Self, family, country and the world

Re-discussion on "cultivate one's morality, keep the family in order, govern the country and level the world"

-Also on the rational application of China's traditional philosophy in the new era.

Author: Yang Lei

In China's traditional philosophy, I don't know if you have found that Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism introduced from abroad all have one thing in common. What is this? There is even a lack of specific description of its basic concepts. In other words, in these philosophical theories, it is difficult to find specific answers to many basic concepts. For example, the so-called "Tao" by psychologists is defined in the Tao Te Ching as "things are mixed and born naturally. Lonely and lonely, independent and unchanged, walking around without danger, can be the mother of the world. " ; How many people fully understand the meaning of this definition? There is the "golden mean" advocated by Confucianism. In the Analects of Confucius, the phrase "the gentleman is moderate, and the villain is against the mean" is only a slight mention. Can you understand what the "golden mean" means? Even the Doctrine of the Mean written by Sun Zisi only mentions "neutralization" at the beginning. Who knows the relationship between this "neutralization" and Confucius' "golden mean"? Anyway, the people of Sri Lanka are all dead, and they can say whatever they like. Then there is Buddhism. There is a saying in the Diamond Sutra that "you should live without shelter". Hearing this, the Sixth Ancestor suddenly became a saint. What did he notice from it? There is no explanation in the Six Ancestors Tanjing. I don't know if I'm afraid that if everyone knows, they can all go to the Western Heaven to crush Xanadu! (_) If not, then what makes so many philosophers and so many schools publicize their theories in such a vague way? We might as well look for the answer from China's Confucianism, which has the widest spread and the largest number of followers.

Among the followers of Confucianism, there is a popular slogan, that is, the so-called "self-cultivation, keeping the family in order, governing the country and leveling the world" can be said to be the most reasonable life path recognized by Confucian scholars. In "The University", the relationship between them is introduced as follows: "Self-cultivation and then family, family and country, country and world." This is a truly progressive life path. Just, are they that closely related? Speak with facts.

Confucius first, regardless of others. He lived to be seventy-three years old and was honored as an "old man in the country" by Lu Jun. Everyone should recognize the kung fu of self-cultivation! However, over half a year old, he travels around the world like a lost dog. Although he has a bunch of * * * *, he can't enjoy the blessings of his children and grandchildren. Can you call him a "family"? Su Wu herded sheep and did not change his mind for twenty years; Ji Kang got carried away while the iron was hot. Both of them are models for ancient gentlemen to follow, but one wife remarried, and the other died of the ridicule of the villain, leaving a weak daughter and a young son. Neither of them can "keep the family together". Don't they have enough time to practice themselves? In addition, the father and son of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty were cannibalized, Emperor Taizong killed his brother and usurped the throne, and uncle Ming became the father and took the nephew's right. These three are not "family-oriented" models, but independently created the most modern people in the feudal dynasty of China. Can't you "run the country" without "tidying up your home"? During the Three Kingdoms period, Mr. Zhuge, a scholar of Shu Xiang, was able to make a fortune, but he was not allowed to go out of Qishan for six times, and he could only end up as "a hero who failed to conquer and died". There is Sun Quan, the prince of Wu. Besides his father and brother, he first burned Cao Jun in Chibi. After Yiling defeated Shu Han, it maintained a good family business; These two men can't "rule the country", but they want to "level the world". ! As can be seen from the above, "cultivate one's morality, keep one's family in order, govern the country and level the world" has absolutely no clear progressive relationship as mentioned in "University"; Of course, these four things are not completely unrelated. We might as well compare them to four directions on the road of life.

In ancient China, due to the limitation of science and technology, they were so confused about the world in their own eyes that they always felt that their surroundings were full of uncertain factors, and the concept of ghosts and gods was the direct embodiment of this idea. However, the increasing progress of science and technology has gradually eliminated these uncertainties. The simplest example-the success of Apollo landing on the moon, the myth of the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon was shattered. In the field of our traditional philosophy, there is also a myth that "sovereign power is given by heaven." Of course, under the objective conditions at that time, such political thought was also the only reasonable choice at that time. However, in modern society, those ancient factors have undergone fundamental changes, especially in the humanities field. Our country has generally implemented nine-year compulsory education, and the people's mental outlook has undergone fundamental changes. Now the common people are no longer the "ignorant" in the mouth of the feudal rulers at that time. Therefore, our government also conforms to the needs of this change in objective conditions and vigorously promotes the western democratic system. In the western democratic system, there is a crucial link-the separation of powers. Among them, the rational division of power is fundamentally contradictory to the concept of "divine right of monarchy" inherent in our national consciousness. Because in the traditional culture of China people, there has never been any theory related to the "separation of powers" system. On the contrary, under the condition of absolute monarchy, there are many discussions on how to protect their own interests. Faced with such objective conditions, China has formed a very strange situation: on the one hand, the government, as the political superstructure of the country, has continuously promulgated relevant laws and regulations to promote "democratization"; On the other hand, the masses, as the political foundation of the country, adhered to the idea of "foolish loyalty" under the dictatorship of the old feudal monarch and let some extremists and corrupt officials in the government go unchecked. Even if their legitimate rights and interests are trampled on unreasonably, they will give up their due rights with the idea of forbearance. This has directly led to the situation of "laws to follow, laws not to be obeyed" in China, and the laissez-faire of power organs has also led to the situation of "lax law enforcement and impunity" flooding in China. Faced with this fact, if we want to change it, we need the joint efforts of all Chinese sons and daughters who are interested in the cause of Chinese rejuvenation, not only to support the implementation of the laws of the central government, but also to vigorously transform the inherent concepts of the Chinese people. Faced with such an objective contradiction, it is extremely necessary to transform our traditional philosophy of China with the modern scientific spirit of the West.

As I said before, there is no objective progressive relationship between "self-cultivation, keeping the family in order, governing the country and leveling the world". From the perspective of western science, they are four relatively independent levels in the humanities. In other words, they are four choices for our personal development. Take "self-cultivation" as an example, the only sentence closest to it in The Analects is this: Lutz asked the gentleman. Confucius said, "Cultivate one's morality and keep one's family in order." Say, "That's it?" He said, "Cultivate yourself to help others." Say, "That's it?" He said, "Cultivate yourself to protect the people. Cultivate yourself to protect the people and make them sick! " In "University", it is also derived from "cultivating one's morality and respecting Tao". "The so-called cultivation is in the right heart, and it is wrong to be angry; If you are afraid, you may be wrong; What is fun can't be right; If you are worried, you may be wrong. Absent-minded, blind, deaf, eat without knowing its taste. This is called self-cultivation. " Comparing the two, it is not difficult to find that self-cultivation in Confucius' thought has dual connotations. One is to oneself, the so-called "cultivation and respect." Through a kind of physical and mental exercise, I can have a foundation to learn the thoughts and theories of the sages, and then become a "gentleman". In this sense, the explanation of "university" is correct. The other one is for people. "cultivate one's morality and cultivate one's nature, be calm and calm", how should one cultivate one's body and mind? "Safety" makes people around you feel safe from themselves (_) and see a kind of hope. What hope? Confucius further deduced that "self-cultivation is to protect the people" and cited "Yao Shun" as an example. Connecting with Confucius' life activities and his ideological theory, it is not difficult to infer that Confucius' "self-cultivation" is self-cultivation with the ultimate goal of "leveling the world", rather than simply self-cultivation. However, due to the neglect in "The University" and the deliberate misinterpretation of corrupt scholars in later generations, "self-cultivation" is understood as the ultimate in physical and mental health, and it finally falls into a dead end that can be regarded as the dream of all mankind. Undoubtedly, this kind of thought is contrary to the original meaning of Confucius' Confucianism, which makes many so-called Confucian disciples in later generations accept the theories of other religions ideologically. For example, in China's traditional philosophy, the best way to cultivate one's self-cultivation should be the Indian Buddhist philosophy. In China's historical records, a considerable number of believers became physical relics (that is, the bodies were not bad after death). For example, in the rural town where the author lives, there are three legendary physical relics; The most famous is the Six Jin Zu Body, which lasted for thousands of years without decay, which is a miracle of mankind. However, although Buddhist philosophy is very successful in self-cultivation, as its followers, becoming a monk is necessary. Therefore, "maintaining family unity" is impossible; In terms of "governing the country", it is a mess, and its decline in India is the best illustration. Taoism, which was born and raised in China, also has canon similar to Buddhism. Because of this, in the Song and Ming Dynasties, although many scholars accepted the doctrines of Buddhism, Taoism and other religions, they never let go of their status as Confucian scholars. What Huang Wan said in Ming Dynasty is worth pondering. He said: "The study of Confucianism in the Song Dynasty was initiated by Zen. Lianxi, Ming Dow, Hengqu and Xiangshan are excellent; Yichuan and Huian are all due to the ride. " Huang Baijia even talked about Zhou Dunyi's meditation with the monk Shouya of Helin Temple and the general Chang Cong of Lindong. Zhou Dunyi also tried to call himself a "poor country teacher", which is in the quotations of Cheng Er and his * * * * You Dingfu. And Zhu. According to his own account, by the age of forty-three, he still has not got rid of the characteristic of relying on Buddhism at any time. He is also very familiar with Taoist philosophy, and often digests and absorbs it, which becomes the expressive force of his own thoughts. For example, he annotated the Taoist classics "Shentongqi" and "Yin Fujing". Under the influence of these religious thoughts and the promotion of these Confucian leaders at that time, the religiousization of Confucianism was inevitable. But is the religious tendency of this rigid thought the original intention of Confucius and other pre-Qin philosophers? I hope you think twice.

Besides, China people have always attached great importance to their families, and there is a saying that "everything goes well at home". Confucianism, which advocates "the way of keeping the family in order", naturally becomes the most popular school of philosophy in China. Confucius made a lot of remarks in The Analects, such as that parents don't travel far, and their relatives mourn for three years after their death, and filial piety is the fundamental expression of "benevolence"; When these remarks reached Mencius, he further put forward the "theory of good nature", and Mencius put forward many arguments to support the theory of good nature. One saying is: "Everyone has a heart that can't bear others. ...... At first glance, people nowadays have a hidden heart. ..... From the point of view, there is no hidden heart and inhumanity; No shame, no humanity; It is inhuman to have no resignation; A heart without right and wrong is inhuman. Hide the heart, the end of benevolence; The heart of shame and evil, the end of righteousness; The words of the heart are the end of the ceremony; The heart of right and wrong is also the end of wisdom. Man has four ends, but he still has four bodies. ..... Who has four ends in me, all knowledge is expanded and filled. If the fire starts, spring will begin. If you can fill it in, it is enough to protect the four seas; If you don't fill it in, it's not enough for your parents. " However, although Mencius and later Confucian scholars realized this, China may have too many people. They can't influence the past one by one-at least in Confucius' experience, it has been shown that this kind of effort is just a stupid move to "know what to do." Therefore, many people choose to settle for the second best and only carry out this theory at home. Under the nourishment of these theories, China's family power is unprecedentedly strong; Even today, we can experience it for ourselves. In the vast rural areas of China, many villagers have only one or a few two or three surnames; And according to the genealogy, villagers with the same surname can often find the same ancestor. As far as the author is concerned, the ancestors of more than 20,000 people have only seven brothers. With the support of Confucianism, such as "the theory of good nature", China's family has an unprecedented cohesion. Under the protection of the family, people's rights and interests are strongly guaranteed; Even in the face of changing war situations, they have considerable self-protection ability. Therefore, in the field of "Qijia", Confucianism of Confucius and Mencius is successful. However, when the family forces intervene in the field of "governing the country", the disadvantages appear. Because a few families have mastered the dominant political power in China, many capable people have been excluded from the power center of the state governing organs. For example, there was a saying in the Jin Dynasty that "there is no poverty in the top grade and no gentry in the bottom grade". A direct consequence of occupying the ruling power center of the country for a long time is the corruption of family members, but for the benefit of the family, the ruling class stubbornly maintains its existing power and restricts those talented so-called "cloth-clad" talents from entering the power center, so that the control ability of the ruling center of the country on the mass base below is naturally weakened. Since the demise of the Eastern Han Dynasty, China has been divided for a long time, mainly because it can't handle the contradiction between family interests and "governing the country". It can also be seen that over-emphasis on "managing the family properly" does more harm than good to "governing the country"!

As far as Confucius' original intention is concerned, "leveling the world" should be the highest goal of Confucianism. In fact, as far as China's traditional "a hundred schools of thought contend" is concerned, all theories related to the political field are aimed at achieving this goal. As the only way to achieve this goal, it is to "govern the country". Although Confucius of Confucianism put forward this goal most clearly, his idea was too weak and lacked the necessary courage to cut the gordian knot in the changing situation. So the result of his hard training all his life ended in failure. After all, "self-cultivation, keeping the family in order, governing the country and leveling the world" cannot be lost. Why not ask him to do things with one hand tied behind his back? ! Later, Mo Zhai, once a Confucian, put forward his own views. He is a soldier, good at many fighting skills, and very sympathetic to those who suffer great pain because of the melee between countries. So he can't accept the complicated Confucianism mixed with many compromises, but simply unite many like-minded people to work together to achieve world peace. But because of this, his academic thought lacks foresight and cannot effectively use his own strength. Although it had a great influence on the society at that time, Mohist thought gradually deteriorated because a large number of his key members were consumed by unnecessary struggles. Since the Qin dynasty, the word Mohism has disappeared forever in the long river of history. After Mozi, only two Confucian scholars-Mencius and Xunzi-really devoted themselves to the theory of "governing the country".

Mencius, after the Song Dynasty in China, was second only to Confucius. However, in his society at that time, he did not have such an honor. He once defected to Liang of Wei, and later became a guest in Qi. Objectively speaking, these two kings were not incompetent during the Warring States period. Both Wei and Qi under their rule ushered in the most powerful period of the Warring States period. But unfortunately, Mencius and these two wise kings did not get along so well. Although Mencius tried his best to promote his thought of "governing the country", it can be said that it didn't play any role. Why is this happening? It is not difficult for people who have read Mencius to find that in Mencius' theory, there is such a logical thought: to govern the world, we must implement benevolent government; To implement benevolent government, we must rely on the king's conscience to discover (to the effect); It is Mencius' responsibility to let the king discover his conscience. It is not difficult to understand that Mencius defined himself as a prophet, that is, he regarded himself as a spokesman for truth. How can he prove his identity? The only thing that can be used is the reincarnation of Confucius' grandson, the so-called orthodox descendant of Confucianism. I can't figure out how convincing this incomprehensible Confucian orthodoxy is now. Just as Tang Jide challenged the windmill, Mencius' failure is not difficult to understand. Moreover, the biggest weakness of his theory is that the reform that Mencius expected has a strong idealism color; In other words, his reform only exists in his mind. Without a basic plan of action, all practical efforts can only rely on the king's consciousness.

Xunzi, a master of Confucianism in the Warring States period, was also the last scholar in the Warring States period. According to historical records, he lived in 3 13 BC-238 years before. During this period, all countries have experienced more than 100 years of development, and the situation has become increasingly clear, and various theories have fully demonstrated their advantages and disadvantages. Under such objective conditions, Xunzi integrated the strengths of various schools, making it possible for the old Confucian ideas to be properly developed and perfected. He spent a long time in Jixia Academy, the most famous academic center at that time, and later went to Chu as the Lanling Order, which greatly enriched his academic thoughts. The achievements of his two students, Li Si and Han Fei, prove the value of his theory from one side. The theoretical source of Li Si's assistance to Qin Shihuang in unifying the world was largely introduced from Xunzi's thought. However, Han Fei objectively made a summary evaluation of hundred schools of thought in the Warring States Period in his book Han Feizi, and there was no criticism of Xunzi. On the one hand, out of respect for teachers, on the other hand, there is really no big loophole. However, because Xunzi's theory has a strong grasp of the overall situation objectively and the theoretical system is quite strict logically, his followers generally exist as doers; Therefore, in the academic field, his theory has little influence, but it still does not damage his position as the most outstanding Confucian scholar after Confucius and Mencius. In the Han Dynasty, these three men were collectively called "Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi". However, since the Tang Dynasty, due to the development of Neo-Confucianism, the status of Confucius and Mencius has been promoted to an unprecedented height. As the representative of China's objective materialism, Xunzi was criticized by a group of idealist scholars headed by Han Yu, and was excluded from the mainstream of China thought. It was from this period that China's feudal dynasty ended its golden age in China and began to decline.

The author was born in the early stage of China's reform and opening up, and grew up with the new China. In my experiences with my peers around me, I fully felt the changes in China during the reform and opening up period. I am proud of the time when I was born, but I am ashamed of a series of unreasonable phenomena in the process of reform and opening up. Therefore, how to restrain the existing unreasonable phenomenon and its spread in China to the greatest extent has become my personal goal. At present, China is trying to transform into a country ruled by law. However, in this transitional period, due to the lack of corresponding mainstream ideology, this reform lacks a strong driving force. The broad masses of the people stubbornly maintain old ideas and concepts and do not make progress; However, many vested interests in China stick to their existing interests and resist the progress of reform. Faced with such an objective fact, many people of insight in China feel that since there are many internal contradictions in China, why not change the external environment? On this premise, it is expected that China will accelerate its accession to the WTO. However, it is not enough to change the external environment. Our people should rethink our original ideas. As the saying goes, "Heaven is powerful, and a gentleman strives for self-improvement", and any plan that stands still is not worth advocating. Moreover, China's Confucianism has been circulating for more than 2,500 years, so it's time for a comprehensive reflection. The author would like to take this article as the beginning of my efforts, and I also hope that all friends with this ambition will give me advice and do their part for the country.