Okay, here is the translation following your instructions: A Study on the Origin and Development of the Revolutionary Spirit of Confucianism

Author: Liu Xiaofeng
Author Country: China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-12-01
Features: What is the source of the revolutionary spirit of the Chinese Revolution? Is it Christianity? Western civilization? Or should we seek it within our own cultural soil? Liu Xiaofeng examines what constitutes the revolutionary spirit of Confucianism and what is the source of the revolutionary spirit of the Chinese Revolution from the perspective of the Confucian spirit's fundamental character of pursuing the perfection of humanity and human beings in ancient Chinese thought.
Publishing Statement:
The Planner's Words Ten years ago, Mr. Chen Suo hosted and planned the Shanghai Sanlian edition of the Economic Library. After four or five years of effort, dozens of works in the series of economic academic series and economic translation series were successively launched. Many of these works continue to have an impact on the field of economics. The authors included in the library, such as Lin Yifu, Fan Gang, Hu Ruyin, Pan Zhenmin, Shi Jinchuan, and Wang Xinkui, have all become famous scholars or leaders in their respective fields. The media once praised them as the "Sanlian School of Economics." Whether the term "school" is appropriate or not, this is indeed a creative idea in publishing philosophy. At the turn of the millennium, the author returned to the publishing position of humanities and social sciences, taking charge of the editorial affairs of Shanghai Sanlian. From the very beginning, there was a desire to contribute to the prosperity and vitality of Chinese academic culture. Planning the "Sanlian Review" can be seen as a continuation of Shanghai Sanlian's publishing philosophy. Naturally, academic propositions are no longer limited to economics but will extend to various fields of literature, history, philosophy, and social humanities, especially interdisciplinary and cross-cultural research. Mr. Wang Yuanyuan once expressed concern about the tendency in the current intellectual and educational circles to emphasize science and technology, practicality, while neglecting literature, history, and philosophy, which are important components of Chinese academic culture. Therefore, the task of the "Sanlian Review" is to promote the achievements of academic elites and young scholars to the academic community and the public. This concept has been unanimously supported by the colleagues of Shanghai Sanlian, and for this, I feel gratified and full of confidence. The original intention of planning the "Sanlian Review" is to invigorate academic culture. The essence of academia is science and knowledge. As academic research, the exploration of academic thought has a relatively independent character. It is undeniable that academic culture in any era is permeated with partial or localized ideological elements. Ideology also demonstrates its vitality by constantly absorbing new, excellent academic thoughts, but academic culture is not a general form of ideology; it has its own knowledge system and academic tradition. The "Sanlian Review" series pursues the originality and diversity of academia, encouraging thoughtful academic works and academic knowledge with value, fully demonstrating the scientific and rational nature of academic research, and advocating the freedom of academic culture within the framework of mainstream ideological norms. This is also the starting point and destination of determining the tone of the series. Encouraging thoughtful academic works not only refers to academic concepts, academic ethical values, and the construction of academic culture but also includes innovations in epistemology and methodology. We are not preparing to expand publishing boundaries in traditional academic aspects such as textual research and textual exegesis, but are focused on enhancing the constructive tension between knowledge and thought, and on building new knowledge and culture. Therefore, the works included in the "Sanlian Review" can be cutting-edge studies in thought and culture, or marginal academic explorations; both elite academic culture and popular academic culture coexist, with traditional Chinese studies complementing Western studies. We welcome theoretical innovations in a specific field as well as discussions on politics, economics, history, sociology, and even literature and aesthetics from diverse cultural discourses. Academic thinking methods are not rigidly unified, encompassing empirical, micro, and macro approaches. However, one thing is emphasized: the originality of academic research should be the basis for judging publishing value. The creative idea of publishing academic works also aims to make some attempts in text and form. We limit the "Sanlian Review" to academic works of 80,000 to 100,000 words. Compared to grand treatises, they are only "mini-academic works." This is an effort to hope that scholars can distill the essence of a certain proposition into a concise work, highlighting the value of their academic thoughts in a brief writing. This publishing concept also aims to correct the hollow and pretentious trend in academia since the 1990s, restoring the pragmatic academic style of "precise principles and clear meanings," and rectifying the exaggeration and restlessness caused by the erosion of cultural consumptionism and commercial secularization on academia. Seeking brevity, precision, and innovation will be the hallmark of the "Sanlian Review" brand. The works included in the series now range from the masterpieces of renowned scholars to the efforts of emerging scholars. It is the strong support of academic friends that has made the planner's intentions come to fruition. Editing the "Sanlian Review" will adhere to the publishing tradition of Sanlian. This is the "inheritance of culture and innovation of the times" advocated by Mr. Tao Feng, the founder of Sanlian. We will regard the "Sanlian Review" as a field for academic newcomers, even if some works are not yet mature, but as long as there is some achievement and breakthrough, we welcome them. At the same time, as a scientific knowledge, academic research has its own value standards and rules of the game, and we will maintain a tolerant and respectful attitude toward individual opinions. A friend in academia once said well, "The process of modernization of the Chinese people is the process of world-oriented cultural psychology." The cultivation and construction of Chinese academic culture should be open and forward-looking, and should not cling to the past or be rigidly traditional. Naturally, we do not advocate abandoning tradition either. Building a pluralistic and globalized Chinese academic culture system, integrating a global consciousness into academic research, should be an inevitable trend in the development of Chinese academic culture. This is also the direction and responsibility that the "Sanlian Review" strives for and should fulfill. Mr. Wang Yuanyuan once expressed a hope to intellectuals in academia in an interview with the reporter of "Xinmin Weekly": "Academia should not be obscured by fashionable slogans and showy banners at the turn of the century, which hinder mutual recognition," "should immerse themselves in their own fields, do solid work to welcome the new century, and produce genuine results." Myself and the colleagues of Shanghai Sanlian will take Mr. Wang's hope as self-motivation, being persistent and hardworking, and publishing more excellent academic works for society. Wu Shiyu, June 2000, Shanghai
Excerpt: The Theory of Becoming a Sage in Mindology and the Revolutionary Spirit of Confucianism The next important stage in the development of the revolutionary spirit of Confucianism is not the emergence of new revolutionary discourses but the advancement of the revolutionary spirit of Confucianism, and this change itself is revolutionary: Lu Wang Mindology promotes the individual transformation of the revolutionary spirit of Confucianism, transforming the law of the sage into the sage of the time, and the law of the sage into the sage of the time. The revolutionary spirit of the Gongyang school receives major advancements in spirit. The core of the Gongyang school's revolutionary theory is the "" (unlearned king) theory. The "" is ordained by heaven to become a sage, the key being the sage's heart, which is to inherit the way of the (Son of Heaven) with the heart of foreknowing and foreseeing—Yao and Shun's way. Therefore, the "" theory already contains the Confucian revolutionary theory of the sage's nature: "The revolutionary must first rectify oneself before rectifying others. Therefore, those who do not first rectify themselves are criticized in the Spring and Autumn Annals." However, the "" of the Gongyang and Weishu is the only "," namely Confucius. In Lu Wang Mindology, the "" becomes the "" of the theory of the sage's nature, and as long as everyone understands the mind and sees the nature, they can become a "." Thus, the sage's justice theory of the revolutionary spirit is strengthened in the theory of the sage's nature. The essence of the theory of becoming a sage in mindology is that everyone can become a sage: by establishing great aspirations, directly appealing to the mind and nature, and connecting with heaven, with the universe and all things within oneself, one can become a foreknowing and foreseeing sage. As mentioned earlier, foreknowing and foreseeing were originally used by Mencius to describe Yi Yin and Confucius. Now, it is used for "me," and "me" becomes the sage like Confucius and Yi Yin, becoming the life law of Confucianism. Lu Jiuyuan's thought that "no one is without a mind, and the way is not sought outside" is revolutionary because it places the way in the individual mind of the Confucian, transforming the historical nature of the sage (Confucius) into the present nature of the individual. Not my mind according to the way, but the way according to my mind; not my mind imitating the sage, but the sage emerging from my mind: the way has no external relation to my mind, and thus, from the desirable good to the sage who transforms greatly, and the sage who is unknowable as a god, are all my mind. East and west, north and south are called the universe; past and present are called the universe. The universe is my mind, and my mind is the universe. A thousand years ago, a sage appeared, with the same mind and the same reason. A thousand years later, a sage appeared, with the same mind and the same reason. In the four directions and the sea, a sage appeared, with the same mind and the same reason. In the Gongyang school's revolutionary theory, due to the special relationship between Confucius and the way of heaven (Gongyang Commentary, Spring and Autumn Weishu, Classic of Filial Piety Weishu), it includes the idea that only Confucius is a sage. However, the mind-nature theory of Xiangshan breaks through the historical determination and uniqueness of Confucius as a sage, making everyone a sage, and everyone can claim to be a "." This revolutionary internal transformation is achieved solely by the simple thought of "the mind is the way." Consequently, it naturally forms the theory of internal revolution—understanding the mind and nature to become a sage, which is the second essence of the theory of becoming a sage in mindology. But becoming a sage and being a sage are not the same thing. Becoming a sage requires internal revolutionary effort, that is, becoming a foreknowing and foreseeing sage through self-cultivation. Confucius is a "divinely-endowed sage," and Xiangshan's transformation of becoming a sage through letting go has transformed the structure of sage generation—self-constituting sage. Isn't this also an internal revolution? Of course, becoming a sage naturally takes the exemplary sages of the past as a goal. Although the concept of the sage in ancient Chinese thought is chaotic, the Confucian ideal of the sage is still clear. In my humble opinion, the Han Shi family of the Jin Literature school, Han Ying, describes the sage's heart of Confucianism in a comprehensive manner: Confucius holds the sage's heart, wandering in the realm of morality,ing in the realm of formlessness, relying on the way of heaven, observing human feelings, understanding the beginning and the end, knowing gains and losses. Therefore, he promotes benevolence and righteousness, dislikes worldly gains, and holds it. At that time, the Zhou court was declining, the way of the king was cut off, the feudal lords were in power, the strong bullied the weak, the many oppressed the few, the people were restless, there was no one to govern, rituals were ruined, and human relationships were not well-ordered. Thus, Confucius went east and west, south and north, crawling to save them. The sage's heart is not abstract but contains historical and cultural connotations. The cultural connotations of the sage's heart of different religions are naturally different. For example, all religions speak of saving the world, but how to save and what to rely on differ greatly among different religions. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the historical and cultural connotations of the sage's heart. The original form of the sage in Christianity is Jesus Christ, and the cultural connotations of the sage's heart come from the action of the Heavenly Father accomplishing all in one, preserved in the four gospels. The original form of the sage in Judaism is Moses, and the cultural connotations of the sage's heart come from the history of the Jewish nation, preserved in the five classics. The original form of the sage in Confucianism is Yu, Tang, Wen, Wu, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius, and the cultural connotations of the sage's heart come from the three generations of the Huaxia nation, preserved in the Confucian classics. Without reading the four gospels, one cannot know the sage's heart of Jesus Christ. Without reading the five books of Moses, one cannot know the sage's heart of Moses. How about Confucianism? Zi Zhang asked, "Sages receive their mandate from heaven, but the Book of Documents says, 'They received the mandate from Wenzu,' why?" Confucius said, "Those who receive their mandate from heaven are Tang and Wu; those who receive their mandate from people are Shun and Yu. Without reading the Book of Songs, the Book of Documents, the Book of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals, one cannot know the sage's heart, nor can one distinguish the abdication of Yao and Shun, or the conquest of Tang and Wu." What are the elements that constitute the spiritual of the sage's heart in Confucianism? According to Han Ying's guidance, there are three elements: 1. Understanding the mind and the way of heaven (the law of nature); 2. Saving the world and the people ("Extending benevolence to the people and being able to help the masses"); 3. Taking responsibility for the system of culture and education of the three generations. From Han Ying's description of the sage's heart, these three elements are a unity, and to become a sage, one must possess these three layers of spiritual material in spirit. The self-cultivation theory of Confucian mind-nature is not, as some modern Confucians say, only one level. Some Chinese theologians like to regard Confucian mindology as similar to Luther's thought, which is indeed a mistake, because they have not seen the two later layers in the theory of the sage's nature. The Religious Conference of Baihu Tong proposed the "national constitution" of Confucianism in the four chapters on the sage. At the beginning, it describes: "What is a sage? The sage is all, the way, the sound. The way is all-encompassing, the bright is all-illuminating. Knowing the sound knows the truth, and is in harmony with heaven in virtue, the sun and moon in brightness, the four seasons in order, and the spirits in auspiciousness and misfortune." It then lists the deeds of Yu, Tang, Wen, Wu, the Duke of Zhou, and other sages. Thus, the meaning of the sage being in harmony with heaven is specifically defined and is not abstract metaphysics. Han Yu (Original Way) said, "The rectification of the mind and sincerity of intention mentioned in the ancient times were for the sake of action," which was "the most important text in the history of our culture" (in the words of Chen Yinke). The deeds of Yu, Tang, Wen, Wu, the Duke of Zhou, and other sages lie in "extending benevolence to the people and being able to help the masses" and taking responsibility for the system of culture and education of the three generations. This is the specific meaning of the sage of Confucianism being in harmony with heaven. To talk about the nature of reason and principle on an empty stomach without mentioning saving the world and the people and taking responsibility for the system of culture and education of the three generations indeed does not grasp the essence of the sage's heart of Confucianism.