Detailed Analysis of "The Analects": For All Who Have Misinterpreted Confucius (1)
2006/10/13 21:28:22
Just got back from a business trip and discovered that the trend of cultural pretension in business circles has reached a fever pitch—everyone's whipping up a storm of "Chinese traditional learning," presumably all vying to become "Confucian merchants." Going from "breast-feeding" to "Confucian merchant" through traditional learning is hardly a blessing for the tradition itself. Just think: once something becomes trendy, even real breasts become hard to find, let alone real Confucians. Trendy breasts produce nothing but a booming industry of breast augmentation, enhancement, and enlargement—what else could they? As for trendy Confucianism? Its fate won't be any better than that of any breast, real or fake. Traditional learning is the same—if the whole nation truly "studied" it, traditional learning would truly be hollowed out.
Yet the rise of traditional Chinese learning is inevitable. China's economic development will necessarily produce China's own voice in academia, and what do the Chinese have to offer academically besides their own traditional learning? Anyone who disputes this is either a fool or a self-deceiver. Why shouldn't the academic standards of Chinese traditional learning one day become one of the world's academic standards? This is bound to happen as China's national strength grows. However, it must be clarified that apart from the large volume of so-called Chinese Buddhist literature that has been Confucianized or Daoized, Buddhism cannot be classified under traditional Chinese learning. Traditional Chinese medicine can be part of it, even the arts of the bedchamber can be part of it, but Buddhism is not. Buddhism—how could it possibly be encompassed by the mere categories of Chinese or Western learning?
But if you can't even master Chinese and Western learning, don't bother talking about Buddhism. Only those who have thoroughly mastered both Chinese and Western learning are qualified to discuss Buddhism. Speaking of traditional learning, speaking of Confucianism, one must naturally begin with Confucius, and to speak of Confucius, one must first speak of The Analects. Confucius, The Analects—the very foundation of Chinese civilization—how could they be shaken by the reckless youths of the May Fourth era or the little brats of '66? Yet throughout the ages, for every interpretation of The Analects, there has been a misinterpretation. And this book is for all those who have misinterpreted Confucius.
Xue Er (Learning)
The Master said: To learn and at due times practice what one has learned—is that not a pleasure? To have friends come from distant quarters—is that not a joy? To remain unperturbed when others do not appreciate one—is that not the mark of a gentleman?
Detailed analysis: The saying goes that half of The Analects can govern the realm. This opening, of course, is not as shallow and laughable as commonly interpreted. However, this "Xue Er," plucked from the original text as a chapter title, has no greater significance beyond providing Li Shangyin with a fine method for titling poems, and giving the eight-legged essay an additional bad method for setting topics. Chapter titles were all added by later people, and The Analects as a whole is a continuous flow of vital energy—it really doesn't need to be divided into chapters.
With the title dealt with, let's begin the main text. These three "is that not" phrases have probably been drowned in more people's saliva than any other in the history of the Chinese language. Yet those who truly understand the meaning of these three sentences are probably nonexistent. These three statements, thrown at us right from the start, seem utterly without logic and without cause—on what basis do they serve as the opening of the foremost book of the Chinese language? If they truly were as shallow as commonly understood, then The Analects would surely be history's greatest shoddy product, or else random ravings collected from an asylum.
In truth, these three sentences are but one sentence—they form an integral whole, a summation of the entire Confucian philosophy. The vast ocean of Confucian classics is merely an elaboration of these three sentences. Understand these three sentences and the entirety of The Analects becomes clear, and you'll know that the earlier statement about "The Analects being a continuous flow of vital energy" was not made casually.
"To learn and at due times practice"—what is "learning"? Who learns? What is learned? What can learning lead to? First of all, the word "learn" here is missing a subject. A duck learning is also learning; put "duck" in as the subject and you get: "The Master said: A duck learns and at due times practices—is that not a pleasure? A duck has friends come from distant quarters—is that not a joy? Others do not appreciate it and the duck is not perturbed—is that not a duck king?" This could probably serve as a sign for a duck restaurant. Therefore, without resolving the missing subject before "learn," it is impossible to understand The Analects.
In fact, the subject is right there in the sentence—it is "the gentleman" (junzi). The one studying The Analects is this "gentleman," and the passage ultimately comes down to this "gentleman." The entire Confucian teaching, at its root, is "the study of the gentleman." What is a "gentleman"? A "gentleman" is one who aspires to become a "lord" (jun). The ultimate purpose of "the study of the gentleman" is to become a "lord." What is a "lord"? A "lord" is a "sage."
Then why is it "the study of the gentleman" rather than "the study of the sage"? The "sage" has nothing to study—the entire Analects, the entire Confucian teaching, describes the process by which a "gentleman" "learns and" becomes a "lord"—that is, becomes a "sage." Only within this process does the question of "learning" arise. "The study of the gentleman" is not about learning to be a "gentleman," but rather that only a "gentleman" can "learn"; only when a "gentleman" constantly "learns" on the path to becoming a "lord" is there the possibility of the "gentleman learning and" becoming a "lord." A duck that "learns and" remains a duck at best—a duck king at most—so duck restaurants neither can nor need to have any Analects.
But this "lord" is not forged in a single day. When you open The Analects, when you set out to study The Analects, the first thing you must understand is that you must ultimately, through The Analects, become a "lord," become a "sage." Without this aspiration, there is no need to read The Analects—you'd be better off reading "The Duck Analects." With this aspiration, there is reason to read The Analects, and the words that follow gain meaning. Reading cannot be separated from the reader, and a reader who cannot take on this reading has no reading at all—they are merely looking at written symbols.
(To be continued)
Strict prohibition against plagiarism—violators will be prosecuted
Replies
缠中说禅 2006/10/14 12:48:57
Plagiarism is rampant these days. Everything this ID writes breaks new ground no one has covered before. If anyone plagiarizes in the future, please help collect evidence.
缠中说禅 2006/10/15 22:15:51
[Anonymous] 7037k
2006-10-15 15:04:07
Chán Zhōng Shuō Chán needs to answer the contempt website
============
A question posed by someone who doesn't even understand their own question is not a question that can or needs to be questioned!
缠中说禅 2006/10/19 15:52:27
Announcement Everything this ID writes in "Detailed Analysis of The Analects — For All Who Have Misinterpreted Confucius" breaks new ground no one has covered before. Arrangements have been made for publication after the series is complete, so the serialization will only appear on this ID's blog. Please refrain from reposting if possible; if you must repost, be sure to credit the source, lest we have to file copyright lawsuits later.
Strict prohibition against plagiarism—violators will be prosecuted
缠中说禅 2006/10/13 21:42:44
Back from the business trip, but quite a lot to deal with. I'll try to squeeze in time to write.