I.)
CONFUCIUS
Confucius demonstrates Philosophy
as a way to guide one into the proper way of life. He shows this in the way he resolves the
philosophical problem of social disorder in the state. The root of the disorder is caused by the
lack of understanding of the individual concerning his name, role and
responsibilities in his home and in society.
Philosophy helps one to understand and actualize properly and rightly
his name, role and responsibilities so that he will become a noble man.
Philosophizing involves deep
reflection. Through it, one
investigates, discovers, and finds wisdom in all things. He refines his thoughts and direct his
actions to what is proper and moral. For
example, if one understands that the essence of helping others in times of need
is charity, then, he develops charity within.
Deep reflection, therefore, can fundamentally guide an individual to the
Tao.
In the process of developing the
self into a noble man, he needs to relate with others so that he will be able
to influence them to become noble, too.
That is why, Confucius considers the noble man or the philosopher king
as the best ruler of a state. He aims for
social harmony and practices virtues to counter the problem of social disorder
in society.
Confucius, therefore, shows that
deep reflection must be taken as something which can lead one into the right
course of action. It is not simply a
mental activity that one does for the sake of scholarship. In the specification of Confucius of the
noble man as the solution to the problem of social disorder, he shows that deep
reflection sustains one in his aim for virtue by them to himself through the
various realities he encounters every day.
Traditions play a very
significant role in one’s quest to become noble. It is a fact that every person is situated
within a tradition through his family, society and state. These traditions are also implicit in the way
one acts according to his name and role.
From traditions, values are passed on from generation to generations. The
values like benevolence, filial piety, respect, altruism, human- heartedness,
conscientiousness and righteousness are basically learned from traditions of
families. Thus, traditions are sources
of moral principles and values. This
also supports the idea that a noble man is always destined to go out and
influence others to what is moral.
When a noble man rules a state,
he rules in virtues and all laws become ways of developing these virtues in the
people. His ultimate goal is the
realization of social harmony in the state.
He is selfless and considers the state as a bigger family where every
person has worth.
Indeed, it takes a will to
reflect to choose the Tao and live rightly. It makes one find the direction in things. He begins such education in his home, with
his parents and his family. In his home,
he learns the basic idea about obligations and concern for others in his
interactions with his parents and his siblings.
The philosopher king is a noble
man who can best rule a state. He is an
instrument of harmony and a good influence to his people. He respects others just like he respect his
parents and siblings. By philosophizing, he sees the wider horizon. He gets to see that his responsibilities
extend farther than his own household.
In this manner, he interacts actively in his community. In deep reflection, one understands his
responsibilities. It makes the
individual fulfill the essence of his actions and live happily.
Confucius, therefore,
demonstrates Philosophy as an effective way in cultivating virtues in oneself
by deep reflection. It is in this manner
that the individual acts according to his role and lives up to it, no matter
what the circumstances are. As Fung
Yu-Lan stated in his book A Short History
of Chinese Philosophy, “For if we do our duty, that duty through our very
act is morally done, regardless of the external success or failure of our
action.” 1
Fung’s statement gives the idea
that what matters is the fact that one acts rightly no matter what the circumstances
are. Even if one succeeds or fails, he
is certain that he did what was right.
It is in this manner that the individual preserves the observance of
tradition, and instills in him the virtues of a noble man.
Philosophizing prepares every man
to face the many possibilities of life. Through the practice of virtue, he
remains moral and virtuous. He lives his
life without being disturbed by challenges.
Source:
1.
Fung Yu-Lan, “Confucius, The First Teacher”,
(New York: The Free Press, 1948), In A
Short History of Chinese Philosophy, 45.
II. ) LAO TZU
Lao Tzu presents
Philosophy as a way which reveals the ways of Nature to man. Through
philosophy, man has a better understanding of the origin of all things, the
nature of opposites, and the way to model, govern, and live in harmony with
Nature. With these, harmony with
Nature is realized. This is living
according to the Tao, the essential element for one to become a sage.
The philosophical
problem on the absence of natural harmony implies man’s going against the
course of Nature. When one goes against Nature, he does what is
unnecessary and extreme. This leads to
disorder or chaos. This injures the self and others. This is going beyond what one is. To resolve this, one has to live simply,
humbly and contented. With this, he
never fill his life with unnecessary excesses.
As Fung Yu-Lan stated in his book, A
Short History of Chinese Philosophy:
“Such is the way in
which a prudent man can live safely in the world and achieve his aims. This is
Lao Tzu’s answer and solution to the original problem of the Taoists, which
was, how to preserve life and avoid harm and danger in the human world.” 1
To live in accordance
with the laws of Nature means learning the values of humility, simplicity, and
contentment. In this way, he becomes
more open to all possibilities of Nature. In this sense he gets
rid of any unnecessary desires. It
is in this sense that one becomes a sage.
Living in accordance
with Nature also implies preserving life and promoting natural harmony. Being able to understand Nature and live in
harmony with it solves the problem of disorder in society. Lao Tzu teaches us to philosophize in order
to find our place in the course of Nature by doing what is necessary based on
what one is.
Source:
1. Fung Yu-Lan, “Lao
Tzu”, (New York: The Free Press, 1948), In A
Short History of Chinese Philosophy, 99.
III.
SUMMARY
AND CONCLUSION
Confucius and Lao Tzu consider
that the ultimate purpose of philosophy is for one to practice virtue. Virtue develops one to become noble (Confucius)
or become a sage (Lao Tzu). Both believe
that a person who practices virtue is a solution to social disorder and an
instrument for social harmony. He is the
best ruler in a state. For Confucius, this is the realization of the Tao, and
for Lao Tzu, living with Nature. Such harmony is associated with one’s harmony
with the world he is living in. It
involves anything one encounters with the world, his environment, community,
and family. Being in harmony with these
things yields a good life to the individual and prosperity to the state.
Confucius emphasizes that the
essence of a noble man is realized when he helps others become noble, too. He stresses on the values of altruism,
benevolence, filial piety, respect, conscientiousness, wisdom and
righteousness. Lao Tzu emphasizes that
the essence of a sage is realized when he lets Nature be, by avoiding extremes
and excesses. He stresses on the values
of simplicity, humility and contentment.
Confucius and Lao Tzu placed a
high premium on Philosophy as the way to become a noble man or a sage. Becoming one is actually an individual
oughtness. This “ought to be” involves
both the education of the mind and the heart through deep reflection. Deep reflection is a way to liberate one
from doubts and confusions. It elevates
him to a well-directed, more refined and higher order way of thinking. The realization of one’s “oughtness” results
to individual happiness and social harmony.
In order to achieve this goal,
they specify the solution of developing a kind of man which is different from
the others. For both philosophers,
harmony can be made possible when one manifests its possibility. This is the
sage or the noble man. It is only when
one achieves enlightenment and develops virtue that he can truly be in harmony
with the world, either by being in accordance with a moral principle or a
natural way of things. As Fung Yu-Lan
stated in his book A Short History of
Chinese Philosophy,
“What is the highest form of
achievement of which a man as man is capable? According to Chinese
Philosophers, it is nothing less than being a sage, and the highest achievement
of a sage is the identification of the individual with the universe.” 1
Thus, both Confucius and Lao Tzu
teach us to discover our own oughtness through philosophy. This oughtness implies the inner goodness in
man which will be realized only through the practice of virtues. One should aim
to become noble or virtuous. This is man’s essence. This is realized by living
the Way or the Tao or by living in harmony with Nature. Therefore, Chinese philosophy as demonstrated
by Confucius and Lao Tzu, aims to teach us how to live our lives rightly.
Source:
1. Fung Yu-Lan, “Confucius, The First
Teacher”, (New York: The Free Press, 1948), In A Short History of Chinese
Philosophy, 6.
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