"Mencius's Tao is good", and Mencius's thought of human nature is undoubtedly correct. But sexual goodness is only Mencius's specific understanding of human nature, and it is only a conclusion of his whole thought of human nature. It is impossible to fully understand the rich content and profound significance of Mencius's thought on human nature without in-depth research and discussion of the rationale for Mencius's conclusion.
One issue that has not received enough attention is Mencius's opposition and refutation of the "predicate nature of life". "Mencius: Gaozi I":
The confessor said: "Life is sex. Mencius said: "Life is sexuality, and what is white is white?" "The whiteness of the white feather is also as white as the whiteness of the snow." The white of the snow, the white of the jade?" said: "Yes." "However, the nature of a dog is like the nature of a cow, and the nature of a cow is the nature of a human."
The confession says that "the birth is sex", which means that whatever is born is called sex. Although Mencius also believed that human nature is innate, he rejected the idea that "life is sexuality". He retorted that if "life is sex", then it is impossible to distinguish human nature from dog nature and cow nature. Because only from the perspective of biological instinct, there is no fundamental difference between people and dogs, cows, etc. He does not look at human nature from the biological instinct of man, but from the difference between man and beast, and believes that only those attributes that distinguish man from beasts, that is, those characteristics that make man human, are human nature.
On this point, Mr. Zhang Dainian has a detailed discussion. He said: "Mencius's so-called sexuality refers to the special characteristics that distinguish humans from animals. The so-called human nature refers to the fact that the reason why a person is a human being, that is, the 'characteristic' of a human being. "Mencius's so-called sexuality refers to the characteristics of human beings, not to all the instincts that are inherent in human beings. (Outline of Chinese Philosophy)
Taking the characteristics of human beings as human beings is a great creation and great contribution to the theory of human nature. It provides the right way of thinking for the correct understanding of human nature, but at the same time, it also raises questions for the study of human nature: what is the reason why people are human beings?
Another basic concept of Mencius's thought on human nature is "the unity of heaven and man".
To understand people and life, we need to answer two questions. The first is the reason why man is human, and the second is his position in the universe and the relationship between man and all things. On the basis of clarifying that the reason why people are human beings is human nature, Mencius further said: "He who does his best knows his nature." If you know its nature, you will know the sky. Keep its heart and nurture its nature, so everything is also good. Longevity is not two, self-cultivation is in order to take care of it, so it is also life-threatening. This is to illustrate the relationship between "heart", "sexuality" and "heaven", and is the core idea of the theory of sexual goodness.
"Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom are rooted in the heart. The four hearts of compassion, shame, respect, and right and wrong are the "ends" of benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, and wisdom. Therefore, dedication can be intellectual, and intellectuality must be attentive. The heart and nature are in man, and sex is a talent and belongs to heaven, and heaven is outside and above man, but at the same time it is embodied in human nature. Therefore, "knowing its nature, knowing the sky", and knowing the nature is also knowing the sky. Heaven is no longer unattainable and unknowable, but can be known; Through dedication and intellectuality, he ascends to heaven in order to "serve heaven", that is, to conform to the way of heaven and settle his life, that is, to settle down in life.
In this way, the theoretical framework of cultivating the mind and ascending to heaven has been established, and the idea of the unity of heaven and man has been perfected, which is the unity of heaven and life, and the way of heaven and humanity. The core and key to the unity of heaven and man lies in sex; sex and heaven and man are born in heaven and in man, from the inner language to sex, from the outer language to heaven, and heaven and man communicate through sexuality.
Based on the characteristics of human beings and the knowledge of heaven with all their hearts, we can communicate with heaven and man through cultivating our minds and achieve the unity of heaven and man. These two points are the core and essence of Mencius's thought on human nature, and have had a huge and far-reaching impact on the development of Confucianism and Chinese culture. It answers fundamental questions about life, such as how to understand the essence and characteristics of human beings, and how to understand the position of human beings in all things in the universe. It has fundamental guiding significance for us to understand and settle down in life, to understand and deal with the relationship between man and nature; it has penetrated into all aspects of Chinese culture and the process of Chinese observing and dealing with all problems, thus forming and developing many characteristics of Chinese culture that are different from other cultures.
Virtues such as benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, and wisdom are human nature, and there is no such "non-human nature", and goodness is not naturally sufficient, "if you ask for it, you will get it, and if you give it, you will lose it". This raises the question of "being a human being". The first priority in life is to cultivate one's mind, improve oneself, get rid of the realm of beasts, and be an upright person. As a result, a solid theoretical foundation has been laid for the core values and moral traditions of "self-cultivation".
Heaven and man are one, and you can know the sky with all your heart, and people's cultivation does not need to seek from the sky, everything is based on seeking yourself. As a result, there is no distinction between the two worlds of earth and heaven in Chinese culture, and there is only a world in which heaven and man are one. Chinese do not seek to enter heaven or Elysium after death, but "the gentleman is not worthy of the name because he is not alive" and "keep the Dan heart and sweat green", and pursue immortality in the world and history. Life and death are unified life processes. Death is the continuation of life. Man's material life is short, and after death, his body decays and everything in material life loses his meaning, while man's spiritual life can remain in the world for a long time and be immortalized in the course of historical development. Immortality does not lie in the gains of material life in life, but in the "although it is not wasted" in virtue, meritorious service, and words. Therefore, the human nature of Chinese saints and ordinary people is the same, "Yao Shun is the same as others", and "everyone can be Yao Shun".
Dedicated to knowledge, benevolence and righteousness, and at the same time, it is destiny. On the one hand, it is the self-seeking and self-cultivation of sincerity and righteousness, and on the other hand, it is the inevitable and natural mission to do things according to one's destiny. From the inside, it is to cultivate the mind, and from the outside, it is to make a destiny. Therefore, the Chinese also talk about "fearing the destiny of heaven" and "heavenly reason" and mentioning "heavenly reason and conscience." Wholeheartedness, knowledge and deeds are the unity of destiny, life and destiny are one, and the self-restraint of moral conscience and reverence for destiny are one.
Human nature communicates with heaven and man, and humanity and heaven are one. Humanity is based on nature, that is, in the way of heaven. Therefore, "those who are sincere are also the way of heaven, and those who are sincere are also the way of man", "if you can fulfill the nature of people, you can fulfill the nature of things, if you can fulfill the nature of things, you can praise the transformation and education of heaven and earth, and if you can praise the transformation and education of heaven and earth, you can participate in the relationship with heaven and earth". It points out the way to live in harmony with nature.
Therefore, Mencius's two ideas, "taking the reason why man is different from beasts as human nature" and "knowing heaven with all his heart, and the unity of heaven and humanity" are really important cornerstones of Confucianism. Its profound connotation and significance need to be studied in depth and creatively elaborated and developed. (Qian Xun)
Welcome to join the Rare Books Learning and Exchange Community