In this particular day, I shall
interpret a verse from the Analects, namely 4:16. In A
Source Book In Chinese Philosophy, Wing Tsit Chan presents the verse:
“Confucius said, ‘The superior
man understands righteousness (yi); the inferior man understands profit.’“ 1
Firstly, let us discuss the theme of the verse. The theme revolves
around the concept of “yi” or
“righteousness” as the cardinal virtue.
“Righteousness” differs from the Chinese and Confucian sense.
To explain the perspective of the
traditional Chinese, let us go over the Chinese character of “Yi”.
Seeing the image above, it is
seen that the character represents two images.
The upper part of the character is seen as “sheep” (yang), and the bottom character represents the pronoun “I” (wo).
The connection between the two characters in portraying “justice” is
very unclear when one tries to make something sensible out of it. Qiu Gui Su in her article Justice – Yi – Character Profile explains
that, ‘justice is
the power to tame individual aggression (represented by 我 which is a hand holding a spear), so that the human becomes as
docile as a sheep.’ 3
Considering the explanation given by Su, one can
say that “righteousness” for the traditional Chinese is the value of
“justice”. “Justice”, in this sense, is
represented by one’s initiative in preventing himself from causing any harm to
others. The Confucian sense of
“righteousness” differs from this concept.
This is because for Confucius, the “righteous” thing to do is to correct
mistakes by doing something about it.
Confucius believed that playing martyrdom will only make the situation
worse, and can even prevent a person from realizing his goodness. “Righteousness” in the Confucian sense is
acting what is the proper thing to do in a situation, without taking any
particular sides or having ulterior motives.
It is in this sense that the Confucian concept of righteousness differs
from the traditional Chinese perspective.
In this second point, the Confucian concept of
“righteousness” will be used to analyze the present verse.
‘The superior man understands
righteousness (yi); the inferior man understands profit.’
The two terms which are essential
in giving the message of the verse are “superior man” and “inferior man”. First of all, let us discuss the “superior
man”. The “superior man” is depicted
by Confucius in his Analects as the person who attained moral perfection, and always
roots his actions from the Way or the Tao.
The “superior man” understands “righteousness” because of the guidance
of the Tao. This guidance of the Tao
then leads him to doing what is appropriate or good. It is in the doing of good or appropriate actions
that makes the individual grasp the notion of “righteousness”. It is in this sense that the “superior man”
understands “righteousness”. The
“superior man” chooses to do the good or to act accordingly to moral principles
not because he has something to gain from it.
He acts in relation to goodness because it is what is proper.
Now we move to the concept of the
“inferior man”. Let us look at the
phrase ‘the inferior man understands profit.’
In contrast to the “superior man”
who acts according to goodness because it is the proper action, the “inferior
man” acts out of profit. The “inferior
man” is the person who only thinks about what can he gain or benefit from a
certain act. Let us put this into an
example. Say there is a beggar who begs
for alms. The “superior man” gives alms
to the beggar not because of any ulterior motive, but because it is the right
thing to do.
The “inferior man”, however,
gives alms because he thinks that he will gain something in another realm of
existence or be blessed because of that good action that he did. He did not give alms because it is the right
thing to do. He gave alms because it
can give him “profit”. He acted out of the ulterior motive of gaining something
in return. Confucius calls a person who
acts in such way “inferior” because he does not have a big heart to forget
himself.
In this last point, the concept
of “yi” (righteousness) as a cardinal
virtue will be discussed. Righteousness
is a cardinal virtue for a noble man because it is in this that his actions are
guided. It is because of this that he
acts what is proper to a situation, unbiased and open-minded. It is this virtue which makes him unselfish
and inclined to the greater good, being happy even in the midst of poverty or
suffering. It fashions him to forget
himself, and all his selfish desires.
This liberation from materialism and desire is what makes “yi”
(righteousness) the cardinal virtue needed of a noble man.
The concepts of the “superior
man” and the “inferior man” are presented by Confucius to bring a message
concerning what one must keep in mind when responding to a situation. He tells us that one must do good things not
because they can benefit you, but because you know it is the right thing to
do. Doing the right thing is an act of
forgetting one’s self or self-denial and become more
focused on the greater good. Self-denial
is a noble expression of doing what is right without conditions.
Source:
1. Wing
Tsit Chan, “The Humanism of Confucius”, (United States: Princeton University Press, 1963), In A Source Book In Chinese Philosophy, 28.
2. “Cain
and Abel”, Accessed December 1, 2014, http://www.noahs-ark.tv/chinese/bible-evidences-chinese-language-characters-words-cain-abel-genesis-4-4-yi-righteousness-sheep-me-hand-knife.jpg
3. Qiu
Gui Su, “Justice – Yi – Character
Profile”, Accessed December 1, 2014. http://mandarin.about.com/od/characterprofiles/a/Justice-Yi-Chinese-Character-Profile.htm
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