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The meaning evolution and thinking characteristics of the Confucianism “Heaven” concept
Author: Li Xiangjun (Addressed by Beijing Teachers’ Research on Value and Civilization, and Philosophy Institute)
Source: “Social Science War”, 2021 No. 2
Abstract
“Heaven” is the highest concept of Confucianism, but its meaning is rich and changes with the development of social history and Confucianism itself. The Confucianism of “Heaven” originated from the thought traditions of the three ancient dynasties, and mainly includes the three meanings of the dominant heaven, the materialized heaven, and the life of heaven. Judging from the historical evolution of the Confucianism’s concept of “Heaven”, the three meaningful orders of the Confucianism’s concept of “Heaven” were developed in the pre-Qin period. The Confucianism in Han and Tang presented the dual evolutionary trend of the dominant heaven and the materialized heaven. The new Confucianism in the Song and Ming dynasties established the leading position of the heaven of life. The heaven of life is to rest well, without makeup, but just a “filling” gift. Ye Hua Bai’s Confucianism’s main meaning and evolutionary trend. It has established a basic world view, value source and ultimate concern for Confucianism and traditional Chinese society. It is an insurmountable and ideological condition that we understand the focus of Confucianism and the transformation of Confucianism in modern times.
Keywords: Confucianism; the dominant heaven; the materialized heaven; the nature of life
In some modern researchers, due to the influence of modern philosophy, especially the tradition of Eastern philosophy, “Tao” has become the mainstream, because of the influence of modern philosophy, especially the “Rugos” tradition, “Tao” has become the mainstream. However, in terms of the reality of Chinese traditional philosophy, especially Confucian philosophy, the highest philosophical concept should be “Heaven”. Whether it is the destiny, the way of heaven, or the laws, atmosphere, heart, etc. of the Confucianism of the two Han Dynasties in the pre-Qin period, the laws, atmosphere, heart, etc. of the new Confucianism of the Song and Ming dynasties, they are all subjective or potential subjects. As long as the meaning of “heaven”, fate, Tao, principle, atmosphere, heart, etc. are the essence of the universe and the essence of the mind. The Confucianism “Heaven” concept originated from the ancient three dynasties historical civilization traditions dominated by Zhou civilization. In the next 2,000 years of history, its implications changed with the development of China’s traditional social career and the development of Confucianism itself. The Confucian concept of “Heaven” became the cornerstone of Confucian philosophy system, and at the same time it formed the value source and ultimate concern of China’s traditional social career guided by Confucianism. It deeply understood the meaning of “Heaven” concept to the traditional Chinese value guided by Confucianism. The confidence system has an original meaning. When facing the changing modern world, it has a conscience and has the courage to face the future, build a value confidence system that is suitable for China’s modern social career, and promote the modern reincarnation of Chinese traditional philosophy led by Confucian philosophy.
1. The meaning of the concept of “Heaven” in the former Confucian era
“Heaven” was the main concept that appeared very early in Chinese thinking, especially after the changes in the era between the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and Heaven replaced the “Emperor” and became the supreme ruler. Confucius and Confucianism particularly valued the inheritance and development of the historical civilization traditions of the three ancient dynasties, “”Talking about it” and “writing about it”. The Confucianism focus concepts containing heaven are all inherited from traditional thinking. It can be said that the meaning of the concept of “Heaven” in the past Confucian era has become very rich, and it has formed the historical context and thinking conditions that evolved from the concept of “Heaven” in Confucianism.
From the source of the word, the final meaning of “Heaven” refers to the head of a man. In “Shiwenjiezi” says: “Heaven is the ultimate meaning.” “From this perspective, the Confucian concept of “Heaven” is like many basic concepts, which are directly related to the life and life of a person. From the top of a person, it is the sky, which should be the meaning of “Heaven” compared to the late meaning, and from the high and farther away of the sky, it is extended to the person living in the sky, God, which should be the theological development of the concept of “Heaven”. HeavenInclusive of the InternetHua>Hua and the God of Heaven, these are the two basic meanings of the “Heaven” concept in the pre-Confucian era. “The heaven mentioned in ancient times had two meanings, one pointed to the God of personality and the other pointed to the sky that was opposite to the earth. ”1 This is a very representative view, but the God and the sky of personality can only represent the two domains of meaning in the concept of “heaven” in the pre-Confucian era, and the actual situation is much more complicated. Both meanings have their own evolutionary courses and their internal meaningsinclusive of emotional differentiation, requiring detailed analysis.
First, the “Heaven” of God, the personality God, is also changing, especially the transformation of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties as a drama. The theological world of ancient China was a multi-theistic theory. It is divided into three categories: God of Heaven, God of Heaven, and God of Ancestors. God of Heaven is generally called “Emperor” and “God”. There is no difference between the two concepts of Heaven and God, and they are all called Supreme God. From the perspective of archaeological data and religious comparisons, the earliest supreme gods in ancient China, Heaven and God of Heaven should refer to the Sun God, and there are also those who replaced the Sun God with the North Star as the Supreme God. Confucius said, “For politics and virtue,” for example. For example, the North Chen lives in its place and the stars share it with each other” (“Speech: Zheng”) also manifests this kind of thinking direction at a certain level. The multi-theistic system guided by this god of heaven had a large change in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, that is, heaven became the supreme god, and it opened differently from the emperor and the god of heaven. During the Shang and Shang dynasties, the personalized god of heaven was directed, and the heaven and emperor were not distinguished. In the Zhou dynasty, the impersonalized “heaven” was directed. In the Zhou dynasty, the impersonalized “heaven” was directed. “Thinking is directed, and sometimes there is no distinction between heaven and emperor, but the emperor relies on heaven.
The reason why the changes in heaven and emperor’s view occurred in the Shang and Zhou dynasties occurred is both theoretical and practical reasons. From theory, the Supreme God in the late period was the God of heaven, and in the process of human thinking development, the heaven would gradually regard the place of God as the Supreme God, the God of God, as the Supreme God, as a higherThe existence of the inheritance led to the emergence of heaven as the supreme god; in reality, the small country Zhou replaced the great country Yin, and God respected the power of the Shang kings, and used the double-overtake of heaven as the supreme god, which was more beneficial to the Zhou Dynasty’s consolidation of political power from theology. Moreover, compared with the heavens of the Shang Dynasty and the Lord of God, the heavens of the Zhou people have a more moral meaning. Therefore, virtue determines the blessings of people. The outsiders of the Shang Dynasty will perish, saying, “Wow! I am not born with my destiny.” 2 The rulers of the early Zhou Dynasty emphasized the kindness and punishment of heaven, “The king did it respectfully, and dare not disrespect virtue. I will not succeed in not being in the Xia Dynasty, nor will I succeed in not being in the Yin Dynasty. I dare not know: “There is summer to obey the destiny of heaven, but only for years; I dare not know: “It is not extended. But if I do not respect my virtue, I will lose my destiny early. I dare not know: “There is Yin Dynasty.” Only by being decreed by heaven can one last for a long time; I dare not know that it is not extended. Only by disrespectful virtue can one end up with a long time. “3 The transformation of the Supreme God from God to heaven in the Shang and Zhou dynasties from God to heaven is the result of the development of human sensual thinking. It reduces the personalization of the dominant, and replaces it with a relatively vague and transcendent existence. As the supreme god, heaven has the overall meaning of being different from one god and multiple