Some discussions about the "theory of human nature" in pre-Qin Confucianism
——Unfolding with Mencius and Xunzi as the core
About the Author
Lin Anwu, male, Doctor of Philosophy, Distinguished Professor of Yixue and Ancient Chinese Philosophy Research Center of Shandong University.
Article source
Qilu Academic Journal, No. 1, 2022
summary
Confucianism believes that human nature has both "natural temperament" and "moral awareness." The growth of the spirit of Chinese wen is a process from the "Emperor's Order" to the "Mandate of Heaven" and then to the "Virtue of the Tao". "Confucianism of Transmission" and "Confucianism of Transmitting the Heart" are the two vein systems of Confucianism, and the theory of human nature is related to the "Heaven and Earth Pro-King". Mencius's theory of sexual goodness is in terms of "general" and "heavenly lord", sexual goodness is the "presentation of existence", Xunzi's theory of sexual evil emphasizes the transformation from "natural qi" to "social habits"; Mencius emphasizes "knowing nature with all his heart" to "knowing heaven"; Xunzi emphasizes "natural human beings" and "transforming into hypocrisy"; Mencius faces up to his own heart and expands his goodness, and Xunzi governs "natural qi" through etiquette. Combined with Meng Xun, the Confucian "Inner Saint and Outer King" can be full and full.
keyword
The Theory of Human Nature; Mencius; Xunzi; Natural Temperament; Moral Consciousness; Confucianism of Transmission; Confucianism of Transmitting hearts
body
I. Wedge: Mencius's sexual goodness and Xunzi's sexual evil are not on the same level
Mencius was born between 372 and 289 BC and Xun Zi was born from 316 to 235 BC, and the two of them, one in the state of Lu and the other in the state of Zhao, did not meet before they were alive. As far as their era is concerned, there is some overlap, and if it were in the current era of the Internet, they would definitely meet. Where to start today? As soon as we think about it, we think of the three talents of "heaven and earth people", people live between heaven and earth, people are big, big and heavenly, and people want to connect with heaven and earth, which will inevitably involve these problems.
On these issues, Mencius and Xunzi took different paths. We know that "Mencius is good in nature, and his words will be called Yao Shun" (Mencius Teng Wen Gongshang). Xunzi emphasizes "sexual evil" (Xunzi Sexual Evil). In fact, the "sexual goodness" and "sexual evil" that the two of them talk about are not at the same level, and it is difficult to constitute a tit-for-tat confrontation. However, we have become accustomed to tit-for-tat confrontation, which has caused a lot of misunderstandings. Generally speaking, we all think that one speaks of nature as good and the other speaks of nature as evil, and these two people are opposed, but in fact, they are not treated so simply, it is very complicated.
II. The Retrospective Study of the Meaning of Human Nature: "Natural Temperament" and "Moral Awareness"
At first, we have to say that the word "sex" of "human nature" is the word "human" in terms of etymology, which is standing for "man". The word "sex" comes from "birth means sex", and from "birth", it is a small grass that grows out of the soil1. We return to the text itself to say this "sex", "life is predicate sex" is actually very complicated, "life predicate sex" has the so-called "natural temperament", but also the so-called "moral awareness". For example, when we talk about "nature of destiny", is he talking about "natural temperament", "moral awareness", or both? Let's keep an eye out for what it's about. For example, the first chapter of "Zhongyong" talks about "the predicate of the Mandate of Heaven, the willfulness of the Tao, and the cultivation of the Tao", and we talk about the "Willfulness of the Tao", such a "sex", "the predicate of the Mandate of Heaven" of course will not be only "natural temperament", there must be the so-called "moral awareness" of this component, and should be dominated by this.
In this regard, if only the "natural gas" is emphasized, then this is the so-called "gasification cosmology". If we emphasize "moral awareness," then we are "moral creation." Traditionally, the two are often combined. I often mention that in the Chinese tradition, there is actually a great emphasis on "the harmony of existence and value", which is fundamental to inquiry. When we talk about this issue, we can understand it in connection with the I Ching. The I Ching speaks of "the great virtue of heaven and earth", "the virtue of life", and "the tao of one yin and one yang, followed by goodness, and the nature of becoming" (I Ching). These words in the I Ching have profound meanings, "one yin and one yang is the Tao", saying "the theory of heavenly tao" and "ontology", and "the following goodness" is "counselor theory" and "practice theory". "The nature of enlightenment" is the "theory of upbringing", which means "the cultivation of culture". Obviously, these three theories are connected, and the "one yin and one yang is the Tao" talks about the rhythm of existence. "Successor goodness" refers to the counsellor's cultivation of heaven and earth, and is the counselor's theory and the practice theory. "Becoming a Person" is about the habit of upbringing, and it is the cultivation of human culture that becomes the world.
III. The Continuum of Religion and Humanities: "The Order of the Emperor", "The Destiny of Heaven" and "The Virtue of the Tao"
The Chinese national cultural tradition, the whole humanistic spirit of the leap began at the time of the Yin Zhou, from the time of the Yin Zhou, to the Western Zhou, to the Eastern Zhou, the Spring and Autumn period had Confucius, Laozi, Mozi, and then to the Warring States, Mencius, Xunzi, Zhuangzi in this era. This can be said to be the whole Chinese spirit, from its leap to its composition. As far as the history of ideas is concerned, it can be said that it is a tradition from the "imperial decree" to the "destiny of heaven" and then to the "virtue of the Tao".2 The "Emperor's Order" was the Shang Dynasty, and the "Mandate of Heaven" was the Zhou Dynasty. We say, "The destiny of heaven is in the hands of Mu Mu." Yu drama is not obvious, the purity of king Wen's virtue" ("Book of Poetry, Zhou Song"), or it is said that "the heavenly path has no relatives, and only virtue is auxiliary" ("The Order of Shang Shu Cai Zhong"). Here we can see the whole concept of "Mandate of Heaven" changing: from the original divine authoritarianism to the moral indoctrination of humanity. Such a growth process is worthy of attention. The development of Confucianism as a whole actually follows such a path from religion to humanities. In chinese tradition, religion and humanities are connected together, which is very different from the West, which makes a distinction between religion and humanities. I often say that our religion is a "religion of enlightenment," and this "awareness" of "awareness" is not dominated by a "religion of faith."3 Of course, we have to say that in addition to the "trust" side, Western religions also have the "awareness" side. But in general, we are the "religion of enlightenment," which is very different from the religions of Christ, the monotheistic religions, and these religions of faith. We can find traditions from the "Decree of the Emperor" to the "Mandate of Heaven" to the "Virtue of the Tao", from the divine authoritarianism to the endowment of universal ideals, to the implementation of the general roots. When we talk about "Tao" and "Virtue", "Tao" is the root and "virtue" is the nature. When talking about the "destiny of heaven," heaven is universal righteousness, ideal righteousness, and this destiny has a popular righteousness, endowed with righteousness. Here is a process of transformation, that is, from the sacred and religious to the humanistic and moral growth process. This is important because it is slowly implemented into such growth in the human world. In this regard, I personally believe that Confucianism and Taoism are homologous and complementary. I do not advocate that Confucianism is the mainstream and Taoism is a side branch, nor do I agree with the "Taoist backbone" similar to professor Chen Guying's statement. I once told Professor Chen that he had one more word to say, and if he said that it was the "backbone of the Tao", that is, everything was attributed to the "Tao", then it would be right and there would be no doubt.4
The Tao is the totality and the root, while the "virtue" is the essence and nature. Lao Tzu says, "The Tao is born, the animal is virtuous, the form of things is formed, and the potential is formed." It is the way that all things are unworthy. The dignity of the Tao, the nobility of virtue, and the fate of Fu Mo and the constant nature" (Tao Te Ching, chapter 51). The Analects also say that "aspirations are in the Tao, according to virtue, according to benevolence, and in art" (Analects of the Analects). The contrast is very clear.
"The Tao is born, the virtue is the animal", "The intention is in the Tao, according to the Virtue", the meaning of this "Tao" and "Virtue" are the same: the Tao is the root, and the virtue is the nature. It is just that the Taoists say from the "Tao Shengzhi" downwards, "The Tao is born of the Tao, the virtue of the animals", and from that root down, it is implemented in the heavens and the earth and all things are for virtue. Confucianism is said from the moral subject of man upwards, saying that "aspirations are in the Tao, according to virtue, according to benevolence, and in art", they are of the same origin and complementary. This is very clear. I don't think it's appropriate to say "Taoist backbone" or "Confucianism as the mainstay, Taoism as a supplement", it is actually homologous and complementary5. The reason why we say this now is actually to see that the whole of China has moved from the sacred authority of religion to humanistic morality, which is an internal implementation, it is a continuum. In this regard, the growth of Chinese philosophy is different from the so-called "philosophical breakthrough" approach in the West6. Because it is not a broken relationship in which "God and man, matter and self, and man himself" are divided into two, it is a relationship of "heaven and man and I are one" of "heaven and man and man are one". In this regard, I emphasize that it is a "continuous view of existence" rather than a "fracture view of existence", and they are fundamentally similar and similar. It takes precedence over "the harmony of existence and value". It is not a priority of "consistency of being and thinking" 7. This is different from the Western philosophical tradition.
IV. The Two Contextual Systems of Confucianism: "Confucianism of Transmission" and "Confucianism of Transmitting hearts"
After making a distinction between "the harmony of existence and value" and "the consistency of existence and thinking", we can probably see a uniqueness in the development of Chinese philosophy as a whole. This uniqueness is implemented in the perspective of Mencius and Xunzi, which is very helpful to our interpretation. Because from "temple sacrifice" to "humanistic etiquette" to "moral indoctrination", this is a process of growth that gradually declines from holiness to within people. The history of philosophy says that after Confucius, "Confucianism was divided into eight", but in general, there were "Confucianism of Transmission" and "Confucianism of Transmitting Hearts". The Confucians who pass on the scriptures range from Youzi, Ziyou, Zixia to Xunzi, and the Confucians who transmit the heart are Yan Hui, Zengzi, Zisi to Mencius. Here we can see that Zhu Xi in particular proposed the "Four Books", which is very clear that it is an establishment of "Confucianism of Transmitting the Heart". Zeng Zi wrote "University", Zi Si wrote "Zhongyong", and the conversation between Mencius and his disciples was "Mencius". The Analects, the University, the Zhongyong, and Mencius established the entire Confucian Taoism on the "Confucianism of the Heart.". This is the tradition of sexual benevolence, which was established by renxue and based on morality and dominated.
Relatively speaking, then, the "Confucianism of Passing on the Scriptures" is based on and mainly based on etiquette, and talks about the establishment of etiquette. The establishment of etiquette, relatively speaking, in terms of the theory of human nature, is what XunZi called the theory of sexual evil. The establishment of Renxue is relatively speaking, the theory of sexual goodness proposed by Mencius. So in general, in fact, it is agreed to be polite and benevolent, and both sides agree to "self-denial and re-benevolence". The Analects of Yan Yuan reads: "Yan Yuan asked Ren, Zi Yue: Self-denial and retribution is benevolence, one day self-denial and retribution, the world returns to Ren." For the sake of benevolence, but by others? "These are basic understandings that Mencius and Xunzi agree with." Don't look at incivility, don't listen to incivility, don't talk about incivility, don't move if you are incivility", the same is the same, which is commonly recognized by Mencius Xunzi.
If we look further down at this question, the four ends of "benevolence, righteousness, and propriety" are very clear when Mencius later spoke about the four ends of "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom." Further, the composition of the five virtues of "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith" was already very clear in the late Warring States period.
"Ren" - Mencius said that "benevolence", "the safe house of man", "righteousness" is "the right way of man"8, then "liturgy" is "the right position of man". Mencius also said: "The great husband dwells in the world, establishes the right position in the world, and walks the road of the world." (Mencius Teng Wen Gongxia) The widely inhabited "benevolence" also, the upright person "li" also, the avenue person "righteousness" also, is such "benevolence, righteousness, etiquette." According to Mencius, "wisdom" is understood and judged according to the way of benevolence and righteousness. The benevolent, the safe house of man. The righteous, the right way of man. Ren is talking about the practical care of existence, while righteousness is the objective justice of society. We say: benevolence is understanding, righteousness is the law, etiquette is the norm, wisdom is judgment, and faith is certainty. On the whole, these ideas can be said to have been established by Mencius and Xunzi, which is a very important component of the entire Chinese Confucianism later. In the later period of the Warring States period, the five virtues of "benevolence, righteousness, and wisdom" were combined with the five sides and five elements: the east is benevolence, which is cyan, and it represents wood; the south is fire, which represents etiquette, which represents red; while the west represents righteousness, which is white, and is gold; the north represents wisdom, it is water, and the color is black; in the middle is earth, which represents faith, and the elephant establishes 9. "Faith" in China is a grounded establishment, which is very important.
Confucius had the theory of "faithfulness in words and faithfulness in deeds" ("Analects of Wei Linggong"), "loyalty" is the establishment of the inner, while "faith" is about the establishment of interaction with people, and internal cultivation and laymanship are about faithfulness. "To do one's best is to be loyal", "to push oneself and others" is to be "to forgive", is to be "faithful to forgive"10. So this "loyalty" is very important. But "loyalty" is mentioned upwards, that is, "sincerity", speaking of "loyalty". "The Way of Heaven for Those Who Are Sincere", this "Sincerity" is implemented, "The Way of Heaven for Those Who Are Sincere, and the Way of Man for Sincerity" 11. The implementation of "sincerity" speaks of "faith" and integrity. In the whole vocabulary of Chinese philosophy, you can see that it is very organized. We can talk about honesty, but not "sincerity." We can speak of "loyalty," but not of "sincerity." But when we talk about "faithfulness," we don't talk about "faithfulness." We speak of "forgiveness" and not of "forgiveness." The composition of these words has a physical usefulness, a beginning and a end, it has a consistent starting point, "from the end to the end", and has the utility of "the end of the end as one". Then whether it is Mencius or Xunzi, in fact, they attach importance to the cultivation of people in the whole heaven and earth, in the whole humanity, and in the entire political and social community.
V. The Four Communities That Confucianism Values—The Theory of Human Nature Is Inseparable from the "Heaven and Earth Pro-Monarch"
When talking about the theory of human nature, the understanding and statement of Mencius and Xunzi's theory of human nature is actually just a different way of establishing the theory. That is to say, the two of them are the systematic context of different discourse discourses, and they are not contradictory. In fact, Meng Xun can be combined into one. As far as the theory of human nature is concerned, Mencius emphasized moral rationality, while Xunzi emphasized the temperament of nature, which is indeed different. But they all attach importance to the "Heaven and Earth Master"—I interpret it as four communities—which is very important. It is very clear from Xun Zi's remark that "there are three books of rites": "There are three books of rites: the one who is heaven and earth, the source of life; the ancestors, the origin of the class; and the master of kings, the root of governance." Therefore, heaven and earth, ancestors, and kings and masters—these three are the basis of life, the root of class, and the root of governance. Heaven and earth, ancestors, and kings are "heaven and earth pro-monarch masters." "Heaven and earth" is the natural community of heaven and earth, "kin" is the community of blood and humanity, "jun" is the community of political society, and "teacher" is the community of cultural upbringing. These four communities are what Confucianism is all about to establish. As a person, you cannot leave these four communities to nurture yourself. For example, at the beginning of the first chapter of "Zhongyong", "the predicate of destiny, the willfulness of the Tao, and the teaching of monasticism" are to be achieved, and the final goal is "to neutralize, the heavenly position is to be nurtured, and all things are nurtured", and the righteousness is truly implemented in these four communities. The idea of community is a very important ideological dimension of Confucianism.
When we talk about human nature, we must relate to these four communities. When we talk about Any argument about Confucianism, we should also return to these four communities. When we perform weddings, we worship heaven and earth one and the high church on the other, which is the natural community of heaven and earth and the community of blood and humanity. Husband and wife are sent to the cave house, which is to complete a harmony with the natural community of heaven and earth and the community of blood and humanity. This implementation also has a community of cultural upbringing. When we go out, we talk about "faithfulness in words and faithfulness in deeds", and when we go out, "those who are filial piety is the basis of benevolence", and we talk about "filial piety when entering, and compassion when going out" ("Analects of Learning"), and here there is a community of political society and a community of cultural upbringing. It's all coming out of a community of human blood, which is very, very important. It can be seen that the whole of Confucianism, whether it is Xunzi or Mencius, emphasizes the cultivation of sages and gentlemen. The concept of "gentleman" is actually very important, and it has been transformed and created through Confucius.
The concept of "gentleman", which originally referred to the person in the upper position, was transformed by Confucius into a concept dominated by the virtuous12. He hoped that the virtuous would have their place (The Mean, chapter 17), that he would be worthy of his position, that if he had a throne, he would exercise power, that power would return to the Word, that it would be reasonable. It is very important that virtue and position be combined together, that the gentleman is full and full, that he cultivates inside and out, from a gentleman to a sage, and then to a saint, and there is a process of ascending one level after another. I once tried to say that Confucianism can be distinguished in the way of the Nine Qualities, from the small person to the ordinary contemptible, the layman, the ordinary person, the permanent, the good, the gentleman, and then to the sage, and then to the saint. In this distinction, there is a process of self-improvement of the personality13. He has a height, and he goes up layer by layer. It's like Buddhism talking about sound, enlightenment, bodhisattvas, and Buddhas. Confucianism is actually very interesting in talking about this issue.
It must be known that life is a process of continuous cultivation and continuous self-improvement, which is the so-called "I have five out of ten and are determined to learn, thirty and standing, forty and not confused, fifty and know the destiny of heaven, sixty and obedient, seventy and from the heart, not excessive" ("Analects for Government"). This is what Confucius said, the process of self-improvement of life, "flourishing in poetry, standing in etiquette, and becoming happy" (Analects of Tabor), which can be our general ritual process or the growth process of life. And the growth process of life is constantly going up. From "determined to learn", to thirty and standing, to forty and not confused, to fifty and knowing the destiny, to sixty and obedient, to seventy from the heart, not exceeding the rules, so that layer by layer upwards.
We have spent a lot of effort on these, but in fact, the most important thing is to clearly explain one of the most core points of Confucianism, the relationship between man and community, and with heaven and earth, and explain it clearly. After explaining it clearly, and then talking about Mencius and Xunzi, basically you will not find that they are contradictory. As you can see, they are basically two different points of view, two domains of discourse. These two domains can be blended together. This means that their arguments have their point of view. Their points of view are different, but their horizons are intertwined with each other, and in the end, they return to that community, and understand accordingly, which is naturally easy to reach. If we understand it in this way, these things will slowly become clear.
VI. Mencius on the "General Body" and the "Small Body": "The Official of the Heart" and the "Official of the Eyes and Ears"
When Mencius talked about these issues, he talked about gentlemen, so what should be the way of a gentleman? To be a gentleman is to be a process of cultivating virtue, wisdom, and ability, and Mencius here makes a distinction. Mencius spoke of "the official of the heart is thinking", saying that this is the general body, and saying that the "official of the eyes and ears" is a small body14. He told us that we must be able to focus on the general body of "the official of the heart thinks", and not on the small body of the "official of the eyes and ears". The official of the heart and the official of the eyes and ears are close, and in reality they must be connected together, but the heart must be dominant, and the eyes and ears cannot be allowed to dominate.
The official of the heart thinks, the word "si", in essence, is the word "tian" above, in fact, it is not the word "tian", it is "囟", is the "brain gate", pronounced "letter", at the bottom is a "heart" 15. "Thinking" refers to thought, which is actually the most important and core function of our "heart" and our brain. This function is said to be able to really make "thoughtful decisions" and be able to "awaken and dominate". Then "the official of the eyes and ears does not think" will be "hidden from things" "If you have something to do, you're just going to do that." It is worth noting that man's "official of the heart thinks, thinks what he thinks, and does not think about it." What Heaven has given us is that it is important to "establish the great one first", then "the small one cannot take it". What is this "big" first? It is "general", basically the official of the heart. The official of the heart has to think about the choice, and through the decision of the mind, the decision can be further made. Whether it is Mencius or Xunzi, they all attach great importance to intellectual ability and moral judgment, and they attach great importance to moral rationality. Do not think that Confucianism will say not to pay attention to the mind, as long as you pay attention to the mind is enough, such words are not Confucian words. Although Confucianism has a more unique development in the later period of mind, it cannot be said that it is the same as Zen Buddhism. Because it values a thoughtful choice, a separate judgment. It doesn't go into an "indiscriminate phase" all at once. This is to be clearly distinguished.
To speak of Confucian mind as Zen is basically inappropriate. Mencius talked about this general and small body, and correspondingly speaking, when it comes to the human world, he also talks about "Heavenly Lord" and "Human Lord". Mencius said, "There are those who have heavenly lords, and those who have knights." Benevolence, righteousness, faithfulness, and tirelessness, this heavenly lord also. Gongqing Doctor, this man is also a knight. The ancients, cultivate their heavenly lords and the people follow them. The people of this day, cultivate their heavenly lords to be honored. If a man is given a knighthood and abandons his heavenly lord, he who is confused will eventually die. (Mencius, Confessions) "Benevolence, righteousness, faithfulness, and tirelessness", this is "Heavenly Lord". The ancient man was the Heavenly Lord of Xiuqi, and the Lord of Man followed it. The lord of man is the grand master of the secretary of state, the knight of man is the title of the human world, and the lord of heaven is the nature of man given by heaven, and the lord of nature is the priority. This lord of benevolence, righteousness, and faithfulness is the most precious, called "good and noble", and is the precious place of heaven's conscience. Therefore, we must cultivate its heavenly lord, and the human lord will follow it. If you cultivate his heavenly lord to invite people to be knighted, it must be invited to succeed. If you get a human knighthood and then abandon the heavenly lord, it is really very confusing. We can see that after these explanations are made clear, we can know that Mencius's theory of sexual goodness is said in conjunction with the Heavenly Lord, with benevolence and faithfulness, with the general statement, and with the "official of the heart is thinking" said. How to discover such a "theory of sexual goodness" and how to explain them is exactly what we are going to emphasize and talk about today.
How to Understand Mencius's "Sexual Goodness": Theoretical Assumptions VS. Presence of rendering
As we all know, there has been a very interesting and important public case since the Republic of China, that is, a dispute between Xiong Shili and Feng Youlan. Xiong Shili and Feng Youlan were both colleagues. Feng Youlan was the head of the philosophy department at Peking University at the time, and Xiong Shili was a professor. Once when they were chatting together, Feng Youlan said that this theory of sexual goodness of Mencius's theory of human nature is a hypothesis, which is a presupposition of the whole theory. And Xiong Shili patted the table at that time and said, no, it is a presentation, it is a real presentation. Is sexual goodness a theoretical presupposition or a manifestation of existence16? The focus of this controversy is well worthy of facing. If we go back to the book of Mencius and understand it well, obviously, according to Mencius, "sexual goodness" is not a hypothesis, sexual goodness is "the manifestation of existence." From the presentation of this existence, it is okay for you to take it as the starting point of the whole theory. But you have to face it, it is a manifestation of existence.
How does that say? For it is very clear that there is such a saying in Mencius, Mencius said, "When people today see that the widows will enter the well, they all have a heart of compassion and compassion, not so they are because they are friends with the children, not because they should be praised by their friends in the township party, and they are not evil" (Mencius Gongsun Ugly). If you suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, as soon as you see it, you will be shocked and frightened, and drive to the rescue, you will immediately feel compassion. This is not because you have any contact with the child's parents, nor do you want to get praise and praise from your friends in the township party, nor are you worried that people will say that you will not be saved when you see death, and Mencius uses this narrative to prove the theory of sexual goodness that it advocates. He presents the facts of existence through narrative style, and points out the goodness of sexuality. This is a present of existence in the present, not a utilitarian reflection, not a reward and punishment thinking, not a reflection involving all kinds of fame. It is the manifestation of existence in the present, and in this regard, this is the reason why Xiong Shili should argue with Feng Youlan. What he calls this is "the presentation of existence." This is also Mencius's discovery, and I would like to say that the entire religious tradition based on "awareness" has been further grown in the psychological accumulation of the whole culture by mencius's time.
There are some interesting, complex, and deep topics worth understanding involved here. The whole civilization is in the process of development, and this civilization paves the way for a situation that you later understand and interpret, a horizon of interpretation. You interpret it, it has a benchmark, a level, manifested by the world in which they live 17. With regard to Mencius's theory of sexual goodness, we can understand it through such a perspective. As far as mencius is concerned, what is just manifested here is the natural goodness of man, which is what Mencius called the "sex" of this sexual goodness. He is actually saying that there is an intrinsic "moving element" in life, and this "moving element" is good, which is unquestionable, is the awareness of the present moment, and is presented in the present moment. The I Ching says, "The Yuan, the Good, is also the Chief"18. Mencius said, "The goodness of human nature is like the water that descends"19. What does this mean? To use an analogy, the orientation of human nature is the same as the direction of water flow. But you enclose the water and walk on a riverbed, and the east of the decision flows east, and the west of the decision flows west. You plug it up and it can flow upwards. But this is not the nature of water, the nature of water it has a direction, that is, "down". Human nature also has a direction -- goodness. So Mencius said, "The nature of man is good, like water." This is to illustrate through a simulated way, showing that the situation described by Mencius, sexual goodness is the discovery of existence. To put it simply, "the goodness of human nature, as water descends" is not an argument, but a way of interpretation, which is made through the passage "When people see that the widow will enter the well, there will be compassion and compassion", a situation of existence, that is, the discovery of this existence itself. He discovered man's compassion, and then from then on said, "No compassion, no shame, no shame, no man, no resignation, no man, no right and wrong, no man also"; and then say "The heart of compassion, the end of benevolence." Shame, righteousness. The heart of resignation, the end of etiquette also. The heart of right and wrong, the end of wisdom also.". Man has four ends, just as man has four bodies, which is analogous. Mencius affirmed the "four ends", which are like the four bodies of man. It must be expanded, and the small body must be guided by the general body, so he talked about the preservation and expansion, he said, "Gou can be replenished, enough to protect the four seas; Gou can not be replenished, not enough to do parents" (Mencius Gongsun Ugly Shang). These four ends are to me, "knowing is expanded and filled, if the fire begins, the spring begins", just like the fire that has just been lit, the spring that has just been chiseled. The Yi Chuan says, "Out of the spring under the mountain, Meng; a gentleman is educated by fruit" (The I Ching, Meng Gua, The Elephant Biography). This is to be practiced boldly, and this virtue can be cultivated. What the I Ching says and Mencius's theory of sexual goodness can be invented interchangeably.
Mencius's theory of sexual goodness is an existential discovery. This discovery of existence is because existence and value are one and the same. Mencius revealed here the intrinsic goodness of human nature, and at this moment, he connected the ontology, the theory of existence, and the theory of mentality, and the source of ontology, existence, and mentality are universal and one, and even the theory of cultivation kung fu, and finally involves the source- the theory of moral practice. When it comes to the source, it is all connected. Mencius emphasized that this "sex" is said from the nature of morality. "Sex", the original tradition of "birth means sex", has been further transformed into creation. The transformation from "natural temperament" to "moral creativity" is the tradition of Mencius.
VIII. Xunzi's Theory of "Sexual Evil": From "Primitive Origin" to "Human Sexual Evil"
"Sex" can also fall down in terms of natural temperament and turn into social habits. From the "natural temperament" to the "social habits", to the nature of a ritual religion formed by cultural upbringing, that is, what XunZi called "sexual falsification". This is the tradition of Xunzi studies. Mencius was implemented from the original divine, moral, universal, and ideal destiny to a moral, humanistic level, and in this way he strengthened the "nature of what should be" should be. This "sex" emphasizes the creative dynamics of morality, and it is said from here. Mencius's emphasis on "sex" is different from what Xunzi said about "sex." Mencius emphasized "moral creativity", and Xunzi emphasized the growth from "natural temperament" to "social habits".
In fact, before Xun Zi talked about the theory of sexual evil, he talked about "the original material" and called it "sex"20, "the reason why he is born is called sex", and "what is natural is called sex"21. In this regard, there is a general term called "sexual simplicity". The original is simple, human nature is originally a natural and simple nature, there is no good or evil. But in reality, the habits of society are likely to lead to evil. How does that say? This involves Xun Zi's "Correct Name" article, which states that "those who are born are called sex" and "nature without doing things", which is closer to "sexual simplicity". And what is mentioned in the "Xunzi Sexual Evil" section is relatively close to the "theory of sexual evil". Xun Zi said, "Man's nature is evil, and his good one is false," and said, "The nature of today's human beings is born with good and profit, and shun is, so it is born to fight for birth and resign; born with disease and evil, shun is, so the thief is born and loyal to the dead; born with the desire of the eyes and ears, there is a good voice, and shun is, so fornication is born and the etiquette is righteous and righteous" (Xunzi Sexual Evil). What is said here is that in order to survive, there will be good profits, there will be competition, there will be evil, there will be cruelty, there will be eyes and ears, there will be fornication. In this way, the simplicity of man is lost, the etiquette and righteousness are gone, and the resignation is gone. In this regard, we can find that When Xunzi talks about sexual evil, he means that people are implemented in the process of survival, and in a process of social production, people slowly come out of the original natural qi and enter the actual social habits. The real society is a big dye tank, in order to survive, it may become a thief, fornication, competition, profit, and all kinds of diseases. At this time, there must be a new regulation and control, otherwise the society will shift from a state of nature to a state of war.
Let's borrow the theory of contract theory, at this time he must return to the social state, then he must have a great transformation. The process of this transformation that he is talking about is to have the teachings of the Teacher, and to have the teachings of etiquette. Only with the transformation of the teacher's law and the teaching of etiquette and righteousness can we return to resignation, return to wenli, and return to a political and social community, and be able to handle it well and settle down well. Therefore, Xunzi makes a counter-assertion here, saying that "human nature is evil, and its good is false" (Xunzi Sexual Evil). "Pseudo" means "artificial". Sexual evil is the opposite of "man is good", "sex" is the natural temperament, falling into social habits, and the tendency to fall down is said in this regard. Man can make him good. Therefore, the whole "Xunzi" attaches great importance to the importance of learning, which is the so-called "falsification of nature" and "falsehood and righteousness". Xun Zi attaches great importance to the upbringing and learning of the day after tomorrow, and he mentions that "learning begins with evil and ends with evil", saying that "its number begins with chanting the scriptures and ends with reading the rites; its righteousness begins with being a scholar and ends as a saint." True accumulation of strength for a long time, learning until it does not stop and then stop" (Xunzi Persuasion)." It can be seen that he believes that if we do not learn, people are like animals; only by learning can we achieve our lives. In fact, when comparing animals and humans, it may not be very accurate, because what is the great difference between animals and people? Beasts are not evil, beasts are basically natural.
IX. Xunzi on the Overcoming of Evil and the Construction of Humanities: "Hypocrisy" and "The Teaching of Etiquette"
Confucianism believes that man is empowered by Heaven. Animals and animals are natural, people are born and man is made, that is, God has given you the ability, endowed you with the ability, so you must have a thoughtful choice. You have this awareness, and without you you will fall. Beasts do not fall, beasts do not become evil, while man falls, man is evil. If you don't think, you'll be hidden in thing 22. If you uphold the natural temperament, in the great dyeing vat of society, only for self-preservation, do not know how to "think and choose", do not understand the "knowledge of the general category"23, do not understand that people must live in the crowd, do not understand that "the king, the group is also" 24 (the group of people is said to be able to coexist and grow, coexist and prosper), then if people are evil and degenerate, they are much more serious than beasts. In this regard, the reason why sexual evil is sexual evil is actually the depravity and evil of man. In a bad era, an era of cultural decline, human nature will fall. I have often said that animals are neither evil nor depraved. You can't say that you have a very depraved cat in your house, that's not right. You can say that the child in the family, the young man in the family, is very depraved, because he will always sleep late, he will sleep late, this is depravity. This involves what we just said, animals are naturally natural, and man is born human, or heavenly and human.
It must be known that heaven gives people the ability to go to the counselor of heaven and earth. Whether it is Mencius or Xunzi, they all affirm this, and we must understand this. It is just that Xunzi emphasizes the growth process of people from "natural qi" to "social habits", if there is no conditioning, cultivation, recitation and learning, and no yearning from "scholar" to saint, then basically there is no way to achieve a set of civilization. Xun Zi said, "Learning evil begins? Evil ending? A: Its number begins with the recitation of the scriptures and ends with the reading of the rites; its righteousness begins with the disciple and ends with the saint. True accumulation of strength for a long time, learning to no end and then stop also. Therefore, the number of learning has an end, and if it is righteous, it must not be abandoned. For it, man also, and for it, so for the beast. Therefore, the "book" is the chronicle of political affairs; the "poetry" is the end of the middle sound; the "ritual" is the great division of the law and the outline of the category. Therefore, learning is the ultimate in morality. The honorific text of the "Li", the "Music" and the Middle, the "Poetry" and the "Book" of the Boye, the "Spring and Autumn" of the Micro, between the heavens and the earth. (Xunzi Persuasion) In this regard, he made it very clear. Therefore, the "Book" is the chronicle of political affairs, the "Poem" is the end of the middle sound, and the "Ritual" is the great division of the law and the outline of the class. Therefore, in the end, it is necessary to return to the great division of the Fa, the outline of the category, so that we can achieve something. Therefore, Xunzi emphasizes that "learning is the end of etiquette", which is the ultimate in morality. This "ritual" is "the honorific text of the ceremony, the harmony of happiness", which can also be connected with "to neutralize, the heavenly position is in the heavens, and all things are nurtured". The teachings of the Mean have further growth here. For the one who gives the great gifts is at the same level as the heavens and the earth, and the one who is greatly happy is in harmony with the heavens and the earth.25 "Etiquette" emphasizes "moderation", and "music" emphasizes "and contract one". Xun Zi also talked about "the Boye of "Poetry" and "Book", and the micro-also of "Spring and Autumn", and he attached great importance to the breadth and breadth of "Poetry" and "Book", and the subtle meaning of "Spring and Autumn". Xun Zi attaches great importance to it in the "Persuasion" section, including poems, books, rituals, music, yi, and spring and autumn. We can
Seeing his focus, in fact, it is no different from Old Master Kong, except that Xunzi attaches more importance to the thinking of empiricism, history, and culture. Mencius emphasized thinking close to transcendentalism, idealism, and universalism. The two are based on different points, Mencius talks about sexual goodness, emphasizing the presentation of the most fundamental existence; Xunzi talks about sexual evil, which is the vulgarization, alienation, externalization and degeneration from natural temperament to social habits. But it doesn't matter, because "the good one is hypocritical", this "hypocrisy" is not hypocrisy, but man-made, and through man-made efforts, it is possible to "rule with the heart" and "transform the hypocrisy"26.
X. Mencius on the cultivation of sexual goodness and the confirmation of the Heavenly Dao: knowing the heavens with all your heart and knowing the heavens with your heart
Mencius and Xunzi's understanding of these theories has its own weight and differences. Thus the definition of discourse is different. It's important, what does it involve? Because any philosophical vocabulary, in the process of growth, is in fact closely related to its point of view, to its field of view, and to the final goal it wants to achieve, it initiates the difference of the whole context. In this way, the meaning of these core concepts such as "heart", "sex", and "heaven" in the systematic context of Mencius and Xunzi is different.
The "sex" of "sexual goodness" and "sexual evil" that we talked about earlier, Mencius said that "the official of the heart thinks", and Xunzi also said that the heart has the ability to "think and choose". However, Mencius emphasized "dedication to knowledge" and "cultivation of the heart",27 and when he talked about the four-end heart, he did not just "think of the official of the heart", but attached importance to the heart of the four ends, which talked about "compassion, shame, resignation, right and wrong", and "benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, and wisdom". At this time, we can say that he is the mind, that is, the nature and the realization of heaven. Mencius said, "He who does his best knows his nature." If you know its nature, you know the heavens. Have their hearts, cultivate their nature, so everything is also. He cultivated himself to be a good man, so he established his life" (Mencius, "Dedication to the Heart"). What Mencius mentions here is obviously inheriting the tradition of "the destiny of heaven is nature, the willfulness is the Tao, and the cultivation of the Tao is the teaching", and furthermore, we can also say that it is "to neutralize, the heavens are in the position of the heavens, and all things are nurtured." This is the old tradition of "Confucianism of the Heart" of "the nature of the mind is one". This old tradition was later passed on to Song Ming's study of mental nature. Song Ming Confucianism, whether it is a school of heart or a school of science, is basically Mencius, and it is the vein of "Confucianism of the Heart". Of course, Zhu Xi emphasizes objective law and seems to have a little tendency toward Xunzi, but it cannot be said that Zhu Xi is Xunzi. Because the objective law that Xun Zi said is a law made of experience and a law made of history, and the objective law that Zhu Xi said is a transcendent formal principle, the so-called "sex is reason" also, they are different.
Mencius here said that "knowing the nature of the heart to know the heavens", he started from the four ends of the heart, this four ends are good, sex is good, further talk about "the nature of the heart is one", talk about the teaching of "heaven and man are virtuous", all of which are said from this point on.
XI. Xunzi's Shelving and Establishment of "Heaven": From "Not Seeking to Know Heaven" to "Knowing Heaven"
Relatively speaking, the relationship between Xunzi's "mental nature" has another pattern. Xun Zi said: "Heavenly deeds are constant, not for Yao's survival, not for the sake of death, but for the sake of governance, and for chaos." ("Xunzi Heavenly Theory") "Xunzi Heavenly Theory" also says, "Do not do it, do not seek it, and the husband is called the heavenly duty." If so, though deep, his people do not care; though they are great, they do not add energy; although they are refined, they do not observe them, and they are not content with heaven. Xunzi emphasizes that "people are born and become human beings", the generation of heaven and earth is natural, and people have the responsibility to fulfill. The people of heaven and earth are divided into three layers: "The heavens have their time, the earth has its wealth, and the people have their rule. To give up its participation, and to wish for its participation, is to be confused. Xun Zi advocated: Born to be human, sexual hypocrisy, people do not have to seek knowledge of heaven.
Xun Zi said in the Treatise on Heaven: "The stars follow the rotation, the sun and the moon pass, the four ages, the yin and yang are great, the wind and rain are generous, all things have their own harmony to live, each has its own nourishment to achieve, do not see its deeds, but see its deeds, the husband is called God." Everyone knows why it is accomplished, but it is not known that it is invisible, and the husband is called heavenly merit. Only the saints do not seek to know the heavens. Although Xunzi attaches great importance to objective laws, this is the objective law of the human world that it echoes, not to activate curiosity and seek the objective truth of the external objective natural world. That is to say, although Xunzi also emphasizes the legality, even in the face of nature, it still focuses on the humanistic legality formed by nature, and does not have the so-called natural science thinking in the modern sense. In this regard, Xunzi tells us that "only the saints do not seek to know the heavens", to dispense with the previous knowledge of the heavens with spells and mysteries, but they do not enter another level, that is, to explore the natural heavens in the objective sense. The heaven that Xun Zi knows can still be said to be a humanistic heaven.
Xun Zi also said, "The saint purifies his heavenly king, corrects his heavenly officials, prepares his heavenly maintenance, obeys his heavenly government, and cultivates his heavenly feelings, so as to fulfill his heavenly merits." If so, then he knows what he does and knows what he does not do; then the ruler of heaven and earth and all things are in service. Its behavior is cured, its nourishment is appropriate, its birth is not hurt, and the husband is said to know the heavens. I think from this passage, it is very clear that Xunzi emphasizes that "people are born to be human, rule with the heart, and transform the nature into a false." Obviously, Xunzi differs from Mencius's tradition of "mental nature and oneness". The reason why heaven is heaven is in terms of natural vaporization of yin and yang, and man is the composition of the whole humanity and virtue, and the composition of humanistic etiquette. Born and man, born of heaven, the innate nature, that is, the so-called natural qi nature, it may fall down, that is, as we said earlier, from the natural qi nature, and then through secularization, alienation, and there is a tendency to fall downwards. However, Xunzi places great emphasis on the "heart" of man. Xun Zi believed that through the kung fu of "emptiness and tranquility",28 the human mind can "know the general category" through "thinking and making decisions", so that it can "know with the intellect of the mind", can "transform the nature of the false", and then "falsehood and give birth to righteousness", so that it can become holy and virtuous.29 It is clear that he and Mencius took a different path.
XII. Mencius's Theory of Practical Cultivation: "Expansion of Preservation and Cultivation" and "Nourishment of Knowledge"
Mencius followed the original sacred, religious, to humanistic, moral continuum, which is such a way of growth. Xunzi made a distinction. Xunzi separates the heavens and the earth, and such a distinction can be said to be a kind of scientific attention and growth, which is worthy of attention. It is just that this scientific nature is not the natural science, but the scientific nature of the humanities. We can say that Xunzi emphasized the category of thinking and making choices and knowing the whole world, which was further developed along the "Confucianism of Passing on the Scriptures", while Mencius developed along the "Confucianism of Transmitting the Heart". In contrast, Xunzi pays more attention to the external side, and Mencius pays more attention to the inner side. Mencius mentioned transcendence from the inner theory, and then to the transcendence theory, the so-called "dedication of the heart, the intellect to know the heavens", or we can call this "both transcendence and inner". Xun Zi attaches great importance to the external side, and he returns from the external laws and regulations to the inner mind, emphasizing that to cultivate a clear mind, the mind can think about decisions and know the same kind. Xun Zi finally attributed all these to the teaching of etiquette and the transformation of the teachings, which is said to have been formulated by the holy kings of history, and he appealed to the authority of the holy kings of history. On the one hand, he went back to the 30th king of the Fa.
In terms of kung fu, Mencius mainly said from the perspective of "saving and expanding, knowing words and nourishing qi". Mencius emphasized the "qi of haoran", "it is qi, the greatest to the strongest, and harmless to direct cultivation", which was originally stuffed between heaven and earth. Man must be able to "match righteousness with the Tao" to nurture it, not "to take it by righteousness," but to "be born of righteousness"31. "Benevolence" is man's safe house, and "righteousness" is man's right path. Benevolence is not external, nor is it "benevolence within righteousness and outside", but benevolence is within. From Mencius's "knowledge of words and nourishment of qi", it can be found that he attaches importance to the creative kinetic energy of a life root, and how to preserve the creative kinetic energy of this life root, such kung fu is closely related to mental cultivation and moral practice. We can see that Mencius, in his ultimate sense, affirmed the "harmony of existence and value", and he initiated the momentum of the pure goodness of value. Compassion in the present moment is the manifestation of existence, which points directly to the orientation of value.
Mencius told us how to "preserve and expand" there, which must be in line with the principle of fertility of life, and he emphasized that we should "not forget, do not promote"32. He cites a metaphor: the story of the Song people who raised seedlings. Through this narrative, from the "field" and "situation" of existence, he tells you to understand "do not forget, do not promote", to follow, there is a growth of the creative function of life.
We all know that mencius's Warring States was an era in which "the holy kings do not do, the princes are unrestrained, and the virgins are arbitrarily discussed." Mencius advocated "straightening out people's hearts, putting an end to heresy, moving away from lawsuits, and indulging in adulterous words," hoping to inherit the Three Saints. The Three Sages, Dayu, Zhou Gong, and Confucius are also 33. Cultivate the spirit of grandeur and activate the creative power of moral practice. When the heavens and the earth are one, life has a momentum towards eternity and ultimate. In this way, only by implementing it as "knowing the words" can we "correct people's hearts and dispel heresies" and further "distance ourselves from litigation and let loose obscene remarks." Mencius said of zhiyan, "Slander knows what it hides, obscene words know what it is trapped in, evil words know what it is left, and words know what it is poor." Mencius said, "Born in his heart, harmed in his government; born in his government, harmed in his affairs", it can be seen that it is extremely important to know words and cultivate qi.34 Mencius's theory of cultivation kung fu is said in conjunction with the theory of sexual goodness: "Dedication to knowledge", "intention to cultivate nature", "knowledge of words to nourish qi", "perseverance to nourish qi", to be cultivated and expanded without vain and without help.
13. Mencius's theory of sexual goodness that "what is desired is good": the face of desire and the cultivation of community
On the confucian question of desire, it is basically certain, the so-called "diet men and women, the great desire of man"35. Confucianism is not an ascetic, nor is it an indulgent, and on the one hand, Confucianism affirms that desire is inevitable and necessary in life, but it should be restrained, guided, and fulfilled. Mencius said, "What is desirable is good, what is self-believing is faith, what is full is beautiful, what is full and radiant is great, what is great and what is holy is sacred, and what is holy and unknowable is God" (Mencius, Under the Heart), "Desirable" means that desire should be through the community, and such desire is good. If the community cannot do it, it is development that cannot be adapted to the reach. Desire is the kinetic energy of life, and in terms of its kinetic energy, it is a fact of existence and a driving force for growth, and if it can be recognized by the community, it is good. But where do you say that? Speaking of a community, Confucianism emphasizes that man must grow up in four communities. "What is desired is good" must be what is possible for the "natural community of heaven and earth", for the "community of blood and humanity", for the "community of political and social society", and for the "community of cultural education"; in general, it is necessary for "heaven, earth, relatives, kings, and teachers". This goodness is both the goodness of the community and the goodness of our inner nature. The goodness of the inner nature and the goodness recognized by the community are one and the same! Nature is good, of course, in terms of moral significance, ideal meaning, universal sense. In this way, we will find that Mencius emphasized moral consciousness, the awakening of "moral awareness", and this moral awakening is one with the values recognized by the community. I think the whole of Mencius must be spoken from here. The theory of sexual goodness is not only moral, it also has a very profound political, sociological, and parenting significance.
Once the moral nature is awakened, it is necessary to preserve it, as if "the beginning of the spring, the beginning of the fire." When the fire begins to burn, you must continue to add firewood, you must continue to burn, you must continue to illuminate; the beginning of the spring, you must let it flow into the canal to irrigate, to moisten all things, so that all things can grow. The I Ching, Meng gua, and Xiang Zhuan says, "Springs under the mountain, Meng, and a gentleman cultivates virtue with fruits." Here we can see the dynamic elements of life's creation, and this is the source of moral practice. In this regard, we must affirm the "harmony of existence and value" as the first principle, which is a core of Mencius and the whole of Chinese philosophy.
14. Xunzi on the Decline and Fall of "Natural Qi" and Its Countermeasures: "Great Clear Mind" and "The Transformation of the Teacher's Law"
Relatively speaking, mencius's emphasis on moral creation, such "heaven", is different from Xunzi's argument. Xunzi pays more attention to the implementation of natural qi. Xunzi speaks of heaven as "the heaven of natural qi and destiny", and accordingly, Xunzi believes that "natural qi" falls into the customs of society, that he may be externalized, alienated, and then tend to degenerate, so that he becomes a thief, becomes plundered, becomes adulterous, becomes a tendency to all other evils. Xun Zi stressed that this must be temperate, standardized, and lawful, and he therefore emphasized "the teaching of etiquette" and "the transformation of the teacher's law." As we said earlier, how did the teaching of etiquette and righteousness and the transformation of the teachings come from? It's a saint. The saint has a unique ability, he through his cultivation kung fu, through the "void and quiet", cultivate this "great clear mind", so that he can "think about the choice, know the general category", so he has the ability to "rule with the heart, transform the nature of the false" and "false and give birth to the righteousness", the etiquette is man-made, is the process of the development of human civilization, gradually developed.
Being able to cure this nature and transform this nature with the heart artificially constructs the growth of humanistic civilization. The teachings of etiquette and righteousness and the transformation of teachers and teachings grew in this way. Obviously, Xun Zi talked about "being humble and quiet" and "having a clear mind", and he wanted to "think about choices and know the whole class". This comparison is a question of empirical scientific cognition, while Mencius is more of an argument for moral choices. Mencius's theory of moral choice, he is the same with the mind, with distinction, but his emphasis is different. Xunzi is from the perspective of empiricism and the theory of acquired effects; Mencius is different, emphasizing the theory of motivation, from the innate theory of the original mind and the theory of conscience. If we stand in terms of efficiency, both of them want to achieve the rule of the Holy King of Yao, Shun, and Yu. It is from the Xia Shang Dynasty to go back to the time of the original Yao, Shun, and Yu Shengwang. The Queen of Xunzi and the First King of Mencius look different from each other. But Xun Zi was not only the Queen of The Fa, he was also the King of the First King, the First King, and the First King. Hou Wang is closer, The Queen Of The Fa, learning Wen Wu Zhou Guild will be more clear, while Yao Shun is far away. Therefore, he talked about the Fa Hou King, but this did not contradict the Fa Xian King.
Finally, let's sum up again, the theory of human nature mentioned by Xun Zi is about natural qi and social habits, and this habit is falling down, so that human nature is evil, and at this time it must go through the teaching of etiquette, the transformation of teaching, the rule of the heart, and the falsification of nature. "Man's nature is evil, and his good is also false", through man-made efforts, and then flipped can be elevated upwards, to achieve the humanistic rationality of heaven and earth and people. In terms of "natural qi" alone, we can say that Xunzi is "sexual simplicity". Falling down from social habits, people are contaminated with social habits, for the self-preservation of life, there is a downward tendency, and even driven by material desires, then we can talk about sexual evil. Xun Zi affirms that through the rule of man's heart and the transformation of his nature, he can achieve a good and reasonable humanistic society under the teaching of etiquette and righteousness and the transformation of the teaching method.
15. Mencius on the Orientation of "Moral Awareness": "The Theory of Good Direction" VS. "The Theory of Goodness"
Relatively speaking, Mencius emphasized not man's "natural temperament", but "moral rationality". "Moral reason" is not learned from the norms of the day after tomorrow, on the contrary, it already exists, so that man can awaken it in empirical learning. As far as its origin is concerned, as long as it returns to the present moment of existence, it will manifest itself as it exists. In other words, sexual goodness is the true manifestation of the existence of life, and moral rationality is thus revealed. "When a man sees that a widow will enter a well, he will have a heart of compassion and compassion," which refers to the true manifestation of the existence of life. Obviously, in the final analysis, existence and value are harmonious. At the root, manifesting in the present moment is following the tradition of "the destiny of heaven is sex, and the willfulness is the way".
In this regard, we can see that Mencius followed the original old tradition, from the sanctity of religion to the benevolent nature of humanistic morality, that is, the compassion of man, that is, the enlightenment of man as a human being, and the difference between man and the beast. Mencius said that sexual goodness is found in "being", and he finds the orientation of goodness, and goodness is the orientation that emerges from within itself. It is not an external good, as your goal to go there, but rather it is manifested by the kinetic energy of an inner source. Mencius was the "theory of goodness", not the "theory of goodness". As early as 1992, I had an in-depth debate on this topic with Professor Fu Peirong, who was teaching at National Taiwan University at the time.36 Such a "theory of goodness" is the intention of pure goodness, the intention of pure goodness of morality. In this regard, I think that Liu Fengshan, who spoke of sincerity at the end of the Ming Dynasty, actually ignited this intention of pure goodness.37
In the discussion unfolded above, we find that in fact, Mencius's theory of sexual goodness and Xunzi's theory of sexual evil are not contradictions against each other. It has different viewpoints, different perspectives, and in different ways of discourse and construction, one is connected to the Confucian of transmitting the heart, and the other is connected to the Confucian of the Transmission of the Scriptures, which are two different traditions. One should pay attention to his moral reason, and the other should pay attention to natural temperament. One should pay attention to moral rationality, and going up is called "the nature of destiny", and the natural qi is called social habits. However, Xun Zi has a very important idea, that is, through the teaching of etiquette and the transformation of the teacher's law, "transforming the nature of the false" and "falsely generating the righteousness", he can thus become a gentleman and become a sage. Mencius emphasized the need to cultivate nature with the heart, to know the heavens with all one's heart, to cultivate one's nature with one's heart, to be able to "cultivate one's self", and to be able to "establish one's destiny", so that one can truly integrate the mind, sex, and heaven into one. The focus of Mencius was on the discovery of "awareness", the discovery of "awareness" of goodness. Xunzi is the atrophy of qi, called the atrophy of natural qi, and Xunzi discovered this side. Mencius and Xunzi are two different viewpoints, two different horizons. Different viewpoints have different viewsheds, but viewsheds can be blended. As we said earlier, when we are in communion, we can put it in that community, and this community can rise and fall, and then we can return to the tradition of "heaven and earth people".
16. Conclusion: Combined with Mengxun, the Confucian of Passing on the Scriptures and the Confucianism of the Heart
Heaven can talk about wisdom, the earth can talk about bo and thickness, and people can talk about longevity, which can be seen that "Tianxingjian, gentlemen keep improving themselves; terrain kun, gentlemen carry things with thick virtue", which is easy to learn, is also the tradition of "University" and "Moderation", which is the same. Preaching "The way of the university, in Mingmingde, in the new people, in the end of the supreme good", starting from the place of "stopping at the most good", "knowing and then having concentration, being still and then being able to be quiet, being quiet and then being able to be at peace, being able to be at peace and then being able to worry, worrying and then being able to get". Therefore, the Confucian theory of cultivation of kung fu has already told us here, "Yu Ji Xi Jing Zhi"38 This "respect", from the "respect" of this "respect" to talk about kung fu, this kung fu is "knowing the stop and then there is determination". Therefore, instead of "from stillness to life, from concentration to wisdom", but "to know and then to be fixed, to be still and then to be quiet, to be quiet and then to be at peace, to be able to be at peace and then to be able to be worried, to be able to be worried and then to be able to get", which has a different system of veins. But this method of stopping and contemplation, we can still use it. The Confucian view of stopping, the Taoist stopping, and the Buddhist stopping are different. This cessation is dwelling, and contemplation is "contemplation." Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism actually have their own directions, they are different from each other, but they can be integrated. We will not touch on this aspect today, but going back to Mencius and Xunzi, in fact, it can be said that they can be conditioned and integrated. We should now join mencius and Xunzi, and not ignore Xunzi, but also not exalt Xunzi to criticize Mencius. It is necessary to unite mengxun, and to integrate the Confucianism of passing on the scriptures and the Confucianism of the heart. In this way, the "Inner Saint and Outer King" can be fully and fully displayed.
Chinese Confucianism emphasizes the relationship between the community and people, from the four communities involved in people, related to the human heart, whether it is Xunzi's emphasis on the "heart" can "think about the choice, know the unified category", or Mencius emphasized "the official of the heart is thinking", can "compassion, shame, resignation, right and wrong" these four ends of the mind, the preservation and expansion, they all must have the Theory of Heavenly Dao, the theory of mentality, and the theory of Taoism. The Doctrine of Heavenly Taoism, divine and transcendent; the theory of mental nature, inner and true; the theory of Taoism, historical and continuous. These three theories are the three most important feet of Confucianism, and Confucianism is therefore full and full. We talk about Confucianism, Mencius, and Xunzi, and although we are talking about human nature today, we must necessarily talk about the theory of Heavenly Taoism, and even the practical process of this historical implementation, and we need to go back to the entire four communities. In this way, we can see a lot of views, and we know how it fits together. The viewpoint is different, like a mountain, climbing from different mountain passes, and the final peak can be connected to one. In the end, I would still like to say that the combination of Meng Xun, the confucian of the unified transmission of the scriptures, and the Confucianism of the heart, the inner saint and the outer king can be realized fully and fully.
exegesis
1. "Explanation of Words": "Born, enter." Elephant wood is born out of the earth. ”
2. These understandings are mainly the experiences I gained from reading Fu Sinian's "Dialectics of the Ancient Precepts of Life" in the last century, and later adopted into the book "Philosophical Examination of Confucianism and Traditional Chinese Society", especially the sixth chapter "Religion and Reason of the 'Patriarchal State' under the Axis of Bloodlines.".
3. For this, see Lin Anwu, "Confucian Interpretation: The Distinction between Confucianism, Confucianism and Confucianism", Contemporary Confucianism, Vol. 10, Guilin: Guangxi Normal University Press, 2016, pp. 104-124.
4. For this, see Lin Anwu, The New Taoism and Therapeutics: The Wisdom of Lao Tzu, Taipei: The Commercial Press of Taiwan, 2010, p. 133.
5. See Lin Anwu, "Interpretation of "Tao" and "Virtue": The Exposition of the Doctrine of Confucian and Taoist Homology and Complementarity: An Unfolding of the "Tao Sheng Zhi, Virtue Animal" and "Analects" "Zhi Yu Dao, According to Virtue" as the core, Goose Lake Monthly, No. 4, 2003, pp. 23-29.
6. Regarding this, many scholars such as Tu Weiming, Yu Yingshi, Chen Lai have discussed this, see Liu Luming: "The "Philosophical Breakthrough" of Confucius Thought in the "Axial Age"", Journal of Yangzhou University (Humanities and Social Sciences Edition), No. 3, 2014, pp. 28-33.
7. For this, please refer to Lin Anwu, "Discourse" and "Method" of Chinese Philosophical Research: A Deep Reflection on "Classical Interpretation", "Living World" and "Ontological Exploration"", Collected Academic Papers on Chinese Ideological and Cultural Terminology (First Series), 2018, pp. 7-19.
8. Mencius Li Lou Shang: "Benevolence, the peace of man, righteousness, the right path of man." A house of peace and a retreat, a good way to live, a mourning! ”
9. Generally speaking, these ideas have been gradually perfected in the middle and late Warring States period, and by the time Dong Zhongshu's "Spring and Autumn Flourishing Dew" has been prepared, the "Five Elements of Mutual Life" is very detailed.
10. This is from Zhu Xi's Commentary on the Analects of Li Ren on "The Way of the Master is faithful and forgiving".
11. This is from Chapter 20 of Zhu Xi's Zhongyong Chapters and Sentences.
12. See Lin Anwu, Translation of the Analects of the Analects: Wisdom and The Law of the Heart, Taipei: Taiwan Student Bookstore, 2019, p. 2.
13. See Lin Anwu, "Cross-border Discourse, Practical Sense of Understanding: After Reading the Article On the Preliminary Progress of the Exploration and Research of the Zhongyong Practical Thinking System", published in Taipei, Local Psychology Research, No. 34 (2010), pp. 127-136.
14. The original text reads: "Gong duzi asked: 'Jun is also a man, or an adult, or a villain, what is it?' Mencius said: 'From its general body to adult, from its small body to a small person.' 'What is it that's also a man, or from its general body, or from its small body?' Materialization, that's all. The official of the heart thinks; if he thinks, he gets it; if he doesn't think, he can't also think. (Mencius, Confessions)
15. According to the Commentaries on the Interpretation of Texts: "Thinking, Rongye, from the heart, all thoughts belong to thoughts." ”
16. This story is interesting, see Mou Zongsan: "Objective Sorrow" in The Fifty Self-Descriptions, in The Complete Works of Mou Zongsan, Vol. 32, Taipei: Lianjing Publishing Company, 2003, p. 78. For another topic, see Cheng Zhihua: "On the Presentation of Conscience", Philosophical Studies, No. 8, 2007, pp. 24-31.
17. For the theory of interpretation, see Lin Anwu, Chapter VI of Chinese Hermeneutics, Taipei: Taiwan Student Bookstore, 2009, p. 155.
18. The "Sayings of the Text" says: "The Yuan is good and long, the Heng is also the Jia, the profit is the harmony of righteousness, and the chastity is also the work." A gentleman is good enough to grow up, a good will is enough to be courteous, a good thing is enough to be harmonious, and a virtuous enough to be an officer. A gentleman who practices these four virtues is called: Qian, Yuan, Heng, Li, and Zhen. ”
19. In the words "Mencius Zhizi Shang", the confession said: "Sex, Judas turbulent water also; the east is determined to flow east, and the west is determined to flow west." Human nature is not divided into good and bad, and judas water is not divided into things. Mencius said: "Water letter is not divided into things, not divided into upper and lower?" The goodness of human nature is also the bottom of the water; man has no goodness, and the water has nothing. The water of the present husband, beating and leaping, can make the jaws pass; the excitement can make the mountain; is it the nature of the water? The same is true of the momentum. Man can be made unwholesome, and so can his nature. ”
20. "Xunzi Li Theory": "The sex person, the original material Is simple; the hypocrite, the literary longsheng also." Asexuality is false and nothing, and non-hypocrisy cannot be self-beautiful. Sexual hypocrisy, and then become the name of a saint, and the work of the day is also done. ”
21. "Xunzi Zhengming": "The reason why it is born is called sex; the sum of sex is born, the essence of induction, and the nature of not doing anything is called sex." Sexual good, evil, joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure. But the heart chooses the name of the worry. The mind that can be moved by the mind is called false; the accumulation of worry can be practiced, and then it becomes a falsehood. ”
22. Mencius said: "The official of the eyes and ears does not think, but hides in things; the material is exchanged, and it is only cited." The official of the heart thinks, thinks and gets, and if he does not think, he must not also. (Mencius, Confessions)
23. "Xunzi Confucian Effect" has a saying: "Ambition to endure selfishness and then be able to be fair, to practice forbearance and then to be able to cultivate, to know and ask questions and then to be able to be talented, to be public and to cultivate and talented, can be described as a small Confucian." Zhi'an Gong, Practicing Anxiu, Knowing the Tongtong Class, if so, can be described as a great Confucian. ”
24. There is a saying in the Xunzi Jundao: "Those who are good at giving birth and nurturing people are close to each other, those who are good at ruling people are safe, those who are good at showing people are happy, and those who are good at decorating people are honored." The four are unified, and the world belongs to it, and the husband is the no-brainer. ”
25. The Book of Rites and Music: "Great music is in harmony with heaven and earth, and great gifts are in harmony with heaven and earth." The liturgical, the order of heaven and earth, the musician, the sum of heaven and earth; and, therefore, all things are transformed, order, so the group of things are different. ”
26. At the end of the 1970s, I was fascinated by the study of Xunzi for a long time, when I read Mou Zongsan's "The Outline of Xunzi" and Wei Zhengtong's "Xunzi and Ancient Chinese Philosophy", which was quite inspired, because I wrote the article "From "Born to Become Human" to "Sexual Falsification"", Goose Lake Monthly, No. 6, 1978, pp. 25-29.
27. Mencius said: "He who does his best knows his nature." If you know its nature, you know the heavens. Have their hearts, cultivate their nature, so everything is also. (Mencius, On the Heart)
28. There is a saying in "Xunzi Unmasking", "How can people know?" A: Heart. How does the heart know? A: Void and quiet. The mind has not tasted the zang, but there is the so-called emptiness; the heart has not tasted the two, but there is the so-called one; the heart has not tasted and not moved, but there is the so-called stillness... Emptiness and silence are called great clarity."
29. See Lin Anwu's "From "Born to Become Human" to "Sexual Hypocrisy".
30. Chen Zhaoying has a general summary of this, which is called "the queen of the Law and therefore the king of the first law", see Chen Zhaoying: The Aesthetics of Xunzi, Taipei: National Taiwan University Press Center, 2016, pp. 453-454.
31. Mencius said: "It is qi ye, the greatest to the strongest, and harmless to the direct cultivation, and it is stuffed in the idleness of heaven and earth." It is qi also, righteousness and tao; nothingness, forgiveness. He who is born of righteousness, is not righteous and takes it. (Mencius Gongsun Ugly)
32. See Mencius Gongsun Ugly: "There must be something to do but not to be right, not to forget the heart, not to encourage it." There is no Song Renran: The Song people have Min Qimiao's not long and those who are not long, and Mang Mangran returns, saying that his people know: 'Today is sick!' Help the seedlings grow! His son tends to look at it, and Miao is blind! The world does not help the elderly to be widowed. Those who think it is useless and give it away, those who do not cultivate seedlings also. Those who help the elderly, those who pick up seedlings, are not useless, but also harmful. ”
33."I also want to straighten out the hearts of the people, to put an end to heresy, to distance myself from slander, and to make adulterous remarks, so as to accept the Three Noble Ones. As a last resort! Those who can speak away from Yang Mo, the disciples of the saints also. (Mencius Teng Wengong)
34. Mencius Gongsun Ugly: "What is Zhiyan?" A: Slander knows what it hides, obscene words know what it is trapped in, evil words know what it is separated from, and words know what it is poor. Born in his heart, harmful to his government; born in his government, harmful to his affairs. The saints will rise up from my word. ”
35. "Etiquette and Fortune": "Men and women who eat and drink, the great desire of man is preserved; the death is poor, and the great evil of man is preserved." Therefore, those who desire evil have the great end of their hearts. ”
36. Fu Peirong and Lin Anwu, "The Theory of Human Nature Toward Goodness" and "The Theory of The Goodness of Human Nature": A Debate on the Pre-Qin Confucian Theory of Human Nature," published in Taiwan's Philosophical Journal, No. 5, 1993, and Goose Lake Monthly (No. 218), published in the same year.
37. Regarding this, I have written an article on Lin Anwu: "On the "Meaning of Goodness" in Liu Fengshan's Philosophy: The Interpretation and Development of the Core of "Answering Dong Biao's Ten Questions"," National Compilation Museum Journal, Vol. 19, No. 1, 1990, pp. 107-115; Lin Anwu: "Clarification of the Question of the Meaning of "Goodness":Unfolding with Liu Fengshan's Philosophy as the Core", in Zhong Caijun's "Collection of Treatises on Liu Fengshan's Academic Thought", Taipei: "Preparatory Office of the Institute of Chinese Literature and Philosophy of the Academia sinica", 1998, pp. 155-166.
38. "University": "Poetry" Yun: 'King Mu Muwen, Yu Ji Xi RespectfulLy stop!' 'To be a king, to be benevolent; to be a subject, to be respectful; to be a son of man, to be filial piety; to be a father, to be merciful; to be intercourse with the people of the country, to stop at faith.' ”
Appendix Discussion after Professor Lin Anwu's Lecture (Discussion Draft Arranger: Wang Xuqin)
1. Date: May 22, 2020
2. Lecture Speaker: Professor Lin Anwu
(Distinguished Professor, Yixue and Ancient Chinese Philosophy Research Center, Shandong University, Former Dean, College of Humanities and Society, Tzu Chi University, Taiwan)
MODERATOR: WANG Xuqin (Professor, School of Marxism, Zhejiang Gongshang University)
IV. Reviewer: Zhao Fasheng (Researcher, Institute of World Religions, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)
V. Invited Panelists:
Guo Yi (Professor, Institute of Confucius Culture, Qufu Normal University); Guo Meihua (Professor, Department of Philosophy, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics); Zhu Cheng (Professor, Department of Philosophy, East China Normal University); Wang Zheng (Associate Researcher, Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences); Chang Huiying (Assistant Researcher, Institute of World Religions, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences); Dong Weiguo (Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, Southwest University of Political Science and Law)
Wang Xuqin:
Let us jointly thank Mr. Lin Anwu for his wonderful lecture, Mr. Lin expounded his understanding of Meng Xun's theory of human nature, made a detailed comparison and analysis of the interpretation position and development path of the two, smooth and clear and deep meaning, quaint and elegant without losing warmth, for our alumni, it is a rare blessing, and then sincere thanks!
The following is a comment from Zhao Fasheng, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences!
Zhao Fasheng:
Many thanks to Professor Lin Anwu, this is a high-level, very clear, very in-depth and very smooth speech. The theme of Mr. Lin's lecture is mencius and Xunzi's theory of human nature. Everyone knows that Meng Xun's theory of human nature had a very important impact on the development of the history of Confucianism. Later Confucian schools, their human nature thought, moral thought, are closely related to the Meng Xun two schools, or are further derived from the Meng Xun two schools, evolved. Teacher Lin is a Confucian everyone, the representative of modern Neo-Confucianism, he has a very advanced attainment in Confucian theory, I talk about the experience, by the way, there are a few questions, but also askEd Teacher Lin further advice. Mr. Lin's lecture began with the basic differences in Chinese and Western philosophical concepts. He believes that Chinese philosophy, including of course Meng Xun's thought, generally follows a continuous development from religion to humanity, which he calls the continuous view of existence, that is, the harmony of existence and value. Chinese philosophy does not seek consistency between existence and thinking. The consistency of existence and thinking is the epistemology of Western philosophy, while Chinese philosophy attaches more importance to this continuous view of existence between heaven and man, which can be said to be lofty. At the same time, he also talked about the development of Chinese philosophy, which is the evolution from religion to humanity, embodied in the development process from the emperor's decree to the mandate of heaven to the nature of man. In this way, the basic context from religion to humanity is portrayed to us very clearly and clearly. In addition, Mr. Lin has a general positioning for the two families of Meng Xun, that is, "Confucianism of Transmitting Hearts" and "Confucianism of Passing on the Scriptures". Their common ideological foundation comes from Confucius, and they all attach importance to benevolence and courtesy. They all believe that people should become gentlemen, and they can become gentlemen. Therefore, he believes that Meng Xun's two different theories of human nature are two different ways of establishing Confucian thought on human nature, which are not directly contradictory in themselves and do not constitute direct opposition. Mr. Lin also proposed the theory of four communities, namely the natural community, the blood community, the political community and the education community. When he unfolds his explanation below, he actually puts the attention to the issue of human nature in these four communities to investigate, and he has such a four-dimensional vision of human nature.
Regarding Mencius's theory of human nature and Xunzi's theory of human nature, Mr. Lin's explanation has been very meticulous, profound and comprehensive. He pointed out that Mencius's theory of sexual goodness comes from the distinction between the large and the small. Mencius believed that the realization of morality is the presentation of conscience, especially the presentation of compassion, which can be illustrated by the case of "the widow will enter the well". He said that Mencius's theory of sexual goodness was not an epistemological argument, but a real representation of an existential situation. Moreover, he pointed out that Mencius's theory of human nature is "to discuss nature with the heart" and "the nature of the mind is one", so it is called knowing the heavens with all the knowledge of the heart.
Xunzi's sexual evil theory is different. According to Mr. Lin's explanation, he believes that Xunzi is first and foremost a simple theory, and human nature is the original simplicity, which is born like this, and it is not evil in itself. But when this natural temperament is implemented in human relations, it is easy to flow into evil. Because it produces a kind of strife, overpowerment, cruelty, and fornication between people, this becomes evil. So what to do? The prescription prescribed by Xunzi is to make a sexual falsification, and Xunzi believes that it is born human. The heaven of Xunzi is mainly the heaven of nature. Then, after being born, the cultivation of civilization lies in teaching the saints and then practicing rituals, so that people will not fall. He said that beasts would not fall, but men would fall. Therefore, Xun Zi, he put more emphasis on the rule of the heart, the falsification of the nature, the knowledge of the general category, and the thoughtful choice of the heart. Therefore, the formation of morality does not come from a natural extension of the mind, a natural appearance, but from the function of a self-interested mind for survival and the external teachings of the saints.
Mr. Lin's comparison of Meng Xun can be said to be very clear and profound. There are a few questions that I may not have heard very clearly, and I will ask Mr. Lin for advice.
The first is that Mr. Lin mentioned at the beginning that Chinese philosophy is characterized by the continuity of existence and value. This is evident in Mencius. Because Mencius is "the one who does his best, knows his nature; if he knows his nature, he knows the heavens", and the nature of the human heart can be said to be "consistent". But Xunzi does not seem to be like this, Xunzi emphasizes the distinction between heaven and man, because Xunzi's heaven is completely a natural heaven. Then there is no value provision here, so he emphasizes the falsification of sexuality.
The second question, I think Mr. Lin emphasized that Meng Xun can be integrated, and I think this is very important. But because Mencius and Xunzi emphasized benevolence one and one emphasized etiquette. One emphasizes inner introspection, the presentation of conscience, and one emphasizes the teachings of saints and the observance of etiquette, and their paths are indeed different. The path of moral cultivation is different because their theory of Heavenly Taoism and the theory of mentality have some obvious opposites. We have already talked about the opposition of the Theory of Heavenly Taoism. Xunzi criticized the Simeng school, saying that he was "very remote and classless, hidden and unspeakable, closed and unsolved" (Xunzi Non-Twelve Sons), because the Mencius school is consistent with heaven and man, and traces humanity back to the heavenly path, in Xunzi's view, this is precisely to confuse the two different categories of heaven and man, called "secluded and classless". Therefore, I feel that Xunzi's theory of value, or his theory of Heavenly Dao, is dichotomous, and there is a rupture in the middle, so some people say that Xunzi's humanism is an oligarchic humanism, and he magnifies this piece of humanism to a very high degree, and has nothing to do with The Heavenly Dao. The other is that the two of them have different perspectives on the source of moral values. Mencius sought moral values from the mind. Xunzi's mind is a kind of knowing mind, a mind of knowledge, so Xunzi's mind itself is worthless, it is not a concept of conscience, but a concept of knowing mind. In this way, the path of his moral cultivation will be different. Speaking of the Mengxun controversy, this is also an important node.
The third is political philosophy. Xunzi paid more attention to the politics of authority, and he proposed that "there are chaotic kings and no chaotic countries, and there are no laws for governing people" (Xunzi Jundao). He emphasized this authority of the monarchy and did not place much emphasis on the restraint of the monarchy. Mencius, on the other hand, because of his characteristics of the theory of mental nature and the theory of Heavenly Taoism, determined that he placed great emphasis on the moral value of Confucianism. The monarchy should be restrained, "the people are precious, the society is secondary, and the king is light" (Mencius, "Under the Heart"). Therefore, in the design of the Theory of Heavenly Dao, the Theory of Mentality, Political Philosophy, and Political System, there is obvious tension between Meng Xun, and it should be said that there are some more obvious contradictions and some conflicts. Then if we want to integrate Meng Xun, or if we integrate, how do we overcome these tensions and contradictions is also a problem that needs further consideration. This is my personal experience after listening to Mr. Lin's lecture. What is not right, please also ask Mr. Lin to criticize and correct, thank you!
Thanks to researcher Zhao Fasheng for his wonderful comments, after Mr. Zhao's comments and mentions, we deepened our understanding of what Mr. Lin said, thank you Teacher Zhao!
Lin Anwu:
Thank you very much Professor Zhao for your comments, the comments are very clear and wonderful. The three issues mentioned later are very good, and I basically agree with them. It is just that I think Xunzi still has to be placed in this great tradition, although he attaches great importance to the object of knowing the mind, but in the end he also talks about "the teaching of etiquette, the transformation of the teacher's law", and talks about "the category of knowledge", and in the end he still ascends, when he rises to the source, on the one hand, he says that "only the saints do not seek to know the heavens", but he also says that "the husband is the one who knows the heavens", and the meanings of the two "knowing the heavens" are different.
Of course, what Xunzi attaches great importance to is very different from Mencius, who is more in line with what I said earlier, which is a process from sacred and religious to moral and humanistic, which is along the "continuum of existence". Xunzi is separated and disconnected, and he emphasizes "being born into a human being." It can be seen that Mencius attached more importance to the universal goodness of human nature, he called for the need to put the people first, and he also emphasized civil rights. Here we can see that Mencius is very much like a man in the Warring States era, running in the international world, calling for peace. "Mencius is good in nature, and his words must be called Yao Shun" (Mencius Teng Wen Gongshang), he was basically a world pacifist. Such a call has a high universal value. Xun Zi talked about "knowledge and unity" and also talked about etiquette and righteousness, but he obviously paid more attention to how to enrich the country, how to strengthen the country, and how the monarch made the whole country prosperous. It can be seen from this place that his mind is different from his arguments, compared to Mencius'. Later, Xunzi's students Li Si and Han Fei became realists of the "Fa Jin Wang", which was different from Xun Zi's advocacy of such a historical and sacred authoritarian idea as the "Fa Hou Wang". Xunzi was a Confucian, and Li Si and Han Fei were Dharma scholars.
Xun Zi attached great importance to the teachings of the Holy Kings of the Inner saints and outer kings, and when Li Si and Han Fei arrived, they "took the Fa as the teaching and the officials as the teachers." The two of them were no longer "the teachings of etiquette and righteousness, the transformation of the teachings", they fell down and became the supporters of the forces of reality. As for the Si Meng school criticized by Xun Zi, I think that the development of a school, their tendencies, do have some downward movements, the last stream of the Si Meng school, and later there is no way to distinguish between heaven and man. This is what Xun Zi criticized. In fact, if you talk about Mencius, if you return to the book "Mencius", there is actually a difference, and there are still many things that can be judged in this place. Basically, Mencius emphasized the attribution to the "harmony of existence and value", while Xunzi was more disconnected from the "consistency of existence and thinking", that is, to know what the object of cognition is, to seek an objective law, and this objective law is still the law of a human being, not a law of natural science. On this point, he still returned to the "teaching of etiquette and righteousness", which is still worthy of our face. As for the rest, I think it is very important that Mencius emphasized the consciousness and awareness of morality, while Xunzi emphasized that from the natural qi to the habits of society, there must be a process of "teaching etiquette", "teaching of teachings", "governing with the heart", and "transforming nature into hypocrisy", in order to have a process of "pseudo-initiation of etiquette". In this regard, therefore, I see more of the complementarity between Mencius and Xunzi. Of course, a theory must have its tension if it is spoken of at both ends.
Guo Yi:
Brother An Wu's lecture today has a grand vision, and uses the three generations of ideological and cultural development clues as the background to discuss Meng Xun's ideological characteristics and integration, which can be described as a lofty building, and I have benefited a lot.
One of my questions has just been raised by Brother Fa Sheng:
At the beginning, you mentioned that the characteristics of Chinese philosophy are the unity of existentialism and value theory, which should be said to be one of the greatest characteristics of Chinese philosophy and is very important. This feature is clearly reflected in "Zhongyong", "Mencius", and "Yi Chuan", and you have just explained it very clearly. My question is: Does Xunzi philosophy also embody this feature? If so, how?
Brother Guo Yi's question I think is a good question, that is the problem point. Comparatively speaking, Xunzi has a unique point of view, which is more important than the harmony of existence and value, and at the root, he falls into the position of "governing nature with the heart", rather than the position of "the nature of the mind is one", and he is from the principle of "the consistency of existence and thinking". However, he still returned to a humanistic system, he emphasized "thoughtful choices, knowledge and unity", what he was looking for was an objective humanistic law, which was somewhat different from Aristotle, and I think there are still some questions that can be continued to be discussed, first briefly here.
If we want to continue to pursue the root of Xunzi's value, and how that place is related to the Theory of Heavenly Dao, that is another problem that I think is not easy to solve. However, it can probably be seen that he is actually different from the Greek tradition, and he still has to affirm that the "harmony of existence and value" is only a problem in what way the "harmony of existence and value" exists, and I think his argument may not be the same as Mencius' and is very different, this is for sure.
Another of my questions is that you think that the "sex" of the "destiny of destiny" in the "Mean" contains both moral nature and natural temperament. You explained it well about morality. My question is: what is the natural temperament of the word "sex"?
In my personal opinion, this "sex" has only one level of moral nature. As for the natural temperament, the "Zhongyong" also explains that it is the "middle" of "the unspoken words of joy and sorrow". This "zhong" and Mencius's "mouth to taste, eyes to color, ears to sound, nose to smell, limbs to Anyiye, sex, fate, gentleman is not sex also" The "fate" is the same thing, all are natural qi.
I think the question raised by Brother Guo Yi is a very profound question, and I am actually still thinking about this question. But I think that the nature of "the predicate of destiny" contains two layers, but the sex that falls on the "willful predicate" must of course be said in terms of the "nature of morality". As for natural qi, because to talk about "to neutralize, heaven is in the position, all things are nurtured" and "in the midst of the undeveloped words of joy and sorrow", that "joy and sorrow" is of course also born of the "nature of the mandate of heaven", this place may have to have more ink to discuss and review, Mencius said about the general body, he is also unified together.
Therefore, desire and the principle of "sex is reason" are one. Wang Fuzhi spoke very well, emphasizing that "reason and desire are one," and that heaven and man want it to be universal and one. He stressed that "reason and desire are one, reason and qi are one, and reason and situation are one", which I think is worth facing squarely. As for the whole theoretical system involved in this, I think it must take more effort to adjust, and I will not talk about this place today.
Wang Zheng:
Thank you Mr. Lin Anwu for your wonderful and in-depth lecture. Your lecture finally fell on the idea of unifying Mencius and Xunzi, but I have some doubts that have existed since Liang Tao proposed "unifying Mengxun". Here, I would like to ask you in what sense is the concept of "integration" used? And "unification" means "one", so where should "one" go (Confucius)? Also, how to "integrate"? Through what resources to "one"? After all, as Brother Zhao Fasheng pointed out, Meng Xun was different on too many levels. Thank you.
I think that it is a very broad statement to talk about the unification of Meng Xun, of course, Meng Xun is different, so unification does not mean that their differences should be exempted, they are different. Their practice and practice are also different, and their awareness of problems is also different. I think that the most important thing for Xunzi is to be a rich country, but he is not only an economic rich country, a political rich country, but also a rich country of culture. But he's not trying to be a strong soldier, he's basically, he's not an aggressive man, he's basically about how to build the country and then let the people settle down. Mencius was an advocate of pacifism, a cosmopolitan, he had a universal ideal, such thinking was stronger, and his royal thought was the idea of peace.
An bang governs the country, I think there are many in Xunxue, I think it is quite good. Of course, you said that his self-cultivation Qi family is also very good, as for the ping tianxia can also be involved forward, but talking about "ping tianxia" involves more, I think Mencius is even more. Of course, Mencius can also say that he has said from sincerity and righteousness, self-cultivation, Qi family governance and world peace, because Confucianism basically leads to sincerity and integrity, and cultivation of Qi Zhiping. I think that "University" talks about "three programs" and "eight articles", and talks about "Mingmingde, being close to the people, and stopping at the highest good", and I think that Mencius and Xunzi basically agree with this "University", but they each have their own strengths and lead people with different foundations.
In this way, the so-called unification is not a theoretical desire for their unity, but how to bring them together. At first, I think it is necessary to distinguish and judge before we can each have a lead, to lead people with different roots, and to follow different paths. Of course, the ultimate goal is to achieve common cultivation, to cultivate into gentlemen and sages, and to move towards the great ideal of saints. I think this is common to Confucianism and consensus. In this regard, I do not agree that Mencius is insufficient, and I do not agree that Mencius is flawed. Relatively speaking, I don't think that Xunziology is insufficient and flawed. In order to overcome these shortcomings, they must be united together. That's not true.
Of course, Mencius's study emphasizes some dimensions too much, and his later studies will also be biased, and Xun Xue's emphasis on certain dimensions will also be biased. Xun Zi's criticism of the late generation of the Si Meng school is, of course, for a reason. It is as if we look at Xun Xue in this way and fall to his disciple Li Si Hanfei, that is no longer Xun Xue, but the last stream, which is extremely important and worth reviewing. Of course, Xunzi has an extremely important problem point, that is, it is easy to fall into the authoritarianism of history, how to avoid this? If you are not careful, you will further degenerate into the authoritarianism of reality. Mencius was in this place, he was overcome, he was a universal idealist, he was not a realistic authoritarian.
The so-called unification should have the right distinction and proper understanding in order to really go down different paths, but to reach a final end, this is integration. As far as their integration is concerned, it should be said that their end point is concerned, so in theory I think that they basically have their own emphasis, each has its own differences, different viewpoints, different perspectives, and different things to achieve.
Zhu Cheng:
The ideological historical significance of "unifying Meng Xun" is self-evident, in a sense, the integration of virtue and etiquette. Mr. Lin, what kind of practical significance and theoretical necessity does "Unification Meng Xun" have from the perspective of the development of Confucianism and modern political philosophy?
Personally, I think that we understand the thought of the ancients and give us some inspiration, but when we go to understand the actual situation of the contemporary era, we do not necessarily have to say -- how Xunxue is used in contemporary times, and how Mengxue is used in contemporary times. Of course, they can inspire us, and the inspiration can have different effects after enlightenment, and after starting it, it can have different effects. At this time, it can also be said that it is the modern role of Mengxue and the modern role of Xunxue. Of course, in Xun Xue's teaching of etiquette, he talks about rich countries, kings, liturgy, and various aspects, and I think he can open more discussions and more conversations with modern political philosophy and social philosophy, which Meng Xue does not have.
How we go deep into the classical discourse, how we interpret it, as it exists in itself, so that it has more conversation and dialogue with the modern discourse, this is very necessary. I have always stressed that we must go back to our classical discourse, develop it, interpret it through modern discourse, and construct it through modern academic discourse. There are more conversations and dialogues with modern scholarship, and in such a process of dialogue and dialogue, it can generate more diverse possibilities, and then talk about the possibility of creating new theories.
In addition, what I want to appeal for is that because of our current relevant education system, our entire university and even the middle school, our whole human cultivation process, the process of parenting, we really do not understand our own things enough. This point is actually worth reviewing on both sides of the strait. What I know better is, of course, Taiwan, and the political department in Taiwan basically rarely talks about the history of China's political system and the history of Chinese political thought; the same is true of the department of education, and the history of China's education system and the history of Chinese educational thought is also rarely discussed; and the same is true of all aspects of law and society.
I think this scholarship is important, and if we can be full and full of this aspect in the university, then this dialogue can be more diverse. The whole of Chinese philosophy and Chinese culture, because we evoke more dimensions, our Chinese philosophy can be more clear, and we will not discuss the history of Chinese philosophy in the context of Western philosophy. I think it's only a matter of discussing Western philosophical issues, which is of course a way of discussing, but I personally feel that this is sometimes a little more sleepy. I think that if you want to be full and full, you must have a full understanding of your entire culture, whether it is the lower building or the superstructure.
Obviously, it is difficult for us to directly conclude that Xunzi does not think that human nature has intrinsic goodness, and I think such a judgment would be problematic. Because in "Xunzi Bugou" talks a lot, that is, how people recognize value through the process of cognition. Moreover, it is important that the recognition of the value of humanities is different from the cognition of the principles of natural science. Of course, we can say that xunzi established this value through the knowledge of the tongtong class, and his path was different from mencius's. However, he also has his way to determine it, but whether it can be established in theory is complete, of course, this can be discussed again.
One thing I still want to emphasize is that when we talk about Chinese philosophy and we discuss these issues, it is very important that our discourse has our subjectivity. I advocate that we must delve into our classical discourse, interpret it, connect it with the discourse of modern life, and express it through the modern academic discourse, and talk and dialogue with the different academic discourse systems of the world. Conversation and dialogue are very important, but we must not lose our subjectivity, and certainly not confined to our own area.
Dong Weiguo:
There is a passage in "Xunzi Bugou", the end of the study has been confused, ask Teacher Lin. Since Xun Zi believes that there is no inherent goodness in human nature, he also says that a gentleman can achieve moral self-consciousness. Therefore, it is also said that "sincerity", so that the end of the study is more confusing.
"A gentleman is not good at sincerity, and sincerity has nothing else to do." Only benevolence is to keep, only righteousness is to act. Sincerity and benevolence are forms, forms are gods, and gods can be transformed. Sincerity and righteousness are reasonable, reason is clear, and clarity can change. Change is called heavenly virtue. The heavens do not speak and the people push high, the earth does not say but the people push the thickness, and the four hours do not speak and the people expect it. There is a constant in this, and even those who are sincere in their sincerity are also. The gentleman is virtuous, hey but metaphorical, not giving and kissing, not angry and threatening: the husband obeys the order, so as to be cautious of his own. He who is good is the Tao, and if he is not sincere, he is not alone, if he is not alone, he is not formless, and if he is not formed, though he is done in his heart, he is seen in color, and out of his words, the people are still not obedient; though they are doubtful." ("Xunzi Bugou")
The question that Teacher Dong asked, I think if you compare it with "Xunzi Bugou", you can see that there are some shadows of "Zhongyong", basically the whole thinking is indeed universal, so Xunzi's heart, the relationship with the heart, sex, and heaven, in the end, I think it is still necessary to pass through the "harmony of existence and value", which must be discussed with a lot of ink. So in this respect, I do not think that the mind that Xunzi is talking about is just a mind that is purely aware of natural objects. In fact, the activity of our mind has this cognition of the cognition of natural objects, but when we talk about the cognition of the objective principles of humanities, it is actually very complicated, and at this time the value must be implicit in it.
That is to say, there is no epistemology that can completely abandon value, in fact, it has a value orientation, so that we can recognize things clearly. The value orientation is disordered, and we have no way to recognize things. Therefore, Xunzi's heart is the mind of knowledge. I don't think it's a natural science or objectivism to understand that water is H2O, but an objective principle of human history and humanistic learning.
Since it involves humanistic, historical, and objective principles, it will inevitably involve value, and finally it must be related to value and existing problems. This question is not something that can distinguish value. But there is an appropriate correlation between value and existence and practice, and how it is related to cognition, which is another issue, and it must be discussed more extensively. We will not talk about it for the time being today, but should find another time to discuss it.
Regular Camp:
Hello Mr. Lin, the beginning of your lecture mentioned that Yin Shang experienced a process of "Emperor's Order", "Mandate of Heaven" and "Virtue of the Tao" from the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period, which is a very wonderful summary. Can you explain the "virtue of the Tao" again, although we all know that Confucianism and Taoism are homologous and Confucian Taoism are complementary, there should still be a big difference between the two, including the understanding of morality, so should we also pay attention to this difference between Confucianism and Taoism?
With regard to "Tao" and "Virtue", I have always emphasized that "Tao" is the root and "Virtue" is the essence. The "Tao" attaches more importance to the root of the whole, and the "Virtue" attaches more importance to the intrinsic nature of the individual. Being able to follow its path, follow its virtues, its roots, and its nature is called morality. Morality is not oppression, morality is growth. Morality grows according to its nature as its roots, and the so-called "roots" are placed in the totality, in the community, and further, upwards, can be traced back to the universal ideal body.
When implemented, it is a community of political society, a community of blood and humanity, and a community of cultural upbringing. In this regard, the tao is at the root of the whole, and the intrinsic nature of virtue is different. In terms of man, nature has "awareness", and falling on things and objects is what we call natural qi. Man is morally conscious, and in this respect he is distinguishable.
Of course, there are differences between utensils, plants, and animals, but some are living, not necessarily conscious; there is perception, but it does not necessarily have cognition, and cognition does not necessarily have moral judgment. And people have moral awareness, moral judgment, and free will, but some people have to participate with heaven and earth, and people have to counsel the cultivation of heaven and earth, and in the "Yi Chuan", they talk about the unity of heaven and man. Xun Zi said that heaven has its time, the earth has its wealth, and people have its rule, and also talked about the cultivation of the counselor heaven and earth, but at this time, "participation" is not only about harmony and unity, but also attaches more importance to the difference between the three. The three are different and can be combined into one.
The theory of Xunzi can open up a new pattern, but he is still in this big tradition, but he has gone astray in his student generation, which is a pity. Xunzi students, Li Si and Han Fei are Fa scholars, and this is no longer Xunzi's way. Xunzi is of course a Confucian, and this must be distinguished.
Li Shigao:
Thanks to Mr. Lin's wonderful explanation, Teacher Zhao's in-depth comments are also beneficial. My question is: Xunzi must be very familiar with Mencius's ideological material, why is Xunzi very clearly opposed to Mencius's theory of sexual goodness, is it that Xunzi cannot understand Mencius's theory of sexual goodness, or xunzi has a different purpose, or that the practical understanding of human nature is different in different periods?
Thank you Mr. Li Shigao for your question, I have just mentioned this question a little, that is, Mencius may be a tianxiaist, he is a pacifist, a pacifist of the world. Mencius's emphasis on benevolent government and kingship is much like a messenger calling out for pacifism internationally. Then this kind of pacifism is based on the fact that everyone is sexually good, and it should be "the people are precious, the king is light, and the society is secondary." What to do for the sake of peace for all mankind, when he was thinking of all mankind. Of course, he has his cognitive limitations, but his mind is infinite, which can be said to inherit the "Datong" ideal of "Li Ji Li Yun", that is, the ideal of "the journey of the avenue, the world is just". This is also the idea of inheriting the kingdom of moral ideals in the Spring and Autumn Period, the so-called "chaotic world", "ascension to the peaceful world", and then to the "Taiping world", that is, the Confucius ideal played by ramologists. As early as the "Analects of GongyeChang", the master said that "the old man is safe, the friend believes, and the young man cherishes it." Of course, Xunzi will not violate these ideals, but what Xunzi may see is how a country should be built to become a strong and powerful country, so that the people can settle down. In this country, the construction of a political and social community, it must have culture, education, etiquette, and teachers. In addition, Xun Zi also stressed that people must have a process of cultivation, be able to understand the general categories, be able to think about decisions, be able to recognize clearly, have a reasonable humanistic upbringing, and have an appropriate system. The monarch can also achieve a strong country and a monarch, and can make the people also live and die.
Mr. Lin, there is another problem, that is, your teacher Mr. Mou Zongsan often mentions a problem of "vertical and vertical lecture" and "vertical and horizontal speech", saying that Confucianism and Western philosophy belong to "vertical and vertical teaching", while Buddhism and Taoism are "vertical and horizontal teaching", which is very influential in the academic circles, and please talk about your understanding of Mr. Mou's proposal. Thank you.
Mr. Chang's question is another question, which is about what Mr. Mou Zongsan said about the vertical and vertical and horizontal lectures. Mr. Mou's knowledge is broad and intelligent. He used a lot of words that are more troublesome, in fact, as far as this pair of words is concerned, vertical means that it goes back to the source of existence, and everything that goes up to the source of existence is vertical. According to Mr. Mou's understanding, Confucian and Taoist Buddhas all trace their origins, and in this regard, it can be said that there is a continuous trace. Moreover, in terms of the way it is expressed in terms of implementation, the so-called "vertical talk" means that the whole theoretical system is both traced back to its source, and from the source of moral creation, and can sufficiently establish the things that exist.
As for the vertical and horizontal discussion, that is, although the whole theory has the tendency to trace the origin upwards, in the end it has not been traced back to the source of the popularity of Heavenly Virtue and the creation of the universe, that is, it does not open down from the source of this cosmic creation, which cannot be said to be a vertical and vertical lecture. But Buddhism and Taoism, although they do not have vertical creation, can be "flat and open" . For example, buddhism's "my Dharma and two voids" is the unfolding of the flat, the magic has a vacuum, the vacuum and the wonderful existence, or the establishment of all the laws (existence) from the edge of the Dharma, which is different from the Confucian creation of moral creation and the vertical creation of the ontology, which we call "vertical and horizontal discourse". According to Mr. Mou Zongsan's understanding, the Taoists say that the birth is not born, which is not the same as Mr. Mou's understanding, I think that Taoism is of the same origin as Confucianism in terms of the origin of the Tao body itself, and it can still be said to be a vertical and vertical lecture.
As for Western philosophy, it is not distinguished from "vertical and vertical" or "vertical and horizontal", because the West will talk about metaphysics, that is, the metaphysics of substance, and the three schools of Confucianism and Buddhism are basically the moral practice of "having" in the whole person, falling together to say that metaphysics. Like the Taoists think of it as a metaphysics of realm form, Confucianism is a physical metaphysics of moral creation, which is different from aristotle's physical metaphysics, and there is a difference in this place. I wonder if Mr. Mou's vocabulary is completely appropriate and can be discussed again, but he is really a very creative and very expository scholar. He represents an era. When this era continues to grow, it will be different. Mr. Mou's knowledge, I think, is that we must understand him, and then further touch some of his more core parts, not to bypass him, but to really be able to go deep into him, and then break through him, cross him. I think this is also the pursuit of any teacher, and the teacher always hopes that the next generation can continue to move forward and climb higher peaks.
Of course, there is a difference between Confucianism and Taoism, and Taoists often speak from the source down, so they say "Tao is born, and morality is animals." Confucianism speaks from the moral subject upwards, so "aspirations are in the Tao, according to virtue." I once wrote an article entitled "Interpretation of "Tao" and "Virtue": The Rational Exposition of the Homologous complementarity of Confucianism and Taoism--an unfolding with the Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching "Dao Sheng Zhi, Virtue Animal" and "Analects" "Zhi Dao, According to Virtue" as the core[1], I said: Because there is "aspiration to the Tao", and "Tao Shengzhi"; "Dao Shengzhi" and "Moral Animal", Virtue is both animal, and its virtue is evidenceable. Obviously, Confucianism and Taoism, in the whole context of the original discourse, "Tao" and "Virtue", the former is the root of the whole, the latter is the inner nature, Confucianism and Taoism are both connected, but Confucianism from the moral subject upwards, Taoism from the source of the Tao downwards, each is different, they are complementary.
It is indeed not good to directly assert that Xunzi does not think that there is a basis for goodness in human nature. This may not be a very good question to ask. Perhaps, as you said, he has a different path to his understanding of the value of people.
In fact, this problem also involves the way of thinking, we often talk about the problem now, a discussion of the "existence" and "value" separated, the "real" and "should be" separated, I am afraid that this is to be carefully examined and rethought. Under what circumstances people distinguish "existence" from "value" and "reality" from "as it should be", and what the connection is, and what its root cause is, more explanations must be made here.
Of course, there are still many questions that can be discussed. For example, why did the Song Ming theorists ignore Xunzi, they emphasized Mencius, and what is the significance of this representation in the history of ideas? And Xunzi learned and was later ignored in that era, what is the reason? There are many issues worth discussing here, and in modern times, and even now, many scholars have called for attention to Xunxue, what is the significance it represents? But as a science, I think Xunxue is worth fully understanding, because it represents "Confucianism of Transmission", another form of fullness and fullness.
When I was young, I liked Xunzi very much, and Professor Wang Xuqin, the host of the lecture, asked me to provide an article about Xunzi, "From "Born human" to "Sexual falsification", which was written when I was young and published in 1978. When I was an undergraduate in college, I liked Xunzi very much, and I felt that all of Xunzi's arguments could be true and understandable. But later, I read Mencius deeply, and I liked Mencius's cleverness and transparency, and after having a deeper understanding of Song Ming's theory, I did not dislike Xunzi, but for Mencius, I think Mencius did have a very remarkable component. I like Mencius's spirit of "it is qi, it is big enough, and it is harmless to be directly cultivated."
As far as Chinese philosophy is concerned, the harmony of existence and value and the consistency of Western philosophical thinking and existence are indeed, as you said, an important distinction between the two. Very enlightening, it is a fundamental question of academic differences.
Finally, I would like to say that I would like to say that I am very grateful to Professor Zhao Fasheng and Professor Wang Xuqin for their invitation to express some of my own understanding in this group, and to have more friends to discuss this topic together, because I really feel that what is happier than discussing learning together? It's really a friend from afar, and I'm happy! He must have discussed the joy of learning, I basically thought so. Well, I'm going to talk about this lecture today, but I'll stop here for the time being.
The lecture has now been carried out for nearly two and a half hours, Mr. Lin is the hardest, today's lecture is carried out here, if there is a problem, you can leave a message in the group, Mr. Lin will reply when he is free later. Finally, I would like to sincerely thank Mr. Lin Anwu once again for his wonderful lectures and wonderful answers afterwards, and thank you to Researcher Zhao Fasheng for his wonderful comments and the active participation of all the alumni.
[1] Lin Anwu, "Interpretation of "Tao" and "Virtue": The Explanation of the Doctrine of Confucianism and Taoism From the Same Origin and Complementarity: An Unfolding with the Laozi Tao Te Ching, "Dao Sheng Zhi, Virtue Animal" and "Analects" "Zhi Dao, According to Virtue", Goose Lake Monthly, No. 4, 2003, pp. 23-29.
![The emergence of the state will be accompanied by a "tax system", how does the state collect taxes during the Xia Shang Zhou period?[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)