24th September 1999
I have already mentioned Confucianism in my other articles like Meditation, Meditation for Everyone, Election 97, To Achieve World Peace? etc.
The Great Learning
The Way of learning to be great consists in shining with the illustrious power of moral personality, in making a new people, in abiding in the highest goodness. To know one's abiding place leads to fixity of purpose, fixity of purpose to calmness of mind, calmness of mind to serenity of life, serenity of life to careful consideration of means, careful consideration of means to the achievement of the end. (There is no details of how to achieve this end. My answer to this is meditation. Only this can calm the mind.)
Things have their roots and branches, human affairs their endings as well as beginnings. So to know what comes first and what comes afterwards leads one near to the Way. The men of old who wished to shine with the illustrious power of personality throughout the Great Society, first had to govern their own states efficiently. Wishing to do this, they first had to make an ordered harmony in their own families. Wishing to do this, they first had to cultivate their individual selves. Wishing to do this, they first had to put their minds right. Wishing to do this, they first had to make their purposes genuine. Wishing to do this, they first had to extend their knowledge to the utmost. Such extension of knowledge consists in appreciating the nature of things.
For with the appreciation of the nature of things knowledge reaches its height. With the completion of knowledge, purposes become genuine. With purposes genuine, the mind becomes right. With the mind right, the individual self comes into flower. With the self in flower, the family becomes an ordered harmony. With the family harmony ordered, the State is efficiently governed. With State efficiently governed, the Great Society is at peace. (The repetition of events show the importance of the words. From the last four sentences, I draw three figures of body, one for self, one for family and one for country.)
So
cultivating self consists in purifying the mind. When the mind is pure, our
speech will be good, so will be our body healthy. Harmonize the family is by
means of the perfection of the father. The father when perfect, the wife will
be subservient and the sons (no son means no perfection) obedient. The country
can be perfectly governed only when the king or president is perfectly pure.
So the government is efficient and the citizens loyal. When this happens, the
Great Harmony is in place throughout the whole world.
The men of old is referring to the new Sage, who will act (not talk) till perfection.
Thus from the Son of Heaven down to the common people there is unity in this; that for everybody the bringing of the individual self to flower is to be taken as the root. (Since that is so), for the root to be out of order and the branches to be in order is an impossibility. For a man to despise what he should respect and then be respected for having what he despises, is contrary to human experience. This is to be described as knowing the root. (Cultivating self is the root of all good deeds. Start with mind purification first.)
As for what is described as knowing the root, this means the height of knowledge. For in the Book of Songs are the words: _________
That 'carving and polishing' means learning. That 'cutting and grinding' means the cultivation of the self. 'Like the music of strings', so he trembles within himself. 'Stern yet debonair', so he is the very pattern of majesty. 'Ever to be held in memory', so abounding power of personality and the height of goodness are what the common people can never forget. As the Book of Songs has it: 'How the kings of old are borne in mind'. The true man deems worthy those whom they deemed worthy; the common people take pleasure in the pleasures and gain profit from the profits which they made. Thus it is that although he is gone from the world he is not forgotten. (The human quality development from meditation can be known to the meditator only. The vibration and smell are a part of it. The outer appearance depends on the food taken, but the final stage could be very striking to everyone when agitated. The kings of old are appreciated for their good deeds but not for their bad deeds. Most people think Solomon was wise, but to me he was not wise but intelligent. A wise man will not have 300 wives.)
In the K'ang Kao it is said: 'He has the gifts of illustrious power of personality. In the T'ai Chia it is said: 'He guards this illustrious charge from Heaven.' In the Ti Tien it is said: 'He has the gifts for shedding luster on his outstanding power of personality.' These three are cases of the self giving luster. (The sentences talk about the new Sage.)
On King T'ang's bath-tub there was an inscription: 'If on one day there may be a renovation, then every day there may be, indeed, daily there must be.' So in the K'ang Kao it is said: 'Making a new people' and in the Book of songs is the saying: 'The fief which Chou held was an ancient one, but the charge from Heaven was new.' The true man, therefore, in everything uses his supreme endeavors. (Renovation and making a new person are referring to meditation on self cultivation. You meditate and become a new person. After reading a scripture, you meditate for a month and then read the scripture again, you will find the scripture is becoming clearer to understand.)
In the Book of Songs it is said: 'The royal demesne of a thousand li is where the people are really at rest.' In the Book of Songs it is said: 'Ming-mang goes the oriole's song, as it rests on a corner of a mound'; and the Master said: 'As to resting, the bird knows where it can rest--is it right for a man to be less than a bird?' (Demesne could be printed wrongly in the English book. As for the bird, it reminds us of our eye-brows. In the New Testament, 'when you see vultures you know there is corpse below'.)
In the Book of Songs it is said: Hail to King Wen...............
The Master said: 'As an arbitrator in men's quarrels I am no better than other men. Inevitably so! If only there could be no cases for arbitration.' Then inhuman men would be barred from acting out their (inhuman) contentions, and people's private-mindedness would be greatly checked.
All this means knowing the root. (No comment. I don't like to praise King Wen or King Solomon. The bad of King Wen is mentioned in the Chuang Tzu (book).)
What is described as 'making one's purposes genuine' is as follows. Beware of self-deception. It is to be compared to hating a bad smell and loving a lovely sight; this is what is called self-fulfillment. Thus it is that the true man is sure to be on guard when he is alone. The man who is not true in his privacy, has the habit of setting no limit to the badness of his actions. Then when he comes into the presence of a true man he is abashed. He conceals his bad qualities and displays his good. But he gains nothing by doing so, for (under these conditions) a man sees himself as if he saw his own liver and reins. This means that what is really within will take on form without. That is why the true man is sure to be on guard when he is alone. As Master Tseng said: 'How awe-inspiring must be what many eyes gaze at and many hands point to!' As riches adorn a house, so moral power adorns a man. The mind is enlarged, the limbs are at ease. This is why a true man is sure to make his purpose genuine. (The mind is enlarged or pure, the body will be natural and healthy. When alone don't let the mind wanders.)
As for the meaning of 'the cultivation of the self consists in the rectification of the mind,' if the self is angry about anything, or frightened, or delighted over anything, or unhappily perturbed about anything, in each case it follows that it cannot get itself right. When the mind is away, we gaze at things and do not see them, sounds come to our ears and we do not hear them, we eat and do not discern the flavors. This is what is meant by 'the cultivation of the self consists in the rectification of the mind.' (Self cultivation is to purify the mind. Books on Confucianism talk so much on the theory but none mentions how to purify the mind. This is the failure of Confucianism. We have to learn from Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism etc about the self cultivation.)
As for the meaning of 'the bringing of the members of the family into an ordered harmony consists in cultivating the self,' men are prejudiced about those whom they love, prejudiced about those whom they hate, prejudiced about those whom they revere, prejudiced about those whom they pity, prejudiced about those whom they despise. There are very few people in the world who are awake to the evil in the object of their dislike. Hence, as the proverb puts it: 'Men are not aware of the evil of their sons or of the fertility of their field.' This means that there can be no bringing of the members of the family into an ordered harmony unless there is cultivation of the self. [When you purify your mind, your mind will know what is right or wrong (intuition development). Therefore when applied to the family, you will be impartial. If your son commits mistake, you will punish him.]
As for the meaning of 'the efficient ruling of a State of necessity consists in bringing its families into an ordered harmony,' it is not the case that a man can fail in instilling good principles into his own family and, at the same time, succeed in instilling those principles into men outside it. Thus it is that a true man without going outside his family brings good principles into being throughout the country. Filial piety is the means by which the prince is served. Deference to an elder brother is the means by which the elder generation is served. The exercise of parental kindness is the means by which a whole population is influenced. In the K'ang Kao it is said: 'Act as if you were watching over an infant.' If your mind is truly set on your action, although you may miss your mark, you will not go far astray. A young woman has never had to learn to suckle an infant before she gets married. (A perfect man can influence the whole country. Only when he is king or president, then he can bring world peace.)
If one family be human-hearted, human-heartedness will grow in the whole country. If the members of one family give way to each other, the spirit of giving way will grow in the whole country. If one man be incontinently wicked, he will cause anarchy in the whole country. The mechanism of the situation is like that. This means that one remark may throw public business into disorder, or one man may consolidate a country. (If PAP leaders are not graceful, how can you expect Singaporeans to be graceful?)
It was through being human-hearted that Yao and Shun were the leaders in the Great Society. The people followed their example. It was through being oppressors that Chieh and Chow were the leaders in the Great Society: the people obeyed them. But since the actions they commanded were contrary to what they liked to do themselves, there was no obedience. Thus it is that what the true man has in himself, that he can require from others: what he has not in himself, that he cannot require from others: there never has been a man who had no store of reciprocity in himself and yet was able to communicate it to other men. Hence the ruling of a State consists in ordered harmony in the family. [All these theory is nothing when the perfect man is pure and appointed king or president. If Yao and Shun are great we need not have to study scriptures. Confucius liked to praise Yao, Shun, King Wen, Tang etc. If you read Chuang Tzu (book) about them, you will find they were common leaders. During their reign they were great. But what have the Chinese throughout these 2500 years and over learn from them, nothing! If the Chinese have learn something, China will not be ruled by the Mongolians and the Manchus; and bullied by the Japanese and the West.]
In the Book of Songs is the saying: ...............
True! Order your household and then you can teach good principles to influence the nation. In the Book of Songs is the saying: 'With elder brother's duty done, with younger brother's duty done.' True. Fulfill your duties as elder and younger brother, and then you can teach good principles to the nation. In the Book of Songs is the saying: 'His ways are faultless. He puts the four fiefs to rights.' True! The ruler as a father, as a son, as a younger brother, as an elder brother, first rises to the level of being a model, then the people come to be modeled on him. This is the meaning of 'the ruling of a state consists in ordered harmony in the family.' (If quotations from old books are simple in their meaning, why Confucius was unable to act himself? He talked so much but no action. Is he truly wise? If old books can be fully understood, there is no need for this 'Great Learning'. The important point in this paragraph is the ruler must be perfect and pure in mind.)
As to the meaning of 'the attainment of peace in the Great Society consists in the efficient government of the States,' if those in high places treat old age as old age should be treated, the people develop the filial spirit. If those in high places treat their seniors as seniors should be treated, the people develop the younger-brotherly spirit. If they have pity on orphans, the people will not go counter to them. Thus there is for the true man the Way of the Measuring Square. What a man dislikes in those above him, he must not bring to bear on those beneath him. What he dislikes in those beneath him, he must not bring to the service of those above him. What he dislikes in his forbears, he must not do in advance for his descendants. What he would dislike in his descendants, he must not do as following his forbears. The treatment which he dislikes from the left, he must not give to the right. This is what is meant by the Way of the Measuring Square. (When a ruler is perfect do you think he needs all this lectures?)
In the Book of Songs is the saying: 'Blessings on our true man, father and mother to his people.' To like what the people like and to hate what the people hate, this is the meaning of being father and mother. As in the Book of Songs: 'That South Mountain with its beetling crags! The height of it before our eyes! So the Grand Master, in his overwhelming might! Not one can take his eyes from him.'
True! The man with a country in his charge cannot afford not to be cautious. If he leaves that true path, he becomes the world's criminal. Again, as the Book of Songs says: 'Before they lost their people's (hearts), the Yin kings stood at God's right hand. The Yin kings stand before our eyes (as proof): God's high commission is hard to keep.'
It is that: win the people, and the country is won: lose the people, and the country is lost. This is why the true man is first concerned with the power of moral personality. Possessing the power in himself, he possesses men. Possessing men, he possesses the soil. Possessing the soil, he possesses wealth. Possessing wealth, he possesses the means of governing. [The nose (mountain) is before (below) our eyes. Yin kings stood at God's right hand can be compared to Jesus Christ in glory at the right hand side of God. Yin kings before us means the mark on the forehead. The Chinese word for 'right' can represent our face, showing the mouth clearly.]
This moral power is the root: wealth is but a branch. If the root be discounted and the branch be prized, there will be quarreling, and the people will be incited to steal. This is why the people will disperse if the wealth be amassed in the ruler's hands, and why the people will mass round the ruler if the wealth be dispensed among them. And if the ruler's words go forth in injustice it is the reason why injustice will come home to roost. If injustice enters with the produce of the country, injustice will take that produce away. It is said in the K'ang Kao: 'The charge from Heaven itself is not unchangeable.' This means that goodness brings it to a man, and evil takes it away from him. (If the Son of Heaven is pure in morality, there is no need for this lecture.)
It is said in the Book of Ch'u: 'The State of Ch'u has nothing it considers precious except its good men. Them, it holds precious.' Uncle Fan said: 'As exiles there is nothing we count precious, only to be human-hearted to our kin.' In the Ch'in Shih it is said: 'If I have but one minister, a man with no guile in him, having no special skill, but open-hearted and showing this in his demeanor, welcoming another man's skill as if it were his own, in his heart no less than in his speech hailing genius in other men, and thus able to make way for them so that they can protect my descendants and my people-- if I have this, how great is the gain. If, however, my minister be jealous of another's skill and go on to hate him: if he thwarts the man of genius and blocks his way to advancement so that he is unable to guard my descendants and my people, how great is the peril.' The human-hearted man, he alone can send such a man packing, driving him out among the barbarian tribes, refusing to have him living alongside in the Middle Kingdom. This is the meaning of 'only the human-hearted man can love men, only he can hate men.' You may discover a man of worth and be unable to employ him, that is fate. But to discover a bad man and be unable to remove and banish him; that is your own fault. For to love what men hate and to hate what men love, this is an outrage on human nature, and disaster inevitably falls on such an individual. Thus it is that the true man has a supremely right Way. With devotion and good faith he is sure to succeed in it. With arrogance and dissipation, he is sure to fail. (The theory here is second class. Reason as above, if the Son of Heaven is pure, there is nothing to preach.)
For the creation of wealth there is a supremely right Way. If those who create the wealth be many, those who consume it few, and if the accumulating departments be zealous, the spending departments economical, then there will be a permanent sufficiency of wealth.
For the human-hearted man wealth is the means by which the individual self is expanded. For the non human-hearted man the individual is a tool for the expansion of wealth. There never has been a case in which those in high places were devoted to human-heartedness and those beneath them were not devoted to justice. There never has been a case in which there was devotion to justice and state affairs failed of completion. There never has been a case in which there was opposition to the wealth being in the Government's storehouses.
Meng Hsien Tzu said: 'If you have the status of keeping a horse and carriage, you do not keep a check on fowls and pigs. The great family with its stores of ice does not tend sheep and cattle.' So also the great house of a hundred chariots does not keep a special officer for collecting taxes. With such an officer, in what way is it better than employing a robbing expert? This means that on the national scale it is not gain that is gain, but justice. The man at the head of a country's administration who is only concerned with wealth and expenditure is himself a base fellow. He may think he is doing good, but his ways of getting things done are those of a base fellow. (An example is Lee Kuan Yew. He is so worried about Singapore's reserve that he sits as chairman of Singapore GIC and introduced the elected president law.) Calamity from Heaven and injury from men both ensure, and although there may be good men in the country, they can do nothing to stop this. This means that on the national scale gain is not gain: justice is gain.
[(3rd July 2001) - The Chinese word for justice is 'yi', righteousness. This is what I stress. I do not go for democracy and human rights because scriptures do not mention them. The West does not understand the true meaning of righteousness, but rely on stories in the Bible. The Bible talks about rape, sexual intercourse, cheating, murders etc etc. How are people going to be holy when they are occupied by all these adventurous stories? The West did not ponder when they occupied other people's land and properties. They did not ponder when they made other races slaves. So they are not enlightened races, more like barbarians.]
When the Son of heaven is pure, he has no worry of anything. Justice and righteousness are what we should know. If you study my drawing above, you can grasp the meaning of 'The Great Learning'. There is no need for lectures.
This book is also indicating to you a man will cultivate self, harmonize the family, purify the country and bring peace to the whole world. This truly is the Sage-King, not old kings mentioned by Confucius.
Therefore for me to achieve this Sage-king stage, I have to wait for my uncle-father to die first. My cultivation is bringing his moral value higher but not to perfection. Other things are like other people's contempt of me (mentioned in The Diamond Sutra) and my explanation of scriptures to the whole world (mentioned in Chuang Tzu).
I am in the son's stage, so I have opposition from above and below. The day will come for my glory. That is why I ask all those who said bad things against me to say sorry. When I am in glory you have no chance to say sorry.
Continue in Mean-In-Action
Edited on Friday June 20, 2008