Good Confucianism book (pdf) - Department of Physics

166 Neo-Confucianismprinciple for all things, and things can only exist with a principle. Principleis eternal. It is shown in the physical world in a particular thing or event,like a rose or the practice of filial piety, but even though the rose fades anddies, principle continues to exist. Principle always exists: this means that,when we invent something new, like a computer, we are discovering theprinciple of computer – a principle that already existed.On the qi level, we live in a physical world of particular things or events.Qi is found in the concrete, physical world where things are created anddestroyed. Qi condenses and disperses as things, people, and events movethrough time and space.As we saw with Zhou Dunyi, the Supreme Ultimate contains the principlesof movement and stillness, operating actively as yang or congealing asyin, and, with the five phases, produces all things in the physical or qi world.The Supreme Ultimate, the Tai Ji , and/or the Wu Ji , the Ultimate - less,is the most perfect principle, the totality of principle. It both changes anddoes not change; it both exists and does not exist. It is abstract, beyond timeand space, and the “ entity ” that is the source of all things in the universe.We have come to another instance of what we saw in Zhou Dunyi andhis diagram. The Supreme Ultimate moves but does not move, exists butdoes not exist, changes but does not change. The questions are: what doesthis mean and why does Zhu Xi argue for it? By using two names, theSupreme Ultimate and the “ Supreme Ultimate - less, ” Zhu Xi wants to arguethat it is beyond us and requires a special insight in order to understandit. Saying that it moves allows for the next movements of yin - yang and thefive phases, but, as an abstract principle – actually, as the abstract principle– the Supreme Ultimate cannot be said to move. If Zhu Xi had argued thatthe Supreme Ultimate exists, the next question is going to be, “ where is it? ”He wanted to say that it cannot exist in a place because it is an abstractprinciple. It has no form. If the Supreme Ultimate changes, then Buddhistswill argue that it is like all other things that are compound and change. So,like Zhou Dunyi, Zhu Xi used both the Supreme Ultimate and the SupremeUltimate - less as names for the highest.The Supreme Ultimate is One; it is the totality of all principle. All thingsshare in it because all things have principle. This means that every thingand event has the Supreme Ultimate “ within ” it. Zhu Xi says,one Supreme Ultimate exists, which is received by all individual things. TheSupreme Ultimate is received by all individual things as an entire and undividedSupreme Ultimate. It is like the moon shining in the sky reflected inthe lakes and rivers. 8Just as there is one moon with many reflections, so, too, the SupremeUltimate is “ in ” all things, creatures, and events.