The Bhakta and the Sage: An Intertextual Dialogue

Comparing the Bhagavad Gītā and the Buddhist essay “Prajñā is Not-knowing” (Panruo Wuzhi 般若無知) yields interesting insights. The texts have similar dialogical structures and discuss complex philosophical matters. Rhetorically, both texts weave together quotations and allusions from other texts, make liberal use of paradox, and have decidedly spiritual intentions. Their differences, though, remain striking. They emerge from distinct circumstances and their original languages (Sanskrit, Chinese) differ markedly. Stylistically, “Prajñā” is more intellectual and less devotional, espousing a distinctly “this worldly” ideal; by contrast, the Gītā is more dramatic. While espousing “this worldly” ideals, the Gītā is more inclusive and thus more accessible to a broad audience; on the contrary, “Prajñā” has a subtler effect, its “dark” qualities appealing to a more select group. Therefore, while these texts are not “the same,” reading across their convergences and divergences can lead to a deeper understanding of mysticism and cross-cultural spirituality.     

儒教在当代韩国的命运及其传统文化意义

在短短20年时间里,儒教在当代韩国经历了截然相反的命运:亚洲"四小龙"时期,儒教被作为促进东亚经济高速生长的文化动力受到了极力赞扬,广为宣扬的"儒教资本主义"模式就是对儒教伦理经济学价值的直接肯定;而1997年的亚洲金融危机,却使得儒教在当代韩国正面临着被批判和被抛弃的现实命运.值得注意的是,作为历史上儒教文化发源地的当代中国,却正在兴起一种与当代韩国批判儒教文化思潮相反的、要求重新研究和评价儒教传统文化的思潮.这种极为有趣的文化现象究竟有着怎样的文化意义和现实意义,正是我们关注当代韩国儒教批判思潮的原因.     

Sorrow and the Sage: Grief in the Zhuangzi

The Zhuangzi offers two apparently incompatible models of bereavement. Zhuangzi sometimes suggests that the sage will greet loss with unfractured equanimity and even aplomb. However, upon the death of his own wife, Zhuangzi evinces a sorrow that, albeit brief, fits ill with this suggestion. In this essay, I contend that the grief that Zhuangzi displays at his wife’s death better honors wider values averred elsewhere in the text and, more generally, that a sage who retains a capacity for sorrow will be better positioned for the robust joy so often identified as central to the Zhuangzi’s vision of flourishing. The sagely figures who entirely forego sorrow, I argue, achieve equanimity only through a sacrifice of the emotional range and responsiveness necessary not only for grief but also for the delight Zhuangzi recommends.     

The Butterfly,the Mole and the Sage

Zhuangzi chooses a butterfly as a metaphor for transformation, a sighted creature whose inherent nature contains, and symbolizes, the potential for transformation from a less valued state to a more valued state. If transformation is not to be valued; if, according to a recent article by Jung Lee, ‘there is no implication that it is either possible or desirable for the living to awake from their dream’, why not tell a story of a mole awakening from a dream? This would be a more perfect story. There would be no point of a mole awakening since (setting aside tactile, olfactory, auditory and taste sensations for the purpose of the example), there is no way to distinguish between the world of the mole's imagination and the real world that is forever unavailable to a mole. In addition, Zhuangzi relates the story of the coming of a great sage in which it is clearly stated that ‘Only at the ultimate awakening shall we know that this is the ultimate dream’. Such textual evidence both from the choice of metaphors and evidential passages indicates that the message of the Zhuangzi is not epistemological relativity, but one of transformation from a state of intellectual blindness to a state of true understanding.     

儒学"意"范畴与阳明学的"主意"话语

儒家的"意"范畴及宋明以后出现的"主意"学说,与道家所言之"意"干系甚微.对"主意"学说的形成、发展有直接影响的是儒、佛两家对"意"之范畴的诠释与阐述.儒学的"意"范畴,既可从"毋意"说出发而作私意、意念之理解,又可从"诚意"说出发而作意向、志意之解读;既可基于工夫论而把"诚意"视为"欲诚之意",又可基于本体论而把"诚意"视为"已诚之意";既可使"意"与"志"相结合,又可使"意"与"念"相并列.明中叶后"主意"一词由工夫层面的"诚意"范畴提升为本体层面的"意根"范畴,这种转变,既有历史逻辑的承继关系,又有阳明心学之修正思潮的现实推动.     

The Fractal Self and the Organization of Nature: The Daoist Sage and Chaos Theory

The interconnections between self and surroundings in Daoist thought have been explored in the past in a variety of contexts. This paper, however, explores the Daoist version of the relational self from the general perspective of chaos theory and, more specifically, examines the role of the self in creating emergent form and dynamism in nature and society. The fractal self and world merge through the disciplined effort of the sage until the effort becomes effortless. Both self and world are transformed and become one through the emergent moment. This moment represents a new opportunity for subsequent patterns, or attractors, to emerge. We suggest that the self folds itself into the world, creating and being created by a new attractor, or pattern, in the organization of nature, which we argue is Dao . Our current investigation addresses the following aspects of chaos theory and its relation to Daoism: (1) the Daoist notion of wuwei as perfect congruence; (2) yin and yang at the edge of chaos; (3) the emergent nature of the myriad things; and (4) a Daoist warning against fractal disconnections in the world. Finally, we conclude that the self has the potential to become the world. To approach this amplified condition, the self must dedicate itself to and risk open engagement with events across the complexity of nature. Through openly engaging the world, the self is transformed, leaving the world forever changed.     

The Older Woman as Sage: The Satisfaction of Mentoring

Mentoring is important to the personal and professional lives of many developing professionals, but it is also beneficial in numerous ways to the mentor. This article focuses on the benefits of mentoring from the mentor's prospective, including satisfaction in seeing protégées succeed and empowerment of both the mentor and protégée. This article showcases the importance of being a mentor, the impact mentoring has on developing psychologists, and how mentoring sustains older women's connections and contributions to their field. The authors discuss what mentoring is, what mentors do, how to become a mentor, and the benefits of being a mentor. How one becomes a mentor in various work settings including academia is also discussed, as are concerns regarding inappropriate mentoring relationships and how to improve the quality of the mentoring relationship. The authors suggest that becoming a mentor can be empowering for women clients as well as therapists.     

The morality of vengeance: Confucianism and Tutuism in dialogue

This paper analyzes two main pro-vengeance Confucian arguments in light of Desmond Tutu's thinking. In the absence of just authority, Confucianism argues that carrying out blood vengeance is fulfillment of filial piety and fulfillment of moral duty for deterring crime and reforming the wrongdoer's character. Confucianism does not propose a systematic theory of blood vengeance after laws have been installed to prohibit act of revenge. As Confucian ethics focuses on virtue cultivation and advocates moral learning over punishment, it may find the Tutuist approach of addressing wrongdoing compatible and complementary. In line with Tutuism, we argue that revenge is not justified because engaging in vengeance fuels negative and obsessive emotions, which undermine virtue and may lead to undesirable results, such as escalation of violence and harming of the innocent. Moreover, we defend that more conditions need to be met than the ones enunciated by the pro-vengeance standpoint to justify an act of revenge.     

直感判断力:理解儒学的心之能力

Mou Zongsan incorrectly uses Kant’s practical reason to interpret Confucianism. The saying that “what is it that we have in common in our minds? It is the li 理 (principles) and the yi 义 (righteousness)” reveals how Mencius explains the origin of li and yi through a theory of common sense. In “the li and the yi please our minds, just as the flesh of beef and mutton and pork please our mouths,” “please” is used twice, proving aesthetic judgment is necessary to understanding Mencius. An analysis of Zhu Xi and Wang Yangming’s ideas will show that Confucianism should be interpreted by appealing to aesthetic judgment, and a discussion of Kant’s theory of judgment and Gadamer’s critique of Kant’s theory will support the same point. The conclusion is that Chinese moral philosophy should be interpreted through aesthetic judgment.     

The Wiseman and the Sage:Metaphysics as Wisdom in Aristotle and the Neo-Confucian School of Principle

Among scholars of classical philosophy in the West, it is not uncommon to hesitate about the existence of metaphysics in non-Western philosophical traditions. At times, the dilemma seems due to culture-specific ideas or standards about what metaphysics is or how it should be done. Other times the problem seems to lie in a general lack of awareness about the methods and approaches of divergent philosophical traditions. This article explores an often ignored Aristotelian notion of metaphysics: That it is wisdom. If we acknowledge wisdom to be a common value or ideal found in different cultures, then characterizing metaphysics as wisdom promises to be more inclusive than prevalent ideas about it, being broad enough to allow for the appreciation of metaphysical insights and achievements in non-Western schools. I first examine Aristotle’s account of what wisdom consists of. I shall then test the inclusivity of this conception of metaphysics by showing how its characteristic features are manifest in the Neo-Confucian ideal of sagely learning.     

穆斯林学者眼中的儒教与孔子——回儒对话:基于文化自觉之上的文明对话

文明对话成为当今世界的主题和话语交流的关键词,这是全球化驱动之下的一种必然的文化现象。特别是20世纪90年代以来,发生在东亚—太平洋区域的超越世界近代以降西方中心主义的“回儒对话”值得关注,这种基于文化自觉之上的两大古老文明间的对话意义尤其深远。中国穆斯林学者和国外穆斯林学者对儒教所持的不约而同的文明对话的态度与分析范式又值得研究和借鉴。     

儒家的职业道德观

在儒家伦理思想中,职业道德是其重要内容之一,而在对儒家伦理思想的现代解读的成果中鲜有所及。孔子所提出的“敬事而信”、“行之以忠”等思想集中反映了儒家在职业道德方面的基本要求。今天,认真研究和吸取儒家职业道德思想中的积极因素,对于培养人们爱岗敬业、克尽职守的职业道德是十分必要的。     

何以为儒:论明代“伪儒”问题的本质

明代社会中的"伪儒"一词意蕴丰富多元,它不仅仅是文人相轻心态下儒士相互间的攻讦,而且也是社会舆论对种种不循道统现象的批判。作为长期纷扰明代儒学进展的复杂社会现象,"伪儒"问题的表相是儒学正统的赓续与践履问题,然究其本质,却也是儒学在社会转型与通俗化过程中,何以面对亟待解决的思想困境问题。作为带有明显主观建构性质的批判对象,"伪儒"以社会问题的面目而出现,体现了明代儒学的内部分化,以及儒学知识阶层的学术理想与社会现实间的张力与断裂。     

制度化儒家：问题与方法

对于儒家命运的关注始终是中国思想文化领域的重大问题。乐观者宣称已经发现了儒家和现代化之间的结合点 ,悲观者看到的是越来越“花果飘零”的状况。但有一点我们可以相信 ,近百年来中国人对于儒家表现出来的“热烈或冷静”肯定不是出于“考古”的兴趣。许多敏锐的研究者已经认识到对于儒家的考察很难摆脱非学术因素的纠缠 ,同时过于形而上的研究又在很大程度上遮蔽了儒家的真实状况 ,所以说 ,伴随着新材料和新方法的引入 ,儒家和儒家研究呈现出多元化的状况。就新材料的发现来说 ,因为郭店楚简的发现 ,许多新问题得以提出 :如性和情、五行…     

儒教问题研究的发展和深入--儒教问题讨论会综述

儒教研究是传统文化研究的重要问题，也是一般宗教研究的重要问题。为了把这一研究引向深入，中国社会科学院世界宗教研究所于2001年2月24-25日在国家图书馆召开了儒教问题讨论会。到会的有：世界宗教研究所名誉所长、国家图书馆馆长、中国哲学史学会会长、儒教是教说提出者任继愈先生，世界宗教研究所所长卓新平，党委书记兼副所长吴云贵，副所长张新鹰、曹中建。中国哲学史学会副会长方克立、陈来、周桂钿。传统文化及宗教学研究领域著名学者：张立文、蒙培元、赖永海、郑万耕、徐远和、蔡德贵、王中江、任延黎、方广锠、金正耀等，以及一…     

The Role Dilemma in Early Confucianism

Recently, Sean Cordell has raised a problem for Aristotelians who seriously consider social roles: When the demands of the role conflict with the demands of morality, which norms ought one follow? However, this problem, which I call the role dilemma, is not specific to Aristotelians. Classical Confucians face a similar problem. How do Confucians resolve conflicts between the demands of humaneness (ren 仁) and the demands of social roles and the social norms (li 礼) that govern these roles? Confucians who favor humaneness, maintaining that other demands are defeasible, offer an externalism about roles. This response is similar to the Aristotelian argument that the demands of human excellence trump other demands. Consequently, Confucian externalism collapses into a virtue ethic. Confucians who favor the demands of li offer an internalism about roles. However, internalism is undesirable because it implies relativism and condones oppressive social institutions. The Confucian role ethicist must offer a tenable solution that steers clear of the pitfalls of both externalism and internalism. Although I do not advance a solution here, I believe a tenable alternative exists. The goals of this paper, instead, are to demonstrate that classical Confucians face the role dilemma and to initiate a discussion about the theoretical apparatus required of Confucian role ethics in order to distinguish it from other ethical theories. I conclude with some programmatic remarks about additional questions and problems that ought to be addressed.