Good Confucianism book (pdf) - Department of Physics

126 Confucians, “Confucian” Texts, the Qin Dynastythe self is cultivated, families can be regulated. When families are regulated,the country is governed well. Once the country is governed well, the wholeworld is at peace.The basic idea is that we must begin with moral self - cultivation. We dothat by investigating things, extending knowledge, being sincere in ourthoughts, and rectifying the mind. Self - cultivation is the basis for a well -ordered family, a well - governed state and a harmonious world. The textsolidly links ethics and politics. Later Confucians would give this chaptersingular prominence (see chapter 11 ).The second chapter from the Book of Rites that will later gain prominenceis the Doctrine of the Mean . 23 It too was traditionally attributed toConfucius ’ grandson, Zi Si. It discusses the mean, the middle course. Thismean, or balance, is also the harmony of the universe, so the text is one ofthe few texts that deal with the transcendent.To have no emotions of pleasure and anger, sorrow or joy surging up is calledbeing in a state of balance/mean. To have these emotions surging up but allin due time is called being in a state of harmony. The state of balance is thesupreme foundation of the world and the state of harmony is its universalpath. Once balance and harmony are achieved, Heaven and Earth maintaintheir proper positions and all things are nourished.Balance is found in going beyond the emotions; harmony in controllingthe emotions. The human state of balance or harmony resonates with theuniverse.We also find a discussion of the virtue of sincerity, which is brought tothe forefront in the Doctrine of the Mean . This virtue has been describedas having no distinction between what is internal to oneself and what onedoes. In this way we are completely without self - interest. Here sincerity isexpanded to mean that one loses the distinction between what is oneselfand what is other:Sincerity is the Way of Heaven, to become sincere is the Way of human beings.To be sincere is to hit the balance without effort, to possess it without theprocesses of thought, and to be centered in the Way with a natural ease – thisis to be a sage. To be sincere is to choose the good and hold to it.The Doctrine of the Mean will be used by later Confucians to give a transcendentelement to their interpretation of Confucius ’ thought.What is missing is the Yue Jing , the Classic of Music . There are referencesto it in Warring States texts like the Xunzi and the Zhuangzi . There was aYue Jing , a Classic of Music , in the Han dynasty and this was understoodby later Confucians to be the Classic of Music . However, this text cannot be