From "Shangshu Yu Shu Dayu Mo": "The human heart is only in danger, and the heart is only small; Only the essence is exclusive, let it be stunned. "
It is said that these sixteen words come from the story of Yao Shunyu's abdication. When Yao passed the throne to Shun, and Shun passed it to Yu, what he entrusted was the important task of the whole world and the fire of Chinese civilization. Sixteen Chinese characters with the theme of "heart" have been handed down from generation to generation. It can be seen that the implication is profound and significant.
The sixteen-character mental method of expanding information is a way to understand the ancient sages' thoughts. Its origin predates the Three Saints, and it has been passed down to this day. This inheritance process is based on enlightenment and heart-to-heart, so it is called "sixteen-character heart biography".
His theory of pure heart, self-cultivation and governing the country is not only passed down by Confucian orthodoxy, but also used by Taoism and absorbed by Buddhism. The sages inherited this method, and pointed out the way to cultivate one's self-cultivation and reach the natural truth for future generations. Confucius and Confucianism advocate governing the country and educating the people according to these sixteen words.
The sixteen-character is a whole, and only "excellent and unique" can be truly grasped subjectively, which is a key to mastering all the true words of governing the country. The other three clauses can only be used as the coordinates or thresholds of three different objective levels (humanity, tunnel and heaven). The essence of things is unique, exploring the essence of things is the purpose of Excellence, and Excellence is the only means to explore the essence of things.