Keynotes Hist 487_7

based on Siu-chi Huang, Essentials of Neo-Confucianism. Eight Major Philosophers of the Song and Ming Period. Westport, Connecticut; London: Greenwood Press 1999.

Hist 487/587 The Song and Yuan Dynasties

Neo-Confucian philosophy

The national crisis of the Song Dynasty brought about a re-evaluation of Confucianism. The resulting synthesis of thoughts has later, in the seventeenth century, been termed ‘Neo-Confucianism’ by the Jesuit missionaries in China.

Four major factors contributed to the rise of Neo-Confucianism:

1. Invasions by non-Chinese northern neighbors ignited the search for national independence
2. Intellectual independence from foreign influences. Buddhism with its negation of involvement in social life and the concept that life is an illusion was rejected.
3. Daoism stressed non-action, non-interference and was thus opposing the Confucian ideal of social action and involvement in building a humanist society. Daoist ideology was of interest to Confucian intellectuals and was integrated into Neo-Confucian thinking when creating a cosmology based on principle (li) and vital force (qi).
4. The rise of creative and critical interpretation of ancient Confucian texts instead of a mere collecting, editing, and commenting by scholars resulted in a synthesis of at times contradictory traditions of former periods.

Neo-Confucianism postulated the reality of the universe and of man (in contrary to the nihilism of Buddhism). The cosmos consists of the natural world which includes man and a positive supernatural power which is called heaven (tian), principle (li), way (dao), Supreme Ultimate (taiji) etc.. The role of man is to live in harmony with nature and humanity and create a society without tensions. The society is created through morality based on knowledge which is gained through education.

The universal principle li is inherent in all phenomena of nature and all of mankind, despite of individuality.

As li is the metaphysical principle ruling everything, qi is the vital force inherent in everything, whether sentient being and material matter. Qi perpetually renews the universe through change.

According to the ideas of some Neo-Confucian philosophers, the part of man’s nature (xing) that has been bestowed by heaven is good, the part of man’s nature that includes his / her physical nature can have an evil quality that is innate. Evil can therefore be acquired but can also be inherent (apriori) in man’s nature.

Individual and universal Mind (xin)

Man’s mental activity has consciousness. The mind of spirit (dao xin) is pure and good, the mind of man (ren xin) is unstable because it is determined by the quality of the individual qi.

Another philosophical concept of the time postulates that there is only one mind which is identical with the principle which is good. Xin helps man to know, think, reflect, and learn about the Dao. In the universe exists a universal mind which is identical with the universal principle. The universal mind is the sum of all finite individual minds which have made their way to become one with the infinite mind through enlightenment. The infinite mind is good and eternal. This second concept is most likely influenced by Buddhism.

Virtues

To the well established canon of Confucian virtues of humanity (ren), righteousness(yi), propriety (li), wisdom (zhi), Neo-Confucianism added sincerity (cheng), earnestness (jing).Cheng unites man with the universe because they postulated that sincerety is the Way of Heaven. Jing is the method for moral and spiritual self-cultivation.

Neo-Confucian Philosophers

Northern Song (960-1126)

Zhou Dunyi (1017-1073), cosmologist

- Focus: ethical aspects of human life as linked to the universe

- Developed the Taiji tu diagram on the basis of concepts developed by the Daoist thinker Chen Tuan (906-989) and explanation which were commented on by Zhu Xi.

- Taiji = first necessary cause of the origin of the universe and supreme goodness; the taiji possesses the quality of causing a continuous process of motion (yang)which is its function and rest (yin), which is its essence.

- Cheng (sincerety) is introduced by Zhou Dunyi. Cheng is the foundation of the sage, the wise, and the gentleman

Shao Yong (1011-1077), mathematician; Mr.Peace and Happiness
- studied the Book of Changes with dedication

- made friends with Sima Guang who (with the help of others) bought him a house(which Shao Yong named 'Nest of Peace and Happiness')and a garden
- knew the Cheng brothers and Zhang Zai
-though repeatedly recommended for office, he declined all offers and lived as a recluse
- Shortly before his death he wrote his own epitaph:

In peace was I born,

In peace now I die,

You ask me my age?

I am threescore and seven.

If I look up to Heaven,

or out toward the world:

Of intentional wrong
I am conscious of none.

- Interested in numbers as the basis of the cosmic structure he developed a theory of evolution.The infinite cosmic cycles follow a pattern of coming into being and fading. Man is the most intelligent being and thus unique in the evolutionary process. Knowledge comes from observing things: the sage understands principles and qualities of all things as well as the minds of men.Things as men have to be approached with intuition which will create a true understanding of reality.
Sincerety is the essential virtue. He rejects the Buddhist negation of the world in favor of Confucianism.

Zhang Zai (1020-1077), realist

- born in Kaifeng he lost his parents at an early age and lived in poverty. He wanted to become a soldier and wrote a letter to Fan Zhongyan (989-1052) at court. Fan convinced him to change his military plans  in favor of a literary career.
- He passed his jinshi exam in 1057 but lost the position he was assigned in Xingzhou in Zhili, modern Hebei province, when he criticized Wang Anshi's reforms.
- After his death his tablet was placed in the Confucian temple.
- He attacked Buddhist negation of the world as destructive for society and personal morale and supported Confucian realism.

- He also had objectins against Daoism. Non-being is not the same as non-existence,unreality or nithingness (Buddhist).

Cheng Hao (1032-1085), idealist, inspired Wang Yangming (1472-1529) and Lu Xiangshan (1139-1193)

Cheng Yi (1033-1107), dualist: inspired Zhu Xi (Cheng-Zhu school)

Southern Song (1127-1279)

Zhu Xi (1130-1200)

- admirer of Zhang Zai

Lu Xiangshan (1139-1193), monistic idealist (School of the Mind; Xin xue)