Study On View Of Life And Death In Guodian Confucian Bamboo Slips

Based on the Confucian works of the Bamboo slips of Chu tomb in Guodian, this article discusses the view of life and death. The full text is divided into seven parts:ChapterⅠdiscriminats Confucian works from Guodian Chu Bamboo slips. Guodian Chu Bamboo slips have 18 works. These works are not belonged to one single school. Determining these Confucian works is the foundation of next research. There are 10 Confucian works in Guodian Chu Bamboo slips: Zhi Yi, LumuGong Wen ZiSi, QiongDa YiShi, Wu Xing, ChengZhi WenZhi, Zun Deyi, Liu De, Yuncong Yi, Yucong Er, Yucong San. In addition, TangYu ZhiDao, ZhongXin ZhiDao, XingZi MingChu relate closely to the Confucianist.ChapterⅡfocuses on the essence of life (human nature). On human nature's origin, Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips realize that the human nature stems from life. And life stems from the heaven, so the human nature stems from the heaven. On human nature's attributes and contents, Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips realize that the human nature displays one kind of emotions and desires, such as pleasure, anger, sorrow, sadness and desire. The human nature also displays one kind of moral characters such as benevolence and filial. The two attributes of human nature are linked clsely. The moral characters stem from person's emotion. The human nature is identical, dynamic and variable. The identity refers to human have originally the same or similar nature. The human nature can be cultivated by'Xi'. Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips'judgment on human nature's good and evil is not mature, which has not formed the explicit value judgment. Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips have laid the foundation for the theory of human nature's further development.ChapterⅢfocuses on the value of life. Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips regard moral characters as human's life value, such as benevolence, righteousness, ceremony and wisdom. The benevolence mainly performances loving people and filial. The righteousness mainly performances the moral excellence, respecting the talented person and one kind of rulers between the ministers and his Officials. The ceremony mainly performances one external behavior standards and the respectful behavior. The wisdom mainly performances the understanding of a worthy person and one kind of conducts that the husband should have. The sage is the highest boundary of Confucianist's value pursuing. The sage should have moral characters such as benevolence and righteousness. The sage should also have noble personal characters and the ability of knowing'Dao'. Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips both present the thought of tendency which the sage cannot be imitated and to present the tendency which the sage can be imitated. This reflects the transitional characteristic on the sage. Sorrow and happy are premises of life value's realization, without them people cannot get the moral characters. Sorrow is the misery which comes from the heart. Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips point out that human must have the sense of hardship. Happiness is the innersent joy of humanbeing. Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips point out that happiness can be obtained in the morals fulfilling.ChapterⅣfocuses on the destiny. The relations of heaven and human are premises of understanding the destiny. The relations of heaven and human include'Tian Ren He Yi'and'Tian Ren You Fen'.'Tian Ren He Yi'performances that life and moral character stems from the heaven.'Tian Ren You Fen'refers that the heaven and hunman have their own respective work. Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips reliaze that the destiny dominates person's life and death. Destiny has three manifestations:'Yu','Shi'(时) and'Shi'(世). Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips reliaze that grasps the destiny should have'ZhiDao','ZhiBo'and'ZhiRen'.'ZhiDao'referrs to understanding of'TianDao'and'RenDao'.'RenDao'is the most important to hunmanbeing.'ZhiBo'referrs to knowing more moral characters.'ZhiRen'referrs that the humanbeing should have moral characters. Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips propose fulfilling from the understanding the destiny to gaining moral characters.ChapterⅤfocuses on preserving one's health. Respecting and careing for the lives is the kay to keep good health. Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips reliaze that the life is precious. They do not agree abusesing slaughters and penalties. Slaughters and penalties shoud be implemented under'Dao'. Showing love to lives should maintain populace's basic survival requirement too. On keeping in good health methods, Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips maintenance hunman's'XueQi', which can lengthen the life and avoid the premature death. Human's vitality and vigor are related closely to'XueQi'. When old man's vitality is weaked, he try to preserve his health. Preserving one's health not only includes the bodily stratification plane but also includes psychologcal and social stratification plane. This mainly manifests in the spiritual cultivation. Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips referr to by moral characters and music can keep spiritual cultivation. Not only the spiritual cultivation may create the innermost virtue but also reduce the desire which injures lives.ChapterⅥfocuses on death. Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips take seriously to death, which can be confirmed by funeral rite. Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips realize that the rulers govern the populace by the moral character, and the populac will not fear of death. On death value orientation, Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips realize that most people's death orientation is by'the advantage'primarily, others prefer to righteousness and loyalty. Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips approve of the latter. Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips realize that'righteousness'and'loyalty'are precious, which cannot be get rid of until death. Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips do not concerned the ghost. There are no'ghosts'in this article. Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips realize that there are three ways to keep good reputation for the later generation, such as'Li De','Li Gong'and fulfilling the moral characters.ChapterⅦbaces on the view of life and death, discusses the Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips'status in early Confucianism developing process. Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips are the middle links from Conufcius to Mencius and Xun Zi, which can be seen by the following four aspects: First, Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips have profound cognition to the life essence; Second, Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips have correct assurance to the destiny; Third, Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips inherit and perfect the tradition of keeping in good health. Fourth, Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips keep rational understanding to death. These aspects reflect Guodian Confucian Bamboo slips'important position in the early Confucianism developing process, which has laid the solid foundation for the Confucianism further development.