Some discussions and differences between Confucius and Mencius about gentleman's cultivation!

The Confucian ethical culture in China attaches great importance to personal moral cultivation, and regards it as the basis of managing the family, governing the country and leveling the world. Confucius and Mencius are pioneers of Confucian culture, and they have rich and incisive moral cultivation thoughts. Confucius and Mencius have the same cognitive characteristics and inheritance in how to shape their own character through moral cultivation, and at the same time have their own ideological characteristics. A comparative study of them, digging and developing their ideological essence and theoretical essence will undoubtedly be of great benefit to us today.

The word "cultivate one's morality" originally meant "cultivate one's morality". Mencius with all his heart said: "It is natural to guard his heart and nurture his nature. Life is long, and self-cultivation is a must, so I made up my mind. " In Song Dynasty, Cheng Yi later combined "self-cultivation" with "cultivation" and put forward the concept of "cultivation". Its main meaning refers to a person's practical activities of consciously learning, tempering, cultivating and improving in terms of ideology, morality, knowledge and skills, and the degree and realm that he finally reaches through his unremitting efforts. Therefore, cultivation involves all aspects of social life, such as ideological cultivation, cultural cultivation, artistic cultivation, theoretical cultivation, technical cultivation and so on. Moral cultivation mainly refers to the behavior of social individuals in self-training, self-transformation, self-improvement and self-improvement in personal moral consciousness and behavior, and the corresponding moral sentiment and moral realm achieved through such efforts. The Confucian ethical culture in China attaches great importance to personal moral cultivation, and regards it as the basis of managing the family, governing the country and leveling the world. Confucius and Mencius are pioneers of Confucian culture, and they have rich and incisive moral cultivation thoughts. In terms of how to shape self-character through moral cultivation, Confucius and Mencius have the same sex, inheritance and their own ideological characteristics in cognition.

First, Confucius' moral cultivation thought.

The purpose of a person's moral cultivation is to cultivate his noble moral personality. Confucius believes that the ideal personality realm is "sage", followed by "gentleman". In Confucius' view, only a saint like Yao Shun can be regarded as a saint, and it is difficult for ordinary people to reach the realm of saints. Therefore, in the process of pursuing individual moral personality, Confucius fully realized that it is unrealistic to ask everyone to be a saint. Therefore, Confucius pointed out from the perspective of realistic possibility: "I can't see a saint; If you can see a gentleman, you can do it. " It can be seen that Confucius is very pragmatic in the pursuit of ideal personality, and thinks that "a saint can't ask for a gentleman", and it is ok if a person can reach the realm of a gentleman. So, what is the realm of saints? What is the difference between it and the realm of a gentleman? Confucius believes that the key to a saint being a saint is that he can achieve the unity of "virtue", "merit" and "speech", which has a positive impact on the world and even future generations. Therefore, saints can be immortal, that is, "there is virtue in the world, followed by meritorious deeds, followed by words, which is called immortality." Gentlemen are different. Confucius believes that a gentleman's personality should be the unity of "wisdom, benevolence and courage". As the saying goes, "a scholar is the Tao, a benevolent person is not worried, a knowledgeable person is not confused, and a brave person is not afraid." At the same time, in the self-realization of moral personality, Confucius has always advocated that "Tao is not far from people", that is, the pursuit of morality is not out of reach, and "benevolence" is around us. As long as you have this desire and determination, you will certainly realize your pursuit of ideal personality. So Confucius said: I want benevolence, I am benevolent. ""It can be said that the benevolent side is already there. "

The second is "being good at learning and knowing benevolence". Confucius believes that to strengthen self-moral cultivation, we must constantly strengthen our own learning. Only through learning can we know good and evil, distinguish right from wrong, distinguish beauty from ugliness and be sensible. Therefore, "only the good can know benevolence." Confucius placed great emphasis on the unity of "learning" and "thinking". He said that "learning without thinking is useless, and thinking without learning is dangerous." Whether you are good at "learning" depends on whether you can "think". Learning without thinking is also a waste! In the process of learning and thinking, Confucius particularly emphasized the need to learn more and think more in practice, and "see more" and "smell more" in social life. He said, "I have nothing to do with people who don't know. Listen more, choose good and follow; See more and know it, and then know it. " In addition, we should be good at learning from virtuous people in our life, always pay attention to comparing our thoughts and behaviors with them, and actively "see Si Qi". In particular, he pointed out: "In a threesome, there must be a teacher. Choose the good and follow it, and change the bad." According to Confucius, only through such study and thinking can we truly perceive the existence of "benevolence" and truly grasp its meaning? Essence. ?

The third is to "self-denial and benevolence." Confucius believes that the process of moral cultivation is not smooth sailing. In this process, the key is to be able to overcome yourself, eliminate all kinds of distractions, restrain all kinds of desires and resist all kinds of temptations, that is, only "self-denial" can be "benevolent". In order to make his body and mind less disturbed by the outside world, Confucius advocated that people should take the initiative to restrain themselves with "courtesy", and it is best to do "see no evil, don't listen if you are indecent, don't say anything if you are indecent, and don't move if you are indecent". Without external temptations and inner distractions, a person can better control himself. Therefore, Confucius put forward "self-denial and benevolence".

The fourth is "introspection and benevolence." Confucius believes that moral cultivation must constantly reflect on oneself. He called this kind of introspection "private prosecution" and advocated that everyone "can see it, and private prosecution is also". In the process of "private prosecution", we should "defeat the enemy's soldiers and blame others", find reasons from ourselves and be strict with ourselves. We should be able to examine our thoughts, words and deeds through introspection and benevolence, and find our own shortcomings through introspection and benevolence. The perfection of self-morality is based on "lack of knowledge", and only "lack of knowledge" can "think too much and change it". Therefore, Ceng Zi said, "I want to visit myself three times a day-am I unfaithful to others? Don't believe in making friends, are you not used to it? " "If you pass, don't be afraid to change." Only by introspecting your body and changing it to be expensive can you achieve yourself. Confucius said that in terms of self-moral cultivation, his biggest worry is that he is afraid of "not moving when he hears righteousness, but not changing when he is not good." If he knew his mistake, he would "go too far and not change."

The fifth is "practicing goodness". In the process of strengthening self-moral cultivation, Confucius attached great importance to moral practice. In his view, moral cultivation must strive to approach or even reach the realm of "benevolence", which is what Confucius called "practicing near benevolence". Therefore, Confucius believes that moral cultivation should not be "empty talk", "a gentleman must keep his word and do what he wants", and he must do it himself, so as to become a climate. He said: "I want to carry empty words, it is better to see them in the depth and clarity of my actions." Everything must be down-to-earth and consistent in words and deeds: "Parents can do their best; As a gentleman, you can pass through him; Make friends and keep your word. "As long as you do it, then" although you haven't learned it, I will call it learning. "

The sixth is "tempering into benevolence." Confucius believes that moral cultivation is not a one-off event, but a lifelong event. He claimed to be "determined to learn five out of ten, stand at thirty, not be confused at forty, know the destiny at fifty, listen to my ears at sixty, and do what I want at seventy, without overstepping the bounds". Therefore, moral cultivation needs lifelong repeated tempering to achieve greatness. In this regard, we must be frank, "knowing is knowing, not knowing is not knowing, and knowing is also"; We must pursue self-moral perfection in the way of "incisive and incisive, incisive and grinding people" as mentioned in the Book of Songs. We should "believe in learning and die well" and never give up. In Confucius' view, moral cultivation "is like a mountain, but it is not complete, and I will stop." For example, the flat land, although full of fat, is successful, and I live in it, so we must persevere. Second, Mencius' moral cultivation thought.

Mencius' understanding of the personality realm to be achieved by moral cultivation is different from that of Confucius. Mencius believes that the realm of saints is not unattainable, and every ordinary person has the qualification to become a saint. The key lies in his willingness to pursue and practice. Therefore, Mencius pointed out: "saints are for the people, too." As long as you are willing and work hard, then "everyone can think of Yao and Shun". Mencius' understanding is closely related to his theory of human nature. He believes that "at the beginning of life, human nature is good", and everyone has four innate "good endings". According to this, everyone can be kind and benevolent and become a saint. Therefore, in order to reach the realm of saints, the key lies in "protecting the good", "cultivating the mind and lacking desires" and realizing one's dreams through "opposing oneself". In Mencius' view, the key reason why many people can't become saints in real society is that they are confused by external fame and fortune and don't pay attention to spiritual cultivation, so that they lose all their hearts and can't become saints.

Based on the theory of good nature, Mencius believed that the "benevolence" of moral cultivation has the following six aspects.

The first is "intentional protection of goodness". Mencius believes that "at the beginning of life, human nature is good", and anyone has the potential to become a saint and a benevolent person, because "benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and wisdom are not from the outside, but are inherent in me, and I think too much". Since everyone is born with the four virtues of "benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and wisdom", then everyone should have the possibility of being holy and showing benevolence. Mencius said: "compassion is the purpose 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. Some people claim to be incompetent and thieves. " Therefore, the primary task of moral cultivation is "intentional", that is, to keep the nature of "goodness" unchanged. In Mencius' view, everyone can be Yao and Shun, and the key lies in whether he can "intentionally protect the good". He said: "The reason why a gentleman is different is because of his heart. A gentleman is considerate with benevolence and considerate with courtesy. " So, why is the sage different from others? Yao and Shun have the same ear as people. "

The second is "insufficient desire to raise the heart." Mencius believes that many people can't keep their "good side" because they are tempted by various desires. Therefore, in order to maintain their true colors, we must be greedy and try our best to reduce or even eliminate the intrusion of various distractions, desires and temptations on our hearts. Therefore, Mencius said, "Cultivating the mind is not good at greed." Only by abstaining from desires can we achieve self-purification and not serve. In Mencius' view, the key reason why there are so many wicked people in society is that the "heart" is not well raised. If you can't "nourish your heart", how can you "deliberately"? If you can't "deliberately", how can you "protect the good"? Therefore, for good and evil, Mencius said: "Talents fall from the sky, so it is natural for those who drown their hearts." Later, Li Ao and Emperor Wen of Sui inherited this idea of Mencius. Li Ao believes that to "cultivate the mind", we must think, so as to protect the "initial heart". He said: "If you care about your thoughts, your feelings will not be born, but your thoughts will be positive." Emperor Wen of Sui put forward the viewpoint of "unintentional". In his view, as long as a person can't think of anything, his kindness will not be lost. He said: "Mencius knows his heart, Confucius doesn't care, and if he doesn't care, his heart is clear."

The third is "self-seeking". Mencius believed that since human nature is good, moral cultivation only needs to be self-defeating and invented. "Everything is ready for me. I am sincere and happy." "If you seek, you will get it, but if you give up, you will lose it. It's what's good for you and what's good for me. " So the key to success lies in the individual's own subjective efforts. Only when you realize your good knowledge and ability, and consciously try to "seek" it, can you "get" it. And this kind of "harvest" is not to get what you don't have, but to develop your "good side". It can be seen that the moral pursuit advocated by Mencius is an "internal pursuit" rather than an "external pursuit"; It is an "internal gain", not an "external gain".

The fourth is "dedication and understanding". Mencius pointed out from the concept of "harmony between man and nature" that the key to "opposing oneself" is "self", and only "self" can develop one's good side to the maximum extent. The so-called "the best, self-knowledge; If you know its nature, you will know its nature. Keep your heart and cultivate your nature, then things will be natural. If you don't die early, you must cultivate yourself, so that you will have a good future. " In other words, only "wholeheartedly" can be "intelligent", and if "intelligent" can be "fixed"; At the same time, only "intellectuality" can "know the sky", if "knowing the sky" can "serve the sky" and "make a living". In Mencius' view, only in this way can a person unify "mind" and "sex" and seek the root of "settling down and living". Mencius believes that there is a "noble spirit" between heaven and earth. If a person can unify "mind" and "sex", then "the noble spirit filled between heaven and earth" can always be kept in his chest, thus cultivating a "supreme and just" heaven and earth for himself? Make love. ?

The fifth is perseverance. Mencius believed that in order to reach the highest level of moral cultivation, one must bear hardships and stand hard work in order to become a master. The so-called "perseverance" means that in the process of moral cultivation, don't be afraid of difficulties and hardships. No matter how the outside world shakes their hearts, they must be patient with strong willpower. Therefore, Mencius said: "If the sky is going to descend on people, they must first suffer from their minds, their bones and muscles, starve their bodies, empty their bodies, and do things in disorder. Therefore, patience has benefited them a lot. " It is by no means easy for a person to achieve greatness. He must withstand all kinds of tests and temptations from outside. He must be patient and stick to his will under any circumstances. Only when he has achieved "wealth can't be lewd, poverty can't be moved, and power can't be bent" can he be called a gentleman!

The sixth is "seeking benevolence with righteousness". Moral cultivation is the process of "seeking benevolence and getting benevolence". How to "seek benevolence and gain benevolence"? How to "die" Mencius advocated "seeking benevolence with righteousness" and "restraining benevolence with righteousness". He said: "Benevolence, people's hearts are right, and people's ways are right." Give up the road and let it go without asking, alas! " In Mencius' view, a person can only seek his own nature of benevolence and goodness by taking righteousness as the path. In this case, "righteousness" should be the basic principle to follow when dealing with people and things. No matter what you do, you must always adhere to the principle of "being a man": taking advantage of righteousness, seeking fame with righteousness, enjoying desire with righteousness, and becoming virtue with righteousness. Because of this, Mencius advocated: "Fish is what I want; Bear's paw is also what I want; You can't have your cake and eat it. You can't have your cake and eat it. Life is as I wish, and righteousness is as I wish. You can't have both, and those who give up their lives for righteousness. "

Third, the comparison of Confucius and Mencius' moral cultivation thoughts.

As can be seen from the above, the similarities and differences between Confucius and Mencius mainly include the following aspects.

First of all, Confucius and Mencius have great differences in the ideal personality orientation pursued by moral cultivation. Relatively speaking, Confucius' proposition that "a saint cannot be sought, but a gentleman can be sought" is more pragmatic. Confucius' moral expectation for people is to be at least a gentleman and not a villain, and he is more inclined to a low-dimensional requirement on how to be a man. Mencius' moral ideal of "everyone can be Yao and Shun" makes "saints" ordinary people and makes everyone realize that they can achieve themselves as long as they are willing and work hard. Therefore, Mencius' proposition is more conducive to enhancing people's moral confidence and mobilizing people's inner enterprising desire. Therefore, Confucius' "sage" is unattainable, while Mencius' "sage" is not only respectable, but also amiable, full of rich flavor of life.

Secondly, on the path of self-moral cultivation, Confucius prefers "external" practice, while Mencius prefers "internal" mind cultivation. Confucius has always advocated that it is better to "get up and walk" than to "sit and talk". Therefore, moral cultivation must be real and consistent with words and deeds. A gentleman should "keep his word and do what he says", "listen to what he says" and, more importantly, "observe what he does". You must be able to observe and start at close range. Confucius believes that moral cultivation is extremely demanding, but it is not unattainable. As long as we start from the side and do it step by step, we will certainly reach the realm of "benevolence" and must be honest and tempered repeatedly. Keep pondering and understanding in practice, and keep learning and improving. We must take strong action and practice kindness. Only by doing it in practice is the real road to the highest realm, and so on. All these are enough to show that Confucius attaches importance to moral practice. Based on his theory of human nature, Mencius constructed a road of moral cultivation different from Confucius. In his view, everyone's "goodness" is innate, and it is true to ask for it. Therefore, the key to moral cultivation lies in strengthening self-cultivation. Therefore, Mencius proposed that we should be aware of the good, seek the good instead, cultivate less, and be patient and protect the good roots. Only in this way can we avoid losing our "good side" and become the virtue of Yao and Shun.

Thirdly, in the pursuit of moral cultivation, Confucius and Mencius particularly emphasized that "self-cultivation lies in oneself and virtue lies in me". They believe that the essence of moral cultivation is a voluntary behavior choice activity for individuals to improve themselves under the control of certain moral ideals. It should be completely controlled by individual's free will and not subject to any external compulsion. Therefore, Confucius' moral cultivation of "self-cultivation for benevolence" and Mencius' "anti-cultivation" have the same effect, and both of them clearly explain the truth of "self-cultivation". Moreover, Confucius and Mencius believe that the level of personal personality is also the result of self-achievement. Why do some people admire their own personality and others despise their own personality? The key lies in the different desires of individuals. Since moral cultivation is achieved by "dealing with others" and "being enemies with others", it is very important for a person to establish his "ideal self". In this process, if your "ideal me" is to become a saint, then maybe you really may become a saint. If your "ideal me" is to be a gentleman, then maybe you can really be a gentleman. On the contrary, it is hard for us to imagine how high his personality level will be, which is what Confucius and Mencius said: "success is in me."

Finally, both Confucius and Mencius advocated that we should carry forward the subjective spirit of moral cultivation in order to shape our moral personality. Both Confucius and Mencius realized that the realization of moral ideal is by no means easy, there is a certain distance between ideal and reality objectively, and the process of moral cultivation will not be smooth sailing. The strength of personal willpower is a very important factor in moral cultivation. The hardships and efforts in the process of moral cultivation are barriers that can never be crossed for the weak-willed, and only the strong-willed can hope to reach the glorious peak. Therefore, in this process, we must carry forward the individual's subjective spirit and achieve self-transcendence through "seeking from within". Confucius emphasized "self-denial" as benevolence, that is, he advocated giving full play to the self-control of actors and defeating themselves with extraordinary perseverance and perseverance; Emphasizing "near benevolence" and "doing" means advocating giving full play to the individual's self-willpower and persisting with a strong will. Mencius pointed out that "intelligence" should be "specialized" and emphasized the extreme importance of personal subjective efforts; It is pointed out that it is necessary to "test" and "endure", that is to say, willpower should stand all kinds of external tests. The process of moral cultivation is long and arduous. If anyone does not carry forward his subjective spirit and is not supported by strong "internal needs", it is impossible to have positive results and achieve great virtues.