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53. Han Yu, “The Original Way”

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Hawai‘i Reader in Traditional Chinese Culture
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53|Han Yu,“The Original Way”han yu (768–824, styled Tuizhi) was a native of Nanyang, Dengzhou, in modern Henan Prov-ince.He was a successful examination candidate and rose through the civil bureaucracy, becom-ing famous as a poet and essayist. Han Yu is also traditionally credited with starting the Confu-cian revival known as Neo-Confucianism. In 819,he was banished to the southern reaches of theTang empire for his criticism of the court’s honoring a Buddhist relic. In the memorial he wroteto the emperor on that occasion, Han Yu criticized Buddhism not only for contravening tradi-tional Chinese values, but also for being a foreign religion (see selection 52).While scholars of Chinese philosophy note that Han Yu may not have contributed new con-cepts to the Confucian tradition, he was recognized as an inspiration by many later Neo-Confu-cian thinkers. In this piece he lays out his arguments against both Buddhism and Daoism, whichwas also prevalent during his time. The Confucian Dao (the “path” or “ way” by which one is tolive) is, according to Han Yu, the only true one. As opposed to the Buddhist quest for enlighten-ment that reaches beyond the “unreal” realm ofsam.sa ̄ra(the cycle ofrepeated birth and death) inwhich humans live , and against Daoist notions of “nothingness,” Han Yu reaffirmed Confucianbelief in the ultimate reality of this world and of moral categories, writing “humaneness and right-eousness are fixed terms, while the Way and Virtue (the Dao and De of Lao Zi’s Daode jing) areby themselves substanceless positions.” Furthermore, Han Yu believed that Buddhism and Dao-ism were inimical to the social and political order, throwing into confusion the Confucian idealsofsocial hierarchy and family.—RFThe Original WayUniversal love is called humaneness. When practiced appropriately it is called righteousness.What stems from these is called the Way. What is sufficient in oneself and does not depend uponexternals is called virtue. Humaneness and righteousness are fixed terms, while the Way andvirtue are by themselves substanceless positions. Therefore there are the ways of the gentlemanand of the petty person; there are the virtues of inauspiciousness and auspiciousness. Lao Zi’sbelittling humaneness and righteousness was not because he did away with them, but because hisperception was too small. One who sits at the bottom of a well and looks up at the sky would saythe sky is small; but the sky is not small. Lao Zi considered the appearance of compassion to behumaneness and the appearance of humility to be righteousness, his belittling them is to beexpected. What he called the Way was simply making a universal Way out of his own conceptionofthe Way. It is not what I call the Way. What he called virtue was simply making a universalvirtue of his own conception of virtue. It is not what I call virtue. When I speak of what I callthe Way and virtue, I speak of them in terms of humaneness and righteousness, which are gen-erally accepted terms in the world. When Lao Zi spoke of what he called the Way and virtue, hespoke of them in terms of discarding humaneness and righteousness, which was the opinionatedstatement of one man.
© University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu

53|Han Yu,“The Original Way”han yu (768–824, styled Tuizhi) was a native of Nanyang, Dengzhou, in modern Henan Prov-ince.He was a successful examination candidate and rose through the civil bureaucracy, becom-ing famous as a poet and essayist. Han Yu is also traditionally credited with starting the Confu-cian revival known as Neo-Confucianism. In 819,he was banished to the southern reaches of theTang empire for his criticism of the court’s honoring a Buddhist relic. In the memorial he wroteto the emperor on that occasion, Han Yu criticized Buddhism not only for contravening tradi-tional Chinese values, but also for being a foreign religion (see selection 52).While scholars of Chinese philosophy note that Han Yu may not have contributed new con-cepts to the Confucian tradition, he was recognized as an inspiration by many later Neo-Confu-cian thinkers. In this piece he lays out his arguments against both Buddhism and Daoism, whichwas also prevalent during his time. The Confucian Dao (the “path” or “ way” by which one is tolive) is, according to Han Yu, the only true one. As opposed to the Buddhist quest for enlighten-ment that reaches beyond the “unreal” realm ofsam.sa ̄ra(the cycle ofrepeated birth and death) inwhich humans live , and against Daoist notions of “nothingness,” Han Yu reaffirmed Confucianbelief in the ultimate reality of this world and of moral categories, writing “humaneness and right-eousness are fixed terms, while the Way and Virtue (the Dao and De of Lao Zi’s Daode jing) areby themselves substanceless positions.” Furthermore, Han Yu believed that Buddhism and Dao-ism were inimical to the social and political order, throwing into confusion the Confucian idealsofsocial hierarchy and family.—RFThe Original WayUniversal love is called humaneness. When practiced appropriately it is called righteousness.What stems from these is called the Way. What is sufficient in oneself and does not depend uponexternals is called virtue. Humaneness and righteousness are fixed terms, while the Way andvirtue are by themselves substanceless positions. Therefore there are the ways of the gentlemanand of the petty person; there are the virtues of inauspiciousness and auspiciousness. Lao Zi’sbelittling humaneness and righteousness was not because he did away with them, but because hisperception was too small. One who sits at the bottom of a well and looks up at the sky would saythe sky is small; but the sky is not small. Lao Zi considered the appearance of compassion to behumaneness and the appearance of humility to be righteousness, his belittling them is to beexpected. What he called the Way was simply making a universal Way out of his own conceptionofthe Way. It is not what I call the Way. What he called virtue was simply making a universalvirtue of his own conception of virtue. It is not what I call virtue. When I speak of what I callthe Way and virtue, I speak of them in terms of humaneness and righteousness, which are gen-erally accepted terms in the world. When Lao Zi spoke of what he called the Way and virtue, hespoke of them in terms of discarding humaneness and righteousness, which was the opinionatedstatement of one man.
© University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents xi
  3. Contributors xv
  4. Historical chronology xvii
  5. Preface xix
  6. Terms and Abbreviations xxi
  7. A Note on the Transcription and Translation of the Titles of Chinese Texts xxiii
  8. Acknowledgments xxv
  9. Introduction:A Constantly Shifting Mosaic of Peoples and Cultures 1
  10. 1.Shang Dynasty Oracle-Bone Inscriptions 8
  11. 2. Shang and Zhou Ritual Bronze Inscriptions 13
  12. 3. Astronomy in Early Chinese Sources 18
  13. 4. Milfoil-Divination 28
  14. 5. Heaven’s Mandate 32
  15. 6.The Odes 35
  16. 7.Confucius and the Birth of Chinese Philosophy 45
  17. 8.The Challenge of Mo Zi 51
  18. 9.Mencius's Defense of Confucianism 56
  19. 10. The Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean, and Five Forms of Conduct 63
  20. 11. The World of the Zuozhuan 72
  21. 12. The Tradition of the Daode jing 78
  22. 13. Zhuang Zi 87
  23. 14. The Paradoxes of Hui Shi and Others 96
  24. 15. The Lyrics of Chu and the Aesthetic of Shamanism 99
  25. 16. Filial Piety 106
  26. 17. The Methods of War of Sun Wu and Sun Bin 113
  27. 18. Xun Zi and the Confucian Way 121
  28. 19. Early Discussions of Music and Literature 130
  29. 20. Vestments of Mourning 134
  30. 21. Han Fei Zi and His Antecedents 137
  31. 22. Anecdotes from the Warring States 143
  32. 23. The Laws of Qin before the Empire 147
  33. 24. The Rise and Fall of the Qin Empire 151
  34. 25. Huang-Lao 161
  35. 26. The Five Phases 164
  36. 27. The Xiongnu, Raiders from the Steppe 169
  37. 28. Sima Qian, “Account of the Legendary Physician Bian Que” 174
  38. 29. Sima Qian, “Letter to Ren An” 179
  39. 30. The Rationalism of Wang Chong 183
  40. 31. Admonitions for Women 186
  41. 32. Zhang Heng, “Western Metropolis Rhapsody” 190
  42. 33. Scripture on Great Peace (Taiping jing ) 225
  43. 34. Cao Pi, “A Discourse on Literature” 231
  44. 35. Legends of Confucius 234
  45. 36. Medicines from The Divine Husbandman’s Canon of Materia Medica 239
  46. 37. Huangfu Mi, Preface to and Biographies from Accounts of High-minded Men 242
  47. 38. The Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove 251
  48. 39. Lu Bao, “On the Money God” 256
  49. 40. Xie Lingyun, Preface to Record of Excursions to Famous Mountains 260
  50. 41. Fan Ye, Preface to “Accounts of Disengaged Persons” 262
  51. 42. Buddhism and Language in Early-Medieval China 265
  52. 43. Buddhism and Indigenous Chinese Culture 270
  53. 44. Early-Medieval Stories of Filial Piety 278
  54. 45. The Elevation of Belles Lettres 282
  55. 46. Legends of The Original Vow of the Bodhisattva of the Earth Sanctuary 288
  56. 47. Selections from the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch 295
  57. 48. Sima Guang, “The Battle of Mang Mountain” 300
  58. 49. “The Tale of Master Yuan of Mount Lu” 304
  59. 50. Tang Poems as Vehicles for Ideas 340
  60. 51. Dou Yi, a Mid-Tang Businessman 349
  61. 52. Han Yu, “A Memorial on the Relic of the Buddha” 355
  62. 53. Han Yu, “The Original Way” 359
  63. 54. The First Recorded Cinderella Story 363
  64. 55. Late-Tang Foreign Relations: The Uyghur Crisis 368
  65. 56. Political and Economic Problems concerning Buddhism 377
  66. 57. Guo Xi (attrib.), “Advice on Landscape” 380
  67. 58. Su Shi, “Parable of the Sun” 388
  68. 59. Zhu Qiqian, “A Song-Dynasty Silk-tapestry Bag with Strap” 390
  69. 60. Fang Lüe, “Inscription for the Temple of Auspicious Response” 392
  70. 61. The Discovery of Crystallized Sugar 399
  71. 62. Recollections of the Northern Song Capital 405
  72. 63. Zhang Jiucheng’s Explanation of Zhang Zai’s “Western Inscription” 423
  73. 64. Zhu Xi, Introduction to the Redacted Centrality and Commonality 426
  74. 65. Dragons, Tigers, and Elixirs: Alchemy in Medieval China 429
  75. 66. The Autobiographical Sermon of Zuqin 433
  76. 67. Vernacular Paraphrases of the Classics for the Mongol Rulers 437
  77. 68. Yuan-period Medical Cases 440
  78. 69. Ni Zan, Cloud Forest Hall Collection of Rules for Drinking and Eating 444
  79. 70. Tang Shi, “Lament for a Song Girl,” Four Stanzas 456
  80. 71. Wang Yangming, “Inquiry on the Great Learning ” 458
  81. 72. In Praise of Martyrs: Widow-Suicide in Late-Imperial China 461
  82. 73. Lu Xixing (attrib.), Romance of the Investiture of the Gods 467
  83. 74. Imperial Preface to the Revised Edition of the Collected Statutes of the Ming 490
  84. 75. Schools and Civil Service in the Ming Dynasty 494
  85. 76. Accounts of Bengal in Extensive Records on Four Foreign Lands 505
  86. 77. Chen Zongyou, Exposition of the Original Shaolin Staff Method 514
  87. 78. Li Yu, “A Handful of Snow” 517
  88. 79. Shen Cheng, “A Requiem for My Daughter Zhen” 525
  89. 80. Zhang Maozi, A Record of Life beyond My Due 528
  90. 81. Feng Menglong, Preface to the Mountain Songs 539
  91. 82. Fang Yizhi, Introduction to Notes on the Principle of Things 543
  92. 83. Gu Yanwu, Preface to Five Treatises on Phonology 545
  93. 84. Yu Yonghe, Small Sea Travelogue (Excerpts) 548
  94. 85. Miao Albums 563
  95. 86. Yuan Mei, Champion of Individual Taste 567
  96. 87. Gesar of Ling 574
  97. 88. To Hell and Back: A Nineteenth-century Fable 603
  98. 89. Biographies of Exemplary Women 607
  99. 90. Kang Youwei, “An Investigation into the Reforms of Confucius” 614
  100. 91. Lu Xun, An Outsider’s Chats about Written Language 617
  101. 92. Xu Bing, “The Living Word” 642
  102. Suggestions for Further Reading 647
  103. Photographic Credits 663
  104. Index 667
no recommendation found
https://doi.org/10.1515/9780824852351-060

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents xi
  3. Contributors xv
  4. Historical chronology xvii
  5. Preface xix
  6. Terms and Abbreviations xxi
  7. A Note on the Transcription and Translation of the Titles of Chinese Texts xxiii
  8. Acknowledgments xxv
  9. Introduction:A Constantly Shifting Mosaic of Peoples and Cultures 1
  10. 1.Shang Dynasty Oracle-Bone Inscriptions 8
  11. 2. Shang and Zhou Ritual Bronze Inscriptions 13
  12. 3. Astronomy in Early Chinese Sources 18
  13. 4. Milfoil-Divination 28
  14. 5. Heaven’s Mandate 32
  15. 6.The Odes 35
  16. 7.Confucius and the Birth of Chinese Philosophy 45
  17. 8.The Challenge of Mo Zi 51
  18. 9.Mencius's Defense of Confucianism 56
  19. 10. The Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean, and Five Forms of Conduct 63
  20. 11. The World of the Zuozhuan 72
  21. 12. The Tradition of the Daode jing 78
  22. 13. Zhuang Zi 87
  23. 14. The Paradoxes of Hui Shi and Others 96
  24. 15. The Lyrics of Chu and the Aesthetic of Shamanism 99
  25. 16. Filial Piety 106
  26. 17. The Methods of War of Sun Wu and Sun Bin 113
  27. 18. Xun Zi and the Confucian Way 121
  28. 19. Early Discussions of Music and Literature 130
  29. 20. Vestments of Mourning 134
  30. 21. Han Fei Zi and His Antecedents 137
  31. 22. Anecdotes from the Warring States 143
  32. 23. The Laws of Qin before the Empire 147
  33. 24. The Rise and Fall of the Qin Empire 151
  34. 25. Huang-Lao 161
  35. 26. The Five Phases 164
  36. 27. The Xiongnu, Raiders from the Steppe 169
  37. 28. Sima Qian, “Account of the Legendary Physician Bian Que” 174
  38. 29. Sima Qian, “Letter to Ren An” 179
  39. 30. The Rationalism of Wang Chong 183
  40. 31. Admonitions for Women 186
  41. 32. Zhang Heng, “Western Metropolis Rhapsody” 190
  42. 33. Scripture on Great Peace (Taiping jing ) 225
  43. 34. Cao Pi, “A Discourse on Literature” 231
  44. 35. Legends of Confucius 234
  45. 36. Medicines from The Divine Husbandman’s Canon of Materia Medica 239
  46. 37. Huangfu Mi, Preface to and Biographies from Accounts of High-minded Men 242
  47. 38. The Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove 251
  48. 39. Lu Bao, “On the Money God” 256
  49. 40. Xie Lingyun, Preface to Record of Excursions to Famous Mountains 260
  50. 41. Fan Ye, Preface to “Accounts of Disengaged Persons” 262
  51. 42. Buddhism and Language in Early-Medieval China 265
  52. 43. Buddhism and Indigenous Chinese Culture 270
  53. 44. Early-Medieval Stories of Filial Piety 278
  54. 45. The Elevation of Belles Lettres 282
  55. 46. Legends of The Original Vow of the Bodhisattva of the Earth Sanctuary 288
  56. 47. Selections from the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch 295
  57. 48. Sima Guang, “The Battle of Mang Mountain” 300
  58. 49. “The Tale of Master Yuan of Mount Lu” 304
  59. 50. Tang Poems as Vehicles for Ideas 340
  60. 51. Dou Yi, a Mid-Tang Businessman 349
  61. 52. Han Yu, “A Memorial on the Relic of the Buddha” 355
  62. 53. Han Yu, “The Original Way” 359
  63. 54. The First Recorded Cinderella Story 363
  64. 55. Late-Tang Foreign Relations: The Uyghur Crisis 368
  65. 56. Political and Economic Problems concerning Buddhism 377
  66. 57. Guo Xi (attrib.), “Advice on Landscape” 380
  67. 58. Su Shi, “Parable of the Sun” 388
  68. 59. Zhu Qiqian, “A Song-Dynasty Silk-tapestry Bag with Strap” 390
  69. 60. Fang Lüe, “Inscription for the Temple of Auspicious Response” 392
  70. 61. The Discovery of Crystallized Sugar 399
  71. 62. Recollections of the Northern Song Capital 405
  72. 63. Zhang Jiucheng’s Explanation of Zhang Zai’s “Western Inscription” 423
  73. 64. Zhu Xi, Introduction to the Redacted Centrality and Commonality 426
  74. 65. Dragons, Tigers, and Elixirs: Alchemy in Medieval China 429
  75. 66. The Autobiographical Sermon of Zuqin 433
  76. 67. Vernacular Paraphrases of the Classics for the Mongol Rulers 437
  77. 68. Yuan-period Medical Cases 440
  78. 69. Ni Zan, Cloud Forest Hall Collection of Rules for Drinking and Eating 444
  79. 70. Tang Shi, “Lament for a Song Girl,” Four Stanzas 456
  80. 71. Wang Yangming, “Inquiry on the Great Learning ” 458
  81. 72. In Praise of Martyrs: Widow-Suicide in Late-Imperial China 461
  82. 73. Lu Xixing (attrib.), Romance of the Investiture of the Gods 467
  83. 74. Imperial Preface to the Revised Edition of the Collected Statutes of the Ming 490
  84. 75. Schools and Civil Service in the Ming Dynasty 494
  85. 76. Accounts of Bengal in Extensive Records on Four Foreign Lands 505
  86. 77. Chen Zongyou, Exposition of the Original Shaolin Staff Method 514
  87. 78. Li Yu, “A Handful of Snow” 517
  88. 79. Shen Cheng, “A Requiem for My Daughter Zhen” 525
  89. 80. Zhang Maozi, A Record of Life beyond My Due 528
  90. 81. Feng Menglong, Preface to the Mountain Songs 539
  91. 82. Fang Yizhi, Introduction to Notes on the Principle of Things 543
  92. 83. Gu Yanwu, Preface to Five Treatises on Phonology 545
  93. 84. Yu Yonghe, Small Sea Travelogue (Excerpts) 548
  94. 85. Miao Albums 563
  95. 86. Yuan Mei, Champion of Individual Taste 567
  96. 87. Gesar of Ling 574
  97. 88. To Hell and Back: A Nineteenth-century Fable 603
  98. 89. Biographies of Exemplary Women 607
  99. 90. Kang Youwei, “An Investigation into the Reforms of Confucius” 614
  100. 91. Lu Xun, An Outsider’s Chats about Written Language 617
  101. 92. Xu Bing, “The Living Word” 642
  102. Suggestions for Further Reading 647
  103. Photographic Credits 663
  104. Index 667
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