/lit/ - Literature

>The old man affirms that he is aware of the existence of this machine, and that it was also known to his teacher but that they felt ashamed to use it and so refused this technique. What Zhuangzi wants to say in this story is that one should avoid developing such a reasoning about life, otherwise one will lose the way, and along with it, one’s freedom. If one always thinks in terms of machines, one will develop a machinic form of reasoning.

>In Daoism, then, the unity of Dao and Qi is exemplified by Pao Ding and his knife. The perfection of the technical tool is also a perfection of living and being, since it is guided by the Dao. In Confucianism, though, we find another understanding of Qi which seems different from the Daoist one, althoug| they share the same concern for the cosmos and the form; of living. In Confucianism, Qi often refers to the instruments used in rituals, or Li.

>Li (along with ren, ‘benevolence’) is one of the key con cepts in Confucius’s teaching. The Goncept of Li is twofold: firstly there is a formal sense in which Li defines both the power hierarchy indicated by the artificial objects, Li Qi, andthe number of sacrifices performed during the rites. During the Zhou dynasty, Li Qi referred to different Qi with different functions: cooking utensils, objects made of jade, musical Instruments, wine utensils, water utensils, etc. The Qi made of jade and bronze were indications of identity and rank in the social hierarchy, including the king and the noble class. But Li Qi also refers to a spirit or ‘content’ that cannot be separated from this formal aspect. This content, for Confucius, is a kind of cultivation and practice that nurtures moral sensibility.

>[In the Book of Rites] Confucius says that ‘the course (of duty), virtue, benevolence, and righteousness cannot be fully carried out without the rules of propriety; nor are training and oral lessons for the rectification of manners complete’. We can understand from this than the moral— that is, one’s relation to the heaven— can only be maintained through the practice of Li. It is possible for the formal aspect of Li to dominate its content, and Confucius was aware of this problem. To avert this usurpation of content by form, he emphasises that Li is a fundamentally moral practice which starts with individual reflection extending to outer domains such as family and the state, guided by Dao.

>This is the famous doctrine ‘Inner sageliness-outer kingliness'). It follows a linear trajectory, as indicated in the Confucian classic
Da Xue (‘Great Learning’ or ‘University’): ‘investigation of things’, ‘extension of knowledge’, 'sincere thoughts’, ‘rectify the heart’, ‘cultivate the persons’, ‘regulate the families’, ‘govern well the States', and ‘world peace’.