The Aesthetic Implication Of Zhu Xi's Philosophy

Zhu Xi, as the Maser of Neo-confucian idealist philosophy (LiXue) in Song dynasty, plays a significant role in the inheritance and creative interpretation of Confucius tradition and theory. He synthesizes the ideas of his predecessors into one all-embracing system and therefore enlightens his inferiors in Ming and Qing dynasty。His philosophy, with Principle (Li) as ontology, has a profound and widespread impact on Chinese spiritual world. To some extent, he plays an important part in shaping the Chinese thinking pattern, desire structure, value orientation, discourse custom, self-image and so on. And surely he sheds a light on the people who live with perception. What Zhu Xi yearns for is not only a system composed of moral rules and regulations, as thought by many people. There is no freedom in rigid rules and regulations, therefore it is far from aesthetics. By contrast, what he longs for is the pursuit for "Genuine"(by the light of Nature), "Virtue"(right and proper) and "Beauty"(of one's own free will), which is a natural and pleasant experience. In their self-reflection abiding by Rites and Music(Li-Yue), people can not only feel their own power but experience Harmony and Joy which are within and beyond sensibility and morality while hearing their own voice from deep within and sensing the harmonizaion of Principle and Desire(Li-Yu). What people realize spiritually is not only the transformation from being disciplined by others to self-discipline, but also the continuous elevation from the conscious state(of one's own free will) to unconscious state(even no awareness of one's own will at all) which is so-called Master Confucius'horizon (JingJie), a state occupied and guided by the Supreme Ultimate (TianLi). It is a supreme level of aesthetic joy imaged by Zhu Xi. It removes the separation between Heaven and Human, the difference between above shape and within shape, the Subject-Object Dichotomy and barrier of inside and outside, In such a horizon, which called Oneness of Heaven and Man, people can fully experience the absolute freedom, complete fulfillment and overwhelming joyfulness where people unify with the Heaven and Earth without feeling any ill feelings and deficiency.The dissertation is divided into four parts:The first part is an exploration of Zhu Xi's theory of Heaven and Man. The Honesty(Cheng) of Heaven and Man is the ontological base of aesthetic horizon. Zhu Xi thinks that Heaven is the Principle (Li) as well as the Ether(Qi). The Principle (Li) precedes the Ether(Qi) while the Ether(Qi) is the embodiment of the Principle (Li).The Heaven as the Principle (Li) is metaphysical, the above shape and before shape in general sense. It is shapeless and invisible ontology of supreme size. The Heaven as the Ether(Qi) is physical, the within shape and after shape in general sense. It is shaped and sensible. It is the flowing and ceaseless world, the nature in cosmological sense. Zhu Xi's theory of Heaven and Man is not only ideal but also animate. The Heaven has evoking and intentional connotation because of the Principle (Li). It is sensible, vigorous and emotional because of the Ether(Qi).The Heaven in Zhu Xi's vision is not just an abstract argumentation or a level of Mass of material. It is like the moon reflecting itself in ten thousand streams and therefore is aesthetic. What is more explorable is the relation between Heaven and Man. Generally speaking, Zhu Xi advocates the unity of Heaven and Man. But he inherits Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi's theory, which holds that Heaven and Man are within an indiscrete unity, so it's not necessary to try to integrate them. So-called "unity" entails dichotomy or opposites. But as the Supreme Ultimate, Heaven is absolute and peerless and Man is not the opposite of Heaven but a part of the world contained in Heaven and Earth. The greatest unity between Heaven and Man is "Honesty", and Man is a result of Heaven. Heaven and Man are within an indiscrete unity, resulting in tacit understanding and mutual communication to the utmost extent. Tacit understanding allows room for aesthetics and poetic understanding. The utmost thinking enables people to play their intuitive potential to the full. The intimate communication between Heaven and Man brings people unparalleled psychological pleasure and aesthetic enjoymentThe second part deals with Zhu Xi's existential theory, which is Horizon theory in the narrow sense. The attention to the life, the respect and fear of Heaven and optimistic mood is the basis for the sense of value in Chinese people's existence. Zhu Xi regards that although the Principle of Heaven is the ultimate basis of the human's Way(Tao), people bestowed with unique advantages have their own transcendency. To live in this world, people should undertake something but not ask for anything, and try their best to accomplish their mission in order to fully realize their potential, in other words, to stay on the extreme perfection. Animals don't have a "world", but humans own a "world" thanks to their brilliant gift and enlightenment. Everything in this world is not connected in an accidental, indifferent, separate and external way, and push people to strive for a higher state. The core for the Way of Honesty and Enlightenment is to arouse people's attention to their inner reflection, to keep people aware of their subjectivity. The way manifest a masculine sublime Style and Features(QiXiang) in moral integrity and art. Zhu Xi also holds that people should have a sense of fear, which comes from people's own life demand. However, he puts more emphasis on the optimism. The root for such an optimism is due to Oneness of Man and the Way(Tao). People don't worry and don't fear with such a philosophy, but it is not superficial optimism but is built upon a profound worry. Therefore, optimism and worry don't contradict each other any more. Zhu Xi is broad-minded to regarding life and death because human life exists in harmony with the Principle of Heaven. The Heaven bestows people their gift and talent and the Principle of Heaven is carried forward because of man. The way of Heaven(TianTao) becomes the real road because of man's walking. The accidental existence of individual gets settled in temporality. By adherence to a temporal life world, people find their contented residence, a poetic perch in aesthetic transcendence.The third part is a discussion of Zhu Xi's theory of Principle and Desire(Li-Yu). The balancing between Principle and Desire or Ration and Emotion theoretically constructs a spiritual level of aesthetic horizon. Zhu Xi's attitude towards emotion and desire is not as strict and harsh as in general view. What he guards against is the improper and devious emotion and desire. He doesn't think that the Principle of Heaven and human desire or emotion are contradictory. The advance and retreat between the Principle of Heaven and human desire are filled with the beauty of tension. Zhu Xi's confirmation of the natural and reasonable emotion indicates his acknowledgement of legitimacy of desire and emotion. To enable the harmonization of the Principle and desire, one should eliminate lust to purify one's heart, thus calming down from being impulsive. With the harmonization of the Principle and desire, the Principle permeated by emotion, besides being the basis of individual existence, contains the rules and order for the community existence. What's more important is such a Principle becomes conscious (of one's own free will) or even subconscious(even no awareness of one's own will at all) part of individual living. On the other hand, desire and emotion develop into a part of human nature and even aesthetic sense with the participation of Principle. Of course, Zhu Xi does not think such a development happens casually. On the contrary, it is derived through a process from vigorous self-descipline to unconcious effort.The fourth part explores Zhu Xi's theory of Rites and Music (Li-Yue). The harmony and joy of Rites and Music is a realization of aesthetics at social and life level. Zhu Xi holds that Rites and Music as regulations and criteria are not only an approach to form order and harmony between exterior and interior, but also an end in themselves. They are the fulfillment in a free horizon. In Zhu Xi's Neo-confucian idealist philosophy, Rites and Music are the integration of empirical and transcendency. In a more genuine sense, they are the impression of the Supreme Ultimate(TianLi) and show the Supreme Ultimate to the secular world. Rites and Music are the coincidence of spirit and form. Their symbols are not meaningless and self-sufficient but lead to an enormous and common spiritual world or culture—the psychological structure that is beyond the realization of individual. The forms of Rites and Music are almost the archetype of life and spirit. The regulation of emotion and desire by Rites and Music is also realized in a refined way, which is negative as well as positive. It grants and helps achievement while defines and restricts. This dissertation holds that in Zhu Xi's theory of Rites and Music, Rites emphasizes being natural to the same extent as Music's introduction of total willingness. Abundant aesthetic implications are manifest in the pure freedom and joyfulness.The dissertation trys to follow the approach of Zhu Xi's idealist philosophy as far as possible without straining to examine the Others'reference frame. All the opinions concerning aesthetics or aesthetic implication are grown out of the texture of Zhu Xi's coherent thoughts and context of his whole writings. The scale of aesthetic concept gets magnified and expanded in the sense of Philosophy of Life and Mind.