2. is the moral realm

As mentioned earlier, the concept of heaven and man can be traced back to the religious theology of the Yin and Zhou dynasties. In that era, whether it was the emperor, the ancestor one spirit, or the heaven and the ancestor two spirits, the heaven as the supreme personality god, dominating and manipulating everything, its sacred authority and boundless magic power placed people in the altar of worship and the corner of confession. In this religious consciousness, the relationship between heaven and man became the relationship between God and its people.

Since the Spring and Autumn Period, the "Zhou Li" that encompasses everything like a curtain of heaven collapsed and the moon broke down. The majestic Zhou Emperor showed a weak and incompetent appearance from the hole of the ritual. As the new forces rose in social and political life, the rational sun also rose slowly in the east of the spiritual night. The sages began to wake up from the dream demon of the Sect Heavenly God, and the tentacles of thought extended into the relationship between heaven and man.

Although Confucius, who "believe and loves ancient times", took it as his mission to save traditional culture, he could not resist the shaping of his soul by the intense and turbulent times. This allows us to see at a glance the transitional tendency of his thoughts: the spiritual light of heaven as a personality god is dimming, and the fate of heaven, which is almost externally inevitable, gradually rises to the spiritual space of mankind. Heaven no longer makes people feel mysterious and terrifying, it has become a principle followed and a model for mankind to follow. The "harmony of man and nature" revealed by "Zetian" tends to be different from the beliefism of religious theology. It is based on "knowing the heaven" and is quite rational and radiant.

Despite this, in a motto-like discussion, we cannot further distinguish the original purpose of Confucius' theory of heaven and man, and the subsequent Si Meng School provided us with more materials.

The word "Doctor of the Mean" says: "The destiny of heaven is called nature, the destiny of nature is called Tao, and the cultivation of Tao is called teaching." The word "nature" reveals the connection between heaven and man. Human nature comes from the destiny of heaven and man. Heaven and man are one nature, in heaven, destiny, and in man, this "nature" is also called "sincerity", "sincerity is the way of heaven; sincerity is the way of man." "Sincerity" connects heaven and man, it is nature and the goal pursued by man. This goal is given to man by nature and is stored in the human body. The saint who can naturally be united with this goal is the so-called "sincerity, without any effort, without thinking, and calmly, the saint is the way of the man.

It is human beings." Ordinary people need to go through subjective efforts and "choose good and be stubborn". To achieve the state of "sincerity", they can achieve the unity of human nature and destiny of heaven, that is, the unity of man and nature. Such people can "match the heaven" and "communicate with heaven and earth", "only the most sincere world in the world can fulfill their nature; to fulfill their nature, they can fulfill their nature; to fulfill their nature, they can fulfill their nature; to fulfill their nature, they can fulfill their nature; to fulfill their nature, they can praise the transformation and cultivation of heaven and earth; to praise the transformation and cultivation of heaven and earth, they can understand the heaven and earth." The author of "Doing the Mean" uses "nature" to build a bridge of mutual communication between heaven and man.

Mencius inherited the idea of ​​"Doctrine of the Mean" and further developed it. He said: "So sincerity is the way of heaven; thinking of sincerity is the way of man." (Mencius. Lilou) What is the specific content of this "way of heaven"? "If there is a heavenly title, someone who has a heavenly title is benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and untiring, this is the title of heaven; if there is a minister and a minister, this is the title of man." (Mencius. Gaozi) also said, "Benevolence is to father and son, righteousness is to rule the king and the minister, and etiquette is to guest

The Lord, knowing it from the wise, and the sage from the way of heaven is destiny; having nature, a gentleman does not call it destiny." (Mencius. Complete Heart) The so-called sincerity, the way of heaven and the way of heaven are the same, and they all refer to moral norms such as benevolence, righteousness, loyalty and faithfulness. Morality is not only the inner provision of human nature, but also the principles and regulations of the way of heaven. In other words, heaven or the way of heaven is the embodiment of morality. As Feng Youlan pointed out: "The universe is in essence

The above is the moral universe. The moral principle of human beings is the metaphysical principle of the universe. Human nature is an example of this morality. When Mencius and his school talk about heaven, they refer to this moral universe." [Feng Youlan's "A Brief History of Chinese Philosophy" Page 93, Peking University Press, 1985 edition] Dong Zhongshu, the leader of Confucianism in the Han Dynasty, also gave heaven moral attributes. He said: "The beauty of benevolence lies in heaven. Heaven is benevolence, and heaven overwhelms all things,

It is transformed and produced, and cultivated, and has no self, and it starts again after the end. It is always taken to serve people. Observe the will of heaven, and is infinite and benevolent. When a man receives the order from heaven, he is benevolent and benevolent." ("Spring and Autumn Fanlu. King's Way Three") Dong Zhongshu completely attributes the relationship between the Yin and Yang and the Five Elements of the Way of Heaven to the Earth to the principles of ethics and morality, and regards it as the origin of human ethics and morality, believing that "the number of benevolence and righteous systems is taken from heaven." ("Spring and Autumn Fanlu. Basic Meaning")

The Neo-Confucian scholars of the Song and Ming dynasties who inherited the orthodox Confucianism of Confucius and Mencius often fell into the ruling of the Si Meng school in the theory of heaven and man. Neo-Confucian scholars clearly defined the relationship between heaven and man as the relationship between nature and heaven (nature) and heaven. The two Chengs believed that nature and heaven are actually one thing, and "the nature of nature is called heaven." Volume 25) "If you are responsible for yourself, you are called heaven, you are subject to yourself and you are subject to nature, and you are responsible for what others say is called heart." (Same as the book, Volume 22) The laws of heaven are also called "heavenly principles". The "heavenly principles" produced by the two Chengs "self-considered" is nothing else, but it is feudal ethics and morality. Zhu Xi said, "What is the so-called heaven? Benevolence,

Is righteousness, courtesy, and wisdom not the law of heaven? Is the ruler and ministers, father and son, brothers, husband and wife, and friends not the law of heaven?” (Volume 59 of "Collected Works" and "Answer Wu Dounan") Because feudal morality is the common law and basis of heaven and man, "the heaven and man are one, and there is no distinction between heaven and man." (Volume 2 of "The Sutra of Cheng of Henan") "Heavenly Man is one, and there is no need to say the combination." (Same as the book, Volume 6) This emphasizes the complete unity of human nature and the way of heaven in the original state. In fact, only saints can maintain the original state of heaven and man without any thoughts. "The sage is one with heaven, heaven is the saint, and saint is the heaven." (Shunting the Sutra of Cheng) Volume 8

(Same as the Doctrine of the Mean) As for ordinary people, they have long been out of this state of nature. If they want to achieve the state of unity between man and nature, they can only use personal moral efforts. "If they are sincere, they will seek heaven with man." (Same as above) "Seeking heaven with man" means combining heaven with man and heaven with man - using man to conform to feudal moral norms. Like Zhang Zai, who was slightly earlier at the same time, also equated human nature with heaven or heaven's way, but he did not publicly declare that the way of heaven is a feudal moral code like the two Chengs, but instead distinguished the function of heaven's way of heaven, "generating overturning is the way of heaven; benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom are the way of man; gain and loss are the principle of heaven, longevity, noble and humbleness, the principle of man

Also. If heaven teaches people, it is fate, and if man is obeyed by heaven, it is nature." ("Zhang Zi Quotations") Although he repeatedly explains the way of heaven with natural generation and changes, since human nature is inherited from heaven and man, he cannot help his heaven with a mysterious moral color. "Confucians seek sincerity because of wisdom and sincerity, they can become saints, and learn to be able to become saints, and they have never left behind people." ("Zhengmeng. Qian Cheng") "Union between heaven and man" is the highest goal of moral cultivation. That is to say, Zhang Zai's relationship between heaven and man is ultimately attributed to the relationship between man and morality. This is both the inertia of thinking and the consciousness of thinking.

To sum up, the "heaven" in "harmony of man and nature" refers to a moral entity, and "man" refers to self-consciousness or individual personality. The relationship between heaven and man reflects the relationship between individuals and universal moral entities, and is actually the relationship between individuals and society. The moralized heaven, as the essence of man and social principles, is the setting of the moral ideal of life. "" constitutes the internal driving force of life, as Zhou Dunyi, the founder of Neo-Confucianism, said, "The holy hopes the heaven, the virtuous desires the sage, and the scholars hope to be virtuous." (

"Tongshu. Zhixue Chapter") "" as the highest state of morality shows the completion of human nature and the realization of human value. "The morality is high and the education is infinite, and it is actually the same as the heaven and earth, and the four seasons, but Confucius!" ("Tongshu. Confucius Chapter 2") represents this state. When Hegel discussed the moral worldview, he proposed an ethical spirit, and he believed that ethical spirit is the direct unity of ethical entities and self-consciousness. In the moral worldview, consciousness consciously creates its own object, and it follows

Based on reasoning, this objectivity or objective nature is set, and it becomes the active thing that produces the object itself. [Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, Vol. 2, page 136, Commercial Press, 1979 edition]) The relationship between this consciousness and its object has the same basis first. Hegel believes that the subjectivity of the concept as the prescribed universality is a pure difference within itself, which can be understood as the opposition between the individual (subjective) and the general (universality), under this premise,

The idea realizes itself and realizes the other party. Therefore, the idea appears in the world and has absolute confidence to establish the sameness of the subjective and objective world. [Hegel: "Small Logic" page 410, Commercial Press, 1980 edition] Hegel's analysis of ethical spirit gives us the inspiration that the unity of subject and object in "harmony" refers to the unity of subject and object, not the unity of man (subject) and pure nature (object), but the unity of man and himself and the essence of objectification. In the final analysis, it is the unity of individuals and society.

Three, the unity of man and nature is a political ideal

As an ideal personality, a sage is not only a personal moral realm. In ancient Chinese patriarchal society, morality and law, personal personality cultivation and national political life are two-in-one, complementing each other. All intellectuals with a sense of social responsibility truly pursue the way of "inner sage and outside kings". Therefore, "harmony between man and nature" is not only an ideal realm of personal personality, but also an ideal model of the political order and political system of the feudal country.

The author of Laozi, who first explained the relationship between heaven and man from a political perspective was the author of "Laozi", who proposed "man follows the earth, the earth follows the sky, the sky follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature." (Zhang Shunhui: "Laozi Shuzheng" Volume 2) The nature of heaven is natural, and all phenomena and changes and movements in nature are natural, and they do nothing. He regards this as an example of humanity and regards it as the highest principle of politics, "The Tao is always inaction and nothing can be done. If the princes and kings can guard it, all things will be transformed by themselves." (Synopsis) "The sage said: I do nothing and the people transform themselves, I like quietness and the people are self-righteous; I have nothing to do, and the people are rich, and I have no desires and the people are simple." (Laozi Shuzheng Volume 1) Introducing the political norms that are supposed to be true to the world from the inevitable legal principles of the universe is a prominent feature of the political philosophy of "Laozi" and a fundamental method of ancient Chinese political philosophy. It has been further developed in Xunzi's thoughts.

Xunzi emphasized the consistency between heaven and man from the aspects of political activities and political systems. He materialized the internal principle and spiritual state of heaven and earth and man, which is common to heaven and earth and man, and externalized it into "ritual", so "ritual" became the order of the universe. "Heaven and earth are united, the sun and the moon are bright, the four seasons are ordered, the stars are moved, the rivers are flowing, and all things are prospered." (Xunzi. Theory of Literature) He exaggerated etiquette as natural and earthly, and the purpose is not to establish an order for all things in nature, but to find a foundation and basis for the etiquette of social systems. The way of heaven is the same as the feudal political system and moral principles, or in other words, social principles are based on the way of heaven. This means that the way of heaven is the most perfect system and principle. If the feudal rulers can govern the country and the people, they can achieve an ideal political situation.

However, Xunzi also noticed the "division between heaven and man", and the confusion between heaven and man is just a undercurrent. This undercurrent spread in Dong Zhongshu's theory of induction of heaven and man. Dong Zhongshu's theory of heaven and man is a political philosophy with theological color.

In the famous three strategies of heaven and man, Emperor Wu of Han raised a series of questions, and summarized them in three points: Is the emperor's way common or different? Is it changing frequently or eternal? The rise and fall of the emperor's way determines the man or the heaven? The essence of these issues is the fundamental principle that national politics should follow? He asked Dong Zhongshu to give "the essence of the great way and the extreme of the discussion", that is, to give a fundamental explanation. Regarding these issues, Dong Zhongshu's basic view is that the emperor's way is consistent, but different manifestations are different in different eras. Therefore, the basic spirit of Tao is unchanged, but the specific content can be transferred according to the destiny of heaven.

Make appropriate changes; the rise and fall of the king's way is taken from man, not from heaven's destiny. He believed that the fundamental principle of national politics is the way of heaven. "I carefully write the text of the Spring and Autumn Period to seek the end of the king's way, and get it from the right, and the right king, and the king's next spring. Spring is what heaven does, and the right one is what the king does. The meaning is that, inherit what heaven does and correct what he does, and correct what the king's way is said. However, if the king wants to do something, he should seek it from heaven." (The Three Strategies of Heaven and Man) He publicly advocated that the king's way comes from heaven, saying: "The three main principles of the king's way can be obtained from heaven", and "all the benevolence and righteous systems are taken from heaven." Since this is the case, unity with heaven has become the ideal goal of national politics.

Dong Zhongshu believed that the way of emperors emphasized education and neglected punishment. The short life of the Qin Dynasty was to abolish education and accept punishment. The Qin Dynasty's legacy was extended to the Han Dynasty, causing a very tense situation of class relations. In this case, the punishment was relied on punishment and killing to consolidate the rule, just like "using soup to stop boiling and holding fire to put out fires", which could only accelerate the demise. He advocated the implementation of moral governance because "the great thing about the way of heaven is yin and yang, and yang is virtue, and yin is punishment. Punishment is responsible for killing and virtue is responsible for birth. Therefore, Yang always lives in Daxia and takes care of nurturing and raising, and Yin often lives in Dayin and accumulates in empty and unused places. This shows that the heaven's virtue does not accept punishment." ("Three Strategies of Heaven and Man") "The king follows the will of heaven to do things, so he takes virtue and education but not punishment." (Same as above) If a monarch does something, he must obey the will of heaven and follow the way of heaven. The way of heaven is a role model for national politics, and the heaven is a role model for kings.

A serious social problem that threatens the stability of the Han Dynasty was land annexation. Dong Zhongshu opposed annexation and advocated the establishment of a system to suppress it. He believed that people who already had high positions and generous salaries should not compete with the common people for profit, and should not seize the poor land property of the common people. "There are already great, and there are no small ones, which is the number of days. If there are already great ones and small ones, the sky cannot be enough, let alone the human beings? Therefore, the wise saints act like the system that heaven does, so that all the great ones can not be given.

It is the law of heaven that he has a small profit and fights for profit and business with the people." ("Spring and Autumn Annexation. System") His political proposition of opposing land annexation has positive social significance, but the relationship between heaven and man he mentioned is an incomparable. In fact, Dong Zhongshu did not intend to explore the scientific relationship between heaven and man. He just used heaven to emphasize his political views, as Wang Chong said: "The text of the Six Classics, the words of the sage, those who speak of heaven and man, want to transform into the truth and fear fools,

The words are not my heart alone, but also the will of heaven. It is because of his words that heaven is still in the heart of man, not because of the heaven's nature." ("Lunheng. Condemnation") In fact, pursuing virtue and education does not require punishment to obey heaven, and setting up systems to suppress annexation to agree with heaven is the fundamental principle of national politics provided by Dong Zhongshu for Emperor Wu of Han. "Perform to heaven" and "Agree with heaven" is his highest political goal. "The end of governing the world is to judge the greatness; the end of distinguishing the greatness is to observe the name deeply

...The right name is taken from heaven and earth... It is the story that follows the name, and the name follows the heaven, and the relationship between heaven and man is united as one" ("Spring and Autumn Festival. Deeply Exploring the Name") It can be seen that Dong Zhongshu's "harmony between man and man" is essentially a combination of his political ideals through real politics, and a real ruler is to redeem the king. His theory of heaven and man that he thought and created behind closed doors does not only express his illusion and grotesqueness, but also carries his true and sincere social ideals.

From the above analysis, it can be seen that the core of the discussion on ancient Chinese studies of heaven and man is not the origin and derivation of the world, the relationship between spirit and nature, but the rationality and sacredness of feudal moral ethics and political systems. It essentially reflects the relationship between individuals and social morality, real politics and political ideals. Yu Yingshi once interpreted "Heaven" with the origin of heterodox. He believed that the Chinese people attributed the order and moral value of human beings to "emperor" or "Heaven". After Confucius, the weight of man increased, and the weight of heaven was relatively reduced. "But thinkers below Confucius did not cut off the transcendent source of human value for the day. Confucius regarded "benevolence" as the highest moral consciousness, and this consciousness was internal to human nature, and its source was still in heaven." [Yu Yingshi: "From the Value System"
Chapter completed!