《人选天选论》 Chapter 2 · The Human Path Toward Awakening

姜蓝著

The next morning, Wenjie and I went back to the stream. I knew the stone was right there, yet I could not see its true shape. The day before I had wanted to scoop it up, because it shimmered with a strange light — not the dull reflection of ordinary stones, but a faint, bluish glow, like moonstone. Against the black‑and‑white background, a cold blue seemed to seep through. I even thought it might be special, perhaps the same kind of stone as the He Shi Bi. I crouched down and reached into the water, but the moment my hand touched it I pulled back. The water was too cold.

I wanted it, but I was unwilling to pay the cost, so I did not take it. The next day, seeing me still fixated on it, Wenjie gave me a look of disdain, laughed, jumped in, crouched down, and felt around. He pulled the stone up and handed it to me. The moment it was placed in my palm, I froze — it was nothing like I had imagined.

No blue glow, no mystery, nothing that felt like it hid something inside. It was simply an ordinary stone: a gray‑white base with tiny mica flakes, glinting with scattered light.

I stood by a rotten pine log on the bank and stared at it for a long time. My first response was not disappointment, but to search for reasons: was it the refraction of water? Was the current moving? Did sunlight hit at a certain angle, stretching the mica into blue on the surface? The more I thought, the more reasonable those explanations felt. So I carefully stepped through the grass to the water’s edge, put the stone back, and waited for the blue light to return — but it did not.

Once it was back in the water, it never became what I had first seen. Standing there, I suddenly understood: that blue light was never on the stone, nor in the water. It was in my mind.

Those explanations I had rushed to assemble were not to seek the truth. They were an effort to prove that the cause‑and‑effect I had just seen was correct. Over time I realized people are like this: we see a result first, then scramble for a cause, then gather evidence for that cause, and finally convince ourselves — I wasn’t wrong, I thought correctly, this is how the world is. But often, if you simply place the stone back in the water and look again, those seemingly reasonable reasons fall apart on their own.

It was precisely because I discovered the value of repeated observation and comparison that 《人选天选论》 was born.

Recording matters, because only through records can you preserve what you truly thought in the moment. When you look back later, you can tell whether you were seeing stones on the riverbed, or ripples on the surface. I took that stone home, and because of it I lost the second‑hand Sony Ericsson W800c Wenjie had given me. To this day, the stone sits on my desk. It still looks like nothing special, but to me it is more important than many things. Many of my later reflections about people began with that stream. If you ever saw it, you likely would not find it special.

But to me, it is the beginning of everything.

From that moment on, I began to seriously ask: if the mind is a river, how do we observe our own riverbed?

For a while after that, I wrote in my diary every day, with unusual seriousness — so serious that I would even show it to Wenjie. I hoped he would give me honest feedback, perhaps understand me more.

But one day he said, “Don’t show me your diary anymore.”

We were walking past the crossroads by the First People’s Hospital of Danjiangkou, on our way to the Shentong Internet Cafe to play World of Warcraft. I froze and asked him why. He said something I remembered for years.

He said, “When people express themselves to others, it’s always false.”

I didn’t understand. He told me his story: his parents divorced when he was young; he grew up with his grandparents. His father often told him his mother was bad; his mother often told him his father was good.

“No one lies completely, and no one tells the full truth,” he said. “Because when people speak, they always have an aim, something they want to keep, and a version they want you to believe.”

Then he looked at me and said, “So once you write for other people to read, it’s already not real.”

I was furious. I had sincerely wanted to share my reflections on life, and he seemed to deny everything I was doing. I wrote from the heart; I thought it was my truest part. And he dismissed it as “all false.”

I could not accept it. We argued, and for the next two months we barely spoke. I stopped showing my diary to anyone. Later, when I reread my old entries, I realized he was right: because I expected him to read them, I unconsciously polished my language, emphasized certain emotions, and hid certain things.

If I were to write my feelings from that time again, I would not write them the same way. In that moment I understood: anything written for others begins to deform. From then on I never showed my diary to anyone. And yet, writing for you now also changes things — I try to control the change, but even that effort only makes the change continue in another form.

Are you ready? Ready to enter my River World, to walk a path of awakening that belongs to you?

We begin now:

If thought is a river, then seeing the riverbed is hard — because the water never stops moving.

Information flows, emotion flows, desire flows.

Most people spend their lives seeing only the excuses, reasons, and disguises on the surface, and never truly see the stones beneath. Over time, I realized there are three ways to see the stones on the riverbed.

The first is lifting stones — recording “Dao traces” (道痕) by writing a daily journal. The second is diving — deep thinking, meditation. The third is rerouting the river — completely dissolving your former self.

For most people, I only recommend the first. Do not underestimate the human path. Its end converges with the heavenly path, and this human path is “lifting stones” — the slowest, but the safest, with the smallest cost.

What does lifting stones mean? It means you do not try to see the whole river at once. You lift one stone: today one, tomorrow another. Lift it to look, put it back to look, then write it down.

You don’t need to see every stone today, nor to change yourself immediately. You only need to build one ability:

See the surface, and know what lies beneath.

This is the seed of insight. It is not mysticism, and it is not fortune‑telling. It is your unconscious ability to observe your own riverbed with increasing accuracy. So how do you lift stones?

I eventually found a simple method: write your journal when you are most tired. I loved exercise then, working out and running every day. I discovered that the time after a run was perfect for lifting stones — when your body is exhausted, blood and oxygen flow into your limbs, and your mind stops racing as it does normally.

At that time, the river of thought slows — not to a stop, but noticeably. When it slows, the surface grows calmer; when it grows calmer, the riverbed becomes visible. So I set my method as:

Run, shower, then write.

How to write is crucial. When I guided my students, they would write: “I was tired today,” “I was unhappy today,” “Someone let me down,” “I realized something today.” Such records have little meaning; they are just ripples on the surface. What we record is “Dao traces.”

Not the events of life. Not feelings. Not stories.

We lift one stone from the river each day. So how do you write without staying on the surface? I recommend that every “Dao trace” follow this fixed order:

First layer: Facts

Write only what happened. No explanation, no evaluation, no emotion. For example: “He said I changed.” “I saw someone make money quickly.” “I wanted to reply, then didn’t.” “I saw someone showing off, and I felt uncomfortable.” This layer marks where the stone is. Many people start with reasoning, which only covers the stone.

Second layer: First reaction

Write the most direct feeling in the moment — not the correct answer, just the first reaction. For example: “I wanted to argue.” “I felt sour.” “I was a bit afraid.” “I wanted to prove myself.” “I wanted to run.” This layer matters because the first reaction is often closest to the stone itself.

Third layer: What I want to gain (this is greed)

Force yourself to answer: if I follow this impulse, what do I want to gain? Avoid big words like “dignity,” “happiness,” or “meaning.” Be concrete. For example: “I want him to admit I’m right.” “I want to be stronger than that person.” “I want others to respect me.” “I want to keep this relationship.” “I want that opportunity.” “I want to prove I’m not a failure.” This step often reveals greed.

Fourth layer: What I fear

This is fear. Again, no empty talk; write the ugliest, smallest, most direct fear. For example: “I’m afraid of being looked down on.” “I’m afraid I’m not that good.” “I’m afraid of losing him.” “I’m afraid I chose wrong.” “I’m afraid to admit I was foolish.” “I’m afraid I’ve been lying to myself.” This step is crucial because many people can say what they want, but refuse to face what they fear — and what truly holds them back is often fear.

Fifth layer: What reasons I gave myself

This is the key step — the ripples on the surface. Ask yourself: to make myself feel better, what explanations did I invent? For example: “I’m not jealous; I’m just being objective.” “I’m not afraid; I’m just waiting.” “I don’t not want it; I’m just seeing further.” “I’m not angry; I just think it’s not worth it.” “I’m not trying to prove myself; I’m just being fair.” This layer captures how you persuade and reconcile yourself. Many people stop at the third layer, so they never touch the stone — because the real stone is often hidden behind the reasons you are most skilled at telling.

Sixth layer: What stone did I lift today

You are allowed only one sentence: Today’s stone is ______. Only one main stone; do not list a pile of greed and fear. For example: “Today’s stone is fear of being looked down on.” “Today’s stone is the desire to prove I’m stronger.” “Today’s stone is fear of losing the relationship.” “Today’s stone is craving certainty.” “Today’s stone is fear of admitting I was wrong.” This step is critical because it forces you to focus from a whole surface into one concrete stone.

Why do many people find journaling useless? Because they write only the first three layers: what happened, what they felt.

“I felt wronged today.” That has value — but it is only seeing the surface. Anyone who learns to observe themselves will always add two more layers: what do I want, and what do I fear; then one more: what explanation did I invent to protect myself.

Only then do you truly touch the stone. And why must you look back? You already realized this earlier — it is the most powerful part: you lift the stone not to keep it, but to compare it.

Lift it today, put it back tomorrow, and look again. After a week, after a month, you will discover three things:

First, what you once thought was huge was not the core stone at all.
Second, what you thought was accurate was mostly self‑persuasion and self‑reconciliation.
Third, some stones keep appearing again and again.

The third is the most important. If a stone repeats, it is not a temporary emotional fluctuation but a large stone on your riverbed. So I suggest: write every day, review once a week, and each month, find only the three stones that repeat. After a month you will be shocked. You will find that what you thought was a complicated life is often pushed around by just those few stones.

How do you learn “human choosing” through journaling? This is the point. Many people think that “seeing the stone” is enough. It is not. Seeing the stone is only the first step. True “human choosing” means that the next time the same ripples appear, you immediately know which stone is underneath.

For example, in the past you saw others succeed and felt disturbed; after ten days of Dao traces, you will know clearly: “This isn’t just discomfort. Underneath is a desire to prove I am stronger.” Or: “This isn’t rational hesitation. Underneath is fear of paying the cost of a choice.”

Only then do you begin to earn the right to choose. But how to choose will likely wait until after chapter thirty. Recently I published the original first chapter, and many people rushed to “choose.” It worried me — they were unwilling to lay foundations or listen to principles; they just wanted to choose. That made me even more determined to put the “how to choose” much later.

The “Dao trace” template — use this every day:
1. What was the most turbulent event today?
2. What was my first reaction?
3. What did I actually want to gain?
4. What was I actually afraid of?
5. What reasons did I give myself?
6. What was the main stone I lifted today?
7. If I face the same event tomorrow, how will I choose?

The first six lines are for “seeing stones.” The seventh begins to simulate “human choosing.” Some criticize 《人选天选论》 as mysticism; after reading the preface they see it isn’t. Now they say it is empty talk, neither provable nor falsifiable. After this chapter, we shall see — 《人选天选论》 is never empty theory, but a practical guide for action.

Keep lifting stones. If you keep at it, you will slowly learn to distinguish water, ripples, stones, and your true self. Only then will you truly earn your ticket to learn 《人选天选论》.

The second method is diving.

That is, deep thinking. It is fast, and it is dangerous. I must make the danger clear — because when people hear “deep thinking,” they imagine something elevated, but it can pull you into a hollow abyss. I have had two experiences close to depression, both related to “diving.”

The first was when a friend I had accompanied for years developed liver cancer. I couldn’t stop thinking about death, too deep and too long, and nearly couldn’t climb out.

The second was later, when I studied human genetic structures. I reached some deep logic and kept digging. The deeper I dug, the more I sank into a hollow, bewildered state.

So I became convinced: deep thinking is not something everyone should do immediately. If you cannot yet observe your river, lift stones, or judge your own state, diving too early will only confuse you. So in this chapter I do not teach diving; I only tell you it exists, it works fast, and it is high risk. When your foundation is solid and your river’s structure is clearer, diving will be much safer.

The third method is rerouting the river.

This method is the most powerful and the most difficult. Rerouting the river is not about seeing the stones; it is about changing the flow itself. When a river truly changes course, its old riverbed is exposed for a time, and you can see it very clearly. So before you reroute, you should know what your original riverbed looks like. After rerouting, look again — the contrast will be striking.

But the cost of this method is enormous, and I will not expand here — because if I do, many will mistake it for mysticism. Just remember this: the power to reroute is immense, and not something ordinary people should touch lightly.

If someone truly wants to know themselves, the first step is not deep thinking or changing one’s structure. The first step is to see what your river looks like, then lift one stone each day — look a little, compare a little, and correct those judgments that seem reasonable but are only self‑consistent.

You will slowly discover why you reach, why you withdraw, why you are always drawn to the same “blue light,” and why every time you lift it, it is only an ordinary stone. When you begin to do this, you have truly begun to know your own heart.

Twenty years have passed. The stone still sits by my purple clay teapot, beside a blue Sri Lankan moonstone. Sometimes I lift them and compare them. The stone from the stream is, in truth, not special at all — gray‑white, with a faint mica shimmer. If you saw it by the river, you would not look twice. But each time I see it, I remember that stream, and the boy who once stood by its edge.

Everything begins with only two things: greed and fear.

In the next chapter, I will lead you into my “Coin World,” a world of two sides — are you ready? Ready to walk through greed and fear, through all the blossoms, without a single leaf on your body.

— 姜蓝《人选天选论》 · Chapter 2 The Human Path Toward Awakening —

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Quoted Passages

What we hear is only a point of view, not a fact. What we see is only a perspective, not the truth. — Marcus Aurelius

People only see what they want to see. — Emerson

Once the mind has adopted an opinion, it draws all things to support it. — Francis Bacon

No one, whoever he may be, can see all of reality; most people see only the reality they want to see. — Julius Caesar

Nothing exists outside the mind; no principle exists outside the mind. — Wang Yangming

The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool. — Richard Feynman

When a man is least himself is when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth. — Oscar Wilde

What I write is not what I say, what I say is not what I think, what I think is not what I should think — and so on, into endless darkness. — Franz Kafka

The man who can see the essence of things in half a second and the man who can never see it in a lifetime are destined for different fates. — The Godfather

The unexamined life is not worth living. — Socrates

Your unconscious is steering your life, and you call it fate. When the unconscious is brought to awareness, fate is rewritten. — Carl Jung

The easiest thing in the world is to blame others; the hardest is to see oneself. — Rabindranath Tagore

No one reads for the sake of reading; we read to read ourselves, to discover ourselves, to examine ourselves. — Romain Rolland

If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. — Nietzsche

One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. — Carl Jung

To know others is wisdom; to know oneself is enlightenment. To conquer others requires strength; to conquer oneself requires true power. — Dao De Jing

Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. — Warren Buffett

人选天选论: Chapter 2

《人选天选论》 Chapter 2 · The Human Path Toward Awakening