Don Yi Jie: The Significance of Filial Piety as Family Ethics

Society is made up of many families, and family harmony is related to social harmony. How to establish a harmonious relationship in

Don Yi Jie: The Significance of Filial Piety as Family Ethics

Society is made up of many families, and family harmony is related to social harmony. How to establish a harmonious relationship in the family requires family ethics. In China, there have been various ethical norms to maintain family relations since ancient times. These ethical norms are often embodied in various "ceremonies". As can be seen from the Book of Rites, there are various records about "rites", such as marriage, funeral, marriage, marriage and so on. , which contains a variety of family ethics norms, and to make these family ethics norms become the ethical norms that society abides by, it is necessary to institutionalize "ceremony". Therefore, the ancient society of China was a society ruled by etiquette and law. Therefore, "ethical" norms are very important in ancient China society.

In ancient China, "filial piety" was undoubtedly the most important concept in "family ethics". There is a passage from Confucius in the book of filial piety and three talents: "the filial piety of the husband, the classics of heaven, the righteousness of the earth, and the trip of the people." (Of course, it doesn't matter here whether Confucius said this passage. This means that "filial piety" is a routine of "heaven"; "Tunnel" is beneficial to all things, which is the general principle; This is the rule that people follow. Why is "filial piety" so significant? I think this has something to do with the patriarchal clan system in ancient China. The ancient society in China was basically a patriarchal farming society, and the family was both a living unit and a production unit. In order to better maintain the family order of the elders and ensure the smooth continuation of the family, there must be a set of family ethics norms that adapt to the social stability at that time, which must be a set of ethics norms from Tian Zi to Shu Ren and constitute a set of ethics norms of the whole society, so that the society can be stable. This is described in detail in the book of filial piety. (2) In ancient China, these ethical norms were often institutionalized, manifested in various "ritual systems", which can be seen from the documents of various generations of laws and regulations in China.

Since "filial piety" is needed by ancient China society, it has become a family ethical norm and an ethical system that society should abide by through various rituals, but this ethical norm and the etiquette system formed from it must have its philosophical basis. Written Records of Bamboo Slips in Guodian said: "Heaven is great, the intention of the monarch and the minister is to manage personnel. As a father and son, I am divided into husband and wife. Therefore, villains often go against the Tao, and gentlemen rule human relations and go with the sky. " Straightening out the relationship between monarch and minister, father and son, and husband and wife is the requirement of "Heaven". It is the fundamental truth that the villain acts against the routine. Only by following the routine of "Heaven" can a gentleman deal with the ethical relationship between monarch and minister, father and son, and husband and wife, can he govern the society well. Therefore, Confucianism believes that "benevolence" and "heaven" are closely related. "Filial piety" in Confucianism is the most basic relationship in "human relations" and must have its theoretical basis. I believe that "filial piety", as a kind of family ethics, is based on Confucius' "benevolence". There is a passage in The Analects of Confucius that a disciple of Confucius had a son: "... filial piety is the foundation of benevolence!" There is a similar saying in the Preface to Filial Piety: "Filial Piety is the foundation of virtue!" In other words, filial piety is the fundamental starting point of benevolence (or virtue) and the core concept of family ethics, but it is not the full meaning of benevolence (or virtue, meaning benevolence), because filial piety, as a family ethics, must extend to social ethics. There is a saying in Guodian bamboo slips, which I think is very important: "Tao begins with emotion" (from the perspective of the whole piece of the bamboo slips, "Tao" here refers to "benevolence", that is, the truth of the relationship between people), which means that "benevolence" begins with people's innate feelings, and I think it is Confucius' "benevolence". Fan Chi asked "benevolence" and Confucius said "love". ("Guodian Chu Jian Jade Cong San": "Love, benevolence." ) Where did this "lover" emotion come from? Confucius was quoted as saying in The Doctrine of the Mean: "A benevolent person is also a human being, and a relative is a great one." "Pro", the word "pro" in front means "love", and the Preface to the Book of Filial Piety says: "Grace is called pro"; The latter word "pro" means "relative". The spirit of "benevolence" is innate, and it is fundamental to love your loved ones. Therefore, "Notes on Filial Piety" said: "Ancient people naturally have the heart to love their parents"; "Father and son, nature is filial piety, nature is a heart of love and respect. It is also a common way. " (Notes on Three Records of the Book of Filial Piety) ④ Especially in Guodian Bamboo Slips Series III, there is the following article: "Love is born of sex, and it is born of love." "Love" is beyond human nature, and the affection between parents and children is caused by "love". This further illustrates the relationship between filial piety and love. Love is inherent in human nature (for example, Mencius said, "Everyone has compassion." Love for the person you love comes from human nature. Therefore, in series 3, the difference between "respect" and "pro" is discussed. For example, "[thicker than benevolence, thinner than righteousness], pro does not respect. Thicker than righteousness, thinner than benevolence, respect and not kiss. " The relationship between father and son is based on blood relationship, and the relationship between monarch and minister is obligatory. ⑤ The former is based on "benevolence" and cannot be selected; The latter out of righteousness, can choose. Therefore, early Confucianism believed that there was affection between father and son and obligation between monarch and minister. This is because "benevolence is born of sex and righteousness is born of Tao." Either born inside or born outside, both. "Benevolence is inherent in human nature, and righteousness is the norm that human nature must follow (needed by society), so it is all needed (all)." "Yi Cong" also said: "It is unfilial to be filial. As brothers, this is not a brother. You can't. You can't. "'Filial piety' and' younger brother' can't be done deliberately (according to the' benevolence' in the heart), but they can't help but practice (according to the' inaction'). In this respect, Confucian ethics seems to attach importance not only to "motivation" but also to "effect". From the pre-Qin Confucian classics, can we say that the essence of "filial piety" comes from the natural nature of human kindness and should not be utilitarian, but the result of "filial piety" is beneficial to social justice?

Here we need to discuss the "benevolence" of Confucius' "benevolence" Pre-Qin Confucianism believed that "pro" must be extended to "lover" or even "lover". Mencius devoted himself to "being close to the people, caring for the people and loving things". Pet-name ruby is a complete "benevolence". Guodian bamboo slips say, "Let filial piety love the world." "Filial piety" must be extended to "love the world", which is called "benevolence" and says: "If you believe in your relatives, you will love them; Loving the father is followed by love, benevolence. " "Benevolence" can't stop at "loving the father", but must be extended to "loving the whole world", so "filial piety" must be extended to "pushing oneself and others", that is to say, "filial piety" as a family ethics must be extended to social ethics (benevolence) based on "love". Therefore, "benevolence" means "fraternity", and "Three Tales of Filial Piety" says: "(Kings) are wise in heaven and benefit from the earth to follow the world. ..... It is reasonable to show fraternity first, and people can't leave their relatives. " If "universal love" (that is, love for others and things) can become a social ethical norm, then there will be no "filial piety" that violates family ethics. Thus, "filial piety" is a very important concept in the system of "benevolence". Therefore, it is understandable whether China regarded filial piety as "the classic of heaven", "the meaning of earth" and "the journey of man" based on Confucius in ancient times. I think, from one aspect, it embodies the essence of Confucius' "love for the people" ("love for the world"). Therefore, Zhu said: "Benevolent people", "In heaven, there is a heart full of living things, while in people, there is a warm love for people's interests, which includes four virtues and runs through the four ends." It can be seen that benevolence is of great significance to Confucianism. On the other hand, "filial piety" in Confucius' Confucianism is a process in social life practice. This process must be continuously expanded from "kissing" to "caring for people" and "loving things". In this process, the meaning of filial piety will be reflected, and it has the value of "the classics of heaven", "the meaning of earth" and "the journey of man". Therefore, "filial piety" is not a solidified dogma, but a process of constantly releasing "love" based on Confucius' benevolence. The Book of Filial Piety says that "a person's journey is greater than filial piety". Only in family practice and social practice can the meaning of "filial piety" based on "benevolence" really emerge. I think this understanding of filial piety is probably the ideal of Confucius and Confucianism, or a new interpretation of it.

With the development of society, the social relations between people are also changing, and the family ethics in modern society will also change. China ancient society was a patriarchal agricultural society. As mentioned earlier, the family was both a living unit and a production unit at that time. Today, the family is undoubtedly still a living unit, but with the changes of social life, the family as a production unit is gradually changing. From the social reality of our country, perhaps our families, especially rural families, will continue to exist as production units for some time, but will eventually fade out. In other words, the connotation of "filial piety" in family ethics is bound to change, such as "four generations under one roof" and "raising children to prevent old age", because the family as a production unit has lost its meaning. Another example is that some forms of "twenty-four filial piety" are no longer necessary to be advocated, but "benevolence", as the core concept of "filial piety", still has the significance of family ethics. Society is changing. When the family is no longer a production unit, how to ensure the good living conditions of people's families will be mainly borne by the social security system. However, benevolence, as the traditional spirit of filial piety in China, will not change. Another example is "the father is the son" in "Three Cardinals". Because of the change of social relations, the relationship between father and son will also change. The "three cardinal principles" of the power structure that emphasizes the relationship between unilateral rule and obedience runs counter to the freedom and equality of modern society. In fact, Confucianism in the pre-Qin period did not talk about the "three cardinal guides". It was only in the Han Dynasty, especially in the Eastern Han Dynasty, that the "Three Cardinals" were compiled into a code as a tool to safeguard autocratic imperial power. In How Do We Become Fathers Now, Lu Xun criticized the "father is the son" of the "Three Cardinals", saying: "This is love divorced from relationship and interest exchange, the son of human relations, and the so-called" program ". If, as the old saying goes, we lose our love, blindly say' grace' and expect to repay our responsibilities, it will not only corrupt the morality between father and son, but also greatly contradict the actual feelings of parents and sow good seeds of thorns. ..... and its value is that parents didn't want to report it at that time, otherwise it would become a buying and selling behavior. " Lu Xun's criticism of the "three cardinal guides" is severe, but it hits the nail on the head. I don't know how many tragedies have been caused by this absolutely unreasonable relationship of rule and obedience in history. We can also see that Lu Xun thinks that the relationship between father and son is "love", "actual true feelings" and "the mood of wanting nothing". "Kindness" based on Confucius' "benevolence" should have noble moral value, not a means to seek personal gain. I think that if the relationship between "father and son", "husband and wife" and "brother" is based on "true feelings", then the family will be harmonious. If Confucius' benevolence is extended from "pro" to "love" and "love things", then there will be "harmony" between people and between people and nature.

Historically, in the Confucian classics of the pre-Qin period, there was a corresponding relationship between monarch, minister, father and son, and husband and wife, which was based on the corresponding obligations of both sides, such as "loyalty of monarch and minister", "filial piety of father and son" and "softness of husband and wife". For example, "Twenty-six years of Zuo Zhao's official career": "Your envoy * * *, your father is filial, your brother loves your brother, your husband and wife are gentle, and your aunt is kind to your daughter." Li Ji Li Yun: "What is human justice? The father is kind and filial, the brother is kind and respectful, the husband and wife listen to each other, the long-term benefit is young and smooth, the king is loyal and loyal, and the ten are called righteousness. " "The Analects of Confucius Eight Shu": "I will ask you to make envoys, and I will serve you. Confucius said, "The monarch and the minister are courteous and loyal. "Guodian Bamboo Slips Liu De" says: "The father is the son, the husband is wise and the woman is loyal, and the king is loyal and loyal." It can be seen that Qin Junchen, father and son, husband and wife all have mutual obligations, among which father and son, husband and wife and brothers belong to family relations. In ancient China, this mutual obligation relationship was still related to the patriarchal clan system, which was different from the "equal" relationship between families today. So, as a unit of society, what role will the family play in the social life of China today? What kind of family ethics should there be? Mr. Fei Xiaotong believes that the role of the family today should be mainly reflected in "respecting ancestors and cultivating outstanding future generations." "'respecting ancestors' means respecting (respecting) the elders at home." Cultivating outstanding future generations means educating future generations well. "Respect" is based on "love", so we often say that we should "honor our parents", so the Note to the Book of Filial Piety says: "Filial piety is true, so love first and then respect"; Love and respect come from the heart. "Although' love' and' respect' are from the heart,' love' is the premise of' respect'." "Respecting ancestors" means respecting our traditional culture, because the excellent Chinese culture is embodied in the "three immortals" of our ancestors. Without the good and concrete example set by our ancestors, the so-called "Chinese traditional culture" will be empty and have no substantive content. The "education" of children and grandchildren by "family" is a kind of responsibility ethics (of course, educating children is not only the responsibility of the family, but also the responsibility of the whole society. Therefore, the Preface to the Filial Piety finally said: "Confucius' lecture on the Classic of Filial Piety (this refers to the Classic of Filial Piety) aims at taking the longitudinal instruction. Confucius said that the purpose of the Book of Filial Piety is to teach a lesson to future generations. Filial Piety based on benevolence must bear the responsibility of cultivating future generations. Therefore, The Book of Rites says: "Although there is the supreme way, the Dharma does not know its goodness. It is to learn and then know the deficiency, and to teach and then know the difficulty. I don't know enough, and then I can go back. Know the difficulties before you can stand on your own feet. " Therefore, the love and respect for the elders and the cultivation of future generations are all based on the "benevolence" in people's hearts. So Lu Xun said in How Do We Be Fathers: "All I care about now is love. Therefore, Confucian family ethics is based on Confucius' benevolence and centered on "love". The essential attribute of "filial piety" is "benevolence", and other contents attached to "filial piety" can change and change with the changes of society. "Kindness" has "universal value" to human society. If we explain "filial piety" from the perspective of Confucius' benevolence, we can also say that the core concept of "filial piety" is "loving relatives" as a family ethics, and the social significance of the expansion process of "filial piety" from "loving relatives" to "loving people" and "loving things" should be valued by us. In this sense, the Confucian concept of "filial piety" is meaningful for building a "harmonious family" and even a "harmonious society".