"...Writing is a great undertaking in governing a nation, a splendid achievement that endures forever. Yet is writing alone capable of such immortal splendor? The Duke of the Right Army said long ago, 'To climb Wen Ridge and Mount Emei and return is truly a splendid achievement that endures forever!' Ascending heights to let the gaze roam, shaking out one's robes and giving the heart free rein-these are mighty deeds worthy of a man, no less than writing..."
"Clan Uncle-"
"I know. You scholars naturally place great weight on writing. But its weight lies in conveying the Way. I believe, however, that writing is not alone in doing so; mountains and waters do it too. Peaks stand towering, forming the bones of heaven and earth; rivers and seas buoy the sky, turning the pivot of creation. This is the writing of heaven and earth. Though it has neither brush nor inkstone, it conveys the Way without words, through the great transformations of nature. Thus the saying, 'Mountains and waters charm the Way through their forms'..."
"Clan Uncle, actually-"
"I understand. You actually believe that although the Way exists in mountains and waters, seeking it does not necessarily require going among them. An excellent insight! Zong Bing once said, 'Old age and illness have come together; I fear I can no longer see every famous mountain. I must simply clear my heart to contemplate the Way and travel through them while reclining.' The beauty of reclining travel is that it spares us the toil of horses and carriages and frees us from worldly fetters, allowing us to behold the vastness of heaven and earth within a tiny room! Though the body is confined to a few feet of space, the spirit has already raced ten thousand miles away..."
"Clan Uncle, what