Wednesday, 27 September 2017

The 8 Confucian Virtues - Guan Yu, Buddhism, Taoism, Rujiao, 儒家八德



 
A more popular formulation and codification of Confucian ethical principals, influenced by the Perfect Book of Emperor Guan's Enlightenment or Holy Emperor Guan's True Scripture to Awaken the World, a text that has been in circulation in several Asian countries besides China for centuries, including Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Thailand. Other teachings from Chinese culture provide similar guidance on conducting ourselves. There are the Four Cardinal Principles, also referred to as the fundamental principles of conduct, or four social bonds: propriety- Lǐ (禮), righteousness- Yì  (義), integrity- Lián  (廉), and shame- Chǐ  (恥). They are derived from the Legalist text Guanzi, attributed to the Qi philosopher Guan Zhong, There is also the five constant virtues in Confucianism. The first four virtues were grouped together in the Mengzi: benevolence (ren 仁), righteousness (yi 義), propriety (li 禮), wisdom (zhi 智), and trustworthiness (xin 信). The fifth virtue, xin, was added by Dong Zhongshu. These are sometimes related to the Five Elements of Chinese tradition. There is also a similar modern version of the eight virtues presented by the statesman Dr Sun Yat-sen: loyalty- zhong (忠), filial piety -xiào (孝), benevolence-rén (仁), love-ài) (愛), honesty-xìn (信), justice-yì (義), harmony-hé (和), and peace/equality-píng (平). In Japan, one can mention Nansō Satomi Hakkenden (The Eight Dog Chronicles),  a monumental 19th-century Japanese epic (1814–1842) by Kyokutei Bakin. It tells of eight samurai warriors who embody eight Confucian virtues.
 
Although shaped by popular, mystical, shamanic, occult, esoteric milieus, the virtues are a fairly straightforward combination of the four cardinal principles of the Guanzi and the five constant virtues of the Mengzi (with Harmony -  和 (hé) added, to harmonize it, so to speak) it is interesting to notice the remarkable stability and consistency of Confucian ethical principles through more than two millennium, of which the eight virtues is a prominent popular formulation, and has had an abiding influence into the 21st century. In 2006, the Communist Party introduced The Eight Honors and Disgraces, described as a "socialist core value system  essential to cultural harmony in the country",  which seems to follow the traditional eight Confucian virtues list quite closely.
 
1- Filial Piety - 孝 (xiào):  Reverence and loving care of our parents – teachers – elders.
 
2- Harmony -  和 (hé):  Sibling Harmony, respect for your brothers, to live at peace as brothers and sisters, respectful of others.
 
3- Loyalty -  忠 (zhōng): Unswerving allegiance in everything you do, dedication, faithfulness, commitment.
 
4- Trust -  信 (xìn): Trustworthiness, keeping promises, integrity, sincerity, honesty.
 
5- Benevolence -  仁 (rén) :  Compassion, empathy, and reciprocity. Alternate reading has Propriety -  Lǐ (禮), Courtesy, etiquette, politeness, manners.
 
6- Righteousness - 義 (yì):  The moral disposition to do good, justice.
 
7- Integrity - 信 (lian):  Being non-corrupt, incorruptible, taking only what you deserve, having earned it.
 
8- Shame -  恥/耻  (chǐ ): Judge and sense of right and wrong, sense of shame, shamefulness, conscientious, cognizant of shameful action and avoiding it.
 
 
 
Pictorial ideographs, called Munjado, consisted of a set of eight folding screens. Sets featuring the eight Confucian virtues were popular in Korea, which demonstrates the importance of Confucian ideas and practices during the late Joseon period. 
 
References:
Rediscovering “Popular Confucianism”: Rujiao 儒教 in Modern Sichuan. Review of Religion and Chinese Society, 
Confucianism, “Cultural Tradition,” and Official Discourse in China at the Start of the New Century SÉBASTIEN BILLIOU D, 2007
https://journals.openedition.org/chinaperspectives/2033?file=1 
 
Posted by at
Labels: ,

3 comments:

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)