The sage responds to all situations without exhaustion — not by studying in advance, but by responding as things come, reflecting all. Fear only that the mirror is not bright; never fear that things cannot be reflected.
"Fear only that the mirror is not bright; never fear that things cannot be reflected."
The sage's mind is like a bright mirror. It is simply bright — responding as things come, reflecting all. The forms of past reflections do not remain, and forms not yet reflected are not pre-formed. Fear only that the mirror is not bright; never fear that things cannot be reflected. Studying changes in affairs is also just reflecting what comes. But the student must first have the effort of making the mirror bright. The student should only fear that the mind is not yet bright, not fear that affairs cannot be fully handled.
The sage's mind is like a bright mirror. It is simply bright — responding as things come, reflecting all. The forms of past reflections do not remain, and forms not yet reflected are not pre-formed. Fear only that the mirror is not bright; never fear that things cannot be reflected. Studying changes in affairs is also just reflecting what comes. But the student must first have the effort of making the mirror bright. The student should only fear that the mind is not yet bright, not fear that affairs cannot be fully handled.
Instead of trying to memorize responses for every situation (building a catalog), cultivate your mind's clarity and judgment (polishing the mirror). A clear mind responds appropriately to novel situations; a catalog breaks down when facing the unexpected.
"The sage's mind is like a bright mirror."
This is one of Yangming's most famous metaphors. A mirror does not study objects in advance — it simply reflects whatever comes before it. Similarly, the sage does not预先 memorize responses to every possible situation. Instead, the sage cultivates a mind so clear and bright that it naturally responds appropriately to whatever arises.
"Fear only that the mirror is not bright."
The key insight: the problem is never the complexity of the situation but the clarity of the mind. A dull mirror cannot reflect clearly no matter how simple the object. A bright mirror reflects the most complex scene perfectly. Cultivate the brightness of the mirror (the mind), and everything else follows.