Chapter 5 5. China

The consensus of mankind cannot be reached without the voice of China. The voice of China is far away, but also very close; very clear, but also very vague.Yes, when it echoes in our ears through time and space of 3,700 years, do we know its main theme and key words?Can we use a simple sentence to clarify what is the Chinese root, Chinese dream, and Chinese soul? It's a bit difficult. Why is it difficult?Is it only because of being in this mountain?It used to be, it is not now.Now that we have a global perspective, we can use the civilizations of all nations in the world as a frame of reference, so we should be able to see clearly.

Unfortunately, the more we compare, the less we understand, because Chinese civilization is really different. For example, there is no religion and no faith. Do religion and belief matter?Very important.Please think about it, why do human beings invent religion and have faith?There are two reasons.Fundamentally speaking, belief is the life instinct of human beings, and it is to find the source and destination of the soul.In terms of practical needs, everyone needs security, freedom, and identity.Religion and belief can precisely meet these needs, even better than the state.God's blessing and protection give people a sense of security; the soul is with God or Allah, giving people a sense of freedom; the name and status of Christians or Buddhists realize identity.No wonder Muslims all over the world are sworn to defend the "one true God" and "the last prophet".Otherwise, they would not be able to settle down; otherwise, they would not know where this body belongs.

Moreover, religion and belief have no national boundaries.Therefore, the most convenient way to become a world civilization is to rely on religion and belief.This is true of Western civilization, and even more so of Islamic civilization.For that, they even needed logos, like crosses and crescents. And yet all of these, we don't have. At least, the Han nationality did not. Really? really. What is religion?Religion is a set of value systems, concept systems and codes of conduct centered on faith.What is faith?Faith is "an unwavering belief in a supernatural, supernatural being," such as God or Allah.Such existence does not belong to the natural world and cannot be proved by scientific experiments; nor does it belong to human society and cannot be proved by daily experience.No way, only "faith".

So Archbishop Tertullian said, I believe because of the absurd. We have never had such an existence and a proposition.What we believe in is either natural, such as Xunzi's heaven; or secular, such as Mozi's righteousness; or both natural and secular, such as Confucius' order.Even Laozi's Dao and Zhouyi's Yi are the same.Therefore, "Zhouyi" and "Laozi" can be used to engage in politics, start a business, buy a house, and speculate in stocks.Does God or Allah care too?in spite of. That's right, we also introduced Buddhism and invented Taoism later, but it never really became the belief of the whole people.The Chinese also believe in Buddhism, ghosts, and geomantic omen, but they actually "believe but do not believe in it."From the Jade Emperor to the land father-in-law, they can all be ridiculed.He even joked about the gods and Buddhas. These gods and Buddhas also brazenly indulged in murder, and they were plausible.This attitude is quite similar to that of the ancient Greeks.

Similarly, the Chinese also worship gods, immortals, and Bodhisattvas, but they actually "respect but do not believe."Buddhist temples and Taoist temples are mostly located in deep mountains and old forests; asking for signs and hexagrams is only for praying for blessings and eliminating disasters; kneeling three times and knocking nine times is just a routine.The so-called "faith leads to success" actually means "if it doesn't work, don't believe it".Believe it or not, it just depends on whether it works or not. Therefore, the "faith" of the Han nationality has never been determined.Ancestors, Bodhisattvas, Fox Immortals, Master Guan, Taishang Laojun, and even the older generation of proletarian revolutionaries can all be invited into the shrine to perform rituals without discrimination, but they have to perform their duties.To enter the university, worship Wenchang; to have a child, to pray to Guanyin; to buy a house, to look at Fengshui.As long as it can bring us actual benefits, we are not afraid to change the family.

Does this mean to call it "faith"? It can only be called "worship". right!There are ghosts and gods without religion, and there are religions without belief.What other peoples are born and sustained by religion and belief, we are made by something else. Likewise, we don't have a logo.Dragons and Tai Chi diagrams, neither. strangeness.There is nothing like this, nothing about that, nothing, how did China become a world civilization? Way. Civilization needs ways.Values ​​and spirits are fresh, realistic, and alive only when they are embodied in forms.In fact, since then, we have bid farewell to the "ghost culture" of Yin and Shang. Since the Western Zhou Dynasty, our nation has been relying on its own unique way to create and maintain civilization.It is these ways that are very different from other nations, with their unique charm and successful experience, attracting envoys, monks, businessmen and overseas students from all over the world.When they came to Chang'an, Kaifeng, and Beijing, they left Hujia Fanwu behind, took away porcelain and tea, and also took away their admiration and understanding of Chinese civilization, even if that understanding was nothing more than swallowing raw and whole dates.Even eating with chopsticks has been learned, not to mention language, calligraphy, painting and architecture, and laws and regulations.

So, what is the way of Chinese civilization? The method covers many aspects, such as the economic and lifestyle of men farming and women weaving, the family structure of four generations living under the same roof, the social organization of monarchs and ministers, father and son, the identity recognition of brotherhood, and the political management of family and country.This latter item may be crucial.Indeed, if the key to Islamic civilization is "unity of religion and politics", then the key to Chinese civilization is "unity of family and country".Monarchs and ministers are like father and son, brothers all over the world, a big family of nations.Parents, officers, sons and soldiers, fraternal units, and all relationships in the entire civilization circle, including people and people, as well as people and nature, are all maintained by blood and pan blood.

This is called "people-oriented". However, it is not an individual and independent person, but a group and blood-related person. People-oriented, there will be no "god-oriented", and there will be no religion or belief, and there is no need to have religion or belief.In fact, the characteristics of Chinese civilization are "replacing gods with ancestors, gods with sages, rule of law with morality, and faith with principles and norms."What is reflected from this is the humanistic spirit, realistic spirit and artistic spirit.These are the three spirits of Chinese civilization.

Obviously, there is spirit behind the method, and there must be value behind the spirit.In fact, any kind of civilization, if it can survive the vicissitudes of life, must have core values ​​in its bones.Brydon, a pioneer of West African nationalism, believes that the core value of African civilization is the harmony between man and god, man and man, and man and nature, which he calls "the harmony of the three".We also have such things, but we don't use the concept of "value", let alone call it "universal value". Now it seems that the secrets of civilization can be glimpsed.

The secret of civilization lies in both will and structure.Civilization is structured.Any kind of civilization consists of three parts: way, spirit and value.The externalization of value is manifested as spirit.The implementation of the spirit is manifested in the form.The form is the surface, the spirit is the center, and the value is the core, which is the "three elements of civilization".The order of glory of the three major civilizations is nothing but the display and opening of the "civilization structure". Perhaps, this is history?