Yan Yuan asked Ren. Confucius said, "Self-denial and courtesy are benevolence. A day of self-denial and self-denial, the world will return to benevolence. For benevolence, for yourself, for people? " Yan Yuan said, "What's the purpose?" Confucius said, "see no evil, don't listen to evil, don't say evil, and don't move if you are evil." Yan Yuan said, "Although I am not sensitive, please talk to me." (Chapter 1 of Yan Yuan) (Yan Yuan asked Ren. Confucius said: "Restrain yourself and make your words and deeds conform to etiquette. This is benevolence. One day, self-denial will return the favor, and the world will return to benevolence. Ren's practice depends on himself. Can he rely on others? (There is a question mark here) "Yan Yuan said," What are the specific matters for doing this? " Confucius said, "Disrespectful people don't watch, disrespectful people don't listen, disrespectful people don't talk, and disrespectful people don't do it." Yan Yuan said, "Although I am slow, please let me do as you say." Yan Yuan is Yan Hui, the most valued and frequently praised student of Confucius. He asked how to practice benevolence. Confucius said to him, "Self-denial is benevolence." Self-denial is to restrain one's thoughts and actions and make them conform to the etiquette. "Self-denial and courtesy, benevolence" is a popular phrase in the Spring and Autumn Period. It was not invented by Confucius, but quoted a popular idiom (see "Twelve Years of Zuo Zhuan Zhao Gong"). However, Confucius' explanation of propriety and benevolence has a new content. Confucius said: one day, everyone will be able to self-control, and the world will be benevolent. Then he stressed: the practice of benevolence depends entirely on oneself, and "self-denial" means relying on people's consciousness, not watching or listening to impolite words, not saying indecent words and not doing indecent things. Don't look, don't listen, don't say, and don't move. In fact, it is to make your thoughts and behaviors fully conform to the norms of etiquette.
This passage of Confucius made it very clear that "benevolence" should be restricted by "ceremony", or in other words, "benevolence" should be implemented according to the norms of "ceremony". There are the following two paragraphs in the Analects of Confucius: Conversation:
Confucius said: If people are heartless, what is a gift? (There is a question mark here) (Chapter III of Bashu) (Confucius said: What's the use of paying attention to etiquette if a person is not kind? (There is a question mark here) Confucius said: Knowing it, benevolence cannot keep it; If you get it, you lose it. Knowing it, benevolence can keep it; Disrespect is disrespect for the rich and the people. Knowing it, benevolence can keep it, Zhuang can reward it, and it is disrespectful and bad. ("Wei Linggong" Chapter 33) (Confucius said: The status obtained by intelligence cannot be maintained by virtue; Although I got it, I will definitely lose it. Get a position with wisdom and maintain it with benevolence; If you can't face the work seriously, the people will not respect and obey. It is not good enough to get a position with wisdom, keep it with kindness, face the work seriously, but do impolite activities. As I said in the last chapter, it's useless to be unkind, just pay attention to etiquette. The latter chapter says that if all activities are not in line with the ceremony, even if you are smart and capable, you will work hard; There is kindness, but it is impolite to do things, and it is still "bad". Bad is not good enough.
Ceremony is a social and cultural phenomenon, a product of human civilization, and belongs to the category of social superstructure. The group life of human society needs all kinds of rules, systems and common moral codes of conduct, otherwise, people in the same group can't work together in Qi Xin, unite in production and defend against the enemy together, and can't survive. A clan, a tribal alliance and a country must have certain laws and regulations, moral codes of conduct and corresponding ceremonies. In the Zhou dynasty, these were collectively called "rites", also known as "rites".
An era has an era of etiquette and law. Confucius admired a set of rites formulated by Ji Dan, the Duke of Zhou in the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty, namely "Zhou Li". Zhou Li is the superstructure of the feudal patriarchal society, and its prominent focus is to determine the social hierarchy and its code of conduct, so as to maintain the stability and harmonious development of the patriarchal society. Confucius's "self-denial and courtesy" means that benevolence should be implemented according to the norms of Zhou Li, and "benevolent people love others" should be distinguished according to their closeness and nobility. People who are closely related by blood are different from those who are far related by blood or who are not related by blood, that is, there are differences in order, thickness, attitude and method of caring for feelings. There are also differences in caring for people with high social status and people with low social status, and their attitudes and methods are also different. It is impossible to love people who have no relatives in the way of loving relatives, and to love ordinary people and soldiers in the way of loving monarchs and superiors. The "pan-loving person" must have arithmetic. How to master this arithmetic, Confucius' solution is to do it according to Zhou Li's method. "Rites of Zhou" embodies the inequality of social classes, and Confucius' benevolence based on the idea of "universal love" also contains such unequal elements. Confucius advocated "giving to the people and helping them", that is, seeking benefits for the people. He also said: "Raising the people is also beneficial" (Chapter 16 of Gongye Chang) and "Benefits are enough to make people" (Chapter 6 of Yang Huo), which means that gentlemen and benevolent people give benefits to workers, making them comfortable with the status quo and listen to their words; From the Marxist point of view, this reverses the relationship between raising and being raised.
Confucius's "self-denial, courtesy and benevolence" limited "benevolence" to the feudal patriarchal hierarchy and its moral norms, so Confucius's "benevolence" was based on inequality. We say that Confucius' theory of benevolence contains elements of humanism, but it is not a modern humanism based on the principles of fraternity and equality. The characteristic of modern humanism is to break the feudal hierarchy and admit that "all men are born equal", which is the biggest difference from Confucius' thought of "loving all people" Confucius' thought of benevolence is the product of the historical period when slavery changed to feudalism, which is the historical limitation of Confucius' thought and theory. Thirty years ago, the anti-Confucianists seized on Confucius' saying that "self-denial is benevolence" and cursed Confucius' "restoration ceremony", that is, the restoration of the state system and ruling system of the Western Zhou Dynasty, so it was a restoration of slavery, which was totally misinterpreted and ignorant.
Confucius taught students to restrain their words and deeds, abide by social ethics, abide by various laws and regulations, and strive to practice benevolence.
/kloc-at the end of 0/9, western nihilism claimed that all existing morals, regulations and systems are bound to human nature, and advocated that they are not bound by morality and law at all. Nihilism develops into anarchism in politics, and advocates assassinating political dignitaries, blowing up government institutions, abolishing all political laws and regulations, and realizing an anarchic society. This trend of thought was introduced to China in the early 20th century. At that time, the young Mr. Ba Jin once believed it, but it was soon lost.
Confucius told his students that "self-denial and dedication to public service" and "four noes" are models that require students to abide by the etiquette system. Should people abide by social ethics and laws? (There is a question mark here) Of course, the answer should be yes. If a society does not have common moral standards and laws and regulations that must be observed, then this society cannot exist for one day!