The Routledge History of Chinese Philosophy (Routledge History of World Philosophies)
Language: English
Pages: 648
ISBN: 1138010367
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
The History of Chinese Philosophy is a comprehensive and authoritative examination of the movements and thinkers that have shaped Chinese philosophy over the last three thousand years. An outstanding team of international contributors provide seventeen accessible entries organised into five clear parts:
Identity of Chinese Philosophy
Classical Chinese Philosophy (I): Pre-Han Period
Classical Chinese Philosophy (II): From Han Through Tang
Classical Chinese Philosophy (III): From Song Through Early Qing
Modern Chinese Philosophy: From Late Qing Through 21st Century
This outstanding collection is essential reading for students of Chinese philosophy, and will be of interest to those seeking to explore the lasting significance this rich and complex philosophical tradition.
heart, spleen, lung, and kidney) signified by wood, fire, earth, metal, and water respectively, are interconnected by the mutual production and mutual conquest in a cycle of balanced state. However, if someone is sick, the physical or medical state of her or his five organs will enter into a cycle of imbalance. For example, if the liver is sick, it may transfer the sickness to the heart (i.e., following the production order from wood to fire but without good or positive production). It is
do what I wish in daily responses and activities, since I am like a horse guided by bit and bridle.’ How fitting that Hu and Chen, as disciples of the same master, should concur thus in silence. But Hu insisted on criticizing Chen for being a Chan Buddhist. He reiterated this opinion in his writings. For Hu was an extremely cautious ( juan 狷) Confucian while Chen was very audacious ( kuang 狂) (i.e., less concerned with judgments of orthodoxy). But one need not doubt the correctness of one
the mind there is no distinction between activity and tranquility. Principle involves no activity. When the mind is active [stirred, 417 CLASSICAL CHINESE PHILOSOPHY (III): F ROM SONG THROUGH EAR LY QING perturbed], this means that it has selfish desires. If it follows principles, it is not active [stirred] in spite of countless changes in its dealing with things. On the other hand, if it obeys selfish desires, then even it is like dry wood and reduced to one single thought, it is not
Negatives. In Wang Gen’s Le-Xue-Ge (樂學歌 A Paean to the Enjoyment of Learning), the aim of learning is said to restore the joy of xin, and the key to do that lies in one’s self-awareness of xin so as to detect and extinguish one’s selfish desires: The human heart naturally enjoys itself But one binds oneself by selfish desires. When a selfish desire makes its appearance, Innate knowing is still self-conscious, And once there is consciousness of it, the selfish desire forthwith disappears,
trivial – and accords with this spirit in adapting the rites to new and necessarily unforeseeable circumstances. For instance, 10.23 reads: ‘When receiving a gift from a friend – even something as valuable as a cart or a horse – he did not bow unless it was a gift of sacrificial meat.’ There was probably no specific clause in the rites that dictates this specific response to this particular situation; rather, Confucius, by virtue of his sensitivity to the ritual value of sacrificial meat