Early Confucian "for Oneself" Textual

The study of self-cultivation is generated from the Master's saying in The Analects of Confucius, "In ancient times men learned for the sake of self-improvement; nowdays men learn for show." Since time immemorial to now, different scholars have showed their different opinions about the study of self-cultivation. We think self-cultivation means to raise one's moral accomplishment. The study of self-cultivation is the basic connotation of the thoughts of Confucius and forepart Confucianism. It reflects that Confucius rethink the Zhou Dynasty's ceremony civilization.The origin of the thought of self-cultivation may trace back to Yin Zhou period. The thoughts of Yin Zhou period is the foundation of humanism rise during Spring and Autumn period. The rise of humanism during Spring and Autumn period connectted closely with the thoughts of self-cultivation's birth. The people of Yin Dynasty thought too much of the ghosts and gods and despised the ceremony. The people of Zhou Dynasty begin to pay attention to the "Heaven", morals and personal things, which displayed the value of person. This tradition emphasis on the moral and humanity before Confucius made a firmly foundation for the birth of the thought of self-cultivation of Confucius and forepart Confucianism.Confucianism think much of cultivating the personal virtues, however, the aim is not only to cultivate a lot of oracles, but also realize the millennium through these men of honour. Confucius and other Confucianism all attached importance to the kingcraft in the process of conceiving their thoughts. They aimed to explain the ambition and ideal of Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, Wu, Zhou gong; and manage the whole society by cultivating the personal virtues. In the eyes of Confucianism, Heaven, kingcraft and person are linked tightly as a whole, the only way to realize it is the study of self-cultivation.Confucianism think much of the kingcraft, pursuing the ideality of "inner saint and external kingcraft", and the study of self-cultivation is the foundation and approach to achieve the ideality. Confucianism accomplish the process of shaping the ideal personality through digging the inner value of person, and aim to manage society perfectly. The process is the unification of moral cultivation and society management.In terms of human nature, man always incline to goodness, that's the foundation of the self-cultivation thought of Confucianism in this point of view. The study of self-cultivation of Confucius and forepart Confucianism inducts general person to manage one's heart and cultivate moral, self-consummation, self-motion to goodness. The final aim of the study of self-cultivation is kingcraft.In other words, pursuing humanity also is the target of self-cultivation in the thought of Confucianism. Humanity contains several levels. Firstly, the personal moral is requested, namely self-cultivation. Secondly, send one's kindheartedness to outside environment, etc. "Act humanity" is a process of dynamic state, needing the embodiment of behavior. Self-cultivation is the foundation of "act humanity", and "act humanity" is the target of Self-cultivation.We think the study of self-cultivation of Confucius and forepart Confucianism partly has the meaning of self-discipline, and that is the inner spirit of general person. The idiosyncracy of Confucianism is the study of self-cultivation to a certain extent.