Chapter 15 Chapter fifteen

As mentioned in Chapter 12, it was originally a book of divination.Later, Confucianism gave a cosmological, metaphysical, and ethical explanation for it, forming the "Yi Zhuan" and appending it to the current one. The cosmological theory of "Yi Chuan" has already been mentioned in Chapter 12.It will be discussed later in Chapter 23.In this chapter, we are limited to talking about the metaphysics and ethics in "Yizhuan" and "The Doctrine of the Mean". "The Doctrine of the Mean" is an article in "Book of Rites".The traditional saying is. The Doctrine of the Mean was written by Zisi, the grandson of Confucius, but in fact most of it is a later work. "Yizhuan" and "The Doctrine of the Mean" represent the final stages of the development of pre-Qin Confucian metaphysics.Their metaphysical interest is indeed great, so the New Taoists in the third and fourth centuries AD regarded "Yi" as one of the three main classics of speculative philosophy, and the other two are "Laozi", collectively known as "Three Mysteries".Emperor Wu of Liang (reigned from 502 to 549 A.D.) was a Buddhist himself, and he also commented on The Doctrine of the Mean.Zen Buddhist monks in the tenth and eleventh centuries also made such notes, marking the beginning of Neo-Confucianism.

The most important metaphysical concept in "Yi Zhuan" is the concept of "Tao", and so is Taoism.However, the way of "Yizhuan" is completely different from the way of Taoism.The way of Taoism is nameless and unnameable. The Tao in "Yi Chuan" is not only worthy of name, but strictly speaking, it is Tao, and only Tao, can be named. In order to distinguish these two concepts, it is advisable to add quotation marks "" to the Dao of Taoism, but not to the Dao of "Yizhuan".The "Tao" of Taoism is a unified "one", from which the generation and change of all things in the universe arise. The Tao of "Yizhuan" is on the contrary, it is diverse, and it is the principle that all kinds of things in the universe follow.Only in this way, they are a bit like the concept of "universal" in Western philosophy.We already know that Gongsun Long regards "firm" as the universal of firmness, because it is this universal of firmness that makes concrete things in the material world firm.In the term of "Yi Chuan", the one who makes solid things strong can be called the way of firmness.This firm way can be separated from the firmness of each object to form a nameable metaphysical principle.

There are many such ways, such as the way of the king, the way of the minister, the way of the father, and the way of the son.They are what rulers, ministers, fathers, and sons should be.Each category of Dao is represented by a name, and each person should ideally act according to these different names.Here we see Confucius' theory of rectification of names.This doctrine was originally a doctrine of ethics for Confucius, but now it has become a doctrine of metaphysics in the "Book of Changes". We already know that "Yi" was originally a book of divination.Get a certain hexagram and line by playing with yarrow, and then find out its hexagram and line words from "Yi", and it is said that you can know the good or bad fortune of the divination.Therefore, these hexagrams and lines can be applied to various special situations in real life. The authors of "Yi Zhuan" realized the formula through this procedure.Looking at Yi from this point of view, they believe that hexagrams and line words are formulas, and each formula represents one or more ways.That is, one or more universal principles.All sixty-four hexagrams and three hundred and eighty-four lines of hexagrams and lines are considered to represent all the Taos in the universe.

Both hexagrams and lines are regarded as images of these universal Taos. The "Xi Ci Zhuan Part II" of "Yi Zhuan" says: "The one who changes is the image."Such an image is the so-called "variable item" in logic.The role of variables is to replace one or several types of specific things.A thing, classified into a certain category according to certain conditions, can be substituted into a formula containing a certain variable; that is to say, it can be substituted into the hexagram and line of a certain hexagram and line, and these hexagrams and lines are all images.This formula represents the Tao that such things should follow.From the perspective of divination, if you follow it, you will be lucky, and if you don't, it will be bad.From a moral point of view, it is right to follow it, and it is wrong to go against it.

For example, the first hexagram of the sixty-four hexagrams, the Qian hexagram, is said to be the image of strength; the second hexagram, the Kun hexagram, is said to be the image of softness.Anything that satisfies the condition of virility can be substituted into the formula with the appearance of Qian Gua and hexagrams; anything that satisfies the condition of softness can be substituted into the formula with the appearance of Kun hexagrams.Therefore, the hexagrams and lines of the Qian hexagram are assumed to represent the Tao of all vigorous things in the universe; the hexagrams and line words of the Kun hexagram are assumed to represent the Tao of all soft things in the universe.

Therefore, Kun Gua's "Yuan (no such word: ocr) Ci" said: "First, you lose your way; then, you get along." Dare to succeed. The authentic way, the wife’s way, and the minister’s way. The authentic way cannot be accomplished, but the generation has an end.” The Qian hexagram is just opposite to the Kun hexagram, and it is the image of the sky, the image of the husband, and the image of the monarch.The hexagrams and lines of the Qian hexagram represent the way of heaven, the way of husband and the way of monarch. Therefore, if anyone wants to know how to be a king and a husband, he should look up what is said in the Qian hexagram; whoever wants to know how to be a minister and a wife should look up what is said in the Kun hexagram.Therefore, "Xi Ci Zhuan Part 1" said: "Introduce and extend it, touch it and grow it, and the world's ability will be completed." It also said: "What is the husband easy to do? Dao, that’s all.”

"Yi Wei Gan Chiu Du" said: "The name Yi contains three meanings. The so-called Yi Ye, Chang Yi, and Difficult." The second meaning is: transformation, change; the third meaning is unchanged.Transformation and change refer to all things in the universe; simplicity and invariance refer to the way or principles followed by things.Things change, but Tao does not change.Things are complicated, but Tao is easy and simple. In addition to the Tao of various things, there is also the Tao of all things as a whole.In other words, in addition to the special and diverse Tao, there is also a general unified "Tao" that all things are created and changed by. "Xi Ci Zhuan Part 1" said: "One yin and one yang are called 'Tao'. The successor is good, and the success is nature." This is the "Tao" that generates all things, and such generation is the greatest achievement of the universe.Therefore, "Xi Ci Zhuan · II" says: "The great virtue of heaven and earth is life."

When something is born, there must be someone who can produce it, and there must be the material used to produce it.The former is an active component and the latter is a passive component.The former is vigorous and is Yang; the latter is supple and is Yin.The creation of all things requires the cooperation of the two.So it is said: "One yin and one yang are called 'Tao'". Everything is Yang in one sense and Yin in another, depending on its relationship to other things.For example, a man is yang to his wife and yin to his father.However, the metaphysical yang that produces all things can only be yang, and the metaphysical yin that produces each thing can only be yin.Therefore, in the metaphysical statement "one yin and one yang are called 'Tao'", the yin and yang mentioned have only absolute meanings.

It is worth noting that there are two sets of words in "Yi Zhuan".One set is about the universe and the concrete things in it, and the other is about the abstract image-number system of Yi itself. "Xi Ci Zhuan Part 1" said: "There is Tai Chi in Yi, which produces two forms; It is not the actual universe, but the system of the "Yi" image.However, according to "Yi Chuan", "Yi is consistent with heaven and earth" (ibid.), these images and formulas have their exact counterparts in the universe.So the two sets of sayings are actually interchangeable. The sentence "one yin and one yang are called 'Tao'" is of course talking about the universe, but it can be interchanged with the sentence "Easy to have Tai Chi, is to produce two appearances". "Tao" is equal to "Tai Chi", and "Yin" and "Yang" are equivalent to "Liangyi".

"Xi Ci Zhuan · II" said: "The great virtue of heaven and earth is life." "Xi Ci Zhuan · I" said: "Sheng Sheng is called Yi." These are two sets of sayings.The former refers to the universe, and the latter refers to Yi.But both are interchangeable at the same time. We already know that Yi has a meaning of transforming and changing, which is collectively called change. "Yi Chuan" emphasizes: everything in the universe is always in the process of change.The ninth and third lines of the Thai hexagram say: "There is no peace, nothing will be lost, and there will be no return." "Yi Chuan" believes that this sentence is the formula for the change of all things.This is the "Tao" by which all things change.

If a thing is to be perfect, if it is to remain perfect, it must operate in the right place, in the right limit, and at the right time. The hexagrams and lines of "Yi".This kind of appropriateness is called "positive" and "middle".Regarding "positive", the family hexagram "Xiang Ci" said: "The right position of women is inside, and the right position of men is outside. Men and women are right, the righteousness of heaven and earth is also....Father, son, brother, brother. Husband and wife, If you are a married woman, your family will be right. If your family is right, the world will be settled.” "中" means neither too much nor too little.Man's natural tendency is to go too far.Therefore, both "Yi Chuan" and "Lao Tzu" say that too much is a great evil. "Laozi" talks about "reverse" (Chapter 40) and "recovery" (Chapter 16). "Yi Chuan" also talks about "recovery". "Yi" has Fu Gua, and its "Xiang Ci" says: "Fu, he sees the heart of heaven and earth." "Xu Gua Zhuan" in "Yizhuan" uses the concept of "recombination" to explain the sequence arrangement of the sixty-four hexagrams. "Yi" was originally divided into upper and lower classics. "Xu Gua Zhuan" believes that the upper scriptures talk about the way of heaven, and the lower scriptures talk about human affairs.Regarding the Sutra, it says: "There is heaven and earth, and then all things are born. The only thing that fills the space between the heaven and the earth is all things. Let it go and accept it. The one who tun is also filled." "Xu Gua Zhuan" went on to explain.Each hexagram in the How to Sutra is followed by a hexagram of the opposite nature. About Xiajing.It says: "There are heaven and earth, and then there are all things. There are all things, and then there are men and women. There are men and women, and then there are couples. There are couples, and then there are father and son. There are father and son, and then there are monarchs and ministers. There are monarchs and ministers, and then there are upper and lower. There are upper and lower, and then there are There are mistakes in etiquette and righteousness." "Xu Gua Zhuan" went on to explain how each hexagram in the Xiajing is followed by a hexagram of the opposite nature. The sixty-third hexagram is Jiji, which means that it has been completed. "Xu Gua Zhuan" said here: "Things are not poor, so if you accept them, you will end up with nothing." According to this interpretation, the sequence arrangement of the sixty-four hexagrams has at least three meanings: (1) everything in the universe, including nature and society, forms a continuous chain of natural sequences; (2) in the process of evolution, everything Contains its own negation; (3) In the process of evolution, "things cannot be exhausted". "Yizhuan" and "Laozi" believe that in order to win, one must be careful not to win too much; to avoid losing something, one must add something opposite to it.Therefore, "Xi Ci Zhuan II" said; When there is death, govern without forgetting chaos, so that the country can be protected because of the safety of the body.” "Yizhuan" also believes that humility is a virtue just like "Laozi".The hexagram of modesty "Xiangci" said: "The way of heaven is full and modest, and the natural way becomes full and modest,...Humanity hates full and loves modesty. Modesty, respect and glory, humbleness and insurmountability: the end of a gentleman." The concept of "middle" is fully developed in "The Doctrine of the Mean". "Medium" is very similar to Aristotle's "golden mean" concept.Some people may interpret it as not doing things thoroughly, which is completely wrong. The true meaning of "middle" is neither too much nor too little.For example, if you go from Washington to New York, it's just right to stop in New York, it's too much to walk over and stop in Boston, and it's too bad to stop in Philadelphia before you get there.Song Yu described a beautiful woman in the third century B.C. and said: "An increase of one point is too long, a decrease of one point is too short, powder is too white, and Shi Zhu is too red." "Volume 19) This description is to say that her body and appearance are just right. "Just right" is what Confucianism calls "middle". Timing is an important factor in the notion of "just right".It is good to wear a fur jacket in winter, but it is not good to wear a fur jacket in summer.Therefore, Confucianism often uses the word "time" together with the word "zhong", such as "time".Mencius said that Confucius "if he can be an official, he can be an official; if he can stop, he can stop; if he can be long, he can be long; if he can be quick, he can be fast" ("Mencius Gongsun Chou Shang"), so "Confucius is the one who is holy" ("Mencius Wan Zhang") Down"). "The Doctrine of the Mean" says: "When happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy are not released, it is called the middle; when they are all in the middle, it is called harmony. The one who is in the middle is the foundation of the world; the one who is in harmony is the Dao of the world. To neutralize , the heavens and the earth, and the birth of all things." (Chapter 1) When no emotion occurs at all, the activity of the heart does not matter too much or too little, but just right.Here is an example in .Emotion happens.And there is nothing to be surly, this is also neutrality, because harmony is the result of neutrality, and neutrality is to reconcile those things that might otherwise be discordant. This has been said with respect to the affections, but what has been said also applies to desires.In both individual behavior and social relations, there are points of middle ground which serve as appropriate limits for the satisfaction of desires and the expression of affection.When a person satisfies and expresses all desires and emotions to the appropriate limit, he achieves harmony inside and is mentally healthy.The same is true for a society, in which all the desires and emotions of various people are satisfied and expressed to an appropriate limit, and the interior of this society will achieve harmony, stability and order. Harmony is to reconcile differences to achieve harmonious unity. "Zuo Zhuan" records a passage of Yanzi (died in 493 BC) in the 20th year of Zhao Gong, which distinguishes "harmony" and "same".He said: "Harmony is like soup. Water, fire, 醯, 醢, salt, plum, to cook fish", a new taste is produced from these ingredients, it is not only the taste of 醯 (vinegar), but also Not just the taste of 醢 (sauce).On the other hand, in the same way, "if you use water to help water", "if you are single-minded", nothing new has been produced.The same and the different are incompatible.Harmony and difference are not incompatible, on the contrary, only when several kinds of difference combine to form a unity can there be harmony.But in order to achieve harmony, the various differences combined must be in proper proportions, which is the middle.So the role of is to reach and . A well-organized society is a harmonious unity in which men of all abilities and occupations have their proper places and functions, and all are equally satisfied without conflicting with each other. "The Doctrine of the Mean" said: "All things grow together without harming each other, and Tao runs without conflict...the reason why this world is so great." (Chapter 30) If this kind of harmony not only includes human society, but also permeates the whole universe, it is called "Taihe".Yi Qian Gua "Xiang Ci" said: "Great Qianyuan!... Baohe Taihe is Lizhen." "The Doctrine of the Mean" said: "Heaven's destiny is called nature, straightforwardness is called Tao, and Taoism is called teaching. Tao is also one that cannot be separated for a moment; if you can leave, it is not Tao." (Chapter 1) Here we come into contact with "ordinary The idea of ​​the importance of "ordinary" is another important concept in "The Doctrine of the Mean".This concept is the "yong" yu in "The Doctrine of the Mean", which means ordinary or ordinary. Everyone knows to eat and drink every day.So eating and drinking are common and common activities of human beings.They are ordinary and ordinary, and because they are important, no one can live without them.The same is true of ethics and morality.In some people's eyes, they are so ordinary and ordinary that they have no value.But they are so, precisely because they are important, no one can leave it.Eating, drinking, maintaining human relations, and practicing morality are all "willfulness", that is, following nature.This is nothing but "Tao".The so-called "teaching" is nothing more than "cultivating the Tao". Since "Tao" is inseparable from human beings, and in fact there is no way to leave it, why is there still a need to practice Taoism.Need to teach it?The answer is this: While all people actually follow the Tao to some degree, not all are fully aware that this is the case. "The Doctrine of the Mean" said: "Everyone eats and drinks, and seldom knows the taste." (Chapter Four) The role of teaching.It is to make people understand that they are actually following the "Tao" to varying degrees, and to make them aware of what they are doing. There is another layer. Although all people have to follow the "Tao" to some extent due to practical needs, not all people can follow it completely.Therefore, although no one can live in society without completely disregarding human relations, at the same time, only a very small number of people can fully meet the conditions set forth by these human relations.The function of teaching is to enable people to complete what they are actually doing to varying degrees. Therefore, "The Doctrine of the Mean" said: "The way of a gentleman is to spend and hide. The ignorance of a couple can be understood. It is the ultimate; even a sage does not know it. The husband and wife are unworthy. It can be done. It is also the ultimate." , even a sage can’t do something.... The way of a gentleman is to create a husband and wife, and to reach the end, to observe the heaven and the earth.” (Chapter 12) All people, even if some are foolish and unworthy, are in a certain place. To some extent follow the "Tao", even so, teaching still needs to make people enlightened and complete, that is, clear and sincere, In "The Doctrine of the Mean", sincerity and Ming are linked together. "The Doctrine of the Mean" says: "Self-sincerity and clarity are called nature. Self-knowledge of sincerity is called teaching. Sincerity leads to clarity, and clarity leads to sincerity." (Chapter 21) That is to say, if a person understands daily life All the meanings of ordinary and ordinary activities in the world, such as the meaning of eating and drinking, he is already a saint.If a person does exactly what he understands, he is also a saint.If not, it is impossible to fully understand its meaning.If you don't fully understand its meaning, you can't fully do it. "The Doctrine of the Mean" also said: "The sincerity is not just self-improvement, so it becomes a thing. To achieve a self is benevolence; to achieve a thing is to know. The virtue of nature is also the way of combining internal and external." (Chapter 25 ) The meaning of this passage is very clear, but I doubt whether the words "benevolence" and "knowledge" should be interchanged. "The Doctrine of the Mean" also said: "Only sincerity in the world can fully realize its nature. If it can fully realize its nature, it can fully realize human nature. If it can fully realize human nature, it can fully realize the nature of things. If it can fully realize the nature of things, it can fully realize the nature of things." Praise the evolution of heaven and earth. If you can praise the evolution of heaven and earth, then you can join with heaven and earth.” (Chapter 22) While becoming yourself, you must see that you are also an adult.No matter you are an adult, you cannot become yourself.This is because it is only through human relations, that is, in the social field, that one can express one's true nature.This goes back to the tradition of Confucius and Mencius, that is, in order to achieve oneself, one must practice loyalty and forgiveness, that is, practice benevolence, which includes helping others.To be self-fulfilling is to do one's best, that is, to do one's best to receive from heaven.To help others is to praise the cultivation of heaven and earth.Once you fully understand these meanings, you can participate with heaven and earth.To fully understand the meaning is what "The Doctrine of the Mean" refers to as Ming; to be in touch with heaven and earth in this way is what it calls sincerity. In order to achieve the connection with heaven and earth, do we need to do extraordinary things?unnecessary.Just do the ordinary, commonplace thing, do it just right, and understand the full significance of it.By doing so, one can achieve the integration of inside and outside, which is not only the connection between man and heaven and earth, but also the unity of man and heaven and earth.In this way rebirth can be achieved while remaining in this world.Later New Confucianism developed this idea, and used it to attack the Buddhist philosophy of transcendence. This is the method of Confucianism, which raises the human spirit to the level of the same heaven.It is different from the method of Taoism, which is to elevate the human spirit to transcend the distinction between "he" and "this" in the world by negating knowledge. The method of Confucianism is not like this, it is to elevate the human spirit to the level of Extraordinary people and things separate me.