“I’m gaining ground!” he said, beaming. “I sit quietly and forget.” Confucius shifted uneasily. “What do you mean?” he asked. “I let the body fall away and let the intellect fade,” replied Yan Hui. “I throw out form, abandon understanding—and then move freely, blending away into the great transformation. That’s what I mean by sit quietly and forget.” Realizing that his pupil had surpassed him, Confucius went pale. “If you blend away like that, you’re free of likes and dislikes,” he said. “So in the end, the true sage here is you! So you won’t mind if I follow you from now on, will you?”
