Ch. 13&14: Summary and Answered Questions
When it comes to the Chinese ideas of philosophy, from the introduction of Confucius and Confucianism in Chapter 13. Where the main idea is that the idea of Confucius first came to Chinese civilization in a society that deals with a harmonious, peaceful system for the leaders. Chapter 14: Daoism, discusses the balance of yin and yang, along with the idea of balance of the mind of the body, from what's being said in the chapter. One thing that highlights both of these chapters. Also mentions the previous chapter about the Dao, and how it's involved in Chinese philosophy. One passage that sticks out is how, "No one knows what the future holds, both for China itself and for the human family as a whole. It seems at least plausible, though, that whatever the form of the government may be, China in the future will move more in the direction of democracy. Should this be the case, the teaching of Confucius may be in for a resurrection." (Bresnan 332). Since the future is predictable based on what to expect if someone or something would happen in China as a whole wondering if Confucius would still be useful in future lessons.
In Chapter 13, one question I wanted to answer from the others is: It is suggested that Mencius was a mystic at heart. What does that mean? What is the evidence for this? To answer this question, the meaning of Mencius being a mystic at heart is that, "For Mencius, the ultimate reward for cultivation of the self was to know the unspeakable bliss that arises only from the obliteration of that same self. The end of wisdom is to be achieved in becoming 'one with Heaven,' in which state all distinctions between the self and non-self are dissolved." (Bresnan 320). Which answered the question of what the context means that Mencius was a mystic at heart since he would take on the roles of being obligated to himself and finding himself to reach the Heavens, which was said in the text.
In Chapter 14, a question I wanted to answer is: What is ying&yang all about? Why do you suppose that many feel that this concept is one of the most important contributions of Chinese philosophical thought? To answer these questions, the yin and yang are a balance between two ideas and have the idea of complementing each other, like a positive and negative. Since it mentioned how "Derived originally from the Chinese words for moon and sun, yin&yang stand
symbolically for the dual forces of nature that are the most elementary of all.
Yin, the passive force, associated with the feminine principle, is the force that
maintains and regulates. Yang, the active force, associated with the male principle, is the force that initiates action. One could say that a modern expression
of yin&yang is energy and entropy." (Bresnan 352). Which explains the idea of what yin&yang is in Chinese philosophy since it's based on the balance between those two and not one another. Overall, these are some of the questions I've answered for both chapters 13 and 14 in the text.
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| Mencius State of Zou, Zhou Dynasty 372-289 BC |
In Chapter 13, one question I wanted to answer from the others is: It is suggested that Mencius was a mystic at heart. What does that mean? What is the evidence for this? To answer this question, the meaning of Mencius being a mystic at heart is that, "For Mencius, the ultimate reward for cultivation of the self was to know the unspeakable bliss that arises only from the obliteration of that same self. The end of wisdom is to be achieved in becoming 'one with Heaven,' in which state all distinctions between the self and non-self are dissolved." (Bresnan 320). Which answered the question of what the context means that Mencius was a mystic at heart since he would take on the roles of being obligated to himself and finding himself to reach the Heavens, which was said in the text.
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| Two Aspects of Taiji Yin&Yang |
Work Cited
Bresnan, Patrick. “Confucius and Confucianism, Daoism.” Awakening: An Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought, Routledge, New York, 2022, pp. 301–360.
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