Cosmology, Nature and Mind
- A New Philosophical View on Dao
Guo Yi郭 沂
Institute of Philosophy
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Introduction
• 1. The crisis of humanity and Philosophy
• Since the 19th century, both Chinese and
Western philosophies have suffered under the
impact of modernization and capitalism.
• Since its beginning, Chinese philosophy has
focused on the value and meaning of life.
• Virtue and the knowledge of virtue were
addressed as “honoring virtue”(zun de xing尊
德性) and “following the path of study and
inquiry”(dao wen xue道问学) separately by
ancient Chinese philosophers.
• In Western culture, the original meaning of
Philosophy is “love of wisdom”. This confirms
that since the very beginning, Western
Philosophy was interested in knowledge.
• Despite this, the key issues in traditional
Western Philosophy before Kant and traditional
Chinese Philosophy are very similar.
• But since modern times, Western philosophers
have been chiefly concerned with the world of
knowledge and have taken knowledge as their
highest goal.
• Bacon: “knowledge is power”
• The knowledge in question is natural
knowledge; the rationality they revered is
instrumental rationality.
• Meanwhile value left quietly
• modernization has brought to our time not only
dramatic changes and previously unknown
material pleasures, but also the pollution of the
environment, the clash of civilizations and the
decline of value.
• At the same time, modern Philosophy, infiltrated
by modernity, has lost its way.
• Kant: ”man and generally any rational being exists
as an end in himself”
• Therefore, in any reasonable philosophical system,
a theory of value should occupy the dominant and
central position, and a theory of knowledge a
subordinate position.
• The crisis of humanity and Philosophy is the crisis
of value.
• 2. The defects and tasks of Chinese and
Western philosophies
• The major defect of Chinese Philosophy is the
absence of a theory of knowledge, while the
major defect of Western Philosophy is the
breakdown of its theory of value.
• Therefore the challenge for Chinese Philosophy
is to construct a theory of knowledge to
support its theory of value. The challenge for
Western Philosophy is to reconstruct its theory
of value to govern its theory of knowledge.
• 3. How to establish the new philosophical
system that places its theory of value in the
lead role, its theory of knowledge in a
supporting role.
• We should adopt a correct attitude forward
Metaphysics.
• Metaphysics is the lifeblood of Philosophy.
• Since Aristotle, Metaphysics has been called
the first Philosophy.
• Modern Western Philosophy began to turn
away from Metaphysics to concrete science,
from substance to phenomenon, from the a
priori to experience.
• The separation between substance and
phenomenon is a basic characteristic and also
a key limitation of traditional Western
Metaphysics. It has resulted in the decline of
traditional Western Metaphysics.
• It requires us not to throw Metaphysics away,
but to reform and even to rebuild it.
• Metaphysics also is the foundation and core of
Chinese Philosophy.
• the traditional Chinese Metaphysics concerns
itself with three levels, namely Ontology,
human nature and the human mind.
• The source of
the term
“metaphysics”
(Xing er shang
xue) in Chinese
philosophy:
• The
commentaries
of The Book of
Changes:形而
上者之谓道，
形而下之谓器
• Wing-Tsit Chan’s translation:
• What exists before physical
form [and is therefore without
it] is called the Way. What exists
after physical form [and is
therefore with it] is called a
concrete thing.
• My translation: what is beyond
physical form is called Dao,
what has physical form is called
a concrete thing.
• this metaphysical system has none of the
aforementioned drawbacks of Western
Philosophy, moreover it could rectify these
drawbacks.
• To develop the theories of life, ethics, society
and politics by constructing or revising
Metaphysics is fundamental method in Chinese
Philosophy
• An important characteristic of Chinese
Metaphysics is the combination of cosmology
and ontology.
I. The Sphere of Dao
- where we come from
1.1
1. The Big Bang Theory
and the Philosophical Cosmology in
Ancient China
• (1) The Big Bang Theory
• cosmogony has made marked progress and
became a notable form of learning and it
cannot but be a solid foundation for
constructing a contemporary Metaphysics.
• Big Bang Theory has been broadly accepted.
• 14 billion years ago, this single point exploded
and expanded rapidly and produced the
universe.
• When the expansion stops, as the gravity of its
galaxies causes the universe collapse and
condense, all galaxies will assemble closer and
closer, until finally the universe becomes a
single high density point.
(2). The philosophical cosmologies in
ancient China
• Cosmology in ancient China could be divided into
two branches, namely astronomical cosmology
and philosophical cosmology.
• No doubt the ancient philosophers could not
imagine the above development of modern
cosmogony, but it is striking that the cosmological
models they established are very similar.
• The Philosophical cosmology in ancient China
could be divided into three cosmological models.
• The first one holds that the universe formed
from an original spot, and the myriad things
were produced by the original spot.
• the Lao zi on Bamboo slips appeared in the last
part of the Spring and Autumn period, at the
same time as [the philosopher] Lao zi, who was
a contemporary of Confucius. The modern
edition (including the edition written on silk) of
the Lao zi comes from Taishi Dan who lived in
the middle period of the Warring States and is
a contemporary with Duke Xian of Qin.
• there are two different persons and two
different books.
• Guodian
• “there was a state which formed
bamboo text
chaotically. It existed before the
sky and the earth. It is quiet,
Laozi老聃:
independent, and never changes
“有状混成，
its nature. It may be considered
先天地生，
the mother of the myriad things.
寂寥，独立，
No one knows its name. I call it
不改，可以
Dao. If forced to give it a name, I
为天下母。
will call it the Great. The Great
未知其名，
begins to depart, and then it
字之曰道，
becomes further and further away,
吾强为之名
and then returns to the original
曰大。大曰
point.”
逝，逝曰远，
远曰反。”
• Guodian baboo • The Great One gave birth to
text Taiyi sheng
water. Water returned and
assisted Taiyi, in this way
shui太一生水，
developing heaven. Heaven and
水反辅太一，
earth [repeatedly assisted each
是以成天。天
other], in this way developing
反辅太一，是
the “gods above and below.”
以成地。天地
The “gods above and below”
〔复相辅〕也，
repeatedly assisted each other,
是以成神明。
in this way developing Yin and
神明复相辅也，
Yang. Yin and Yang repeatedly
是以成阴阳。
assisted each other, in this way
阴阳复相辅也，
developing the four seasons.
是以成四时。
• 阴阳复相辅也， • The four seasons repeatedly
assisted each other, in this way
是以成四时。
developing cold and hot. Cold
四时复〈相〉
and hot repeatedly assisted
辅也，是以成
each other, in this way
凔热。凔热复
developing moist and dry. Moist
相辅也，是以
and dry repeatedly assisted
成湿燥。湿燥
each other; they developed the
复相辅也，成
year, and the process came to
岁而止。
an end.
• Therefore, the year was
• 故岁者，湿燥
produced by moisture and
之所生也。湿
dryness; moisture and dryness
燥者，凔热之
were produced by cold and hot.
所生也。凔热
Cold and hot and the four
者，四时之所
seasons, were produced by Yin
生也。四时者，
and Yang. Yin and Yang were
阴阳之所生
produced by the “gods above
〔也〕。阴阳
and below.” The “gods above
者，神明之所
and below” were produced by
生也。神明者，
heaven and earth, and heaven
天地之所生也。
and earth were produced by the
天地者，太一
Great One.
之所生也。
• This being so, the Great One is
• 是故太一藏于
concealed in water and moves with
水，行于时。
the four seasons. Completing a
周而或〔始，
cycle, [it starts] over again; [we
以己为〕万物
regard] Taiyi [as] the mother of the
母；一缺一盈，
ten thousand things: first it is
以己为万物经。
depleted, then it is full; we regard
此天之所不能
Taiyi as the guiding principle of the
杀，地之所不
ten thousand things. This is
能厘，阴阳之
something that heaven cannot
所不能成。
destroy, the earth cannot smother,
and Yin and Yang cannot produce.
The gentleman knows this is
referred to as [a sage].
• 《潜夫论·本训》谈到了一种类似的宇宙模式：
“上古之世，太素之时，元气窈冥，未有形
兆，万精合并，混而为一。莫制莫御，若斯
久之。翻然自化，清浊分别，变成阴阳。阴
阳有体，实生两仪。天地壹郁，万物化淳。
和气生人，以统理之。”
• The second cosmological model not only holds
that the universe came from an original point,
but also explores the matrix that produced the
original point, consequently leading us into a
transcendent and absolute world.
• The received
version of Lao Zi
太史儋:“道生
一，一生二，二
生三，三生万物。
万物负阴而抱阳，
冲气以为和。”
“Dao produced the One, the
One produced the Two, the
Two produced the Three,
The Three produced the
myriad things. The myriad
things carry the yin and
embrace the Yang, and
through the quiet and
peaceful Qi, they achieve
harmony.”
• The One was produced by Dao, the ultimate
basis for the original point is Dao.
• the Dao of Taishi Dan differs from the Dao of
Lao Dan. The latter is the original point of the
universe, while the former is the transcendent
and absolute world of the producer of the
original point.
• 上海博物馆藏战国楚竹书《恒先》也讨论了
前元点状态，并且对宇宙生成过程作了更加
详细的描述：“恒先无有，朴，静，虚。朴，
太朴。静，太静。虚，太虚。自厌，不自忍，
或作。有或焉有气，有气焉有有，有有焉有
始，有始焉有往者。未有天地，未有作行，
出生虚静，为一若寂，梦梦静同，而未或明，
未或滋生。气是自生，恒莫生气。气是自生
自作。恒气之生，不独，有与也。或，恒焉。
生或者同焉。……浊气生地，清气生天，气
信神哉，云云相生。”
• 成书于汉代的《易纬·乾凿度》延续了这一思
路：“有太易，有太初，有太始，有太素也。
太易者，未见气也。太初者，气之始也。太
始者，形之始也。太素者，质之始也。气形
质具而未离，故曰浑沦。浑沦者，言万物相
浑成，而未离也。视之不见，听之不闻，循
之不得，故曰易也。”
• The third cosmological model comes from
Confucius in his late years.
• Xi Ci系辞, section of the Yi Zhuan易传 or The
Commentaries on the Book of Changes:
•
in
the
sphere
of
Yi
易
there
is
• 是故易有太极，
Taiji 太极(or the Great
是生两仪。两
Ultimate). It generates the Two
仪生四象。四
Forms (yin and yang). The Two
象生八卦。八
Forms generate the Four
卦定吉凶，吉
Forms (major and minor yin
凶生大业。
and yang). The Four Forms
generate the Eight Trigrams.
The Eight Trigrams determine
good and evil fortunes. And
good and evil fortunes produce
the great enterprise.
• The Eight Trigrams correspond to eight
cosmological elements, including the sky, the
earth, thunder, wind, water, fire, mountain and
marsh.
• Yi is the transcendent and absolute world and
it corresponds to Dao of Taishi Dan.
• “Taiji” corresponds “the One” in Taishi Dan’s
saying “Dao produced the One” and should be
the original point of the universe.
• the sentence “in the sphere of Yi there is Taiji
or the Great Ultimate” may have two meanings.
First, Yi contains Taiji; second, Taiji and Yi exist
simultaneously and they are not related in
theirs of “production” or “was produced”.
(3). the inner connection between the
single point and the myriad things
• Like the Big Bang Theory, the above
philosophical cosmologies in ancient China
hold that the universe comes from an original
point and undergoes a process of
development or expansion.
• The similarities are the result of the similarity
between process of generation and
development of the universe and of the
myriad things.
• Georges Lemaître, who advocated Big Bang
Theory first compared the process of the
universe expanding from the “primeval atom”
to the process of a big oak tree growing from a
small acorn.
• Modern biology proved that parents’ genes
could be inherited by their children, while most
members of an ethnic group carry the same
gene.
• Based on this, we can conclude that as the
mother of the universe, the single point should
contain all basic information, and all things
should carry the original information of the
single point.
• The ancient philosophers believe that in the
process of producing, the producer gave its
own nature to the myriad things.
• For instance, the received version of Laozi said:
• When the uncarved wood is
broken up, it is turned into
• 天下有始，以为
concrete things.
天下母。既得其
• There was the beginning of
母，以知其子。
the myriad things. Which
既知其子，复守
may considered as the
其母，没身不殆。
mother of the myriad things.
He who has found the
mother, and thereby he can
understand her children.
• 朴散则为器。
• For Lao Zi, Dao should be divided into two
kinds or levels, namely original Dao and
secondary Dao. Original Dao is the Dao which
has the creative power and is the broad root of
all things. Secondary Dao is the Dao which is in
all things or was obtained by all things. To all
things, the secondary Dao is de or virtue.
• 孔子说：“乾坤，其易之蕴邪？乾坤成列，
而易立乎其中矣。乾坤毁，则无以见易。易
不可见，则乾坤或几乎息矣。”又说：“天
地设位，而易行乎其中矣。成性存存，道义
之门。”
• So we can also divide Confucius’ concept of Yi
into original Yi and secondary Yi. Unlike Laozi,
Confucius named Yi which is in Tian and Earth,
the secondary Yi referring to xing or nature
directly.
• 宋明理学家们进一步提出了“理一分殊”的
观念，而朱子更用“月印万川”的现象作了
明白形象的阐释：“本只是一太极，而万物
各有禀受，又自各全具一太极尔。如月在天，
只一而已，及散在江湖，则随处而见，不可
谓月已分也。”
• Following traditional Chinese Metaphysics, I
would like to reconstruct Metaphysics into
three parts or spheres, namely Dao Ti 道体 (or
the sphere of Dao), Xing Ti 性体 (or the sphere
of Nature) and Xing Ti 心体 (or the sphere of
Mind).
2. The Composition of Dao
• The sphere of Dao is a transcendent and
absolute world. It is the origin of the universe,
the root of the world and the mother of the
myriad things. It is an absolute “great whole”
大全, boundless, ceaseless, all-embracing,
without beginning or end.
• the sphere of Dao is formed by three
fundamental elements, namely Zhi值, Li理
and Qi气.
• Zhi值is the locus of value and meaning. Qi 气is
locus of energy and matter. Li 理is the locus of
form, reason, law and principle.
• there are two kinds of Li. One exists in Zhi and
could be named as Zhi Li 值理（or the law of
value）. Another exists in Qi and could be
named as Qi Li 气理（or the law of matter）.
• Zhi, Qi and Li have different properties.
• Zhi is the highest element, Qi is the lowest, and
Li is between them.
• Dao has ten characteristics, namely Heng 恒
（or eternal）, Pu 朴（or plain）, Jing 静
（or quiet）, Xu 虚（or vacuous）, Du 独
（or independent）, Cheng 诚（or facticity）,
He 和（or harmonious）, Sheng 生（or
productive）, Ren 仁（or benevolent）, Yi 易
（or change）. The general property of them
is Heng or eternal. They together are called
Shi De 十德(or “the Ten Characteristics”).
3. From the Wuji or Non-ultimate to
Taiji or the Great Ultimate
• In the sphere of Dao, Zhi值, Li理 and Qi气 are
eternal. They are the thing-in-itself. So they
could be called respectively Heng Zhi恒值 (or
the Eternal value), Heng Li恒理 (or the Eternal
reason), and Heng Qi恒气 (or the Eternal
matter-energy).
• This state of Dao is Wuji无极 （or NonUltimate）.
• The immediate origin of the universe is Taiji or
the Great Ultimate which scientists called the
single point.
• Dao is a mother, Taiji or the Great Ultimate is
her egg, the universe is her child that came
from the egg.
• When the Eternal value, the Eternal reason,
the Eternal matter-energy come together, they
forme Taiji太极 or the Great Ultimate. This is
the single point and the direct producer of the
universe.
• The Eternal value, the Eternal reason and the
Eternal matter-energy in Taiji could be called
Tai Zhi太值 or the Primeval Value, Tai Li太理 or
the Primeval Reason and Tai Qi太气 or the
Primeval Matter-energy respectively.
• Tai Zhi and Tai Li are in Tai Qi, and not separate
from Tai Qi.
• Inasmuch as Tai Qi is one kind of matter-energy,
so it should be a limited being, and this
determines Tai Zhi and Tai Li that Tai Qi carries
are also limited.
4. Taiji or the Great Ultimate Produces
the Myriad Things
• As for the process by which Taiji or the Great
Ultimate produces the universe and the
myriad things, I accept Zhou Dunyi’s (10171073) idea in his work An Explanation of the
Diagram of the Great Ultimate:
• 周敦颐《太极 • The Great Ultimate through
movement generates yang.
图说》：无极
When its activity reaches its limit,
而太极。太极
it becomes tranquil. Through
动而生阳，动
tranquility the Great Ultimate
极而静；静而
generates yin. When tranquility
生阴，静极复
动。一动一静， reaches its limit, activity begins
again. So movement and
互为其根；分
tranquility alternate and become
阴分阳，两仪
the root of each other, giving rise
立焉。
to the distinction between yin
and yang, and the two modes
are thus established.
• By the transformation of yang
• 阳变阴合而生
and its union with yin, the Five
水火木金土，
Agents of Water, Fire, Wood,
五气顺布，四
Metal, and Earth arise. When
时行焉。五行
these five material forces (Qi)
一阴阳也，阴
are distributed in harmonious
阳一太极也，
order, the four seasons run their
太极本无极也。
course. The Five Agents
constitute one system of yin
and yang, and yin and yang
constitute one Great Ultimate.
The Great Ultimate is
fundamentally the Non-ultimate.
• The Five Agents arise, each with
• 五行之生也，
its specific nature. When the
各一其性。无
reality of the Non-ultimate and
极之真，二五
the essence of yin, yang, and
之精，妙合而
the Five Agents come into
凝。乾道成男，
mysterious union, integration
坤道成女。
ensues. Qian (Heaven)
constitutes the male element,
and Kun (Earth) constitutes the
female element.
• 二气交感，化
生万物，万物
生生而变化无
穷焉。
• The interaction of these two
material forces engenders and
transforms the myriad things.
The myriad things produce and
reproduce, resulting in an
unending transformation.
• Taiji or the Great Ultimate, corresponds to the
single point; the Five Agents of Water, Fire,
Wood, Metal, and Earth correspond to the
elementary particles and various cosmological
materials after the Big Bang.
• The only absolutely eternal one is Dao. Taiji or
the Great Ultimate has a beginning and an end.
The universe that Taiji produced is also limited,
and will experience a process from generation
to growth to death.
• When Taiji or the Great Ultimate evolved and
became the universe, it existed in the universe
and the myriad things.
• Taiji or the Great Ultimate could be divided
into two levels. One is the producer, which
could be called the Original Great Ultimate,
and another is the Taiji which was in the
myriad things, and could be called the
Secondary Great Ultimate.
• when the single point evolved into the universe,
or the Original Great Ultimate evolved into the
Secondary Great Ultimate, Dao itself ran
through the myriad things.
• The Secondary Great Ultimate is Xing性 (or the
Nature) of the myriad things.
• As the Great Ultimate was formed by Zhi, Li
and Qi, therefore Xing or Nature as the
Secondary Great Ultimate also could be divided
into three kinds, namely the Nature of Zhi值之
性(or the Value Nature), the Nature of Li理之
性(or the Reason Nature), and the Nature of Qi
气之性(or the Physical Nature).
• As embodiment of Dao, on the one hand, Taiji
is the source of the universe, so that it is
transcendent and a priori. On the other hand,
it runs through the myriad things, so that it is
internal and experiential. As the relation
between Taiji and Dao, we can say Dao is
transcendent and also internal, a priori and
also experiential.
II. The Sphere of Xing or Nature
- what we are
2.1 The Difference Between the Nature
of Man and the Nature of Things
• (1) physical nature
• As the myriad things inherit their own Qi from
Tai Qi in thousands of ways, the physical
nature in the myriad things is different in
thousands of ways
• Xunzi (313-238 B.C.): “Water and fire have Qi
but not life, plants have life but not awareness,
animals have awareness but not the
consciousness of Yi or justice. Man has all of Qi,
life, awareness and the consciousness of
justice.”
• A. Thing with Qi: a mineral
• B. thing with life: a plant
• C. thing with awareness: an animal
• D. thing with the consciousness of justice: a
man
• Xing or Nature is the totality of the properties a
thing possesses
• The property or properties that represent the
essence of one kind of thing may be called its
Essential Nature.
• The other property or properties may be called
its Non-essential Nature
• Essential Nature:
• A. plant: life
• B. animal: animal mind
• C. man: human mind
• Essential Nature is the narrow meaning of
Nature
• human mind is human nature, mind is nature
• (2) value nature
• Does everything among myriad things have
value nature? Is the value nature of the myriad
things same?
• A. Laozi, and later Confucius and Zisi all held
that everything among the myriad things has a
nature, but they did not specify whether the
value nature of the myriad things was the same
or not.
• B. from Mencius’ point of view, the term
“nature” is value nature, only human beings
have nature in the world.
• C. Zhu Xi believed that every one of the myriad
things has value nature, humans have a
complete value nature, but things only have a
partial value nature, different things have
different endowment.
• D. my point of view: The difference between
physical nature determines differences of value
nature and reason nature, only men have value
nature.
•
•
•
•
(3) the Reason Nature
A. the Reason Nature of Value
B. the Reason Nature of Matter
the difference between physical nature and
value nature among the myriad things
determines the difference between their
reason natures.
• only man as the thing with an awareness of
justice has the reason nature of value.
• The difference between human beings and
animals does not only manifest itself as
completeness or partialness and high or
lowness as aforementioned, but also in
facilitation or obstruction.
• Facilitation and obstruction refer to the ability
of self-realization.
• Compared with the Original Great Ultimate, all
the Secondary Great Ultimate, including that of
human beings, is more partial and lower, as the
qi the myriad things received is partial and
lower.
• Since the Original Great Ultimate received
limited information from Dao, and the myriad
things received limited information from the
Original Great Ultimate, the Dao in the myriad
things is quite limited.
2.2 Differences in Human Nature
• Is the nature that each and every person
received from the Great Ultimate same or
different?
• A. Confucius said, “By nature men are similar.
Through practice they have become far apart.”
• B. Mencius believed each and every person
has the Four Beginnings and they are same
among all persons.
• He said, “Not only do virtuous men have the
mind of Four Beginnings, but everybody has it.”
“The sages realize what is the same in our
minds before others.”
• C. philosophers in the Song and Ming Dynasties
hold that for every person, physical nature is
different, but the nature of Heaven and Earth
that corresponds to value nature is the same.
• D. my point of view: Every person inherits his
or her physical nature in thousands of different
ways. The differences between physical nature
determines the differences between value
nature and reason nature.
• Does this mean that some are born good, and
some are born evil?
• A. from the perspective of the value nature and
the reason nature of value, then man’s nature
is good. This is the same, whether for the sage
or ordinary person.
• There are differences between the value
natures and the reason natures of value in
every person in terms of great and small, many
and few, strong and weak. This is the difference
between the sage and the ordinary person.
• B. from the perspective of the physical nature
and the reason nature of matter, although
man’s nature itself has no good or evil, it still
has the possibility of doing good or bad.
• Everybody has the possibility of doing good
and evil. This is the same, whether one is a
sage or an ordinary person.
• physical natures and the reason natures of
matter of men differ in thousands of ways, so
that the possibilities of doing good and evil are
different in thousands of ways. This is the
difference between the sage and the ordinary
person
• four sentences:
• In the original substance of nature there is no
good and evil.
• Being able either to do good or to do evil is the
function of the nature.
• To tend to good or evil depends on
endowment.
• To do good and remove evil depends on
education.
2.3 Examining the argument that “Xing
is Li” and “Xin is Li” from the
distinction between Subjective and
Objective Mind
• the Mind of Qi or the Physical Mind is
subjective, active, and has perception. It can
be called the Subjective Mind.
• The Mind of Zhi or the Value Mind and the
Mind of Li or the Reason Mind are objective
and can be called the Objective Mind.
• The School of Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi believed that
Xing is Li or Nature is principle, the School of Lu
Jiuyuan and Wang Yangming believed that Xin
is Li or Mind is principle.
• the School of Cheng and Zhu thought that the
Objective Mind does not belong to Mind,
instead, it belongs to Nature.
• The School of Lu and Wang thought that the
Objective Mind belongs to Mind.
• In other words, Cheng and Zhu identified the
Objective Mind as Nature, meanwhile Lu and
Wang named it as Mind.
III. The Sphere of Xin or Mind
- what we can do
• the so-called Subjective Mind is the brain and
the whole nervous system. It has three basic
functions, we can express them by three
terms, namely Zhi知 or knowing, Qing情 or
emotion and Yi意 or intention.
3.1 Zhi知 or Knowing
• Zhi or knowing is the function of the
Subjective Mind, comprising three kinds,
namely Renzhi认知 (or Cognition), Ganzhi感
知 (or Sense Perception), and Juezhi觉知 (or
Illumination).
• Renzhi or Cognition is the way to know the
world of Li or the World of Form and Reason,
and the way to get knowledge.
• Ganzhi or Sense Perception is the way to know
the world of qi or the physical world, and the
way to get sensation.
• Juezhi or Illumination is the way to know the
world of Zhi or the world of value, and the way
to get the value of the universe and the
meaning of life.
• For subjects of knowing, to know Dao in their
selves is introverted, to know the Dao in the
myriad things, in the Great Ultimate and in the
sphere of Dao is extroverted.
• Originally Dao is external, but when it has been
received by the subjects it becomes the
internal world. Consistent with this, the
internal world and the external world coincide
with each other. Therefore to know the internal
world means to know the external world, since
their shared object is the Great Ultimate or
Dao.
• the school of Cheng and Zhu takes the external
side, and believes that to investigate things is
to understand the principle of the external
things, while the school of Lu and Wang thinks
that to investigate things is to understand your
own internal mind. In fact, to understand the
principle of the external things and to
understand the internal mind are the same
thing, and there is no essential difference
between them.
• there are two fundamental ways to understand
Dao and the nature of the myriad things.
• One is to explore the nature of the myriad
things according to Dao
• Another way to search Dao according to the
nature of the myriad things
• Thus we can say Dao is transcendental and also
inherent, a priori and also empirical. So we can
induce an a priori world from the empirical
world, as well as infer the empirical world from
the a priori world.
3.2 Qing情 or Emotion
• Qing (or Emotion) is the reflection of the
biological characteristics of human beings and
animal. It is the inner object of Ganzhi or
Sense Perception. On this point, Sense
Perception and Emotion form the structure of
Sense Perception-Emotion.
• Emotion has three levels. The first level is
natural compassion and mercy. The second is
desire. The third is feeling.
• All these three levels belong to biological
instinct. They cannot be designated as good or
evil, but contain the principle and possibility of
both. As a rule, the first level leads to altruism
easily, the second leads to egoism easily, the
third has no clear trend to altruism or egoism.
3.3 Yi意 or Intention
•
•
•
•
•
Yi has four connotations
A. consciousness of the mind
B. the commander of the mind
C. the direction of the mind
D. the condition of the mind.
3.4 The Mind of Cognition and the
Mind of Life
• All of the functions of the Mind belong to life
experience except cognition. So these
functions of Mind including Juezhi or
Illumination, Ganzhi or Sense Perception, Qing
or Emotion and Yi or Intention are named the
Mind of Life.
• The Mind of Life is the bearer of the purpose
of life, but the Mind of Cognition is the mean
to realize the purpose of life.
• Yi or Intention plays the role of commander,
while Juezhi or Illumination, Ganzhi or Sense
perception and Qing or Emotion are the
performers of the experience of life.
• Juezhi or Illumination and the structure of
Sense Perception-Emotion are two
fundamental states of life.
• the life state of Juezhi or Illumination is named
Value Life, and the state of the structure of
Sense Perception-Emotion is named Biological
Life.
3.5 The goal and meaning of myriad
things
• The goal and meaning of the myriad things is
to fully develop one’s Nature.
• Differences in the natures of the myriad things
determine differences in the goal and purpose
of the myriad things. For every kind of thing,
to fully develop its Non-essential Nature is the
lower goal, and to fully develop its Essential
Nature is the higher goal.
• The physical bodies of above living things, are
merely the tools and means to realize their life
purpose.
• for man, value life determines the meaning of
life, since it is the higher state of life, but
biological life is the lower state, since it has no
value and cannot be designated as good or evil.
3.6 The Levels of the Value Life and the
Spheres of Life
• the understanding of the world of form and
reason is similar between different persons,
but the experience of the physical world and
realization of the world of value are different
in thousands of ways and forms various states
of mind.
• By illumination one can reach different levels
and heights of the world of value, this having
determined value life itself has different levels.
• The highest aim of illumination is to achieve
the original state of the world of value, that is,
being with the eternal value in the state of
Non-ultimate of Dao, and being compatible
with it, and thereby fully realizing “the Ten
Characteristics” of Dao, attaining the greatest
freedom, ease, happiness, satisfaction and
peace in life. This is the peak state or peak
experience of life. It can be said to embody
life’s final meaning, to reach man’s true
spiritual homeland. So the endless pursuit of
illumination is an unending process of spiritual
liberation.
• There are five approaches to the peak state of
life
• A. realization of the mind itself
• B. cultivation of mind and body by special
techniques
• C. morality
• D. appreciation of beauty
• E. the gods.
• It should be pointed out that these are
different approaches to the peak state of life,
but their final goal is the same.
3.7 The Corruption of Value Life by
Biological Life and Knowledge
• For man, sometimes there is a conflict
between fully developing value life and fully
developing biological life. Moreover, the
unrestrained development of biological life
can corrupt and unsettle value life, allowing
man to lose the goal and meaning of life.
• Mencius said, “one part of the body is noble
and one is ignoble; one great and one small.…
If we first build up the noble part of our nature,
then the ignoble part cannot overcome it. It is
simply this that makes a man great.”
• Conflict between knowledge and value life
means the infinite development of the Mind of
Cognition and the infinite pursuit of knowledge
leads to decline in the value of life.
• Zhuangzi said, “One who employs a machine
(designed by knowledge) will use tricks in
shortcuts and finesse. When he uses tricks in
shortcuts and finesse, he has the idea of using
tricks in his mind. When he has the idea of
using tricks in his mind, his spirit cannot be
quiet and pure. If his spirit cannot be quiet and
pure, his nature will be not restful. If his nature
is not restful, he cannot bear the Dao.”
• the Mind of Illumination that occupies the
leading position, the Mind of Sense Perception
and the Mind of Cognition take the assisting
position. When they conflict, the last two are
subordinate to the first.
3.8 Mutual Interaction between value
life and biological Life
• the Biological life influence and interact with
each other. On one hand, because of the
influence of emotion, value life becomes more
active and colorful. On other hand, the
influence of value life gives meaning to
emotion.
• Emotion with value can be called the Value
Emotion, value with emotion can be called
Emotional Value.
• emotion without value could be called
Biological Emotion, and value without emotion
could be called Pure Value.
• The tendency is for natural compassion and
mercy to lead to altruism. This means it is easy
becoming value emotion without obstacles.
Desire leads to egoism. This means only
through moral cultivation could it become
value emotion; as feeling, it is between the
above two.
IV. The Human Way
- what we should do
4.1 Culture and its System
• cultural phenomena are the result of use of
the Mind. The result of use of the Mind of Life
forms the life culture or life system of culture,
and the result of use of the Mind of Cognition
forms the system of knowledge.
• culture manifested by Juezhi or Illumination,
such as morals, religion, literature, art and so
on, can be called Value Culture. The culture
manifested by Ganzhi or Sense Perception,
such as sports, entertainment and so on, can
be called Biological Culture.
• As value life and biological life interact with
each other, value culture and biological culture
also infiltrate with each other. Therefore, as the
products of mind, value culture contains some
elements of non-value or even negative value
(the false, evil and ugly), while biological
culture contains some elements of value (the
true, good and beautiful).
• knowledge culture also should be divided into
two kinds, namely value knowledge and
natural or scientific knowledge. The former
comes from the world of value, and then
become the bridge to the world of value; the
latter came from the world of qi, and then
created the new man-made world of qi, that is
material culture.
• Once the systems of culture have been formed,
they became the means, tools and way for
mind to know the worlds of value, of qi and of
reason.
4.2 Final Value and the General Value
• the peak state of life manifests the final
meaning and ultimate concern of life. This is
the Final Value. It can be named An安. The
Chinese term An has the meaning of quiet,
peaceful, calm, stable, safe, easeful, happy,
harmonious, etc. As the final value An appears
as a firm belief and as the norm of conduct in
civilizations.
• The three basic value categories, the true, the
good and the beautiful, are the values
manifested by the various approaches to the
peak state of life, but not the values
manifested by the peak state of life itself. In
other words, they are not the highest and final
value.
• the three basic value categories may be
enlarged to four basic value categories, namely
the true, the good, the beautiful and An (or
spiritual quietness). Among them, An is not on
the same level with the other three, but the
final value which is higher than the other three.
• values that do not involve the final meaning of
life, such as ethical values, social values,
political values and so on, could be called
general values.
• culture could be divided into four systems:
• A. final value system
• B. the general value system
• C. the biological system
• D. knowledge system.
4.3 The human way as the final value
system
• In the Philosophy of Daoism, Dao道 is a
metaphysical and ontological concept used
express the source of the universe and the
nature of the world.
• the concept Dao道 (or the Way) is Ren Dao人
道 (or the Way of human beings) in Confucian
Philosophy in Pre-Qin Period. This means the
Way that people should behave.
• Through the Song and Ming dynasties, NeoConfucianists absorbed both fundamental
levels of Dao. So the two fundamental senses
of Dao were united. The Dao of Metaphysics
and Ontology is the source of the Dao of moral
norms, while the Dao of moral norms is the
manifestation of the Dao of Metaphysics and
Ontology.
• Therefore, the Dao as the Way that people
should behave, is the final concern and belief
of Confucianism, and also the Dao of Daotong
道统 (or Orthodoxy) in Confucianism. It
represented the Confucian final value.
• Dao and Daotong (or Orthodoxy) as the final
value and its tradition have universal value.
Though the value systems among civilizations
are different from each other, where they may
be generalized into a system of behavior
standards, that is the Way that people should
behave.
• The sphere of Dao is an inexhaustible source of
value. Just like Confucianism has developed its
Dao or the Human Way and Orthodoxy, other
value systems in the world have also developed
their own Dao or the Human Way and
Orthodoxy.
• the various transcendental concepts such as
Tian or Heaven in Confucianism, Dao in Daoism,
the Unconditioned in Buddhism, God in
Christianity and Allah in Islam, are all the
realization of the sphere of Dao from different
standpoints and angles by different civilizations,
and at last all of them developed into the Way
that people should behave so as to direct the
behavior of human beings.
• Therefore, approaches to final value by human
beings can be called Ren Dao (or the Human
Way).
• As the final concern, belief could be divided
into two kinds, namely religious belief and
humanist belief.
• As the final value of human beings, the Human
Way could be correspondingly divided into two
kinds, namely the human way of religion and
the human way of humanism.
4.4 A Re-estimation of Civilization
• In traditional society, material civilization was
very backward and the political system largely
restricted personal freedom. Even more
important, however, this was a society that
revered final value.
• The basic values of contemporary society are
science and democracy.
• Although the advance of science has
broadened our understanding and increased
our knowledge, it has not helped our spirit in
the least nor resolved problems concerning
human purpose.
• As to democracy, this is fundamentally a
problem of the appearance of a system
belonging to what I call general value and not
final value.
• Today’s notions of freedom, including freedom
of faith, political freedom, freedom of speech,
economic freedom and so on, belong to
outside freedom and cannot in the same
breath be compare to life freedom which
belong to internal freedom.
• In this way, contemporary people seek
primarily not final value but rather the tools
and methods of life’s existence. This means
that contemporary man has already forgotten
life’s value.
• the science of a so-called knowledge culture
needs to obey a value culture and that the
political system of so called general value
needs to obey final value, giving true meaning
to “If we first build up the noble part of our
nature, then the ignoble part cannot overcome
it”.
The Diagram of Substance and
Function
• The above discussed sphere of Dao, sphere of
nature, sphere of mind and human way and so
on, make up a chain. Among them, the
sphere of Dao is the main substance of all
other parts, below it, substance and function
alternate.