Li (Confucianism)
Li (禮, pinyin : lǐ) is a key term in Confucian and post-Confucian Chinese philosophy . The word comes from the standard Chinese language and describes the abstract idea of the totality of all forms of interaction and behavior that make up a good person and an intact social order. In western editions of Confucian literature, Li is mostly translated as “ rite ”, for example by Burton Watson , although this choice of words suggests that it is a matter of religious customs, which is not the case. In addition to strictly ceremonial rituals , Confucian rites also include small, everyday patterns of personal behavior. Henry Rosemont and Roger Ames speak of ritual propriety ("ritual propriety "). Other possible translations are " Customs ", " Customs ", " Etiquette ", " Morals " and "Rules of Correct Conduct".
The Confucian Li (禮) must not be confused with the neo-Confucian Li (理), which arose with Zhu Xi's integration of Buddhism into Confucianism and has a completely different meaning. These are two different words that have become the same in standard Chinese (in South Chinese (Cantonese), however, they can be distinguished: 禮 lai5 and 理 lei5. Likewise in the Vietnamese pronunciation of the characters: Lễ and Lí).
Definition
In the western world, a “rite” is a religious custom. The term Confucian rites is much broader and encompasses the entire spectrum of interaction with other people, with nature and even with inanimate things. Confucius includes topics as diverse as learning , tea drinking , titles , mourning, and governance in his explanations of the term Li . The philosopher Xunzi names the basic aspects of the rites: “Songs and laughter, crying and lamenting ... rice , pasta and millet, fish and meat ... wearing ritual headgear, embroidered robes, patterned silk fabrics, or fasting robes or mourning clothes ... spacious and separate rooms Corridors, soft mats, couches and benches ” . Confucian teaching distinguishes between two types of rites: first, yili (儀禮, yí lǐ), ceremonial rites, and second, quli (曲 禮, qū lǐ), instant rituals that are embedded in ordinary, everyday human actions. As the Chinese medical scientist and philosopher Ruiping Fan pointed out, the Chinese feel strongly committed to such momentary rituals up to the present day and are rather averse to open and improvised shaping of their social behavior and their social relationships.
The concept of Chinese rites has on occasion been compared to the Western concept of culture .
The rites include the norms of proper social behavior as taught by the fathers, village elders, and government officials. Li’s teachings supported ideals such as reverence for children, brotherhood, righteousness, good faith, and loyalty. Li also underpinned public conventions, such as loyalty to superiors and respect for community elders. The observance of the rites meant - consistently with emphasis on the community spirit - the internalization of actions, whereby the person concerned could on the one hand enjoy the comforting feeling of tradition, but on the other hand enrich his treasure trove of impressions and experiences. The rites should also support a healthy practice of selflessness, both through the actions led by Li and through the exemplary effect these actions would have on other people.
The rites in Confucian literature
One of the oldest texts dealing with the concept of rites is that before 389 BC. History work Zuozhuan originated in BC .
In the Confucian text corpus there are three scriptures in which the rites are dealt with in a relevant way: the Yili , the Liji and the Zhouli . Confucius has declared that “300 major and 3000 minor ritual rules” are laid down in this literature.
Confucian thought distinguishes between two types of principles that underlie the functioning of the rites. The first is the principle of execution, in which the human body is trained in choreographed movements. The second is the principle of learning through reading, in which the mind is trained by studying the Confucian ritual canon.
Li is a basic principle of Confucian thought. Unlike the inward-facing ren (仁), the li was understood as an outward-facing practice on the basis of which one acts correctly in society. Acting according to the Li and Ren principles was the prerequisite for what Confucius called the "exalted man" or "the wise".
Confucius advocated a genteel manner in which one always remains aware of which people are higher or lower than oneself. He was convinced that the highest social order could be achieved if one exactly one's rank in feudal society know. The rites, as described in the Confucian classics, gave clear instructions as to what behavior was expected of the individual, depending on his role and rank in feudal society. Confucius attributed the grievances of his time to the fact that society had neglected the principles of rites. In the Analects he states: "Reverence without form becomes creeping, caution without form becomes fearful, courage without form becomes rebellion, sincerity without form becomes rudeness."
Rites of governance
Confucius was of the opinion that good governance must also be subject to the principles of the rites. The Confucian ideals went hand in hand with the idea that, on the one hand, all human beings are capable of perfecting, but that, on the other hand, propriety also carries reward within itself; State-ordered penalties did not seem necessary against this background.
Confucius emphasized that rites are fundamental to good governance. In his writings he saw these conditions only given in the states of the Central Chinese Plain . He regarded feudal lords who did not rule according to the rites as barbarians .
Change and stability of the rites
The rites were of a dynamic nature. Over time, the practices of Li have been reassessed and revised as social perceptions and beliefs have changed. Although these practices can change over time - a change that admittedly takes place very slowly - the basic ideals that correspond to the social order and thus to the core of Li remain the same.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Ruiping Fan: Reconstructionist Confucianism: Rethinking Morality After the West . Springer, Dordrecht / Heidelberg / London / New York 2010, ISBN 978-90-481-3155-6 , p. 171 ( limited online version in Google Book Search - USA )
- ↑ Basic Writings of Mo Tzu, Hsün Tzu, and Han Fei Tzu , translated by Burton Watson. Columbia University Press, 1963, p. 101f ( restricted online version in Google Book Search - USA )
- ^ Dennis Twitchett, Arthur Wright: Confucian Personalities . Stanford University Press, 1962, ISBN 0-8047-0044-3
- ↑ A relevant passage in this book can be found in 鲁昭公 (25th year of Zhao Gong).
- ^ Liji, 10:22
- ↑ Michael Nylan: Li . In: The Encyclopedia of Confucianism . Routledge Shorton, 2003
- ↑ Book VIII, Chapter 2
- ↑ Spring and autumn annals
- ^ Wong Yew Leong: Li and Change