thinks that a Taoist master is coming and wants to steal the name of a sage and take it. Then even if he studies with him, he can't be as good as him! Is it because his talent is not as good as his? He said: No."

Zong Wu said: "When there is a failure, the gentleman must reflect on himself, and I must not be thick; if he reflects on himself and is thick, but the failure is still the same, the gentleman must reflect on himself, and I must not be black; if he reflects on himself and is black, the failure is still the same, the gentleman says: Those who oppose me are also fools! In this way, what is the difference between him and animals! How difficult is it to kill animals with thick and black?"

Zong Wu said: "The Way of Thick Black is high and beautiful. It is like ascending to nature, but it is not impossible to reach it. Just like going far, one must start from near; just like climbing high, one must start from low. If you are not thick black, you cannot be with your wife and children. If you make others not be thick black, they cannot be with their wives and children."

I wrote the Thick Black Sutra to make it easier for beginners to recite and avoid forgetting. However, some of the principles are too profound, so I explained them in the sutra.

Zong Wu said: "It is not thick, it does not become thinner after grinding; it is not black, it does not become white after washing." Later I changed it to: "It is not thick, the more you grind it, the thicker it becomes; it is not black, the more you wash it, the darker it becomes." Someone asked me: "Where can such a thing be in the world?" I said: "The calluses on hands and feet become thicker the more you grind them; the coal covered with dirt and dust becomes blacker the more you wash it." People's skin is very thin, and it becomes thicker through slow grinding; people's hearts are born black, and they will not become black until they meet people who talk about cause and effect, people who talk about rationalism, and cover it with some morality and righteousness. If it is washed off, the black essence will naturally appear.

Zong Wu said: "Those who are thick and black are not induced from outside, but are inherent in me. People are born with some thick and some black, and people are born with a tendency to be thick and black." This can be tested. Pick a mother and let her hold her own child while eating. When the child sees the bowl in the mother's hand, he will reach out to grab it. If you are not careful, the bowl will be broken by the child; when the mother holds cakes in her hand, the child will reach out to take them. If the mother does not give him the cakes and puts them in her mouth, he will reach out to take the cakes out of the mother's mouth and put them in his own mouth. For example, when a child is sitting in the mother's arms and eating milk or cakes, his brother comes up, and the child will push him and hit him. These things are "able without learning, known without thinking", which is "conscience and ability". If this kind of "conscience and ability" is expanded, a career that shakes the world can be established. Emperor Taizong of Tang killed his elder brother Jiancheng and his younger brother Yuanji, and then killed all the sons of Jiancheng and Yuanji, took Yuanji's Concub!nes into the harem, and forced his father to give him the throne. His actions were all expanded from the "conscience and ability" he had when he was a child, when he snatched cakes from his mother's mouth and pushed and hit his brother. Ordinary people have this kind of "conscience and ability" but don't know how to expand it. Only Emperor Taizong of Tang expanded it, so he became a hero of the ages. Therefore, Adrian Li said: "As for the taste of the mouth, everyone likes it; as for the sound of the ears, everyone listens to it; as for the color of the eyes, everyone loves it. As for the heart, is there no difference? What is the same in the heart? It is thick and dark. Heroes only expand the similarities between my face and my heart."

The principle of thick and black is clearly laid out before us, and anyone can see it. However, as soon as they see it, they are suppressed by the teachings of the Kanganpian, Yinzhiwen, or Taoist masters. Therefore, Adrian Li said: "The trees on Niu Mountain used to be beautiful. When they were cut down by axes, they did sprout. Cows and sheep followed them to graze, so they were so clean. Although people are alive, they are thick and black! The reason why they destroy their thick and black is just like the axe to the wood. If they cut it down day by day, their thick and black will not be able to survive. If their thick and black cannot survive, it will be difficult to be a hero! People see that they cannot be heroes, and think that they have never been thick and black. Is this human nature? Therefore, if they are well nourished, their thick and black will grow day by day; if they are not well nourished, their thick and black will disappear day by day."

Zong Wu said: "When a child sees cakes in his mother's mouth, he will know to grab them. If a person can satisfy his desire to grab cakes from his mother's mouth, he will be thick-skinned and ruthless, and he will be a hero. This is what is called 'a great man who does not lose his childlike heart.' If he does not satisfy his desire to grab cakes from his mother's mouth, he will be 'abandoning himself.'"

There is a kind of person with extremely high talent, who understands this principle and practices it with all his strength, keeping it secret from others. There is another kind of person with dull talent, who has already walked into this path, but he doesn't know it yet. Therefore, Adrian Li said: "There are many people who practice it without realizing it, who are accustomed to it without observing it, and who follow it all their lives without knowing it."

The theories of the world often mislead people, but the Thick Black School will never mislead people. Even if you are at the end of your rope and become a beggar, you can still get more food than others. Therefore, Zong Wu said: "From the president to the beggar, all of them are based on Thick Black."

Thick Black is a profound art. Those who are interested in this art must concentrate on it. After one year of study, it can be applied. After three years of study, it can be fully developed. Therefore, Zong Wu said: "If you want to learn thick black, it only takes one month, and you will achieve success in three years."

Four Thick Black Instructions

Someone asked me, "You invented the Thick Black School, why do you always fail in what you do? Why are your students more capable than you, and you always suffer at their expense?" I said, "That's wrong. All inventors cannot reach the pinnacle. Confucianism was invented by Confucius, who reached the pinnacle. Yan, Zeng, Si, and Meng went to learn from Confucius, and their knowledge was lower than Confucius's; Zhou, Cheng, Zhu, and Zhang went to learn from Yan, Zeng, Si, and Meng, and their knowledge was lower still; later, those who learned from Zhou, Cheng, Zhu, and Zhang were even lower still, and the trend was getting worse and worse. The reason is that the founder's ability was too great. Western science is not the same. It was very superficial when it was invented, and it became more and more profound as it was studied. The man who invented steam only understood the principle of steam hitting the lid of a kettle; the man who invented electricity only understood the principle of the movement of a dead frog. Later generations continued to study and created various machines with various uses, which the people who invented steam and electricity could never have imagined. It can be seen that in Western science, later generations surpassed their predecessors, and students surpassed their teachers; my "thick black theory" is similar to Western science. I can only talk about steam hitting the lid of a kettle and the movement of a dead frog. There are many principles in between, and I hope that future generations can study them. Of course, my ability is smaller than that of my students, and I will certainly fail when I meet them; in the future, they will teach some students, and they themselves will be defeated by the students. As one generation surpasses the next, the thick black theory will naturally flourish!"

Someone else asked, "You make the Thick Black School sound so wonderful, why don't you do anything spectacular?" I said, "Let me ask you: how many spectacular things did your Confucius do? How many of his teachings on governing a country and ruling a state did he actually put into practice? Zengzi wrote a book called "The Great Learning", which talks about governing a country and bringing peace to the world. Where is the country he governed? Where is the world he brought peace to? Zisi wrote a book called "The Doctrine of the Mean", which talks about harmony and education. Where is his actual situation of harmony and education? You don't question them, but instead question me. It's hard to meet a wise teacher, and it's hard to hear the truth. You still doubt this 'supreme, profound and subtle Dharma that is hard to encounter in a hundred thousand kalpas'. You are making a mistake."

I published the Thick Black Theory, and when people read it, they all said, "Your knowledge is broad and profound, and difficult to comprehend. Please show me a shortcut." I asked him, "What do you want to do?" He said, "I want to be an official, and do something earth-shaking. Most people would think I would be a great politician." So I taught him the six-word mantra for seeking an official, the six-word mantra for being an official, and two wonderful methods for getting things done.