Translation of "The Legend of the East Garden": Mr. Dongyuan, Jinyi Wei Xu Shenzhi, a descendant of Xu Da, the king of Zhongshan, and a son of a virtuous family in the world. His virtues are increasing day by day, his manners are becoming more and more humble day by day, his career is renewed and rising day by day, and his pleasures are self-satisfied and moderate. Xu Shenzhi lived in the East Garden, so he changed his name to "East Garden". The things in the East Garden all belong to Mr. East Garden, why did Xu Shenzhi change his name to East Garden? It's to express your ambitions! Therefore, in the East Garden, there are noble, humble, growing, hidden, high-flying, and athletic, all of which are inherent in Mr. Dongyuan, and no one else can get them. Therefore, if it is as lofty as a mountain, it will vaguely become a hill, a violent vibration will become a mountain, a tall and majestic will become a mountain, and a steep will become a mountain, all because Mr. Dongyuan's moral cultivation is increasing day by day! Humility is like a pool of water, then its edge will affect other things, shallow water eddies will push water birds, deep water will hide dragons, all because Mr. Dong Yuan abides by etiquette and becomes more and more humble, and receives good retribution and is broad-minded! Growing into bamboo flowers, then the bamboo shoots will be updated every day, the germination of plants and trees will be thriving, and the fun in the garden will become richer and richer day by day, all because Mr. Dongyuan's fortune is rising day by day and gradually lasting! Hidden as fish, flying as birds, some jumping and some flying, the movement is uncertain, the momentum is grand and full of vitality, Mr. Dongyuan is free to play his own nature, and swim in the realm of truth and constant every day!
Someone said: "In this way, is the liveliness of the park inherent in Mr. Dongyuan's own pleasure?" Zhan Ruoshui said, "Not really. The joy of nature is shared by everyone, and Mr. Dongyuan has it and will not keep it private. Therefore, it is better to be happy with everyone than to be happy with one, and a few people are not as happy as the majority. Mr. Dongyuan is the son of a virtuous family in the world, and the people who interact with him are all virtuous people. Therefore, there are many people who come to the banquet under false names, those who entertain daily, those who accept rewards, those who accept food, and those who meet to travel, and all kinds of scholars and doctors come here from time to time, and they gather here with their slaves and horses. Ten thousand people are of the same heart, and different surnames are happy, but the spirit of Mr. Dongyuan should not be promoted! That's Mr. Dongyuan! Those who compare themselves with each other by the status of the doormen, and still claim to be the children of a virtuous family, are they really virtuous? The meaning mentioned here, for example, Tang Bing, the hermit Dongyuan Gong who refused Liu Bang's invitation to go out of the mountain during the Qin and Han dynasties, you must know him, how can (a virtuous person) find and visit him? On January 9 of the year of Wuzi, in "The Story of the East Garden", Zhan Ruoshui talked about the truth of being a human being through the scenery in the garden, which was the application of his doctrine of "recognizing the principles of heaven everywhere". Profile: Zhan Ruoshui (1466-1560), known as Yuanming and Ganquan, was a native of Ganquandu (now Xintang) in Zengcheng and was known as "Mr. Ganquan". He was a famous thinker, philosopher, politician, educator, and calligrapher in the Ming Dynasty. When he was young, he worshipped the famous Confucian Chen Xianzhang as his teacher and became the successor of the mantle of Baisha Doctrine. He has been awarded the title of editor and attendant of the Hanlin Academy. In the third year of Jiajing (1524), he was promoted to the priest of the prince of Nanjing, and later served as the secretary of Nanjing, the rite and the soldier, and the counselor of the machine, and posthumously presented the prince Shaobao. On the basis of inheriting Chen Xianzhang's doctrine, Mr. Ganquan took "recognizing the principles of heaven everywhere" as the sect, put forward the concepts of "recognizing the principles of heaven for the understanding of things" and "recognizing benevolence before learning, and benevolence is one with all things in heaven and earth", and founded the "Ganquan School", which was called "Wang Zhan's Learning" by the people of the time together with Wang Yangming's "Yangming Learning". He founded nearly 40 academies across the country, with thousands of people, all over the country, promoting the development and prosperity of mind in the Ming Dynasty. His posthumous works include "The Diagram of the Heart", "Shengxue Gewutong", "Zhan Ganquan Collection" and so on.