Essay on Chinese Rites of Passage

If you don't want to, impose yourself on others. There have been reports that some people are not courteous, in order to fight for the seat on the bus, a big fight, in the flight fists and feet, the loss of "the state of courtesy" face. Confucius said, "To be rich and noble without being righteous is like floating clouds to me." In a commodity economy, there is nothing wrong with obtaining benefits through normal means. In reality, we often see certain enterprises and individuals disregard the law in pursuit of high profits. Building collapse, bridge collapse such as "tofu-dreg engineering" is not only seen in a city and a place. The one-child era, some parents spoil their children, the emergence of a number of capricious self, lack of spirit and etiquette of the small emperor, the little princess. They enter the school, peer relations disorder, teacher-student relationship dislocation, teachers respect teaching, the fine tradition of friendship encountered challenges. Meizhou City, a middle school, had in just four days three students were criticized because of the hands of the teacher hit the incident, let a person shame. ...... Needless to say, the phenomenon of moral misconduct and lack of propriety revealed here is not the mainstream of society, but it should be recognized that its adverse effects can never and should not be underestimated. How to absorb the reasonable quality core of the Chinese traditional ritual system to reverse the bad situation and promote the progress of social civilization is a very important topic. The progress of a society is the improvement of the level of material civilization and the elevation of the level of spiritual civilization. Changes in the level of spiritual civilization can either result in a general upward trend or a downward trend in certain periods of time and on certain sides. Spiritual civilization consists of two dimensions: science and culture and ideology and morality, which can be divided into social morality and personal morality. The reasons for changes in ideology and morality are extremely complex, and need to be analyzed and judged in terms of specific historical conditions. The improvement of the level of material civilization and the development of science and culture in spiritual civilization will have a contributing effect on the improvement of ideology and morality, but it is not a necessary relationship: the improvement and decline of ideology and morality do not necessarily correspond to the improvement and decline of material civilization, or the development and stagnation of science and culture. Some people think that the causes of moral disorders and lack of propriety should be found in the social system, which is of course reasonable, and that is why we continue to deepen the institutional reform to create a good institutional environment for the sustained development of the social economy and the continuous improvement of spiritual civilization. However, the institutional problem is only one of the reasons, not all of them, so we can not blame the system whenever we see the problem of moral disorder and lack of propriety, we also need and should look for the reasons from other aspects. 1. The distortion and improper criticism of traditional Chinese etiquette The "New Culture Movement" in the 20th century was an anti-feudal ideological liberation movement, which greatly shook the dominance of feudalism, so that the Chinese people's thinking has been unprecedented liberation. In this sense, the "New Culture Movement" is very necessary and cannot be denied. However, we should also see that many of the participants in this movement have studied in the Western academic background, they advocate wholesale westernization, ignoring the essence of Chinese culture and want to sweep it away, which goes to the extreme. Mr. Peng Lin pointed out in the book "Ritual Life" that Wu Yu said "The one who eats people is the one who talks about rituals! Speaking of rituals is cannibalism ah", is "the cannibalism and rituals of the two directly equated", pinpointed the root of the error of Wu Yu's views. Ten years of turmoil, once again, a large number of rituals, Confucius "self-restoration of rituals as benevolence" as the restoration of slavery. The distortion or inappropriate criticism of traditional Chinese rituals is an important cause of misunderstanding of traditional Chinese rituals. We do not deny that there are historical limitations in Chinese culture (including, of course, the traditional Chinese system of etiquette) and that it has played an undesirable role in history, and we also emphasize that with the development of history and the progress of society, the shortcomings or dregs of the old system of etiquette should be eliminated from the game, but it is undeniable that the traditional Chinese system of etiquette, which is a part of the Chinese culture, is imbued with the very valuable life experience and wisdom of the Chinese forefathers, and that the essence of the system has been integrated into the blood of the Chinese nation and has become a part of the Chinese culture. Its essence has been integrated into the blood of the Chinese nation, and has become the inherent driving force for the cohesion of the Chinese people. Therefore, traditional Chinese rituals should be analyzed and judged historically, and cannot be and cannot

be rejected in their entirety.

2015-14 Half Moon Lecture

Moral Lecture

45 2. There is still a market for the absurdity of national nihilism China's national nihilism emerged with the invasion of the West's powerful ships and artillery, and is essentially a product of pandering to the outside world. National nihilists advocate the wholesale denial of Chinese culture and even the history of the Chinese nation, ignore the fine traditions and cultural essence of Chinese culture, and even deliberately confuse the essence and dregs of Chinese culture. Nowadays, national nihilism has not withdrawn from the stage of history, and some arguments of "the moon is full in the West" are still very popular. Denying that traditional Chinese rituals have reasonable elements or intrinsic value is one of the important manifestations of national nihilism. We should soberly realize that: reflecting on the weaknesses and defects of Chinese culture is completely desirable and necessary, but if the blind worship of Western culture and propaganda, and then kill the essence of Chinese culture to imitate some of the Western skin, there is a loss of watermelon to pick up sesame seeds suspected. In fact, China's modern history has fully proved: China to achieve national independence, national revitalization, national strength, people's happiness, is not to rely on or even rely on Western capitalism this road. As a matter of fact, the traditional Chinese system of etiquette neither began with Confucius nor is it the monopoly of Confucianism. The ancient Chinese "rituals" existed long before Confucius, and although they were quite simple in the beginning, they were indeed the earliest guidelines for the first people to deal with interpersonal relationships. Later, after the Duke of Zhou's "making of rites and music", after Confucianism was incorporated into Confucianism through Confucius' promotion and practice, and then through the theoretical exploration of various schools of thinkers, as well as the implementation and practice by politicians, the traditional Chinese system of etiquette, after thousands of years of accumulation and repeated construction, has become increasingly mature and refined. The rituals that the sages diligently pursued are not only the ideals of ancient Chinese thinkers on the other side of the river, but also the pursuits and dreams of the Chinese forefathers. The essence of the rituals, which reflect the character of the Chinese people, such as generosity, calmness, sincerity, humility, love, filial piety and fraternal duty, have long been the cornerstones of the Chinese national identity and national harmony. Obviously, the essence of national nihilism in denying the essence of traditional Chinese rituals is to deny the history of the development of the Chinese nation and the historical tradition of the ancient civilized countries! 3. The impact of money worship on personal moral bottom line After the reform and opening up, the Party and the country encourage hard work to become rich, people can abide by the laws and regulations of the country under the premise of making money in order to improve their living conditions. However, we should not forget that we should "take money in a proper way and use it in an appropriate manner", and we should not forget to do good deeds when we get rich. On the contrary, taking money in an unethical manner, forgetting what is right at the sight of profit, being extravagant and profligate, and being unkind to the rich will lead to very serious consequences. In recent years, obsessed with money, worship of wealth, hedonistic supremacy, forgetting the righteousness of profit, extreme egoism grows in the dark, the impact on social morality is very obvious. Money worship has distorted the values of some people, confused the boundaries of hard work and wealth and self-interest, corroded the normal human nature, leading to moral degradation, and even embarked on the road of crime. 4. The lack of family education makes etiquette behavior is not easy to take root Good etiquette habits should be cultivated from childhood, family education is extremely important. Parents civilized manners, consciously resist bad habits, set an example, in order to make the child from childhood to develop good morals. On the contrary, parents themselves have bad habits, the child subtle, its influence is also great. Some parents in the public **** occasions to encourage or condone their children to climb trees and pick flowers, so how can the children grow up to follow civilized etiquette, with a public **** moral concepts? Third, for the current phenomenon of moral failure and lack of etiquette, we can neither complain to God, nor can we be indifferent, we must mend the fold, establish a standardized and effective contemporary etiquette system, and establish a benign social order. Mr. Peng Lin said in his article "Contemporary Industrial Civilization and Traditional Ritual Culture", "Promoting a culture of rites and music will help improve the quality of citizens." The quality of citizenship mentioned by Mr. Peng is actually the quality of civic morality. So, after stripping away the feudal core of traditional Chinese rituals, what is its modern value or what can be learned from it? 1. The pursuit of ideal dreams, enhance the moral realm of the people of China The traditional Chinese ritual system of the pursuit of propriety and righteousness, the pursuit of personal perfection of moral cultivation and spiritual realm, its ultimate goal is to achieve a harmonious relationship between the state, society, groups, families and even individuals. The Book of Rites? The Rites of Passage" states, "The Way of the Great Dao

is also practiced, and the world is a public place. The world is a commonwealth. We choose the wise and the capable, speak of faith and cultivate harmony,

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Moral Education China Therefore, people are not alone in kissing their relatives, not alone in having children, so that the old have an end, the strong have a use for it, the young have a long time, the widowers and widows, orphans, invalids and the sick, are all supported. Men have their share, and women have their home. Goods are not to be abandoned on the ground, they do not have to be hidden in their own; power is not to be used out of the body, they do not have to be used for themselves. Therefore, if the people's minds are closed and they don't prosper, if they don't steal and rebel, and if they don't close their doors, then it is called the commonwealth of the world." The world described here is a commonwealth of the world, harmony and order, the wise and capable of the government, the faith and cultivate harmony, unity and mutual love, social stability of the situation, which is the ultimate goal of the pursuit of traditional Chinese etiquette. Therefore, etiquette is not only manifested in the external form of "advancement and retreat, and the restraint of authority" ("History of Song"), but also in the external form of the "music", which is the most important form of etiquette in China. (Song Shi? Le Zhi), but also in the form of moral elevation and spiritual perfection. In my opinion, Confucius was an idealistic thinker with the intention of establishing a society of unity, harmony and tranquility, and he pursued a "righteous" world in which rites and music and conquests would come out of the Son of Heaven, which is in fact the ideal of a commonwealth society. In Confucius' view, in order to achieve such a goal, it is necessary to strive to cultivate people into "gentlemen" who have a high moral standard and follow the rites and rituals. The ancients emphasized that "rites and music must not go to the body", and believed that "virtue moves within", and only through rites can it "move outside", i.e., be sincere in the heart, reflecting the inner morality, and only then can it give birth to the true nature of the people, It is only through the sincerity of the heart and the reflection of inner morality that the true, elegant, and standardized etiquette can be born, and what is displayed is the true propriety. Obviously, the late philosophers regarded the cultivation of an ideal personality that observes etiquette and morality and the enhancement of the moral state of a gentleman as the goal of their lifelong pursuit, for this is the foundation for the realization of a commonwealth. If we switch to the modern perspective, then we should use socialist core values to cultivate moral character and enhance the moral status of the people, so that we can talk about faith, cultivate harmony, unite and love each other, and make the society more harmonious and orderly, stable and peaceful. In short, traditional Chinese etiquette requires upholding a serious and respectful attitude towards life, strengthening moral self-discipline, cultivating moral sentiments, and emphasizing the practice of behavior. 2. Correctly understand the distinction between righteousness and profit, and enhance the concept of integrity of the people of China The relationship between righteousness and profit is actually the relationship between moral behavior and material interests, and the distinction between "righteousness and profit" is the distinction between the relationship between moral behavior and material interests in ancient China. Chinese philosophers had a lot to say about the relationship between righteousness and profit. Confucius emphasized that "the gentleman is a metaphor for righteousness, while the villain is a metaphor for profit" (Li Ren), and demanded that "righteousness and profit should be treated in the same way as material interests". Liren"), and asked "to think of righteousness when one sees profit" and "to take righteousness before one takes it" (Lunyu? (Lunyu? Xianqian). Mencius advocated "sacrificing one's life for righteousness" (Mengzi? (The First Letter to the Emperor). Dong Zhongshu proposed that "if one's friendship is correct, one should not seek profit, and if one's way is clear, one should not count one's achievements", which was explained by Zhu Xi, "if one's friendship is correct, one's profit will be free; if one's way is clear, one's achievements will be free. Specialized to calculate the benefits and harms, fixed may not be beneficial, may not have the merit." Obviously, the sages in the treatment of the relationship between righteousness and profit, emphasizing the benefit of thinking of righteousness, with the rites of righteousness, that is, advocating moral self-awareness, to comply with the rites of the road, to the country, political, economic, ethical, and social customs of the merits of the value as the orientation, in order to Zang Fu personal behavior. These points of view, which are based on the foundation of propriety and righteousness and differentiate between right and wrong from the moral point of view, have their own merits, which we do not have to, and cannot, totally reject. This is a serious reflection of the sages on the overall interests of the society, a theoretical summary to ensure the orderly operation of national politics, protect the normal development of the social economy, and maintain social stability, and their significant contribution to the theory of national governance. In fact, a correct concept of righteousness and profit should combine rights and obligations, putting the interests of the state and the nation in the first place, while at the same time fully recognizing and encouraging citizens to obtain legitimate interests through lawful channels and proper means. Thus, the ancient Chinese concept of righteousness and profit can be justifiably publicized, and there is no need to negate "righteousness" as a mere feudal morality, and there is no need to oppose righteousness and profit to negate the efficacy of righteousness. So that we can correctly understand the relationship between righteousness and profit, and enhance the integrity of the concept of the people, and completely clear the line with gold-digging, so as to build an orderly and harmonious economic order. 3. Comply with the law, the combination of etiquette and law, cultivate the moral consciousness of the people in ancient China, the unity of etiquette and law, requiring people to comply with etiquette and law, violation of etiquette that is illegal. This is a kind of conscious moral practice under the higher moral requirements, but also a mandatory requirement under the law, so people are required to obey the rites and abide by the law in every move. At that time, the rulers were very aware of the function of rituals to harmonize various relationships, and they all hoped to use rituals to govern the world.

2015-14 Half-Moon Magazine Mingde Lecture

Moral Lecture

47 The Book of Rites? Sacrificial Unity" states, "Where the way to rule people is concerned, there is no more urgent need for rites." It is indeed instructive to remove the feudal nucleus and focus on leaders and subordinates*** to uphold and follow the norms and guidelines of the rituals, closely linking the "way of governing" (which of course includes the legal norms) with the rituals, so as to achieve the purpose of upward mobility and downward mobility. The Zuo Zhuan emphasizes: "The conduct of a gentleman is also based on ritual." This is to talk about rites from the perspective of moral self-awareness. The State Language? Chu Yu Shang" says, "Teach the rites, so as to know the rules of upward and downward mobility." This is from the provisions of the rites to talk about improving the moral standard of the people. It can be seen that the so-called "rites" in ancient China embodied social efficacy under the hierarchical relationship, and tried to formulate a set of interpersonal behavioral guidelines and moral norms that conformed to the historical conditions at that time. Of course, times have changed and the feudal hierarchy emphasized in the traditional rites does not meet the requirements of modern society, but the principle of conscientious compliance with the rites and laws advocated in the traditional rites can be removed from the rough and stored in the essence, and the ancient rites can be used in the present day. In fact, the ancient system of etiquette has the effect of indoctrination, but also has the legal system to regulate the use. The Book of Rites? The explanation" that "the rituals prohibit the birth of chaos", "so the rituals of indoctrination is also micro, the stopping of the evil is also in the form of, so that people day migrate far from the crime and do not know, is to the first king of the Long also". Obviously, the ancients have long noted that through the ritual can "stop the evil in the form of", so that people "move good far away from the crime" to achieve the "ban on chaos" and the purpose of educating people to play the ritual system to prevent crime, It serves the purpose of preventing crime and cultivating gentlemen. Then, we can learn from the ancient concept of "transferring good deeds and crimes" and try to build a new ritual system or etiquette system to educate the people of China, so as to improve their moral standard and create more gentlemen in the new era. From the Chinese traditional ritual system of rites and laws are closely integrated with this feature can be derived from such a revelation: the rites and laws can not be disconnected, neither can we emphasize the rites over the law, nor can we emphasize the law over the rites, need to rites and laws, the rites and laws, and the importance of the rites and laws. Exaggerate the "law" role of coercion, can not solve the problem of moral upgrading of the people; exaggerate the "rites" role of indoctrination, that the rites of the omnipotent, can not solve the problem of the people of the country against the law. Therefore, we can according to the Chinese traditional etiquette and law combined with this feature, from the enhancement of the moral consciousness of the people of the country to start, to promote social justice, and constantly improve the moral quality of citizens and the civilization of society, popularize the patriotism, dedication, honesty, friendliness, and other basic ethical norms, and to promote the construction of social morality, occupational morality, family virtue, personal virtue, which is undoubtedly a hundred benefits for the country, the community, and the people, rather than a harm. 4. Implementation of etiquette education, the construction of a new era of moral norms The traditional Chinese etiquette system focuses on etiquette education, which can play an important role in molding moral character, cohesion, and promoting the harmonious and orderly development of society. Since ancient times, China has had a monastic school, one of the contents of which is to educate children from an early age to develop good habits of daily life, the initial basic ethical morals, know the etiquette. Confucius said many times, "If you don't learn manners, you cannot stand" (The Analects of Confucius). Ji's"). Zhu Xi's "Instructions for Children and Young People" has more than a thousand words, which is summarized in the word "etiquette". In fact, ancient Chinese ritual education is not only an external ritual education, but also a combination of internal and external, focusing on internal moral cultivation, and strive to cultivate a gentleman education system, so it contains a rich selection of elements. The Book of Rites? The Nei Zi (The Book of Rites) has very clear provisions on the education of etiquette from childhood to adulthood, and emphasizes lifelong practice and learning at all times. The ancients also clearly said, "When fathers and brothers teach their children, they must set a good example for their children, and there is no need for them to engage in empty talk" (Night Talks Around the Furnace), which emphasizes the truth that parents should set a good example for their children. We can cultivate the gentlemen of the new era and build the moral code of the new era through etiquette education. To summarize, after stripping away the feudal core of traditional Chinese etiquette, it does have a modern value that we can learn from, and it has a self-evidently important role to play in reversing the undesirable status quo of the current moral disorders and lack of etiquette, in upgrading the overall moral quality of our countrymen, in establishing a standardized and effective contemporary etiquette system, in building a benign social order, and in practicing the core socialist values.