A Study On Body View Of Confucian Funeral Ceremony In Pre-Qin Period

The thesis discusses the body view of Confucian funeral ceremony according to the specific operation rites,in addition,expounds the manifold connotation of body.The introduction part investigates the meaning of the word body view.The paper holds the opinion that body view is a view of the many aspects of body such as structure,function,significance etc.Then,a philosophic way to view the world through the way of our bodies could be formed.The first chapter discusses the significance of the body of the dead.To illustrate,the fact of dead is not simply the disappear of physical shape.On the one aspect,the dead body would remain for a long time.On another aspect,the existence of the dead could be conserved in the living's mind in the form of body like their voice or expression.Under the circumstance,the origin of funeral ceremony is exactly the result of the nostalgia and concern to the body of the dead,meanwhile,the process of funeral ceremony is always surrounding the body of the dead.Apart from that,the setting of many specific rites takes the changes of the dead's body structure into account.The second chapter investigate the body view from the position of the living.As executors or participants in funeral ceremony,the bodies of the living are both the foundation of all the funeral rites and the object being regulated by the funeral ceremony,namely the recipient of the funeral ceremony's function.Firstly,when people encounter the bereavement pain,their emotions would be taken to the limit state.Under the circumstance,the basic principle the sensitive people are not allowed to be more,the insensitive people are not allowed to be less should be upheld.At the same time,the design of the mourning apparels,the motion of weeping and stomping,the rites referring to the mourning period not only help people express sorrow and remind them that the bereavement pain could not be forgotten too quickly,but also control the sadness to a proper extent,assist people restrain their grief and accord with inevitable changes.Secondly,the ceremony concerns the physical condition of executors by adjusting some rites in detail.For instance,the Funeral rod is prepared for the bereaved in weak condition,and some rites are cancelled for those old and young disabled.Thirdly,the interpersonal communication,as another crucial part in the funeral ceremony,could only be fulfilled through bodies.Specifically speaking,the neighbors express their grief by suspending entertainment activities,and mourners convey their console through the body motions.In particular,the segment named Fa Yin(“??”,pull the rope to move the coffin toward grave)and Bian Jiu(“??”,bury the coffin into the grave)create a special atmosphere by the coordination among body motions,and shock the sensory organs of people.The third chapter elaborates the philosophic significance of the body view of funeral ceremony.The meaning of body embodied in funeral ceremony is concentrated on functionality.So,the dimension of value,namely sollen,is penetrated throughout the whole ceremony.Such inclination formed the problem that how does body work,and how should we use our body during the ceremony,which could be discussed under the philosophy problem of Self-cultivation.The meaning of body could be presented multidimensional in the funeral ceremony,including physical existence in the physiological meaning;Hun and Po(“??”,the spirits and animal forces of man)on the faith level;sensation subject in the sensory sense;as body form as appearance and physique;the active body in continuous changing;emotion and lust;interpersonal communicative body in the social.The body is frequently regarded as the appendage or object to be overcome during the self-cultivation process.Such inclination is the result of discussion body merely under its partial meaning,which only be reflected in the case of control excessive sentiment and lust.On the contrary,if we could take an all-round visual angle,as the foundation of our being,body could not only play an active role during the self-cultivation process and form the spiritual and bodily exercise,but also determine the basic way of self-cultivation.To illustrate,the situational principle of Shi(“?”,to practice in proper time)is the typical manifestation of it.