Guodian Chu Tomb Bamboo Slips. Nature Comes from Destiny

Author: Editing Group of "Selection of Bamboo Slips Calligraphy"
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-12-01
Features: This piece is an important theoretical work on the theory of the mind and nature, as well as a key material for studying pre-Qin theories of human nature. The bamboo slips inherit and develop Confucius's view of "The proximity of Lu is similar, but the distance of practice is far," proposing the idea that "Nature originates from destiny, and destiny originates from heaven. The way begins with emotion, and emotion arises from nature." Nature refers to human nature. In The Book of Mencius·Zhengming, "What makes a person what they are is called nature," destiny refers to life; heaven refers to nature; emotion refers to genuine human feelings; and the way refers to behavioral norms. It is believed that as long as a person has life, they have nature, and human life is given by nature. Genuine human feelings stem from human nature, and behavioral norms begin from genuine emotions. This text provides a detailed analysis of nature. It argues that nature not only exists in humans but also in animals. When human nature is expressed, it manifests as likes and dislikes, which are the emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. When this emotion is externalized, it becomes emotion. The bamboo slips also state the seven categories of nature and their corresponding meanings, as well as the seven ways external factors influence nature. The bamboo slips elaborate on the relationship between the mind and nature. They argue that all people have nature, and it is the same for everyone because it is bestowed by the same heaven. However, human minds differ because they are influenced by different teachings. Here, the mind refers to the level of moral awareness, and this mind has no fixed direction. Therefore, the mind must receive education to make people's minds unified and not be swayed by external things. This is a desire of the ruling class, hoping that all subjects under their rule will be united in their support and submit to their governance. The bamboo slips also discuss how to educate the mind, emphasizing that one should cultivate the mind with music and focus on moral qualities, achieving unity between virtue and action. Thus, a noble and virtuous gentleman, even if of low status, will be regarded as noble by others. The bamboo slips do not mention governance principles, although they mention the way. However, the content of their discussion on the way primarily focuses on rites and music, especially music's role in regulating and cultivating emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. This is the way of self-cultivation, not the way of governance.
For details on the burial age, geographical environment, identity of the tomb occupant, the content of the pre-Qin bamboo slips unearthed from the Guodian Chu Tomb reflecting the governance philosophy of the Chu people, the production, writing specifications, and calligraphic styles of the bamboo slips, as well as the contributions of Chu culture to the development of Huaxia culture reflected in the slips, please refer to The Guodian Chu Tomb Bamboo Slips·Laozi Jia.
Based on the sixteen pre-Qin classics and documents compiled from The Guodian Chu Tomb Bamboo Slips, the Cultural Relics Publishing House has had the bamboo slips photocopied and enlarged, published in fifteen volumes. This provides authentic material for calligraphy enthusiasts and readers to understand Chu slips and the history of Huaxia civilization.