Class requirement 4

The Confucian teaching of becoming a chun tzu explicitly speaks of a man who has known humanity. This covers the understanding of the self and understanding the things around him. The path in becoming a chun tzu basically speaks of self-cultivation through seeking the principle of the world that will enable him to deal with life with much meaning.

In the book of Mencius 7A:5, it speaks of a man who generally goes on with life passively.  He is the one who is just accepted what life has placed upon him. It speaks of following the same thing every day without having to know the principle behind the things that one does. Mencius further speaks of a non-superior man’s passivity in living life when one doesn’t stop and think if there is even a value in the things that he does.

This is contrary to the character of a superior man (chun tzu). A superior man is the one who voluntarily involves himself with that of the affairs of the world. And at the same time, he reflects on the events that has taken place in his life. Mencius then tells us that the multitude have failed in achieving the prime of becoming a chun tzu. The passivity of action and thinking of the multitude do not constitute the self-cultivation that Confucius teaches. The cultivation to becoming a chun tzu lies in pursuing of what the multitude has not done. This is self-cultivation which starts from recognizing ones knowledge and expanding it through pursuing studies and deepening ones understanding until one reaches the perfection of knowledge (Great Learning ch.5). Thus, he becomes a man of great learning and his actions are now subject to prudence for he examines himself and does his duty without foolishness. The superior man now ‘acts with understanding’.

Mencius is showing what the multitude lacks in pursuance of what is important: the importance of being able to be a person of a keen mind and a sure heart in acting. If the lack is filled, then one can be at ease with the world as he is following the Way and thus achieved harmony.

jen

The Confucian philosophy can also be referred as humanism. Confucius’ teaching speaks more of how a man should be in order to attain the ideal of being superior. To attain superiority, Confucius teaches virtues. One of which is the virtue of jen. Jen in various English translations is ‘benevolence, human goodness, virtuosity, even love’. The most appropriate word to refer to jen is ‘human-heartedness’ for it implies that jen is what makes us human that is able to love. As Wing Tsit Chan asserts, ‘jen means humanity, that is, that which makes man a moral being.  As a particular virtue, it means love.’ And in the description by Chu Hsi, ‘the character of man’s mind and the principle of love.’

The virtue of jen should be cultivated by man. It requires man to work on his own humanity and enrich his learning in order to understand the rest of humanity. The cultivation of jen lies in the practice of its expressions namely conscientiousness (chung) and Altruism (shu).

It is important to remember that in achieving harmony and following the Way, Confucius indicates that the first step always come from the self. The expression through chung is centered towards the self. The virtue of humanity begins with the self. It is the cultivation of the innate goodness of man and understanding oneself. There is a relationship with the self at the same time, there should be a relationship towards others. The latter is the expression through shu. Shu is virtue of expressing ones humanity by relating to others. It is treating others in a humane way. It is establishing a good relationship by extending ones humanity by way of conduct.

These expressions of jen are important in becoming a man of humanity for it is in these that one becomes virtuous and moral. Upon these, one becomes at ease with humanity. One has achieved that balance inwardly and outwardly. One becomes wise in deed and in mind. One becomes the Superior man, a man of humanity. It is in jen that the superior man follows the Way therefore the superior man has achieved harmony.

Isn’t that what Confucius wants from us? To follow the Way and to be in harmony as a man of humanity.

shu

The other half of Jen’s expressions is the Shu. The Shu or altruism is defined as relating unto others. According to Eisenberg (1986), Altruistic behavior aims to benefit others without expecting a prize in return. It is in being altruistic that one treats his fellowmen with goodness and helps them in their need for the sake of helping. It is extending oneself towards others in a humane way and with empathy.

By translation, Jen is ‘humaneness’ which is a high Confucian principle. Upon achieving this humaneness, one cultivates one’s innate goodness and manifests it to others. This manifestation comes from that genuine urge of a person to be benevolent and caring towards his fellowmen. In analects 14:45, Confucius speaks of a superior man who enriches oneself in order to pass it on to others. The superior man, therefore, is one who is generous and sensitive to the need of humanity. So much so that one can assume that the superior man loves himself as much as he loves humanity.

Talking about the superior man as a giving person, the saying ‘you cannot give what you do not have’ is what he has in practice of both chung and shu.

In analects 15:23, Confucius described shu as a guiding principle throughout life. Along with this, Confucius mentions his golden rule ‘Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you’. We can say that in another sense, a superior man exercises altruism not just through giving but also in not giving. What does this mean? What the superior man extends to others is not just giving for the sake of giving. It is giving what is upright and worthy to be given. The golden rule implicates that one must reflect what he is about to give. The superior man gives security and peace to others. Therefore he does not give anything ill to the people. The superior man recognizes the importance of generosity as well as reflecting on the effects of what he is giving because the ill effects of these actions might also come back to haunt.