Detailed Explanation of The Analects: For All Those Who Misinterpret Confucius (37)
2006/12/3 10:50:01
The Master said: Those who tread upon wisdom and virtue are forever fresh and vibrant!
Yang Bojun: Confucius said to Zilu: "You! Those who understand virtue are few indeed." Qian Mu: The Master said: "You! Those who know about virtue are too few." Li Zehou: Confucius said: "Zilu, those who understand virtue are very few."
Detailed Explanation: The interpretations above are all based on the following punctuation: "由！知德者鲜矣," and the corresponding logic is an absurd hybrid of the "self-centered paradigm" and the "Lu model." First, "virtue" (德) is treated as something to be toyed with by a few so-called "virtuous" elites. Once someone claims to possess this thing, it's as if a eunuch has acquired a prosthetic phallus and is suddenly brimming with vitality. Of course, among these so-called elites who possess this prosthetic phallus of so-called "virtue," there has always been competition among various "selves," ultimately nothing more than a struggle for so-called discourse power — making the "self" of "my self" the ultimate standard of "virtue," making "my" prosthetic phallus the club wielded over everyone's heads. The premise being that all people, males castrated into eunuchs, females enslaved as servants and maids. Then, regardless of gender, all are unified under the waving of this prosthetic phallus club of so-called "virtue." "鲜" (xiān) has been defined by these prosthetic phallus peddlers with a falling tone (third tone), meaning "few, too few, very few." The subtext is nothing more than: only those conforming to their so-called "virtue" are the majority, the correct ones, the "gentlemen," the elites. This despicable logic has castrated The Analects into a prosthetic phallus installation manual, enslaving everyone's thinking for over two thousand years, ultimately serving the shameless racket of the prosthetic phallus peddlers.
The correct punctuation should be: "由知、德者，鲜矣！" Here, "由" is not, as the three people above and conventional wisdom assume, referring to Confucius's student "Zilu," but means "to tread upon, to practice." This usage is very common, as in The Book of Rites: "是故隆礼由礼，谓之有方之士" (Therefore, to elevate ritual and follow ritual — such a person is called a man of principle). "知" is the original character of "智" (wisdom), meaning wisdom. "德" (virtue) is what is gained from practicing the "Way of the Sage." "鲜" is in the level tone (first tone), meaning fresh and vibrant. The "Way of the Sage" is the path of transforming a world of "people not knowing" into a world of "people not resenting." Here there is no fixed model or a priori approach — the road is made by walking, it is what people "由" (tread), what people "practice and walk upon." Without people's "treading and practicing," how can there be a road? Apart from "wisdom and virtue," the gentleman who practices the "Way of the Sage" has nothing to tread upon and needs nothing to tread upon.
Transforming the world of "people not knowing" into the world of "people not resenting" — the "Way of the Sage" is without fixed rank, and "virtue" thereby acquires rank, thereby has something gained — this gain is "virtue." And precisely because the "Way of the Sage" is not a priori but grounded in reality, it is forever fresh and vibrant. What does "鲜" (fresh) mean? Every day is a good day, every moment is the moment of blossoming, forever in a state of innovation and creation — what is called "Heaven moves with vigor; the gentleman ceaselessly strives to strengthen himself." For the "Way of the Sage," "wisdom" is the foundation, as the previous chapter stated: "Without knowledge, there is no way to fulfill the mission of a gentleman." Without wisdom, it is impossible to undertake the gentleman's mission. And what is the gentleman's mission? It is to "hear, see, learn, and practice" the "Way of the Sage," transforming the world of "people not knowing" into the world of "people not resenting." And "hearing, seeing, learning, and practicing" the "Way of the Sage" is not some distant myth but must be implemented in every present moment of reality, thereby establishing rank, thereby having "virtue." Maintaining its freshness and vitality, presenting it vividly in the present moment — this is the life force of "hearing, seeing, learning, and practicing" the "Way of the Sage."
Chán Zhōng Shuō Chán's Vernacular Translation
子曰：由知、德者，鲜矣！
Confucius said: The gentleman who treads upon and practices the wisdom and attainments of "hearing, seeing, learning, and practicing" the "Way of the Sage" is forever in a state of innovation and creation!
(To be continued)
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缠中说禅 2006/12/3 11:06:35
Have things to do at noon, signing off first.
缠中说禅 2006/12/3 10:58:34
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