Chapter 19 The Two Roads of Governance

Note: This article was written by Mr. Liang Rengong for the Chinese Studies Research Association of Southeast University. It is divided into two parts.Li Jingfang said: "Mr. Liang has been lecturing in Ning for several months. Every time he lectures, he edits and prepares by himself in advance. This time, because he is leaving Ning soon and has little time to spare, this lecture is only the first part, and the next part will be written by Jing Fang." Notes, just for appendix." Yun Yun. Gentlemen!For your association, the topic of my scheduled speech is "The Authenticity and Age of Ancient Books".Because of illness in the middle, he could not fulfill the original contract.Now that I am about to leave Nanjing, that topic cannot be finished at one time, and the scope is too narrow. Now I will change to this topic, or it may be beneficial to you all.

In my opinion, there are two main paths to follow in the study of Guoxue: 1. The knowledge of literature should be studied with objective scientific methods. 2. The study of virtue should be studied in an introspective and practical way. The first way is the part of the work that people in the past call "sorting out the national heritage".The most extensive, difficult, and interesting part of this part of the enterprise is history.We are a nation with five thousand years of culture; brothers and sisters in our family account for a quarter of all human beings; our ancestors have been doing their work on the "cosmic evolution line" for generations; The next big inheritance has not been lost from the hands of the ancestors five thousand years ago until today.Many of our cultural products are recorded in our extremely beautiful words. Although the recording method is not very neat, although many of the records are lost at any time; , legal codes, political books, local chronicles, genealogy, as well as various notes, inscriptions on inscriptions on stones, etc., even a ten-story library can't accommodate them.From the perspective of historians, every word and sentence contains extremely valuable historical materials, and not only the historical books, all ancient books that many people think are useless, but when read as history, they will immediately become useful.Zhang Shizhai said: "The six classics are all history", I dare not agree with this sentence; but from the perspective of historians, it makes sense to say that "the six classics are all historical materials".That being said, why only the Six Classics are history?It is also possible that all scholars are history, poetry collections are history, and novels are history, because every word and sentence in it contains extremely precious historical materials, which have the same value as history books.The historical materials in our house are really the world’s first rich mines. In the past, we only used native methods to mine, but nothing could be mined. Now we know Western methods, and many mining machines have been brought in from foreign countries.What is this machine?It is a scientific method. As long as we use this method with precision, ingenuity and patience, we will naturally develop the endless resources of academia, which will not only be worthy of the predecessors, but also restore many public properties for the world's human beings.

The application of this method has already been discussed in the "Historical Research Method" I wrote last year and the "Historical Statistics" I taught in this school two months ago.Although there are still many places to go, I dare say that this road is good. If you are willing to follow the road and study it, you will naturally find many branch roads, so I don't need to elaborate.But we need to know: this mine is too big, and it cannot be successfully mined unless it is mined in sections, and it cannot be obtained unless it is drilled all the way to the depth.With the energy of a single person in our lifetime, it is considered a great cause to be able to completely open up three or more mine seedlings. Therefore, we feel the need to launch a cooperative movement. Based on their good nature and their usual knowledge base, each of them will share three or two subjects to do "narrow and deep" research. After ten or twenty years of hard work, this mine may be a little bit of a start.

In addition, there are many philology studies that are different from or similar in nature to historiography, and they all need to be studied with scientific methods.For example: Each of our monophonic characters contains a lot of cultural meaning. If we can study it with a new perspective and make a "New Shuowen Jiezi", it can be used as a history of national ideological changes or social psychological evolution. history reading. Our country has a vast territory and complex races. The social organization of the early people thousands of years ago coexists with the most advanced modern organization.Trying to go to the poor villages of various provinces and regions, further entering the places where Miaozi and Fanzi lived, and then using the customs recorded in the biography of the barbarians in the Twenty-Four Histories as evidence, we can see many things that modern sociologists have imagined, or confirmed, Or make corrections.All in all, a vertical evolutionary history of thousands of years can be seen on a horizontal horizon at the same time. I am afraid that there is no second country except China.It will be the most interesting thing if we study closely from this aspect.

Because our culture is too ancient and there are too many books, it is difficult to choose between the true and the false, or the meaning of the text is difficult to understand. In order to save the energy of future generations and make it easy to popularize knowledge, we who govern the country should take responsibility for it. This responsibility is to re-examine and explain all important classics.Scholars of the former Qing Dynasty have already done a lot of this kind of work.On the one hand, it is easy for us to rely on their foundation; on the other hand, we can make up a lot of what they can't do because of the trigger of foreign knowledge.So it is very interesting to study from this aspect.

We have extremely beautiful literary and artistic works, we should recognize their value, and teach the method of appreciation to the majority of people, so that the people can be "beautified".This kind of work needs another group of people to do it. Those of us who have a disposition close to this way should take it upon ourselves. The above are the most important ones.In fact, there are many other areas covered by philology, that is, the few items mentioned above. After analysis, each item has countless details.When we do this kind of literature study, we must set three standards in order to achieve it:

Anyone who studies an objective fact must first know that it is "truly so" before judging "why it is so".Most of the knowledge in the literature is a relic of the past, and many people have lost the truth through false rumors.We always have to use a very cautious attitude, choose carefully, pick out many false books and false things, and correct the misunderstandings of the predecessors, so that we can see the true face.This kind of work was also worked hard by the "Qianjia elders" in the former Qing Dynasty; the well-known Qing school orthodox school of textual research is like this.But in my opinion, it is still very early.Their work can be regarded as doing the most in Confucian classics, far behind in history and Zi studies, but not at all in Buddhism.Besides, when we do this kind of work now, our vision is different from that of our predecessors, and we rely on more materials than our predecessors.We should develop a school of "new textual research". This large colony is enough for us.

If we want to understand the truth of a thing, we cannot make a judgment based on a single piece of evidence. Therefore, we should collect similar or related things and compare them in series. The more the better, the better.For example, people who do biology collect various specimens, the more the better.We can use the spirit of statistics to make a lot of observations.We can first establish some "assumptions", and then continue to collect information to test whether the "assumptions" are correct.If we can make good use of these methods, as Han Changli said, "The sap of a cow is like the skin of a drum, and it can be used for everything." We can make use of many materials that were considered useless by the predecessors.

But there are also two conditions for seeking a blog. Xunzi said: "A good blog is good"; , from a very narrow range to give birth to extreme Bo.Otherwise, even one won't win.This is the principle of "a good blog".Also, the house is full of loose money, and if you can't wear it, even if you have a lot, it is useless.The richer the data, the more difficult it is to manage the data.It is always necessary to seek a "consistent" clue first, so as not to "broad but few".This is the principle of "holding a blog in a shallow way". "Having a good one" is certainly the main way to study, but it is prone to a kind of trouble, which I named for him, called "microscope life".Things in the mirror can be seen carefully and comprehensively, but they are completely invisible outside the mirror. Learning in this way often leads to wrong judgments.Therefore, although we specialize in one kind of knowledge, we must not forget the relationship between other sciences and this knowledge; in our own discipline, we must always pay attention to the mutual relations of various aspects. There are many of these relationships that cannot be seen on the surface. Seek him with sharp eyes.Only by being able to pay attention to the relationship frequently can one succeed in learning.above

The above-mentioned philology is finished, and one of the two paths has been discussed.In addition, it is morality.This study uses introspection and practice methods to study, which is completely different from philology, which should be studied with objective scientific methods.This can be said to be the most important part of Chinese studies, and everyone should understand it.One must walk through this path before he can walk on that path. Recently, Chinese people pay great attention to knowledge. We are also familiar with sorting out the nouns of the country.It is true that sorting out the country's history is considered an urgent task; but if it is said that there is no other learning besides sorting out the country's history, then that is not the case.The treasures of literature left to us by our ancestors are indeed enough to be proud of all countries in the world, but our most outstanding point is still not here.Why do you study it?That is, the philosophy of life is.

From the perspective of historians of philosophy, the ups and downs in European philosophy are nothing more than the ups and downs of the two factions of intellectualism and anti-intellectualism.The main wise man is the main wisdom; the anti main wise man is the main emotion and idea.Originally, in terms of life, there are only three things: wisdom, emotion, and will.However, Europeans pay special attention to the main wisdom; and the main emotions and ideas are not very close to life.Gaio people never start from life when they lecture; as for ancient Chinese philosophy, it is not the case. No matter what era or sect, the writings are all summarized in the way of life. Wait, it's not considered the first priority.Therefore, "Xunzi Ruxiao" says: "Tao, the prosperity of benevolence... is not the way of heaven, not the way of earth, but the way of man." It is the first place, and the way of heaven, etc., is placed in the second place.Océ, on the other hand, has studied what they call metaphysics since the Greeks.All day long, I just talk about the principles of the universe and search out of nowhere, and I seldom end up at this point in life.Socrates, known as the Confucius of the West, really wanted to work on this aspect of life, but what he got was very naive.His disciple, Plato, didn't know how to follow this path, so he completely abandoned his teacher's biography, and went back to study his so-called Dao of Heaven.Aristotle came out, so it turned back to science.Later generations said that Tao originated from Aristotle's words. In fact, he only made some innovations in science, and he is still far away from life after all.Afterwards, the Siduan school is probably comparable to Mozi in China; for Confucianism, it is still far behind.By the Middle Ages, all of Europe had become religious.The cruel Romans and Germans were influenced by religion and gradually became superstitious.In terms of religion, there are mostly sentimental ones; but to solve life purely with an objective God is far from the topic.Later, there was another great revolution, the Renaissance, which changed the religion of emotion and ideas, and replaced it with reason.The scope of Kant's theory in modern times is even more rigorous, just like our Linjiugongge.Therefore, it can be said that they have not found the avenue of life.It wasn't until James, Bergson, Wokeng, etc. came out that I felt that I had to change to another path. I worked hard to experience life, which can be regarded as breaking away from the mechanical materialistic outlook on life in the past. clouds.But compared with our Confucianism, I can say that it is still naive. All in all, when Westerners talk about their metaphysics, we admit that there are some unique features.On the other hand, talking about objective science is beyond our reach.But the strangest thing is that they also use this method to talk about life, and the result is really inexplicable.For example, when talking about people in a metaphysical way, they never think of self-evidence from the noumenon of human life, but they talk about mysteries and use the unpredictable God as an analogy.Another example is to use the scientific method, which is especially wonderful.May I ask what is life?Can a certain part be used as an angle of geometry or a side of a triangle?Is it possible to use chemical formulas to decompose and combine, or to use several original substances to form?Another example is Darwin's use of the theory of biological evolution to talk about life, and the research is detailed.Science can't be shaken, and it is finally a solid barrier, but if you really want to ask why others are different from beasts?Since humans evolved from apes, why did humans evolve from humans and apes eventually become apes?I'm afraid he can't give us a very reasonable answer. In short, the methods used by Westerners can only be used to study various problems other than human life; human beings are by no means so mechanical and easy to understand.Europeans have never fully realized this point, and only proceeded blindly, resulting in today's boredom and confusion.Back in the Middle Ages, people’s hearts could still rely on religion to live; and today, with the advancement of science, the religion that intoxicates life has completely lost its basis.Human beings degenerate from lower animals, so where is God creating?All phenomena in the universe are nothing but matter and its movement, what soul is there?The heaven in the afterlife is nothing to rely on, and the interests in front of you are fighting hand-to-hand day after day.Doubt and disappointment all arise from this, and it is really what they call the "end of the century". Let me see how pitiful the Westerners are!Fighting hand to hand in this boring life of mechanical materialism is truly unheard of!Shouldn't we lead them on the same path as our ancestors?The following will briefly talk about the spirit of our ancestors.Let's see if it can be used for a lifetime and can save them from the exhaustion of material life of Westerners. Our ancient Confucians always saw that knowledge and action are consistent, and never see that they are separate.Later generations often say that the theory of the unity of knowledge and action was first advocated by Wang Yangming. In fact, Yangming was only based on what Confucius had already developed.Confucius was a man all his life, and he was consistent in his knowledge and actions.It can also be seen from his remarks that he said "never tire of learning" and "never tire of doing it", which shows that learning is doing, and doing is learning.Because the expansion of knowledge depends on people's efforts to do things for themselves, it is never like the Westerners who seek knowledge from the method of knowledge, so Wang Yangming said: Knowing but not doing it is called ignorance.Therefore, this kind of learning must be self-proven and must be practiced. This is something that Westerners have never seen. And Confucianism believes that the universe and life are inseparable.The universe is by no means another thing, but the activity of life, so the evolution of the universe is entirely based on the creation of human efforts.Therefore, it is said: "Heaven moves vigorously, and a gentleman strives constantly for self-improvement." It is also seen that the universe has no perfect time, so the sixty-four Yi hexagrams begin with "dryness" and end with "unsatisfactory".If the universe is "already economical", then the universe is over, and there are no human beings left?In this incomplete universe, we can only strive to create forward; this, as Bergson saw, is also very similar to Confucianism.He said that all phenomena in the universe are formed by the flow of consciousness. The birth and death are born, and the birth and death are born, and the birth and death are linked together to form evolution. These birth and death are the result of the free consciousness of human beings.Therefore, human beings create and evolve every day.This flow of consciousness is called spiritual life, which must come from introspection and intuition.They not only know that change and circulation are the truth of the universe, but also know that the power of change and circulation is in their hands, so Confucius said: "People can spread the Tao; it is not the Tao that promotes people." Confucianism has seen the above points clearly, so his outlook on life , very beautiful and full of life.In this endless universe, life is just like a mayfly in the morning dew, moving forward little by little, without hoping for success, the joy and sorrow are not tied to the goal, but entirely on me. ".With this kind of spiritual life, what else is there to do to study any knowledge?Then, some people may say that since the universe has no perfect period, why don't we just stand still and do nothing, okay?In fact, it is not the case. Since human beings are animals, they have the instinct of movement. They also need to move when dressing and eating.Since life has to be changed, why don't we just keep doing what we like and what we think we should do? Our last light is certainly tens of millions of years away, but our responsibility is not to call Reaching the destination in one fell swoop; it is our destination, which is getting closer day by day.Our ancestors, Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Kong, Mencius, ... In their progress, the long ones ran a foot, and the short ones ran a few inches, and they accumulated to form today; we are now It doesn't matter if it's an inch and a half, as long as you run forward.It is an inescapable responsibility to benefit the present and future human beings.Confucius said: "Scholars can't be resolute; the task is heavy and the road is long. Ren takes it as his own responsibility, isn't it too important? After death, isn't it also far away?" So although we know that the road is far away, we still have to work hard to reach it After death, Confucius is "the one who knows what is impossible and does it."It is precisely because of knowing that it cannot be done, so life is full of spring.If not, first worry about whether others can do it or not, then emotions will be tied to external things, and worry and happiness will be related to gains and losses; or because of caring about interests, many things that should be done are not done.In this way, how can you appreciate the joy of life? Secondly, Confucianism does not recognize that human beings can exist alone, so the society of "benevolence" is the Confucian ideal of a great harmony society. The word "benevolence" comes from two people. "Book of Rites" note.) The concept of "person" cannot be established unless there is a couple between people.Therefore, it is by no means what Confucianism allows to do things arbitrarily.It is impossible to complete personality by relying on each individual alone.If there is no one else in the world, how will my personality manifest itself?For example, the whole society is evil, my personality is infected and oppressed, how can I be healthy?From this we can see that personality is a common thing, not alone; the only way to improve one's own personality is to improve the personality of the society, but the personality of the society is originally formed by the combination of each individual, and the only way to improve the personality of the society The method is to improve one's personality, and understanding the cooperation between the mind and the environment becomes the principle of evolution.That's why Confucius taught people: "If you want to establish yourself, you must establish others. If you want to achieve yourself, you must achieve others." The so-called "cultivating people to achieve others" does not mean reaching others, but reaching human beings.One and the other form human beings, so to reach that is to reach human beings; to reach human beings is to reach oneself.It is the "prescription of benevolence" to use the method of "taking analogy" to experience this word.In the other book, it is not uncommon to see the word benevolence.Why does Confucianism regard the word benevolence so important?That is, as mentioned above, Confucianism is based on the study of "the reason for human beings"; the reason for human beings is self-evident.Mencius said: "Benevolence is also human beings. Taken together, it is Dao." The concept of benevolence corresponds to the concept of human beings.People get their name when they understand each other, and when they understand each other, they get what is called benevolence.I know that people are connected with each other, so my likes and dislikes are the likes and dislikes of people, and my spirit also contains the spirit of people.This is not just the result of people in the present world. Even Confucius and Meng Yuan had their spirits infiltrated in the minds of the people more than two thousand years ago. It can be seen that we are connected with each other, even though they have passed through hundreds of generations. Get it deeply and deeply, and be able to practice it, "There is no final food against benevolence", this kind of spirit has the greatest influence on the national character.That is, this piece of family property, I can say that it is really the only treasure in the world.This is definitely not something that can be researched by scientific methods, it must be done through introspection and experience.After experiencing it, and then practicing it, I have developed this wonderful outlook on life of benevolence, and I am moving forward with great interest; no matter what kind of knowledge I study, I may be full of interest.Confucius said that "the benevolent will not worry", which is the truth.After the unfortunate Han Dynasty, no one continued to develop this spirit, and his outlook on life gradually became mechanical.Stereotyped writing prospered, and Confucius lost his true colors day by day.Later generations called it "searching for the place of Confucianism, Yanle", but it is still unclear where Kong and Yanle are.Since we recite the teachings of Confucius, we should take good care of our possessions—a wonderful outlook on life—to be worthy of being saints! In addition, the second source of our national studies is Buddhism.Buddha, originally passed down in India, but flourished in China.Now the Mahayana sects, the five seals are completely eliminated; the Fa-rectification sect is all in China.Europeans are studying Buddhism more and more, and almost all the classics in Sanskrit have been translated.But how much can one obtain from seeking Mahayana in Sanskrit?Not to mention the sects we created ourselves.Like our Zen Buddhism, it can really be regarded as applied Buddhism and worldly Buddhism.It is true that it can only happen outside of India, and it is indeed a manifestation of the characteristics of the Chinese people, so that the law of being out of the world and the law of entering the world do not conflict.The subtlety of the universe he talked about is indeed superior to Confucianism.It can be said that the universe is fluid and inhabitable and never perfect, which can be said to be the same as Confucianism.He said, "If one sentient being does not become a Buddha, I swear that I will not become a Buddha." That is Confucius' meaning of establishing and reaching people, because the ultimate goal of the universe is to seek the perfection of a great personality, not to seek the transcendence of a few individuals. mean.The difference between Confucianism and Buddhism is that, on the one hand, most of them tend to be in the present world;As for their common purpose, they all want the world to be completely free spiritually.Now the word "freedom" has been misunderstood by many people. In fact, human beings are bound by the outside world and oppressed by other forces. There is a way to get rid of it; , I want to liberate myself from the spiritual aspect, stand upright, and become a truly free person.This point of Buddhism has been developed more deeply. It can really be said that Buddhism is the highest product of the world's culture.No one in East and West can deny this.Since then, many people in the world have used it for this. Since our ancestors have worked so hard to create this wealth for us, we should take it seriously, because this is the only tool in life.With this kind of tool to settle down, and then to study a kind of knowledge that is close to your nature, then you have fulfilled your life's responsibilities. After listening to my speeches in the past two nights, you will naturally understand that our Chinese culture is not inferior to other countries in the world.People who are generally intoxicated with the west wind and say that China has nothing, are superficial and ridiculous.Said: "Although a person wants to kill himself, how can he hurt the sun and the moon? It is often seen that he does not know how to measure it!" The students here have never criticized Chinese studies lightly. This is a good phenomenon; of course, I also listen to it. Many people satirize the old-fashionedness of Nanjing students, but as long as the old ones are good, why should the old-fashioned be criticized?Therefore, I hope that this speech can further increase your interest in studying Chinese studies!The above and the next ("Speech Records of the Chinese Studies Association")