Pre-Chin Confucianism II

1. Pre-Chin Confucianism II 27.06.2006

2. Outline • …Important Ideas in Confucius’ Analects • 3. Li/ Ritual Proriety • 4. Junzi • Confucius’ Teaching Method

3. 3. Li禮 in the Zhou Dynasty • In early Zhou Dynasty (East Zhou), people followed the system of li, which was proposed by the Duke of Zhou. • Li, from its earliest meaning as those sacrifices whereby the ruler established a relationship with deity, has always had a strong relational import.

4. 3. Li禮 in the Zhou Dynasty • Ritual action/Li establishes, conditions and bonds relationships at every level of human experience, from one’s own introspective dialogue to the broadest social and political practices. • Similarly, the physical form is a means for the concrete particular’s engaging, taking form, and contributing to its environments.

5. 3. Li禮 in the Zhou Dynasty • Ritual actions are certainly not perceived as divinely established norms. • If they have normative force, it is because they have been generated out of the human situation, and render informed access to it. • They are patterns of behavior initiated and transmitted in order to refine and enhance life in a community. • Zhouli is a traditional body of rituals created by human beings, instead of an everlasting “Truth.”

6. 3. Li禮 in Confucius’ Time • In Confucius’ time, li was greatly neglected by the upper class and the common people. • Confucius said, “How I have gone downhill! It has been such a long time since I dreamt of the Duke of Zhou” (A 7.5). -Confucius looked back with longing to the harmonious period (that is, the early Zhou dynasty) when the system of ritual propriety (zhouli 周禮) was widely accepted. -He hoped to restore the system of li, so that the state would be in order.

7. 3. Li禮 in the Analects • Appears 75 times in the Analects • Confucius revitalizes the zhouli /rites of the Zhou Dyansty, a system of ritual propriety, with new elements (such as ren仁, becoming a junzi, yi義 and xin信). • Confucius’s method of learning from the accumulated wisdom of the past can be illustrated from (A 2.11): “Reviewing the old as a means of getting to know the new—such a person can be worthy of being a teacher.”

8. 3.Confucius’ Modification on Zhouli • Although Confucius declares that he wants to restore Zhouli, he proposes a new dimension. • What Confucius actually proposes is the revitalization of the old system of the li, and his greatest contribution to the revitalization of the zhouli is his advocacy of relating the li to notions of value such as ren 仁, yi 義 or de 德.

9. 3.Confucius’ Modification on Zhouli • According to Confucius, those who merely learn from others (xue ) without thinking or reflecting will be bewildered and those who think without learning from others will be imperiled (A 2.15). • In other words, learning and reflecting are mutually enhancing for Confucius. • His method is re-consideration, re-appropriation and re-examination of the old as a means to creation of the new.

10. 3. Li禮 in the Analects • (A 1.12) Yozi said, “Of the things brought about by the rites (li), harmony is the most valuable. Of the ways of the Former Kings, this is the most beautiful, and is followed alike in matters great and small, yet this will not always work: to aim always at harmony without regulating it by the rites (li) simply because one knows only about harmony will not, in fact, work.” ---Li is the valuable heritage of the past generations.

11. 3. Li 禮 in the Analects • (A 1.13) Yozi said, “To be trustworthy in word is close to being yi that it enables one’s words to be repeated. To be respectful is close to being observant of the rites (li) in that it enables one to stay clear of disgrace and insult…” -the content of yi and li are presented in this passage

12. 3. Li 禮 in the Analects • (A 2.5) Meng yizi asked about being filial… The Master said, “When your parents are alive, comply with the rites (li) in serving them; when they die, comply with the rites (li) in burying them and in offering sacrifices to them.” -To serve one’s parents according to li

13. Li in the Analects • (A 3.19) Duke Ting asked, “How should the ruler employ the services of his subjects? And how should a subject serve his ruler?” Confucius answered, “The ruler should employ the services of his subjects in accordance with the rites (li). A subject should serve his ruler by doing his utmost.” • Seniors should treat their juniors according to li

14. Is li rigid/ flexible in Early Zhou Dynasty? • In early Zhou Dynasty, li was a rigid system. The book of Li/Liji clearly states how one should act and perform in various situations. • One is expected to exactly follow the rules in that book.

15. Is li rigid/ flexible after Confucius’ modification? (A 3.17) Zikong [a disciple of Confucius] wanted to do away with the sacrificial sheep at the announcement of the new moon. The Master said, “Zu, you are loath to part with the price of the sheep, but I am loath to see the disappearance of the rite (li).” -Here, the emphasis is to keep the external rituals in sacrificial ceremony.

16. Is li rigid/ flexible after Confucius’ modification? • (A 3.3) The Master said, “What can a man do with the rites (li) who is not ren? What can man do with music who is not ren?” -Here, even if you perform all the external forms of li, yet you are not acting according to your heart-and-mind, then it is not good enough. -For Confucius, external form and internal content cannot be separated.

17. Is li rigid/ flexible after Confucius’ modification? • (A 3.4) Lifong asked about the basis of the rites (li). The Master said, “A noble question indeed! With li, it is better to err on the side of frugality than on the side of extravagance; in mourning, it is better to err on the side of grief than on the side of indifference.” -Here, emotions/feelings are more important than external forms/rituals.

18. Is li rigid/ flexible after Confucius’ modification? • (A 9.3) The Master said, “A ceremonial cap of linen is what is prescribed by the rites (li). Today black silk is used instead. This is more frugal and I follow the majority. To prostate oneself before ascending the steps is what is prescribed by the li. Today one does so after having ascended them. This is casual and, through going against the majority, I follow the practice of doing so before ascending.” - Whether one should strictly follow the external form of certain rituals, depends on the situation.

19. A Synthesis of the Confucian Ren and Li • Knowing that the zhouli has ceased to function in his time, Confucius introduces the idea of ren, which greatly influences Chinese civilization for the next 2000 years. • After Confucius’ reformation, traditional zhouli (a body of “rites and customs”) is enriched by the idea of ren, an attitude towards life. The actual practices of li, then become flexible and can be adapted to concrete situations.

20. A Synthesis of the Confucian Ren and Li • The existing edition of Liji is re-edited by Confucius. • Chapter 7 consists of conversations between Zengzi and Confucius– where Confucius is asked about modifications of li in exceptional cases. • Confucius clearly expresses the underlying rationale of certain aspects of li, showing that ceremonial details of li can be adjusted to accommodate different purposes.

21. A Synthesis of the Confucian Ren and Li • After Confucius, Li is no longer strict recipe-following: like a chef, one is allowed to modify dishes to accommodate whatever ingredients are local and fresh.

22. 4. Junzi • For Confucius, there is no single “ideal” character, rather, there are many. • The highest or the most estimable is the sage (shengren 聖人). • This character is so high that it is hardly ever realized. • Confucius claims neither to be a sage himself nor to have seen such a person. • (A 7.34) He says, “How dare I claim to be a sage or a renzhe 仁者?”

23. 4. Junzi • (A 7.26) He says, “I have no hopes of meeting a sage.” • The only time he points to the kind of person that would be named as a sage is when Zigong asks him, “If there were one who gave extensively to the common people and brought help to e multitude, what would you think of him [or her]? Could he [or she] be called ren ?” Confucius’s answer is as follows, “It is no longer a matter of ren with such a person. If you must describe such a person, ‘sage’ is, perhaps, the right word” (A 6.30).

24. 4. Junzi • (A 7.26) He says, “I have no hopes of meeting a sage.” • The only time he points to the kind of person that would be named as a sage is when Zigong asks him, “If there were one who gave extensively to the common people and brought help to e multitude, what would you think of him [or her]? Could he [or she] be called ren ?” Confucius’s answer is as follows, “It is no longer a matter of ren with such a person. If you must describe such a person, ‘sage’ is, perhaps, the right word” (A 6.30).

25. 4. Junzi • Lower down the scale there are the good person (shanren 善人) and the complete person (chengren 成人). • The model character for Confucius is the junzi, who is discussed in more than eighty passages in the Analects.

26. 4. Junzi • The junzi and the petty person (xiaoren 小人) are correlative and contrasted terms. • Traditionally, the former refers to people in authority while the latter refers to those who are ruled. • In the Analects, however, junzi and xiaoren are terms more commonly used to refer to personal achievements in self-cultivation. • The junzi is the one with a cultivated character, while the xiaoren is the opposite.

27. 4.How to Become a Junzi ? • A person becomes a junzi only after a great deal of hard work or self-cultivation. • In order to have a full understanding of the character of the junzi, we have to refer back to the most important Confucian quality, ren , that the junzi is supposed to possess.

28. 4.How to Become a Junzi ? • Ren is the quality a junzi must possess: • (A 4.5). “If junzi forsake ren, wherein can they make a name for themselves? Junzi never desert ren, not even for as long as it takes to eat a meal. If they hurry and stumble one may be sure that it is in ren that they do so.” • In some passages, “the junzi” and “the renzhe ” are almost interchangeable terms. • For instance, “the junzi is free from worries and fears” (A 12.4), whereas “the renzhe does not have worries (A 9.29, 14.28).

29. 4.How to Become a Junzi ? • Confucius is once asked about the junzi and he enumerates a number of tasks for the junzi (A 14.42). • First, the junzi must cultivate himself (or herself) and thereby achieve reverence. This is a task focusing on the cultivation of one’s character. • Second, the junzi cultivates himself (or herself) and thereby brings peace and security to one’s fellows.

30. 4. How to Become a Junzi ? • The highest task of the junzi is to cultivate himself (or herself) and thereby bring peace and security to the people. • However, if there is one who gives extensively to the common people and brings help to the multitude, then he (or she) is more than a junzi. According to Confucius, if we must describe him (or her), “sage” is, perhaps, the right word (A 6.30).

31. 4.How to Become a Junzi ? • Zengzi, a disciple of Confucius, gives us more information on the relation between the junzi and becoming ren. • (A 8.7) “The junzi must be strong and resolute, for such a burden is heavy and the road is long. They take ren as their burden. Is that not heavy? Only with death does the road come to an end. Is that not long?” • Becoming the junzi and becoming ren have to be taken as a life-time project. • If we understand becoming the junzi as a kind of final destination or accomplishment, then we are taking the wrong approach.

32. 4. How to Become a Junzi ? • There is no terminus in becoming the Confucian junzi (or the renzhe). • It is not a path of study that culminates in particular recognition, like a degree from a university. • When we complete the coursework and pass the examinations, we may become the holder of a degree that is recognized for the rest of one’s life.

33. 4. How to Become a Junzi ? • The Confucian junzi cannot find any status in the winning of awards or the formal recognition of achievements. • Their dedication is not tied to external signs of accomplishment, or to accomplishment at all. • Instead, it is by virtue of their attentive engagement with life in all its aspects and flavors that the junzi can have these attitudes towards life. • The process of human becoming is like the practice of inhaling the scents of the day. Only death can draw the line at the end.

34. 4. Junzi 君子 in the Analects • (A 1.14) The Master said, “The junzi seeks neither a full belly nor a comfortable home. He is quick in action but cautious in speech.* He goes to man possessed of Dao to have himself put right. Such a man can be described as eager to learn.” -The above describes the everyday life of Han Yui and Confucius - (A 7.31) The Master said, “The junzi is no vessel.” -He is no specialist, as every vessel is designed for a specific purpose.

35. Junzi君子 in the Analects • (A 15.22) The Master said, “The junzi is conscious of his own superiority without being contentious, and comes together with other junzi without forming cliques.” • (A 15.19) The Master said, “The junzi is troubled by his own lack of ability, not by the failure of others to appreciate him”

36. Junzi君子 in the Analects • (A 15.18) The Master said, “The junzi has yi as his basic stuff and by observing the rites(li) puts it into practice, by being modest gives its expression, and by being trustworthy (xin) in words brings it to completion. Such is a junzi indeed!” • -A junzi possesses Confucian virtues and act according to li.

37. Junzi君子 in the Analects • (A 15.21) The Master said, “What the junzi seeks, he seeks within himself; what the small man seeks, he seeks in others.” - A junzi works for himself, a petty person works to impress others. • (A 15.34) The Master said, “The junzi cannot be valued on the strength of small matters but can be given great responsibilities. A small man cannot be given great responsibilities but can be valued on the strength of small matters.”

38. Junzi君子 in the Analects • (A 7.37) The Master said, “The junzi is easy of mind, while the small man is ever full of anxiety.” -A junzi has no worries and is always peaceful. • (A 12.24) Tsangzi said, “A junzi makes friends through being cultivated, but looks to friends for support in ren.” - A junzi makes friends with similar people.

39. A Synthesis of Junzi and Ren • (A 4.5) The Master said, “Wealth and high position are what men desire, but unless I got them in the right way I would not abide in them. Poverty and low station are what men dislike, but if I got them in the right way I would not try to take myself away from them. “If a junzi forsakes ren, wherein can he make a name for himself? The junzi never deserts ren, not even for as long as it takes to eat a meal. If he hurries and stumbles one may be sure that it is in ren that he does so.”

40. Examples of a Junzi: Ancient Kings • (A 8.21) The Master said, “With Yu I can find no fault. He ate and drank the meanest fare while ,asking offerings to ancestral spirits and gods with the utmost devotion proper to a descendant. He wore coarse clothes while sparing no effort to enhance the splendor of his robes and caps on sacrificial occasions. He lived in lowly dwellings while devoting all his energy to the building of irrigation canals. With Yu I can find no fault.”

41. Confucius’sTeaching Method: • He teaches his disciples according to their strengths and weaknesses. • Even if he was asked the same question by various disciples, he could give different answers.

42. Confucius’sTeaching Method: • (A 11.22) Zilu asked, “Should one immediately put into practice what one has heard?” The Master said, “As your father and elder brothers are still alive, you are hardly in a position immediately to put into practice what you have heard.” Janyu asked, “Should one immediately put into practice what one has heard?” The Master said, “Yes. One should.”… -Same question but different answers to various disciples, because different persons have different weaknesses.

43. Confucius’sTeaching Method: • 11.22 …Konghsihwa said, “When Yu asked whether one should immediate put into practice what one had heard, you pointed out that his father and elder brothers were alive. Yet when Chiu asked whether one should immediately put into practice what one had heard, you answered that one should. I am puzzled. May I be enlightened?”

44. Confucius’sTeaching Method: • 11.22 …The Master said, “Chiu holds himself back. It is for this reason that I tried to urge him on. Yu has the drive of two men. It is for this reason that I tried to hold him back.”

45. Confucius’sTeaching Method: • 11.22 …The Master said, “Chiu holds himself back. It is for this reason that I tried to urge him on. Yu has the drive of two men. It is for this reason that I tried to hold him back.”

46. Confucius’sTeaching Method: • Various answers on filial. • (A 2.6) Mengwupo asked about being filial. The Master said, “Give your father and mother no cause for anxiety other than illness.” • (A 2.7) Ziyu asked about being filial. The Master said, “Nowadays for a man to be filial means no more than that he is able to provide his parents with food. Even hounds and horses are, in some way, provided with food. If a man shows no reverence, where is the difference?”

47. Confucius’sTeaching Method: • (A 2.8) Zihsia asked about being filial. The Master said, “What is difficult to manage is the expression on one’s face. As for the young taking on the burden when there is work to be done or letting the old enjoy the wine and the food when these are available, that hardly deserves to be called filial.”