“In a declaration approved by the Pope, the Vatican will state in the Declaration Dominus Iesus that followers of all non-Christian religions are ‘gravely deficient’ and their rituals constitute ‘an obstacle to salvation.’”
[The Times, 04/09/2000]
“As the supposed exemplification of modernity – North America and Western Europe – continue to show ignorance of the cultures of the rest of the world and insouciance about the peoples who do not speak their languages, East Asia cannot but choose its own way.”
[Tu Weiming, Professor of Chinese History and Philosophy at Harvard University and Director of the Harvard-Yenching Institute]
Bridging the Cultural Divide
At the end of the sixteenth century, Ricci brought his ‘Monks from the West’ to China with a view to introducing Christianity. The dominance of Confucianism, not simply as a state orthodoxy, but as permeation of Chinese culture also, led his followers to change their ways. Today, “recent anthropological, sociological, and political surveys all point to the pervasive presence of Confucian ethics in belief, attitude, and behaviour across all strata throughout China.”[i] The Graduates’ Society of Beijing University’s manifesto advocates self-cultivation of virtue as a primary necessity; the growth in China and Japan of ru shang (Confucian Entrepreneurs) is testimony to the value of Confucianism in East Asian business dealings; a merging with the free-market has given rise to rujiao ziben zhuyi (Confucian Capitalism); the civil service examinations are showing a return to the Confucian ideal; the praise bestowed upon shu yuan (Confucian Academies) as centres of learning demonstrates a revitalization of Confucian Learning. In Hong Kong, the Confucian Academy’s manifesto contains four distinct aims: first, to strive for government recognition of Confucianism as a religion; second to make Confucius’s birthday[ii] a national holiday; third, to aim for incorporation of Confucian education into primary, secondary and tertiary levels; and fourth, to encourage the spread of Confucian temples and youth centres. Like Ricci and his Jesuit missionaries, Christians have a duty to understand and make sense of Confucianism if they are to aim at philosophical dialogue. There is no hope for Christianity as a major faith in China and East Asia without a deeper understanding of Confucius’s ethical philosophy. In short, Christians must learn first to become ‘Scholars from the West.’
Bridging the Religious Divide
In 1997, “A Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities” conference was held, which had representatives come from all the world’s major religions and faiths. Among those gathered were Tu Weiming and Liu Shuxian to represent Confucianism. From this conference, a certain relevance emerged for Christians and other religions alike concerning Confucianism. From a humanistic tradition, and one filled with virtue, humility and harmony, Confucians make for excellent diplomats! Confucian spirituality is based upon Fan Zhongyan’s principle of xian tianxia zhi you er you, hou tianxia zhi le er le – the first to be concerned with the problems of the world and the last to enjoy its pleasure. As such, Confucians act very well in discussions between theistic faiths. Without the ‘problem’ of polytheism, Confucians can help tremendously in the dialogue between religions and at the same time make their own voices heard. Finding the ultimate meaning in a temporary life, whilst a Confucian ideal, extends to nearly every benevolent religion there is.
Conclusions: The Sage Within
Confucians have a familiar maxim that encompasses their belief on how Confucius’s philosophy of ethics should govern one’s life: “sageliness within, kingliness without.” Despite the seeds of Confucianism with regard to modernity, it is the unfortunate case that they were obstructed from coming to fruition. With the growth and development of Western science, any hopes for new branches of thought in this field have been subjugated. The West, it seems, will for now remain the dominant scientist of the world. When calls are made for the modernisation of China, there is not a true Confucian alive now or who has ever lived that would oppose this. The only thing Confucians have ever been wary of is ‘westernisation’, which is not the same thing. The accumulation of material gain is but a temporary stop-gap – Confucians seek the sublime, continual meaning of life. At the moment, the Chinese seem destined to accept Western science – but they do not necessarily feel the urge to accept its culture also. Western science may well champion the material world, and in some ways be king, but the inner spiritual needs of human beings cannot hope to be answered by science. The maxim, it seems, remains true to its word: the kingliness without is the science of the West; the sageliness within can remain as ever it has done – Confucian values.
The relevance of this to Christians is clear: the Judeo-Christian God exists, and will always exist in their lives – that much does not change. What can be modified for the better is the acceptance of Confucian moral values, alongside their Christian bedfellows. Jesus Christ taught us to love our fellow man because it was all part of loving God. K’ung Fu Tzu taught us to love our family, our friends, all mankind and all things, because they are all united by a common link, namely jen, and are all of special meaning and importance in themselves. Rather than love other people with a view to gaining eternal life as a consequence of this, it may be more helpful to see the love of our fellow human beings as a natural, virtuous and spiritually rewarding action in this life. Concern for what occurs after death should not cause all other concerns to be written off. Not all human beings are Christians; similarly, not all human beings are Confucians – but all human beings are of equal value and importance, whether that be because of jen or because of the image of God. Giving moral succour to other people should be about their importance, not our own. The Confucian value of jen is what Christians need to understand and adopt – to make the distinction between our eternal soul and that of our neighbour’s. Our own importance as individuals extends to all people, and if Christians were to accept the ethical philosophy of life that Confucius offers, and care for those around us because of their unique selves, then we will find a meaning for our lives here and now. One of the most important thing that Christians can learn from Confucius is to allow ‘sageliness within.’
“Copernicus decentred the earth, Darwin relativized the godlike image of man, Marx exploded the ideology of social harmony, and Freud complicated our conscious life. They have redefined humanity for the modern age. Yet they have also empowered us, with communal, critical self-awareness, to renew our faith in the ancient Confucian wisdom that the globe is the centre of our universe and the only home for us and that we are guardians of the good earth, the trustees of the Mandate of Heaven that enjoins us to make our bodies healthy, our hearts sensitive, our minds alert, our souls refined and our spirits brilliant.”[iii]
[i] Tu, Professor Weiming, “Confucian Traditions in East Asia Modernity: Moral Education and Economic Culture in Japan and the Four Mini-Dragons” (Harvard University Press, 1996)
[ii] 28th September
[iii] Tu, Professor Weiming, “Confucianism” (in Arvind Sharma’s “Our Religions”, HarperCollins Press New York, 1993)