Is the Confucian benevolence useful for governing the country?

Benevolence

It is foolish to think that the connotation of benevolence can be summarized as "love" and "forbearance". Confucius.

The emphasis is on "loving others" and elevating it to a very high level.

In Confucius's view: "love" should not only be in the heart, but also in the action; It is necessary not only to have height (high morality), but also to have breadth (to help the world and the people). —In this way, it can be described as "benevolence".

In short, Confucius's "benevolence" can be summarized as virtue and meritorious service. Obviously, this is far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

If the connotation of benevolence is expanded, "loving people" becomes "loving things"; Benevolence, then, becomes benevolence.

It can be said that the benevolence that people understand and pursue today is closer to the Taoist "compassion" than to Confucianism.

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"Benevolence" is the most basic social ethical category of Confucianism and the core of Confucianism. Other courtesy, righteousness, honesty, shame, filial piety, loyalty, faithfulness, etc. all revolve around "benevolence". The Three Principles and the Five Constants are the basic social ethical norms advocated by Confucianism, and "benevolence" is the position of the first of the Five Constants.

"Benevolence" is the most basic social ethics category of Confucianism, is the core of Confucianism, other courtesy, righteousness, honesty, shame, filial piety, loyalty, faithfulness, etc. all revolve around benevolence, the three outlines and five constants are the basic social ethics standards advocated by Confucianism, and "benevolence" is the position of the first of the five constants. Therefore, to understand Confucianism, we must first understand the basic meaning of "benevolence" in Confucianism.

The original meaning of "benevolence" is the meaning of affinity, which refers to the love between people and each other. "Saying Wen Jie Zi" is benevolent, pro also. Confucius clearly stated:

Benevolence, lovers. Confucianism believes that "benevolence" should be used to deal with ethical and social relations, and advocates that people should respect each other, help each other and be friendly, and filial piety is the foundation of "benevolence".

Confucius's "benevolence":

Confucius said that those who are virtuous speak carefully. When Zizhang was in power, Confucius said: If you can be humble, generous, honest, intelligent, and charitable in society, you can say that you can be "benevolent". Confucius believed that the characteristics of strength, perseverance, simplicity, and prudence were very close to "benevolence".

Participating in social activities is as solemn as meeting VIPs, managing the people as seriously as participating in sacrificial activities, doing unto others as you would not have them do unto you, and striving to ensure that no one resents in society or at home. Confucius here said that "benevolence" should be dignified and serious, and that it should be loyal and forgiving, empathetic, and not resentful.

"Benevolence" is at the heart of Confucianism and has had a significant impact on the development of Chinese culture and society. The word "benevolence" was first found in the Confucian classic "Shangshu Jinteng": "To be benevolent."

Ren refers to good morality. Confucius first regarded benevolence as the highest moral norm of Confucianism, and put forward a set of doctrines with benevolence as the core. The content of benevolence is very wide-ranging, and its nuclear banquet Li Xin is a lover.

The word benevolence is derived from the two, that is, the meaning of mutual existence, mutual assistance and mutual love, so its basic meaning refers to respect and friendship for others. Confucianism applied the doctrine of benevolence to politics and formed the doctrine of benevolence, which had an important impact on the history of the development of China's political thinking.

On the basis of Confucius's theory of benevolence, Mencius put forward the famous theory of benevolence, calling for the implementation of the doctrine of benevolence in specific political governance, the implementation of the royal road, the opposition to hegemonic politics, and the peace and contentment of the people. Mencius put forward a number of practical proposals, focusing on improving people's livelihood and strengthening education. Its first and foremost point is to "control the people's property", requiring the implementation of "a house of five acres, trees with mulberry, and fifty people can be clothed; Chickens, guineas, dogs, and animals, if they don't lose their time, the seventy can eat meat; 100 acres of land, don't take it away, a family of eight can be hungry; The teaching of the order of the order, the righteousness of filial piety, and the person who gives the confession does not live up to the road.

The old man eats meat, and the people are neither hungry nor cold, but he is not a king, and there is no such thing." 15Linking the doctrine of benevolence with the politics of kingship. He believes that all people have a sympathetic heart of benevolence, that is, the heart of intolerability, and advocates "the heart of intolerable people, the government of intolerable people, and the palm of the world that can be carried out"16

If you practice benevolent government, the world can be governed; If there is no benevolent government, it will be difficult to govern the world. Mencius believed that even if a country is small for a hundred miles, as long as it practices benevolent government, the people of the world will return to it. He said to King Liang Hui:

The place is a hundred miles and can be king. Wang Rushi is benevolent to the people, provincial punishment, thin taxation, and deep cultivation. The strong man cultivates his filial piety and loyalty in his spare time, enters his father and brother, and goes out to his long-term strength, so that the system can be used to tart the strong armor of Qin and Chu.

17 Only in this way can the foundation of the country's economic and political life be consolidated, and on this basis, the cultivation of virtue and the practice of benevolence will spread so that even the best soldiers can win in battle. Emphasizing the unification of the world with benevolent government, and then governing the world, advocating the "royal way" politics of subduing people with virtue, opposing the "hegemonic" politics of subduing people with strength, criticizing violence, and opposing war. This is the basic starting point of the Confucian theory of benevolence.

When we understand "benevolence" in the ordinary sense, we often understand it as a noble virtue, and this connotation is actually one of the most popular understandings of the meaning of "benevolence", and "benevolence" itself, as far as Confucianism is concerned, can be the core concept that runs through Confucius's thought, or it can be an important point of view throughout Confucianism.

"Benevolence" is to Confucianism, and "Tao" is to "Taoism", is the same, Confucianism can basically be said to be divergent from "benevolence", whether it is Confucius himself proposed "moderation" or "education without class", etc., or the later Mencius put forward the "great husband spirit", in-depth study of various Confucian concepts, the most ruined foothold is still "benevolence".

Regarding the content of benevolence, it may be more intuitive to say this: in the Confucian worldview, the "benevolence" of a gentleman first has a stage of self-restraint, and nonsense can then achieve the effect of "conforming to courtesy", and when this kind of "self-denial and reciprocation" becomes a state of "doing what you want without exceeding the rules", people can reach the state of "benevolence".

Since Confucius, Confucianism has not been able to discuss how its theories have changed, and the core ideas of Confucianism are more for the purpose of educating the people, so as to maintain the "etiquette" of society. In order to maintain this "rite" that can benefit the people of the world, it is necessary to maintain the virtue of "benevolence", and at least the whole society must establish an "atmosphere" that is eager to promote the complete virtue of "benevolence".

The main core of Confucianism is generally considered to be "benevolence", and the character is divided into two parts. It means that benevolence, as the core doctrine of Confucianism, explores the fundamental relationship between human beings and nature and the original Taoism.

A character represents the status of human beings in harmony with nature, while "two" has a balanced composition of two horizontals, representing the natural world composed of heaven and earth.

In China's traditional philosophy and humanistic system, what is pursued is the harmonious, unified and interdependent relationship between man, heaven and earth, and the "benevolence" proposed by Confucianism is a fundamental expression of Confucianism based on the interdependent development of human beings and nature. Later generations have misinterpreted the ethical relationship between people and the limitation of 'benevolence'.

On the basis of benevolence, Confucianism advocates that there is a relationship of inheritance and development with Taoism in explaining the dialectical relationship between human beings and nature, and the Confucian master also has great respect for the Taoist master Lao Tzu. Confucius said in the statement, said but not done, believed and ancient, and stolen compared to Lao Peng. Among them, Lao Tzu refers to Lao Tzu.

It is unreasonable for future generations of Taoists to be unfilial and often curse Confucianism and impose ideological imprisonment.

Confucianism, on the other hand, seeks a fundamental way to reconcile human beings and nature in interpreting "benevolence" as the fundamental essential unity of human beings and nature. And because this phrase comes from Youzi's interpretation and is interpreted by the feudal theocratic hereditary system, as the original face of filial piety, the Confucian version has been modified in one direction.

The Confucian Ten Patriarchs Confucius's foundation, as well as the Taoism itself, explain that there are laws and laws formed by heaven, earth and man, and the Taoist thought is practiced by human beings according to the development of the times, and the Taoist thought is interpreted as the idea of loyalty. As the ancestor Confucius said: "Yong can also make the south", it can be seen that Confucianism does not respect hereditary monarchs, but people who have both ability and political integrity and can practice the laws and laws produced by man and nature.

In addition, the first teacher also had many principled expositions on not sticking to your dogmatic theories and developing their own doctrines according to the times.

The Confucian "benevolence" is one of the core values of Confucianism, which is often translated as "benevolence", "benevolence", "love for others", etc. In the Confucian classics, "benevolence" first referred to a quality possessed by an individual, and later gradually developed into a code of conduct and social ethics between people.

In Confucianism, "benevolence" is not only an emotion (sympathy, pity, love), but also a moral standard of behavior (people-oriented, not harming others, pursuing justice and peace). Confucianism believes that an individual's inner benevolence can manifest itself in external behavior and eventually be transmitted to society as a whole. A society full of "benevolence" will be full of harmony, justice, reciprocity and respect.

In practice, "benevolence" has a great influence on individual behavior, and Confucianism argues that the behavior that embodies "benevolence" is valuable, which is the key to promoting moral and even political progress. At the same time, "benevolence" is also a common ideal for people to pursue spiritual freedom and transcend national and cultural boundaries.

The core of Confucianism is "benevolence". Ren: The supreme principle of Chinese Confucian ethics and the theoretical core of Confucius's ideological system.

The original meaning of "benevolence" refers to a kind of friendly relationship between people. Confucius defined "benevolence" as "loving others" and explained: "Those who are benevolent should establish others if they want to, and reach others if they want to attain them", and "Do not do to others what you do not want to be done to yourself."

Confucius also said when he asked Ren in Zizhang, "Those who can do the five things in the world, and those who take them are benevolent", and those who eliminate the five potatoes are Gong, Kuan, Xin, Sensitive, and Hui.

Mencius used the ideas of Confucius to link benevolence with righteousness, and regarded benevolence as the highest criterion of moral behavior. Its "benevolence" refers to the human state and heart, that is, the "compassion heart" and the heart of benevolence that everyone has; Its "righteousness" refers to the right way, and "righteousness is the right path of man".