Sage, and Beyond Knowing

Is there a goodness too great to put into words?

Original

充實而有光輝之謂大，大而化之之謂聖，聖而不可知之之謂神。

In plain words

Being filled and shining out is called great. Being great and transforming others is called sage. Being a sage beyond anyone's power to know is called divine.

Key words

化huàTo transform: people change of themselves, and the whole mood shifts.
神shénHere a wondrous state, not a god.
不可知bù kě zhīBeyond what reason can measure or words describe.

Reading it step by step

We have reached the fourth of six steps, and “great” is already remarkable: a person filled with good and shining, lighting up everyone nearby. But Mencius says there are two more steps above it.

First: a sage transforms. Shining on others is still a quiet light. Transforming is movement: people change because of you, and a whole place turns in a new direction. Elsewhere Mencius says, “Wherever the noble person passes, people are transformed; what he keeps within is divine.” Think back to the four sages on Day 24. Those who heard of Bo Yi's ways went from greedy to honest and from timid to resolute.

Those who heard of Liuxia Hui went from narrow to generous. Yi Yin said Heaven sends those who wake first to wake the rest, and waking first doesn't mean knowing how to drive or use a computer: it means seeing the road a person should walk, and not having the heart to keep it to yourself. The sages didn't need to be in the room; their influence kept happening, with results you could see. That is what a sage is.

Second: “divine” doesn't mean a god. It means beyond knowing. “A sage beyond anyone's power to know is called divine.” The word describes a wondrous state that reason can't measure and words can't hold. Why would Mencius name something he can't explain? Because he refuses to put a ceiling on people. No one knows how far a human being can go. Before you get there, you can't picture it; when you get there, you find there is more above.

The ancients called humans the most spirited of all creatures, and this step is the highest praise of that spirit. One modern philosopher liked to tell his class, “To be human is to be divine.” The West has an older line: “To err is human.” Keep both. With only the first, the goal feels out of reach; with only the second, every mistake has an excuse.

within: work on yourself

goodthe heart wants it

trueyou really do it

beautifulfull, no gaps

beyond: light, transform, reach Heaven

greatshines on others

sagetransforms others

divinebeyond knowing

Steps 5–6: all six climbed, and the road still goes on

Third: the road has no end, and that's good news. Good, true and beautiful are about your own life. Great, sage and divine start from you and move outward: lighting, transforming, and finally reaching toward Heaven. Confucius said he had never met a sage, and he never claimed to be one. What matters is not which step you're on but that you haven't stopped climbing.

In everyday life, transformation is closer than it sounds. A teacher used to crouch down to listen to children at eye level; twenty years later a former pupil, now a teacher, does the same. A father never shouted at his kids; they grow up and never shout at theirs. Light is seen. Transformation is passed on, from one generation to the next.

So today, think: who transformed you? Which of your good habits did you actually receive from someone else?

No one knows how good a person can become.

One line to carry

No one knows how good a person can become.

Today's question

Who transformed you? Write down one good habit you received from someone, and what you hope to pass on next.

Quick check

In “a sage beyond knowing is called divine,” what does “divine” mean?

Next pageKnow Your Heart, Know HeavenPage 30

IV · Six Stages of Character — Good, true, beautiful, great, sage, divine

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