r o . S . U r e d n u d e t t i m er Self-Realization p s e us through r i fa Confucian t p e xc Learning e , r e h s i l b u p e h t m o r f n o i s s i m r e p t u o h t i w m r o f y n a n i d e c u d o r p e r e b t o n y a M . d e v r e s e r s t h g i r l l A . s s e © 2016. SUNY Pr copyright law. e tl hb ga ic ri yl pp op Ca r o . S . U r e d n u d e t t i m r e p SUNY series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture s e us ———— r i fa Roger T. Ames, editor t p e c x e , r e h s i l b u p e h t m o r f n o i s s i m r e p t u o h t i w m r o f y n a n i d e c u d o r p e r e b t o n y a M . d e v r e s e r s t h g i r l l A . s s e © 2016. SUNY Pr copyright law. e tl hb ga ic ri yl pp op Ca r o . S . U r e d n u d e t t mi Self-Realization r e p s e s u through r i a f Confucian t p e c x e , er Learning h s i l b u p e h t m A Contemporary o r f n Reconstruction of o i ss Xunzi’s Ethics i m r e p t u o h t i w m r o f y n a n i Siufu Tang d e c u d o r p e r e b t o n y a M . d e v r e s e r s t h g i r l l A . s s e © 2016. SUNY Pr copyright law. SUNY t le P R E S S hb ga ic ri yl pp op Ca EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 10/2/2019 3:47 PM via HEBREW UNIV OF JERUSALEM AN: 1299615 ; Tang, Siu-Fu.; Self-Realization Through Confucian Learning : A Contemporary Reconstruction of Xunzi's Ethics Account: s5122861 r o . S . U r e d n u d e t t i m r e p Published by State University of New York Press, Albany s e s u ir © 2016 State University of New York a f t p ce All rights reserved x e , r e Printed in the United States of America h s i l b pu No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without e th written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system om or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, r f magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior n o si permission in writing of the publisher. s i m r e p For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY t ou www.sunypress.edu h t i w rm Production, Ryan Morris o f Marketing, Fran Keneston y n a n i Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data d e c u d ro Names: Tang, Siu-Fu, 1974– author. p re Title: Self-Realization through Confucian learning : a contemporary reconstruction of be Xunzi’s ethics / Siufu Tang. t no Description: Albany : State University of New York Press, 2016. | Series: SUNY series in ay Chinese philosophy and culture | Includes bibliographical references and index. M . Identifiers: LCCN 2015036580 | ISBN 9781438461496 (hardcover : alk. paper) | d e rv ISBN 9781438461502 (e-book) e es Subjects: LCSH: Xunzi, 340 B.C.–245 B.C. | Confucian ethics. | Philosophy, Chinese— r ts To 221 B.C. | Philosophy, Confucian—China. h ig Classification: LCC B128.H7 T365 2016 | DDC 181/.112—dc23 r l LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2015036580 l A . s es 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 © 2016. SUNY Pr copyright law. e tl hb ga ic ri yl pp op Ca EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 10/2/2019 3:47 PM via HEBREW UNIV OF JERUSALEM AN: 1299615 ; Tang, Siu-Fu.; Self-Realization Through Confucian Learning : A Contemporary Reconstruction of Xunzi's Ethics Account: s5122861 r o . S . U r e d n u d e t t i m er Contents p s e s u r i a f t p e c x e , r e h s i l ub Acknowledgments vii p e h t om Introduction 1 r f n o i ss Chapter 1. Xing and Native Conditions 11 i m er Xunzi’s definitions of xing 13 p ut “People’s xing is bad” 17 o h it Natural desires and moral neutrality 26 w rm Goodness and human agency 33 o f y n a n Chapter 2. Wei and Human Agency 37 i ed Definitions of wei 38 c u od From xing to wei 48 r p re Human agency: Actions and happenings 52 e b Xunzi’s worldview 56 t o n y a M Chapter 3. Xing, Wei, and the Origin of Ritual Propriety 65 . d ve Creation of ritual propriety from wei 68 r e es People’s xing at the two stages of wei 76 r ts Ritual propriety and the satisfaction of desires 79 h g ri The heart-mind’s approval and second-order evaluation 85 l Al Desires and their form of expression 91 . s s e © 2016. SUNY Pr copyright law. ChaptThThUern eed4 esp. reesRlttft aiytanu ndmadiln aPtgnhr oetah pngerdo ie Wottdyha eya nndo btlhee m Gaono d Life 11101190149 e tl hb Community and the self 121 ga ic ri yl Ritual propriety as self-interpretation 128 pp op Ca EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 10/2/2019 3:47 PM via HEBREW UNIV OF JERUSALEM AN: 1299615 ; Tang, Siu-Fu.; Self-Realization Through Confucian Learning : A Contemporary Reconstruction of Xunzi's Ethics Account: s5122861 vi Contents r o . Conclusion 135 S . U r e d un Notes 143 d e t t i rm Bibliography 165 e p s e s u Index 179 r i a f t p e c x e , r e h s i l b u p e h t m o r f n o i s s i m r e p t u o h t i w m r o f y n a n i d e c u d o r p e r e b t o n y a M . d e v r e s e r s t h g i r l l A . s s e © 2016. SUNY Pr copyright law. e tl hb ga ic ri yl pp op Ca EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 10/2/2019 3:47 PM via HEBREW UNIV OF JERUSALEM AN: 1299615 ; Tang, Siu-Fu.; Self-Realization Through Confucian Learning : A Contemporary Reconstruction of Xunzi's Ethics Account: s5122861 r o . S . U r e d n u d e t t i m er Acknowledgments p s e s u r i a f t p e c x e , r e h s i l ub I have received much help and encouragement in the process of writing p e h this book. First, I acknowledge the kind permission of the publishers to t m ro incorporate materials from the following two publications: chapter 1, “Xing f on and Native Conditions,” is based on “Xing and Xunzi’s Understanding of i s is Our Nature,” in Dao Companion to Xunzi’s Philosophy, ed. Eric Hutton m r pe (Dordrecht: Springer, forthcoming); part of chapter 4, “Ritual Propriety and t ou the Good Life,” is based on “Self and Community in the Xunzi,” Frontiers h t wi of Philosophy in China 7.3 (2012): 455–470. m r o This book originates from a D.Phil. dissertation I wrote under the f y an supervision of Nicholas Bunnin and Robert Chard at Oxford University. n i I thank Nick and Robert for their unfailing support and help during and d e uc after my studies at Oxford. Further research and writing of the book mainly d o pr took place at the University of Hong Kong. I was able to take a sabbatical e r e to concentrate on writing because of a grant from the Research Grants b t o Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (HKU n y Ma 753112). I thank RGC Hong Kong for this generous support. Colleagues . ed and friends at the School of Chinese, HKU, gave me a warm welcome as v r se well as a stimulating environment in which to do my research and writing. e r s Exchanges with members of the larger HKU community, in particular, t h ig Joseph Chan, Chris Fraser, and Dan Robins, have helped me to formulate r ll many of the ideas in this book. I thank also Stephen Angle, Chung-yi A . s Cheng, Yiu-ming Fung, Kurtis Hagen, Yong Huang, Eric Hutton, Philip s e © 2016. SUNY Pr copyright law. JSY.ha nIihvga, nJXKihwiwoaeoeoi, n CfDgoi-r ol aoidnli i dsKSc hSuimuhssnu,i ,o- KmnAasea rirya onSnnhd Li Sheat xiah,cl anhCvaaehkn eegbnree,y eWoannf igiinn dnsLetiiare,us .MmSuesnnagyt,au lkS iion rS -tahhtooeo , pnYr euTpaaannr-,ak taainonndg e tl ghab and publication of the book. Roger T. Ames has read through the whole ic ri yl pp op Ca EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - vpriiinted on 10/2/2019 3:47 PM via HEBREW UNIV OF JERUSALEM AN: 1299615 ; Tang, Siu-Fu.; Self-Realization Through Confucian Learning : A Contemporary Reconstruction of Xunzi's Ethics Account: s5122861 viii Acknowledgments r o . manuscript and given many valuable comments, though I have not been S . U r able to incorporate all of his suggestions fully. I also thank the anonymous e d un readers for their constructive comments. The remaining limitations and d te errors are, of course, mine. The staff at SUNY Press have been extremely t i rm helpful and friendly during the production of this book. It has been a e p s delight to work with them. e s u Last but not least, I owe special gratitude to my parents and my wife r i a f for their support and forbearance over the years when this book was in t p ce preparation. It is through their love and nurturance that I am convinced x e , that self-realization is a mutual project of discovery and accomplishment. r e h s i l b u p e h t m o r f n o i s s i m r e p t u o h t i w m r o f y n a n i d e c u d o r p e r e b t o n y a M . d e v r e s e r s t h g i r l l A . s s e © 2016. SUNY Pr copyright law. e tl hb ga ic ri yl pp op Ca EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 10/2/2019 3:47 PM via HEBREW UNIV OF JERUSALEM AN: 1299615 ; Tang, Siu-Fu.; Self-Realization Through Confucian Learning : A Contemporary Reconstruction of Xunzi's Ethics Account: s5122861 r o . S . U r e d n u d e t t i m er Introduction p s e s u r i a f t p e c x e , r e h s i l ub This book is concerned with a reconstruction of Xunzi’s (荀子, born around p e h 310 BCE) moral philosophy in a response to the modern belief of self- t m ro realization and a concern for oneself.1 Such a modern belief is used as a f on perspective as well as the background for an understanding of Xunzi’s moral i s is philosophy in the modern world. m r pe I suggest that we should take seriously Xunzi’s claim that “people’s t ou xing (性, nature/native conditions) is bad.”2 By such a claim Xunzi high- h t i w lights that our xing is originally without an ethical framework and that m r fo it has a natural tendency to dominate us, leading us to make bad judg- y an ments and consequently behave badly. Thus it is necessary that our xing be n i transformed by Confucian learning, the center of which is ritual propriety d e uc (li 禮).3 However, ritual propriety represents not external constraints on d o pr our xing. Rather, ritual propriety is derived from our self-interpretation of e r e our xing and refers to norms that allow us to realize ourselves fully. Ritual b t o propriety represents the Confucian understanding of human goodness, the n y Ma components of which are the best nourishment of desires and a harmoni- . ed ous communal life. Ritual propriety represents also constitutive norms of v r se human agency and selfhood. Through ritual propriety people achieve an e r s integral self and are in command of their own lives. They are then in con- t h ig trol of their desires and feelings and can satisfy desires in such a way that r l l is best for them. Moreover, ritual propriety structures human relationships A . ss and makes possible a harmonious communal life. Goods internal to such e © 2016. SUNY Pr copyright law. htbah euescme alouafv-sndee r irraoeelnllca lttgyiino otgonh dsrah ogoiupefgn sht tha nesau dnpc dhes ur esacon hnnj o.oa y rR cmaoit amugtiaomvlo eup dfnr roaaliplmf reliie.ef wetTh yoc roirkson usnctagointhrum ttsehau etcti ohvp e ea ar frsolgoarurn gma eb epeencextrotssem,on neIt e tl hb ga ic ri yl pp op Ca EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - p1rinted on 10/2/2019 3:47 PM via HEBREW UNIV OF JERUSALEM AN: 1299615 ; Tang, Siu-Fu.; Self-Realization Through Confucian Learning : A Contemporary Reconstruction of Xunzi's Ethics Account: s5122861