The Research On Zhu Xi's Thought Of The Ritual

With the determination to retrieve the social order of human relations, Chu Hsi studied further and developed the thoughts about ritual study and ritual education of Confucius when the country was undergoing internal revolt and foreign invasion as well as the prevalence of Buddhism and Taoism in Southern Song Dynasty.Chu Hsi's thought about rites has exerted great impact towards China and East Asia during the period of Song and Yuan dynasties. Being the inheritance and criticizm on the thought of rites in Song Dynasty, Chu Hsi's thought of the ritual reflected his participation in the political and social life, and was closely related to the group efforts of the intellectuals of Southern Song Dynasty, distinctly bearing the sign of the times and individualtity.Taking Yi Li as the principal scripture,Chu Hsi's thought of the ritual testified and emphasized meaning, highlighting the principle of'right practice for the right time'. Apart from Chu Hsi's practice of the thought of the ritual, all these characteristics were also demonstrated during the course of controversy, debate, criticizing, and absorption between Chu Hsi and other schools. Chu Hsi's thought of the ritual fully showed the double function of the ritual which was both idealistic and practical. The features of Chu Hsi's thought of the ritual decided our research approach and the way of interpretation. It is the innovative point and distinct characteristic of this dissertation to make a research from various aspects on Chu Hsi's thought of the ritual as well as its development by finely combining the thinking, social and political aspects. Directly aiming at the New Learning of Wang Anshi, the thought of Chu Hsi's Rites of Zhou Dynnasty matured during the intercommunication, contention and critizing with the Hu-Xiang School, the Yong-Jia School and the Wu School, and at the same time it was influenced and ristricted by such concrete systematic practice as advocating Jing-jie and establishing She-cang proposed by Chu Hsi.As to Family Rituals, Wang Mao-hong concluded Chu Hsi's Family Rituals as pseudograph under the influence of'venerating Chu Hsi and checking Lu Jiu-yuan'in Qing Dynasty and the trend of ritual study research emphasizing the proving process. In fact, Chu Hsi's Family Rituals was firstly established based on his verification and revision on sacrifice rites. Chu His had held a discussion with related scholars in terms of cappings, weddings, funerals and ancestral rites. Foregrounding the status of ancestral temple, Chu Hsi's Family Rituals reestablished daily rituals centering on clan system. Chu Hsi's Family Rituals was an unfinalized version'edited at a specific period, reflecting the major concerns of Chu Hsi's ritual study in a certain time. Chu Hsi composed Yi Li Jing Zhuan Tong Jie out of both academic and politic reasons. From the characteristics of Yi Li Jing Zhuan Tong Jie, one may find that it is not a book on examining rituals or discussing rituals; it does not intend to make people practise the ancient rituals, but make people understand rituals; the goal of Yi Li Jing Zhuan Tong Jie lies in bringing peace and stability to the country via properly placing the cultivation and meaning. Yi Li Jing Zhuan Tong Jie was Chu Hsi's life-long conclusion and demonstration about the ritual study, and it was also Chu Hsi's perception of the challenging criticism from Yong-jia school and Yong-kang school. Centering on the understangding and interpretation of the connotations of ritual studies, Chu Hsi's Book of Rites inherited the essence of thought on ritual-principle relationship contributed by all the scholars of Northern Song Dynasty, and basing on the criticism about the thought of Cheng Brothers, framed a ritual-principle reinforcing system. Emphasizing the cultivation of the humanity, and advocating the engagement in seriousness and self-restraint, Chu Hsi elaborated the practice of rituals from the perspective of the cultivation. He discussed the extension of knowledge through the investigation of things from the relationship of the elementary learning and the great learning and probed into the realization as well as the reflection of the connotations of ritual studies.Besides the thoughts of Yi Li, Chu Hsi's Family Rituals, The Book of Rites, Chu Hsi's thought of sacrifice and its practice was also an attention-getter. Chu Hsi addressed the relation of ghosts and spirits from the aspect of meaning. The formulation of his orthodoxy of the way and the development of'Sacrifice the Supreme Sage and the Foremost Teacher'witnessed the interaction between Chu Hsi's academic thought , mind concept and the practice of concrete rituals. Chu Hsi's comment on moving the temple not only reflected the arguments between different schools as well as the trade-off between academic and political forces, but also reflected the characteristics and shortcomings of Chu Hsi's thought, besides, it had an immediate impact towards his composing Yi Li Jing Zhuan Tong Jie. In conclusion, Chu Hsi's thought of the ritual was the projection of social economy, political background and academic development, and was also the positive response to social reality.