Bonus Episode: Master Nan describes Zhuge Liang's "Letter to my Son"

Tales of the Fat Monk

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If there is one name every single Chinese person knows, it is Zhuge Liang.

Famous for his military strategies employed during the Warring States period, his exploits were immortalised in the Ming dynasty novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國演義 Sān Guó Yǎn Yì), describing his almost prescient ability to anticipate the enemy’s moves and plan in advance.

But there are very few remaining records of his actual writing. One is “Letter to My Son,” which Master Nan Huaijin describes here, emphasizing its importance to his students (who, with typical Nan Huaijin wit, he is not shy of reproaching).

Like most profound documents, “Letter” appears bland on the surface; the real savour derives from its slow absorption and contemplation, one of the virtues of memorization.

As one of my Chinese relatives, when asked why memorization is important, said “Why, because when you memorise, it goes down into your gut and then galou galou, you finally understand!”
(“galou galou” was his way of describing digestive noises).
SHOW NOTES:
Xiaoyao Xingzhe, the self-styled carefree pilgrim, has lived and worked all over the world, having crossed the Gobi in a decrepit jeep, lived with a solitary monk in the mountains of Korea, dined with the family of the last emperor of China, and helped police with their enquiries in Amarillo, Texas.
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for pdfs of all recorded chapters and a few more, as well as other bits of interest on Daoism, Buddhism and Neidan, with an emphasis (but not a limitation) on pre-twentieth century authors such as Huang Yuanji and Li Daochun.
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