In cultivating the Haoran Confucian Dao, reciting the Spring and Autumn Annals with intent and grasping its principles with sincerity marked the First Realm: Confucian Scholar. Those who reached it could see people at night and remember anything they read.
"When one's conduct is upright, others follow without orders; when it is not, they refuse even when ordered." The Second Realm was Rectifying the Heart. Those who reached it could withstand heat and cold without their will wavering.
"Cultivate oneself to nurture life; cultivate virtue to guide others." The Third Realm was Self-Cultivation. Those who reached it gained keen senses and words sharp enough to serve as weapons.
Wisdom awakened, and Divine Sense arose on its own, allowing one to calculate Tianming through the human heart. This was the Fourth Realm: Awakening Wisdom. Those who reached it possessed a mind approaching an Immortal's, exquisite perception, and a swift path to success.
The Fifth Realm, Establishing One's Destiny, meant accepting fortune and adversity alike and following one's nature without obstruction. The body gave off fragrance as principles interwove within it. Guided by one's own heart, unmoved by outside things, and steadfast in virtue, one came to perceive the profound threshold. When one heart stirred, others grew still. With that threshold near breaking, one's own heart took the place of heaven's heart, and the True Spirit joined with the divine. A call by name drew an answer. Praised by all beings, one lived amid the vast Red Dust and remained in a corner of people's hearts.
"Whether life is short or long, remain steadfast; cultivate oneself and await what comes." The Sixth Realm was Governing a Nation. Those who reached it could govern a country, withstand external calamities, and endure undying. Their righteous qi flowed without end, like a mighty river.
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