Research On Hsun-Tzu’s Ritual Theory

Hsun-Tzu is a representative figure of Confucianism at the end of the Warring States Period.The core of his philosophical thought is "Ritual Theory".Because of his Learning experience of traveling in many countries,He had access to many schools of thought and learned their theories.Moreover,the academic attitude is to reflect on the social reality,so that its theory can serve the real world.As a result,it was the epitome of the thoughts of "Ritual Theory" in the pre-Qin Dynasty.It is helpful to understand the whole thought of Hsun-Tzu and the history of "Ritual Theory" of China.The origin of Hsun-Tzu’s "Ritual Theory" can be traced back to the evolution of the ideological trend of "Morality" and "Rites" since the Western Zhou Dynasty.The authoritative position of "Morality" was gradually lost,and "Rites" replaced "Morality" and became the core of the academic trend of thought in the late Warring States Period.Hsun-Tzu followed this trend,and on the basis of Confucius’ "Ritual",he also adopted Taoism,Legalism and Mohism to enrich the connotation of "Ritual".On the origin of rites,the possibility and necessity of rites are demonstrated by the view of heaven and the theory of human nature.On the view of heaven,he removed the mysterious color of heaven and defined it as the natural heaven to affirm the positive value of man.Although it does not directly benefit the human world,it can be used by others."Heavenly Virtues" is also the object of imitation in the world.The morality formed in this rational process is fundamentally the "noble beginning".Therefore,Hsun-Tzu endowed heaven with formal nobility and regarded it as "the foundation of life".On the theory of human nature,Hsun-Tzu discriminated and analyzed the nature,emotion,desire,heart and practice.Desire as a priori consciousness of thinking will not directly lead to the chaos of reality.It is only through the mind of dominance that chaos and contention can occur.As the master of human beings,the mind has the function of moral cognition.Therefore,the mind can provide the ability to know good and do good deeds in the level of "ought to be".The sage can use the mind and practice time to create rites and righteousness,and ordinary people can also observe rites and righteousness,and the possibility of rites can be clear.However,the mind has the possibility of falling into evil on the actual level,which highlights the necessity of propriety.Under this system,the function of rites directly acts on people,which is the method to maintain people’s physical life and moral life,and the path to realize their ideal personality.Its function also radiates to the society and the country composed of people.The society is different because of the ceremony,and the points are established,then it needs the standard requirements of the ceremony and the guidance of education,in order to achieve the way of living in groups.The country can also be peaceful by the ceremony,the monarch accepted the ceremony to open up the rule of the world.Hsun-Tzu’s rites,however,developed a school of their own by the expression of the theory of rites and music and the theory of rites and laws.It inherits the Confucian tradition,with "music contract" With the "music contract" to adjust the "courtesy",hardness and softness,Ritual and music in order to "Beauty and goodness are in harmony".As the fundamental criterion of society,the lack of authority and compulsion made Hsun-Tzu have to introduce the law into the rite to ensure the effective implementation of the rite.But the dharma always resides in the auxiliary position,serving the rites.Hsun-Tzu’s study of rites has the significance of surpassing times and has a profound influence on later generations.His theory of rites gave consideration to both "internal saintly" and "external king",developed the spirit of intellectual subject in Confucianism,and improved the Confucian system.Scholars of Confucian classics in the Han Dynasty,Neo-Confucianism in the Song and Ming Dynasties,and Qianjia schools in the Qing Dynasty were deeply influenced by Hsun-Tzu.From the political point of view,Hsun-Tzu’s "one world" and the idea of honourism provided the ideological foundation for the establishment of the centralized autocratic state of unification in later generations.