Good Confucianism book (pdf) - Department of Physics

Neo-Confucianism 167If, after reading this, you object that none of this sounds very much likethe Confucianism you read about in chapters 2 and 3 , Zhu Xi is coming tothat. In human beings, principle is human nature, while the body is madeup of qi in its different forms (bones, flesh, blood, animating energy, emotions).Principle is good, human nature is good. This, if you remember, ispart of what Mencius argued, that human nature is good. Zhu Xi, however,says that, while what Mencius said is true, qi can cloud our human nature.Some people are simply born with a purer qi , while other people have amuddier qi . Mencius, says Zhu Xi, was talking about principle when hesaid that human nature is good.For Zhu Xi, the principle in people is human nature. The mind/heartis where principle (human nature) and qi meet. The mind/heart is pulledin two directions: first toward the morality of the principle/human naturewithin us; second, toward error and desires because of the mind/heart ’ sinvolvement with qi . 9Emotions are produced by qi and have to do with the physical world.Emotions move the mind/heart, leading to desires and excess. When mind/heart is still, like still water, emotions and desires cannot move it. 10As Mencius said, the sprouts of sympathy, shame/dislike, modesty, anda sense of right and wrong are found in one ’ s principle, human nature.And, as Mencius said, when expressed concretely in this world they leadto humanity, rightness, ritual, and wisdom. While drawing heavily onMencius, Zhu Xi ’ s interpretation of Mencius is different from any wehave seen before. Zhu Xi ’ s position is that the state of one ’ s qi leads us todevelop, or not develop, the seeds within us.Knowing that we have this marvelous principle within us, we need tofind it. We do that, Zhu Xi says, by “ extending knowledge and investigatingthings. ” This phrase, as we have seen, comes from the Great Learning . Inthe Great Learning , extending knowledge and investigating things form thebasic step that will lead us to complete knowledge, then to sincerity, thento a proper mind/heart, then to the cultivation of the person, the regulationof the family, the proper government of the country, and peace for all.When we read that we should extend our knowledge and investigatethings, we might think that this would lead to the study of both humanitiesand sciences. However, Zhu Xi interprets the phrase to mean we mustlearn the principles of things.If we contemplate things, through what Zhu Xi calls “ quiet sitting ” andby studying all things – history, human relations, political issues, moralbehavior, the teachings of Confucius, and so on – we will come to understandthe principles of each of these areas fully. We need to come to thisproject with sincerity and seriousness. Learning each principle is a cumulativeprocess. While principle is different in different things, all principle isone and differs only in the way that it is manifested in qi . So, when we