Nan Huaijin, a master of traditional Chinese studies, believes that the three Confucian taoists are equivalent to three shops, all of which sell their own ideological products to the outside world. Confucianism is equivalent to a grain store, Taoism is equivalent to a pharmacy, and Buddhist is equivalent to a grocery store.
Nan Huaijin believes that Confucianism is equivalent to a grain store because Confucianism is something we must use in our daily lives, just like we must eat grain every day.
This article summarizes the ten wisdom ideas of Confucianism and shares them with you.
Benevolence, righteousness, wisdom and faith
First, benevolence, righteousness, wisdom and faith
The ideological products sold by Confucian stores to the outside world can be summarized in three words as "benevolence and righteousness", and "benevolence and righteousness" is the essence of Confucianism.
The Analects is an important Confucian text of thought, which mainly deals with the principle of being a human being. The main principle of human conduct in the Analects is the five words "benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, and faith."
"Ren Yi Li" was proposed by Confucius, and later Mencius added "Zhi", and the Confucian scholar Dong Zhongshu of the Western Han Dynasty added "Xin" and called it "Ren Yi Li Zhi Xin". This is what later Generations of Confucians called the "Five Constants." The "Five Constants" are the five daily codes of conduct for social human relations in Confucianism.
To simply explain these five codes of conduct is to have a benevolent heart, to do things appropriately and not to be extreme, to conform to the norms of etiquette in daily behavior, to learn more to make yourself wise, and to be honest in life.
Second, gentlemen do not argue
Confucianism believes that a gentleman is indisputable, but not absolutely indisputable, but to be courteous.
Confucius once used an ancient archery competition etiquette to illustrate the demeanor that a gentleman should have. Before the archery competition begins, the gentlemen will salute each other, hug each other's fists and arch their hands, say a sentence of "please be merciful to your subordinates", or "please give more advice", and then start the game. After the game, the winner should humbly say "concession", and the loser should say "learn to teach". That is to say, a gentleman can compete for the first, but he must always maintain humanistic courtesy.
Third, moderation
Confucius believed that moderation is the highest moral code for dealing with the world.
"Yong" was synonymous with "use" in ancient times. The word means that taking the middle way is the most practical. The idea of moderation is similar to that of the Taoist Buddhist thought of the Middle Way.
Some people who are accustomed to fierce rhetoric believe that moderation means not to sin against people and to be a good old man. This is a disparaging statement of moderation, not objective.
The correct interpretation of moderation is that things cannot be done too conservatively or too radically, and the approach is moderate and just right. This requires a considerable degree of wisdom to grasp this measure of doing things.
Doctrine
Fourth, the unity of knowledge and action, to the conscience
The core proposition of Wang Yangming's psychology is: "Unity of knowledge and action, to conscience" The meaning of this sentence is that one's actions and thoughts should be consistent, and one cannot say one thing and actually do one thing. It is necessary to act in accordance with conscience and put conscience into practical action.
Fifth, the Inner Saint and the Outer King
The Inner Saint and the Outer King are the ideal cultivation realm of Confucianism. This means that we must achieve the cultivation of sages on the inside, and the achievements of governing the country in peace and security on the outside.
Both inner learning and external merit are the perfect realm of the Confucian ideal.
Six, three immortal
Since ancient times, Confucianism has always advocated the three immortals, that is, to be able to establish virtue, meritorious service, and make speeches, and to pass them on to future generations for a long time.
Many Confucian figures in history have realized this ideal, such as Fan Zhongyan, Wang Yangming, Zeng Guofan, and so on. They all had high morals, made high achievements in governing the country, and made books and remarks that were praised by posterity, becoming a model of the three immortals of Confucianism.
Gentleman's Wind
Seventh, the study of gentlemen
Confucianism is the study of teaching people how to be a gentleman, and Confucianism can be called the study of gentlemen.
The 15 words "benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, gentleness, courtesy, thriftiness, loyalty, filial piety, courage, and honesty" represent the main Confucian ideas of life. Being able to do these fifteen words well can be called a gentleman of high morality.
Confucianism also contains the knowledge of how to govern the country. Confucians believe that if the king can do the above 15 words well and become a highly moral gentleman, he will be able to govern the country well.
Eighth, self-cultivation, family unity, governance of the country, and peace in the world
This sentence is the main content of the famous Confucian classic "University".
Only cultivate yourself first. In order to govern the family well. If there is no ability to govern the family, it is impossible to have the ability to govern the country well. Only by having the ability to govern one's own country well can one have the ability to pacify the world.
Ninth, the people are noble, the society is secondary, and the king is light
Based on the experience of the rise and fall of various countries during the Warring States period, Mencius put forward the people-oriented idea of "the people are precious, the society is secondary, and the king is light". Mencius believed that only by putting the people first, the community in the second place, and the king in the third place could the country be stable and prosperous.
This people-oriented thinking, which attaches importance to the people, is close to the modern democratic idea, and in ancient times it was a very advanced theory of governance.
10. Rigaku: Confucianism
Chinese civilization successively had pre-Qin Zi studies, two Han classics, Wei and Jin metaphysics, and after the flourishing of Sui and Tang Buddhism, there was a confluence of Confucianism and Taoism. Between the two Song dynasties and the Ming Dynasty, the song ming theory was born under the fusion of the three schools of confucianism and Taoism.
Zhu Xi
Zhu Xi, Lu Jiuyuan, Wang Yangming and other Confucian scholars have long studied Buddhist and Taoist texts, and while criticizing some of the ideas of Buddhist Taoism, they have also absorbed a large number of Buddhist Taoist thoughts, and have taken Confucianism as the center to compatible with Buddhist Taoist thought and formed a theory of science. Many great Confucians evaluate Song Ming's theory as "Confucian Buddha", using many Confucian concepts on the surface, but buddhist thought on the inside.
Song Ming Lixue believes that the "Three Principles and Five Constants" and other worldly principles are evolved from Heavenly Reason. This is a reference to the Buddhist principle that "everything in the world is evolved from Buddha-nature", and the Taoist theory that "everything in the world is evolved from the Tao".