The vision of Confucius is ultimately a practical vision.
Confucian philosophy is fundamentally a practical philosophy,
not as opposed to idealism,
but in the sense of having a deep commitment to realising certain ideals.
Once these ideals are defined in terms of
a harmonious society in a world that is conceived to be constituted by relationships,
every effort is then put into realising that ideal society.
From the available records,
Confucius did not speculate on abstract metaphysical concepts out of curiosity,
he did not theorise on the nature of truth or justice as such in themselves,
apart from the concrete reality of his world.
Rather, he was interested in the ethical life,
from day to day mundane activities,
both the things that we do when no one is watching,
and the ways in which we relate to others,
to larger concerns in overcoming injustice,
alleviating poverty and suffering,
and establishing harmony and peace in the sociopolitical world.
The sense of optimism that this can be accomplished through
learning and ethical self-cultivation is certainly evident.
For Confucius, we shouldn't forget human beings are capable of broadening the Way,
as the Analects puts it.
That is to say, broadening in the sense of constantly
strengthening society by cultivating a culture of ethical excellence,
where the spirit of Ren and Li seeps into
every tiny crevice and transforms every relationship.
And for this reason,
Confucianism has been understood as having a strong spirit of humanism.
In fact, some commentators have gone one step further,
in describing Confucianism as a kind of secular humanism.
Now, I think this would be rather anachronistic.
Ignoring the context in which Confucian philosophy is set,
ancient China was thoroughly religious.
While there is a strong optimism that human beings can make
a significant difference in achieving the grand vision of harmony,
Confucian philosophy cannot be divorced
from the religious philosophy rooted in ancient China,
especially in the concept of the Mandate of Heaven
that gained prominence during the Zhou dynasty.
And this is the point that I want to focus on in today's discussion.
Having emphasised the importance of ethical self-cultivation,
one must also note with equal force that the Dao of Confucius
harbours a keen religious sensibility and is grounded in an understanding of Heaven,
as a mandate or a charge for human beings to
realise harmony by means of self-cultivation and humane government.
There is some controversy about this,
principally because there are a few statements in the Analects that
seemed to depict agnostic Confucius when it comes to religious questions.
For example, one of the disciples asked about the meaning of wisdom.
And Confucius replied, "To strive earnestly for what is right for the people,
and while harbouring deep respect for the gods and spirits,
keep them at a distance.
This can be called wisdom."
In another instance, another disciple asked how the spirits and gods should be served.
And this is Confucius' reply,
"How could you possibly be able to serve
the spirits when you are not yet able to serve human beings?"
That disciple then went on to ask about death,
perhaps in the sense of what lies beyond the end of life.
And Confucius replied, "How can you
understand death when you do not yet understand life!"
There is deep insight here, no doubt,
but I don't think it reflects necessarily
any agnosticism or skepticism about spiritual life.
Perhaps Confucius was concerned that some people might be
overly preoccupied with divining the will of Heaven,
or relying too much on divine intervention to write
the wrongs of the world to the neglect of ethical practice.
But there's really no way of ascertaining the actual context.
One of Confucius' disciples also shares that,
"We are able to learn about
the Master's accomplished understanding of culture and learning,
but we do not get to hear him discussing human nature or the Way of Heaven."
Regarding human nature, it is true that there is only one direct reference in
the Analects where Confucius is reported to have said that,
"By nature, human beings are close to one another,
and is only with practice.
And by that, I think it means upbringing education and socialisation.
It is only with practice that they become far apart."
But they are references to the Way of Heaven throughout the Analects.
A variety of explanations have been given for this.
For example, the Confucius tried to avoid metaphysical speculation,
or because he felt that the concept was too difficult,
or perhaps the disciple who reported this,
skipped most of the lectures and conversations.
This is of course unlikely. I'm just joking.
The point I would like to make is that,
although these statements seem to lend support to the view that
Confucian philosophy represents a kind of secular humanism,
the Analects as a whole,
presents a coherent picture in which ethics and
spirituality together come to inform the Confucian world view.
Now, these statements may give rise to interpretive difficulties, but perhaps,
one shouldn't be too concerned about the few statements here and there,
that do not seem to cohere with the rest of the Analects.
It took a long,
long time for the Analects to reach its present form.
And the possibility of scribal error or
editorial intervention cannot be discounted in the processes of textual transmission.
There is ample evidence,
that the concept of Heaven is central to Confucius thinking.
At one point, Confucius states that,
"Heaven is the author of the virtue that is in me."
Confucius is also reported to have said that,
"Whether or not the Way will be realised in the world is ultimately a matter of destiny."
Now, the word "destiny" here translates to Chinese term "Ming," Decree or Mandate.
And it should be related to the concept of Mandate of Heaven.
In a similar vein,
Confucius declares that "If a person does not understand destiny,
he would not be able to become a Junzi gentleman."
You may also recall that when talking about his own personal development,
looking back towards the end of his life,
Confucius also said that "At fifty,
I came to understand the Mandate of Heaven.''
Even if we disagree on the precise meaning of destiny or the Mandate of Heaven,
there is evidence to suggest a religious dimension in Confucius' thinking.
And one might even suggest that there is a sense of mission in Confucius' thinking.
For example, while traveling from state to state,
at one point Confucius and his disciples found themselves in grave danger.
In the face of potential harm, Confucius said,
"Since the passing of King Wen," that is the putative founder of the Zhou dynasty,
"are we not the bearers of the cultural legacy (of the Zhou)?
If Heaven had intended this culture to be destroyed,
we would not have been able to come to know and defend it at the present time.
If Heaven did not intend its culture to be destroyed,
then what can our attackers do to us?"
These examples are not exhaustive.
But they should serve to make the point that Confucian philosophy should
not be reduced to a kind of secular humanism devoid of spiritual sensibilities.
However, the kind of religiosity displayed in
the Analects is very different from the kind of
religious view that sees direct revelation by
a deity or deities as decisive for human action,
or indirect revelation through mediums and shamans,
or through prayers and rituals to reap certain desired blessings.
It might be the case that these were the prevalent beliefs and practices at that time.
What Confucius tried to do,
was to redirect the underlying religious sensibilities,
aligning them with the way of Humanity and Rightness.
Ritual in the Confucian sense,
it is important to remember,
has been extended to every day social action.
Prayers similarly, have been linked to the ethical endeavor of the Junzi.
That is to say, every action,
every single action can now be seen as an offering to the divine.
Furthermore, the understanding of Heaven is based on the interpretation of the past.
That is mediated by tradition in and through
which the words and recorded deeds of the ancient sages,
and ultimately Heaven's Mandate can be understood,
and therefore, with understanding implemented.
At one point Confucius remarks that,
''The Junzi stands in awe of three things;
the Mandate of Heaven,
the great men (who obtained the mandate to govern because of their accomplishments),
and the words of the sages.''
It is in this sense that Confucius considered himself a transmitter,
a lover of antiquity.
And not a creator,
as if we stand in the historical vacuum and create new meanings,
new values and norms out of nothing.
Put differently, the transmission of culture and tradition is itself a creative act.
As the spirit of tradition needs to be critically appropriated,
and applied in ever changing contexts and conditions.
There is a deep sense of sacred history in Confucius understanding, I would argue.
The transcendent and beyond is made manifest in the imminent,
the here and now.
The Zhou dynasty especially could serve as a model.
For exceptional individuals such as the Duke of
Zhou were able to realise the order of Heaven on earth,
both in the sense of an ideal universal order,
and a command or charge for human beings to achieve that goal.
Looking back to that past when order and harmony is perceived to have been established,
Confucius was therefore able to articulate a vision for the present and the future.
And this is the spiritual foundation of Confucian philosophy.
The understanding of Heaven however is never abstract,
but it translates directly into practice,
into an ethos, a way of life from which the word "ethics" incidentally is derived.
The philosophy of Confucius in this sense is
informed by a union of ethics & spirituality.
While ethics is seen to have deep religious roots stemming from Heaven's Mandate,
spirituality now finds its full meaning in Humanity and Rightness,
as distinguished from for example,
quiet contemplation or devotion to particular deities.
When we come back, we will conclude our discussion of the teachings of Confucius.
Alan K. L. ChanToh Puan Mahani Idris Daim Chair Professor of Humanities & Social Sciences, Vice President (Alumni and Advancement)
