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Reading Mencius (Day One)

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Reading Mencius (Day One) Reading Mencius (Day One) A note on the revival of Confucianism in China, particularly, in the past two decades The rise and fall of Confucianism as a state philosophy in China As a part of a movement of cultural revival that takes new interest in discussion and assessment of Chinese cultural heritage in a new global context China's global ascendance in the past three decades China's domestic problems due to its rapid economic development A brief description of the Confucian model Founded by Confucius, this school of thought is called “ru jia” (roo gia) in China. Confucianism puts human beings at the center stage with the firm belief that human beings are solely responsible for creating a good society (Note: there is little reference to gods' role in this endeavor). In order to fulfill this goal, individuals, especially the ruling class, must first learn, cultivate, and practice virtues such as benevolence, rightness, the observance of rites, wisdom, and trust. In this sense, the former sage kings in the past are the good role models for people to follow. The Confucian idealism envisions a hierarchical society ruled by a benevolent government, in which people of different classes are bound together harmoniously by due respect and reciprocity. Each individual performs his/her duties diligently as a share of social responsibility according to his/her social position, so that social order and stability can be ensured. The ethics of benevolence should be practiced first at home through filial piety and then spread to society as a whole. A brief historical background Mencius (372-289 BC) is widely regarded as the second most important scholar (after Confucius) in the school of Confucian thought in Chinese history. His name is Meng Ke and is called Meng Tzu in China. The Book of Mencius was established as one of the most important classics in the Confucian canon since the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279). Mencius lived in a historical period called the Warring States (roughly 475-221 BC). This period, as the name suggests, was characterized by constant war fares that caused enormous devastation and loss of lives throughout the land. In the previous period, “the Spring and Autumn” (approximately 771-476 BC), which gave birth to two most revered Chinese philosophers, Lao Tzu and Confucius, it saw the beginning of this long struggle among different states vying for dominance and supremacy as the Western Zhou dynasty declined. Imagine that there once existed over a hundred states, but by the time of the Warring States, there were only seven major states left that were strong enough to contend for hegemony. Several hundred years of continuous wars had brought such chaos, that indeed, “things fall apart,/the center cannot hold.” It was during this critical historical moment when many schools of thought emerged and competed fiercely to spread their teachings and influence. Thinkers and scholars of different schools sought or were sought to become advisers/counselors of a king/duke. Among a hundred different schools of thought, the four most prominent were Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism, and Legalism, each advocating a different approach to bring about peace and order. Mencius, of course, was one of the most outstanding representatives of Confucianism during his life time. His teaching in the Book of Mencius not only responded to the crisis of his time, but it also responded to different views represented by many other schools of thought regarding the crisis. It is important to note that all these four aforementioned schools of thought tried to address the causes of this crisis they were faced with. They agreed more or less that the ultimate solution to the chaos was unification. However, they differed greatly from one another in their approaches to this end. Moreover, all their theories and proposed policies also reflected their interpretations of history, as well as their understandings of human nature. Mohism, developed by Mozi or Mo Tzu (470-391 BC), advocated “impartial” or “universal” love as a way to address the fundamental issues of the time. His belief was that if we all loved others the same way in which we loved our parents and children, there would be no wars. Thus, peace and order would be restored. Mozi openly challenged the Confucian model that saw bringing benevolence from the family to the state and beyond as the Way. In his view, humans by nature were selfish. Therefore, to love one's family first was precisely what had caused many of the social problems. Moreover, while promoting impartial love, Mohists were not pacifists. Rather, they were often highly trained brave warriors and engineers who would actively assist small states in defense against the invasion of a powerful state. Taoism advocated an approach of following the example of nature (be natural, “ziran,” and live in the flow of the cosmic force because there exists in nature an order, like the cycle of four seasons) and practicing non-action or no forced action (“wuwei”). It promoted the idea of returning to an early “golden” stage of human society that was characterized by small government and simple people. For Taoist thinkers, the problems were all caused by human desires to be great, rich, and powerful. In their opinions, moral teachings as promoted by Confucianism would only cause more troubles than solve them. They believed that when left alone, people knew how to take care of themselves. As a result, if everyone knew how to take care of him/herself, then the world would return to peace and order. While Confucianism, Mohism, and Taoism all seemed retrospective and found inspirations in the examples of the sage kings or in a distant golden age, Legalism was a school of thought that was more forward looking and believed in establishing and maintaining social order and stability by clearly defined harsh laws. For example, Shang Yang (390-338 BC), a Legalist scholar, contemporary of Mencius, reformed the state of Ch'in (Qin) through harsh laws and turned Ch'in from a relatively weak state into one of the strongest in 18 years. He advocated that everyone should be treated equally in front of the law. When the crown prince committed a crime, he punished him by cutting off his nose. For that he made many enemies in the court and eventually died a most gruesome death. To some Legalists, moral teachings such as Confucianism would never work to strengthen a state's economic, military, and political power in the struggle for survival and dominance because they were merely empty words. Some of Mencius' contributions to the development of Confucianism 1. The theory of benevolent government or the Kingly way as the only correct way to rule because it relies on the transforming influence of morality by winning people's hearts and minds (as opposed to the hegemonic way that relies on coercive power). 2. This benevolent government has to be founded on a new interpretation of the mandate of heaven: it is the people who are the roots/foundation of the empire—hence the true mandate of heaven. In terms of importance, people come first, society next, and then the king. “The business of the people must be attended to without delay” (97). Any ruler who abuses his power and causes people's sufferings will lose the mandate of heaven and can be overthrown. 3. Human nature is good. People are born to have the potentials that can be developed into the four hearts: the heart of compassion leads to benevolence; the heart of shame to duties; the heart of courtesy and modesty to observance of rites, and the heart of right and wrong to duties. This is why the rule of benevolence will work because it responds to and inspires what is deep inside every one of us. It also suggests we can improve ourselves and achieve greatness. “The Sage, too, is the same in kind as other men” (80). 4. Sustainable economic policy and moral education should work side by side to achieve social harmony. The relationship between the two is important. Mencius understands that the social stability builds upon a sustainable economy that provides the people with basic needs, but it is not enough. To maintain social order and stability, moral education must play an important role in teaching the people ethics that promotes a harmonious social relationship. 5. Personal cultivation: to strengthen oneself spiritually, morally, psychologically, and intellectually through constant self-reflection, self-learning, self-criticism, and self- improvement. As Mencius said, “I am good at cultivating my flood-like ch'i” (77). 6. The division of labor: Those who use their minds rule and those who use their muscles are to be ruled (101). This theory reflects Mencius' understanding that a complex society must have labor division. Mencius was, no doubt, the most influential Confucian scholar at the time. However, we know very little about his biography except for his childhood and his influential mother. Much of our impression of him as a person and scholar comes from the Book of Mencius. From Mencius, we get a sense of him as a just and wise person, a lucid and profound thinker, and a confident and persuasive speaker, whom kings, dukes, scholars and students eagerly sought out for advice on politics, governance, filial piety, self-cultivation, and a wide range of other issues. The book is written in a style of conversational dialogue. Each chapter in the Chinese version of the book is entitled by the name of the person Mencius spoke with in the first section; for example, Book 1is entitled as “King Hui of Liang.” Although there is no direct indicator of a central theme at the beginning of each chapter, all the sections in each chapter do have some a focal point.
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