If the heart remains unmoved, everything will be calm. Everything is a projection of one's inner self; everything happens in a person's heart.

When a person's inner strength is sufficient, no matter what happens externally, they can respond calmly. Wang Yangming said: 'The more difficult the situation, the more one should cultivate the heart.' The worse the environment one faces, the more one must hold onto their inner peace; the situation may change, but the heart does not. This is the way of refining the heart. At the age of twenty-four, Wang Yangming participated in the imperial examination and failed again. Other candidates, upon realizing they had not passed, began to cry loudly, but Wang Yangming remained expressionless. Everyone thought he was too sad and came to comfort him, trying to help him open up. But Wang Yangming smiled slightly and said, 'You think failing the exam is a disgrace; I think being moved by failure is the real disgrace.' In life, one encounters many hardships; it is precisely during these times that a person's character and cultivation can be revealed. Ordinary people cry and wail, while truly cultivated individuals can remain calm and composed.

So how can one achieve such 'calmness'? A person must be tempered by experiences to stand firm; they must be stable in stillness and also in motion. Hardships are the best磨练 of one's character. By seeking inner strength, a person can truly become strong.