Studies Of Embodiment Of Morality Based On "CaiGenTan"

Chinese traditional ethical culture ,not only made the harmony of society at that time, and formed the life style and behavior style of Chinese people at the same time. At Ming and Qing Dynasty, the politics, economy and culture of the country have got violently changed. The traditional Confucian culture was confused and nearly collapsed. The major culture of the court official's upper strata begins to develop to "common people's daily learning" , Then the country gentlemen or esquires began to pay their attention to the culture of the common people. They syncretized Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism and popularized them to perfect people's morals consciousness and behavior, this is embodiment of life ethics. According to the history, from Song dynasty, many benevolent books appeared. The book "CaiGenTan" is one of them.Study on the culture of Chinese traditional ethics, we should not only study the classic books, we also should study the popular ones, from which we can know more about the life of the people of that time. "CaiGenTan" is this kind of book that embodiments the life ethics, it was more useful to the moral education at that time. This also means much to the current moral education.For this thesis is about the book "CaiGenTan", we first try to have a look of the book and its writer. This is a key to grasp the whole thought of "CaiGenTan"."CaiGenTan" is a benevolent book. In brief, benevolent books were to tell people how to be benefic and not to do wrong. They were written by the country gentlemen or esquires. They syncretized Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and fork belief to admonish the people. We can see this from the book.First, the ways the writer wrote the book are especially used to express his thought. So the style of the book is very variedly. In all, it is very lively and absorbingly, so it is easy to learn and follow. It was more easy to understand and to imitate for the common people, even the children and women. This is the special ways of life ethics.Secondly, the contents of "CaiGenTan" are from the traditional ethics, from filial piety to how to dress and be polite, to the life attitude and so on. But the writer didn't tell us how these points of view do in the traditional ethic. He only told everyone who read the book how to do in the his life and told him what was right and made senses. This is life ethic, came from the true life and applied for the true life.The writer, HongYingMing, was very intelligent when he was a child. When he grew up, he was very diligent and wrote many books. He had never been an official all his life. He lived in the actual life as the common people. He knew what the people wanted and what they thought, on the other hand, he knew the traditional ethic well. He believed in Taoism and Buddhism, ultimately he was a Confucian. So he could be the prolocutor of the traditional ethic and the common people too.Of course, we can only see the life ethics from the content of the book "CaiGenTan" . The essence of "CaiGenTan" of life ethics lies in the following five points,Firstly, Cultivate morality, "CaiGenTan" is a benevolent book. The writer based on the traditional ideas of retribution to tell the people why to be benevolent and how to be a benevolent person. Good dish found its foundation in folk, then it is more easy to be accepted by people. All methods of doing good works that the author enumerates, have given people a template of practical operation, not the preach in theory, is the guidance of the real behavior. What the author said in the book was very easy to understand and imitate. At last, the author told us that what was more important was conscience, which was the essence of the goodness.Secondly, conduct in society: It forms a set of special manners to deal with the social affairs, which is on the foundation of the golden mean of Confucianism school. Therefore, the golden mean has become the most important and core spirit of the life ethics. Hong Ying Ming has made the actual life as a starting point, so the populace could accept and comprehend it much easier.Thirdly, to abide by the law and behave oneself and content with one's lot were the attitude to life at that time. In this thesis, we study the attitude to life from three sides. "To abide by the law and behave oneself was the basic attitude to life at that time" "To eschew quarrels and be self-surrender was the basic attitude to affiliate with others" "To be self-sufficiency and know one's fate was the main way to be happy". From the three sides, we can see the life attitudes in the book. It was mainly based in the thought of Taoism and Buddhism.Nevertheless, the dissertation does not confine to the expounding and argumentation of "CaiGenTan" of life ethics, but lay emphasis on the deepening of its modern value or significance.On the one hand,"CaiGenTan"belongs to the traditional ethics of China that we can't give up of today too, on the other hand, as an important book on life ethics, "CaiGenTan" gives us a way on how to syncretize the traditional ethics of China and our actual life now. Combined with the valuable tradition, life ethics can really become the realistic ethics strength. With the deepening of reform and opening up and economic and cultural development, the people's material lives have greatly advanced. At the same time, more problems are taking on. So we must attach equal importance to both material and spiritual civilization. Basing ourselves on China's realities, we must carry forward the fine tradition of our national culture to build socialist spiritual civilization. Our Party have done something with the moral education, like giving moral criterion to the citizen and publish many books on traditional culture. But also there are some problems in moral education. We wish that from this book we can do something with the moral education of the present age.