Research On Sacrificial Rituals In The Book Of Rite

The Book of Rites is a collection of the articles on rites by Confucius disciples from the late Spring and Autumn period to the Warring States,contains rich content of sacrificial rites.There is the content of the "Ji" of the Yi Li,its function is to supplement the sacrifice which is not in the Yi Li and explain the meaning of the sacrificial rites.There are also Confucian scholars who can be regarded as scholars of ritual studies expounding the sacrificial theory and analyzing the significance of sacrificial rites,whose function is to answer why sacrifice is possible and necessary.It is these two aspects that make the sacrificial content in the Book of Rites become an important material for examining and identifying the pre-Qin sacrificial rites and exploring the Confucian sacrificial thoughts.Thus,the Book of Rites also shows us the connotation of the sacrificial rites involving philosophy,religion and so on.From the current research situation,the previous research mainly focused on the introduction of the thought and value of the sacrificial rites or the research of the sacrificial rites in combination with archaeological materials,but less on understanding the rationality and importance of sacrificial rites.On the basis of previous research results,this paper takes the Book of Rites as the text basis,focuses on the chapters of Jiyi and Jitong,summarizes the system of sacrifice in the Book of Rites,and understands each sacrificial rites,and analyzes the interpretation of the rationality and importance of sacrificial rites by pre-Qin Confucians.At the same time,we also try to explore the function of the sacrificial concept in the Book of Rites in promoting civilized sacrifice.The first chapter aims to clarify the content of sacrificial rites in the Book of Rites.It discusses the status of literature on sacrificial rites in the Book of Rites and the relationship between them and other literature.It also sorted out the contents of sacrificial rites in each chapter of the Book of Rites,and thus determined the research direction focusing on the texts of Jiyi and so on.The second chapter aims at briefly summarizing the system of sacrifice in the Book of Rites,specifically sorting out the sacrificial rites presented in the Book of Rites by taking the object of sacrifice as the dividing standard,and explaining the key rites of worship the gods of heaven,land and ancestors.The third chapter discusses the reasonableness of sacrificial rites in the Book of Rites from three levels:philosophical argumentation,ghost and spirit view and humanistic values.This chapter points out that the text of Liyun and other texts define the role of human and god based on the natural cosmology constructed by Yin-yang and five elements,and explains the formulation of sacrificial rites from the perspective of observing the laws of the universe.On the basis of the heavenly tao of moral principle,the chapter of Zhongyong demonstrates the necessity of sacrificial rites from the theory of Kungfu.On the object of sacrifice,the Book of Rites argue the existence of the sacrificial objects by the concept of immortality of soul and the uncertainty of ghosts,thus provides proof for the possibility and how to perform sacrifices.It also explains the value of ghosts and gods by introducing their ability to give good fortune or evil and the concept of human being inferior to gods,so showing the ancient people’s sacrifice motive.The concepts presented in the Book of Rites,such as "sacrifice as the foundation of strategy of education","Bao Ben Fan Shi" and "treating death as if they exist",also play a role in safeguarding sacrifice.The fourth chapter mainly discusses the ancient and modern significance of sacrificial rites.This chapter summarizes the sacrificial rites meanings expressed in the Book of Rites into four categories:the first is the ecological significance of respecting creatures,the second is the ethical and political significance of regulate the family and the state,the third is the significance of educating people to become virtuous,and the fourth is the religious significance of strengthening the belief in worshiping heaven and respecting ancestors.In addition,this paper holds that the connotation of the sacrificial rites,such as sincerity as the core,respect for the value of life and respect for customs,still have the value of promoting civilized sacrifice.