HomeREADING:
500 BC
THE GREAT LEARNING
Confucius
translated by James Legge [1893]
WHAT THE GREAT LEARNING teaches, is to illustrate illustrious virtue; to renovate the people; and to rest in the highest excellence.
The point where to rest being known, the object of pursuit is then determined; and, that being determined, a calm unperturbedness may be attained to. To that calmness there will succeed a tranquil repose. In that repose there may be careful deliberation, and that deliberation will be followed by the attainment of the desired end.
Things have their root and their branches. Affairs have their end and their beginning. To know what is first and what is last will lead near to what is taught in the Great Learning.
The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom, first ordered well their own states. Wishing to order well their states, they first regulated their families.
Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such extension of knowledge lay in the investigation of things.
Things being investigated, knowledge became complete. Their knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then rectified. Their hearts being rectified, their persons were cultivated. Their persons being cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being regulated, their states were rightly governed. Their states being rightly governed, the whole kingdom was made tranquil and happy.
From the Son of Heaven down to the mass of the people, all must consider the cultivation of the person the root of everything besides.
It cannot be, when the root is neglected, that what should spring from it will be well ordered. It never has been the case that what was of great importance has been slightly cared for, and, at the same time, that what was of slight importance has been greatly cared for.
SERMON
Good Morning!
Before I begin this morning I feel I must speak to the bill passed a few days ago by both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate that allows for secret trials, withholding of evidence from the accused in those secret trials, that denies the accused access to the civil courts for redress of constitutional violations, and that indirectly allows the President to order--under the conservative politically correct euphemism of “aggressive interrogation techniques”—the torture of prisoners. That euphemism is worthy to be included in George Orwell’s “newspeak” in the book 1984.
This bill is a shameful violation of the philosophy of the value, dignity and rights of each individual upon which this nation was founded. It is a violation of our Constitutionally protected rights. It is a violation of the Geneva Convention, it is a violation of international law. It is a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of which this nation is a signatory. Further, it is a violation of any decent religious precepts and beliefs.
Having said these things, I am going to move forward with my sermon on Confucius and the power of example. Before I do so I must say following: Confucius aimed much of his teaching and the leaders of states. However, my intent in this sermon is to turn his teachings—both those aimed at the individual and those aimed at the ruler--towards our own inner lives. I hope that you will listen to, hear it, and respond to it from that perspective. Applying it to the leadership of this nation or to the leadership of any other nation or of any movement would be to mishear what I am trying to say.
In the New Testament, Jesus says: It is easier to see the mote in your brother’s than the beam in your own.
In the Analects Confucius is reported to have said something similar,
BOOK IV. CHAP. XVII. The Master said, 'When we see men of worth, we should think of equalling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.'
My intent to day is to examine myself, and to urge you to do the same.
The reading this morning was “The Great Learning”, attributed to Confucius. The quotes I will use in the sermon are from the Analects, a collection of sayings mostly attributed to or about Confucius which was assembled about two hundred years after his death.
Confucius lived in a time of great turmoil, with China divided into a large number of sometimes warring states. Parts of China were racked by rampant crime. For this reason, much of the philosophy and work of Confucius was directed towards the ideal of a tranquil society.
Confucius believed that proper education both resulted in and included personal moral development, and so education was important to him. In his view one ought not to speak on a subject unless one has very carefully studied all of the components of it and all of the implications and ramifications of the issue.
Compassion for others, self restraint and propriety were for Confucius hallmarks of the well rounded man. I just used the word “man” and it must be said that Confucius does not seem to have had a very high regard for women. I will not speak to that today, other than to point out that it is the case.
Compassion in all relations was important to Confucius and he used the Golden Rule, though in the negative: What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others. He also taught that one should put others first, especially one’s parents, siblings and other family members, but he did not limit this practice to them. Compassion or loving others was a prime requirement.
Self restraint was both a means of loving others—not aggrandizing one’s self—but also was a means of living appropriately to one’s place in life. He believed that people ought to yield to their superiors and that in return superiors ought to behave in appropriate ways. This would lead to goodness within society.
Propriety was important to him as well; because of its affect on our behavior:
The Master said, "Respectfulness, without the rules of propriety, becomes laborious bustle; carefulness, without the rules of propriety, becomes timidity; boldness, without the rules of propriety, becomes insubordination; straightforwardness, without the rules of propriety, becomes rudeness.
The latter especially rings true for me as I have seen so many people who confuse being straightforward and direct with being rude. There is a difference, and we can all express ourselves and our views without being insulting or crass. We could all learn to speak the truth, but speak the truth with love.
And there I go speaking about other people. Let me apply Confucius’ teaching to myself: I sometimes am careful to the point of timidity.
If people practice these things—compassion, self restraint and propriety, then, in the mind of Confucius, they would lead by the power of example. A few quotes will suffice to show this.
BOOK IX. TSZE HAN.
CHAP. III. 1. The Master said, 'If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame.
2. 'If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good.'
BOOK XII
CHAP. XVII. Chi K'ang asked Confucius about government. Confucius replied, 'To govern means to rectify. If you lead on the people with correctness, who will dare not to be correct?'
CHAP. XVIII. Chi K'ang, distressed about the number of thieves in the state, inquired of Confucius how to do away with them. Confucius said, 'If you, sir, were not covetous, although you should reward them to do it, they would not steal.'
CHAP. XIX. Chi K'ang asked Confucius about government, saying, 'What do you say to killing the unprincipled for the good of the principled?' Confucius replied, 'Sir, in carrying on your government, why should you use killing at all? Let your evinced desires be for what is good, and the people will be good. The relation between superiors and inferiors, is like that between the wind and the grass. The grass must bend, when the wind blows across it.'
That last image is an important one. If the wind blows towards covetousness and self aggrandizement, then the grass will do the same. If the wind blows towards justice and service, the grass also will do the same. As leaders lead the people will follow. If a nation is divided, it is because o the divisiveness of its leaders.
A smaller and more personal aside: As a long haired teenager I remember shopping in stores and being followed by the owner or by a clerk. You know it made me want to steal from them. I didn’t, but I wanted to. We often respond to people’s treatment of us by becoming what we are treated as.
Confucius believed that a single person, behaving well, could change the behavior of the many.
Here is a reading from the Analects:
BOOK IX. TSZE HAN.
CHAP. XIII. 1. The Master was wishing to go and live among the nine wild tribes of the east.
2. Some one said, 'They are rude. How can you do such a thing?' The Master said, 'If a superior man dwelt among them, what rudeness would there be?'
So, just one person, behaving well, can change an entire society.
Many of the world’s religions look to one person for an example of proper living. Parts of the Analects are descriptions of the behavior of Confucius in particular circumstances. These are used to say how we ought to behave in similar circumstance.
Muslims look to the example of Muhammad, who is called by them the Perfect Man. The Hadith—written collections of what were verbal reports about things Muhammad said or did—go into detail about his actions and behaviors in particular circumstances.
Christians look to the example of Jesus, for some of them the human aspect of Christ. They ask themselves, “What would Jesus do?”. That is, in this particular circumstance that I face, what would be the likely choice that Jesus would make; I will try to do that. This is not done with the expectation that the individual can live a perfect life, but rather with the hope that one can move more closely to that life.
Each of these individuals is a good example to follow.
While I may believe that Confucius is overly optimistic about the effect that good leaders have on the people, I do think there is something powerful in what he says. And it applies not only to governments and leaders, or to religious and moral examples, but to each of us individually. If in our private lives we seek justice for all, if we seek inclusion of all, if we seek welcome to everyone, if we seek good relations and peace among people, then these things will be responded to by others in a positive way.
What is the best way to lead our families, that is, our children; by laws and punishment or by virtue and propriety? Will our children learn the values that we tell them to live, or will they learn by the values that we live?
How do we treat friends and neighbors?
How do we treat those who do not like us? Will we still treat them with respect and dignity, and maybe therefore change how they see ands treat us?
What is the best way to fight our enemies; by using their worst tactics or by using our best?
One message that Confucius leaves to us is that it is within our power individually to impact the world. We can be the examples of good behavior, of propriety and compassion that can then change the behavior of others. We, individually, living well, can be the wind that blows the grass. Not arrogantly, not egotistically—because that wind blows in another direction—but with humility and a careful approach to deciding what we think is right in any given moment. Not what we think serves us best; rather, what we think is right.
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