A Philosophic Study On The Original Confucian Cultivation Tradition Of The Canon Of Ode

The original Confucian cultivation tradition of the Canon of Ode is to be recognized as a kind of practical system of instructing institutional ethical-political values and paragons which in the past 2000 years are continually elucidated,demonstrated and invoked in the orthodox exegesis of the Canon of Ode,even of the whole five Confucian Canons.Generally considered,the tradition of the Canon of Ode is an essential part of the whole Confucian cultivation tradition,which could be theoretically elucidated as an unity of the Order of History and the History of Order.The Order is represented as a form of hierachical ethical-political norms,the essential commitment of which is based on the recognition of the highest authority of Tian.The History,relevantly to the Order,is to be narrated as a serial ethical-political practices of abiding and maintaining the highest authority's effects on the world in different time and different social situations.In Confucian tradition,the perfect paragon of this unity of History and Order is presented by the regime of the Sage Sovereign,on which the foundation of the most important model of the operation of the Canon of Ode was preliminarily but also essentially settled.With the help of Kant's critical philosophy,that is to say,in comparing with the source of Kantian theory,the pure form of practice of the Confucian unity of Order and History could be elucidated as an order of human nature,constitution of which is based on the faculty of human supersensible nature and the faculty of sensible nature,and on the absolute superiority of the former in practical use of both sides.The practical form of the cultivation of the Canon of Ode,or the Confucian Ode cultivation,which surely conforms to the pure form of the order of human nature,has its particularity in Confucian cultivation tradition.Specifically speaking,Confucian Ode cultivation has two constitutive dimensions of its operation in ethical-political practice territory.First,the Canon of Ode as practical doctrine got its origin and fundamental orthodoxy in the period of the Reign of Sacred Kings such as Yao and Shun,that is"Ode is the practical presentation of ethical-political order".At the same time,Ode cultivation is an effective public way of uniting and organizing members of the governing class,the will of which demonstrated in Ode is also the essence of social discipline and law.Second,the Canon of Ode as the most important canon of Ode cultivation has four basic tenets,which are elucidated by Confucius and Confucian school.First of all,The governing class has the duty of maintaining and reconstructing ethical-political order,the practice of which is the source of all Odes.The governing members should follow the rule "Behave yourself in accordance with the position you have taken,respect your superiors,take good care of the people you are governing".The Canon Of Ode has a particular end and logic as a kind of history narrative,which represent a way of rising of new Sacred Kings,and the perfect state of reigning in the future.At last,understanding the Canon of Ode as Canon is the essential commitment in elucidating and interpreting the Ode cultivation in the culture and tradition which give the Canon,the Odes and the cultivation a real life.In modern social and academic discourse,Confucian Ode cultivation tradition is in front of tremendous pressure of transforming from its classic state to a state called enlightened.For preventing this tradition be resolved by heterogeneous cultures and traditions,we should reknowing the meaning of Confucian Ode cultivation as our own culture memory,which has its lineage in Chinese aboriginal culture and nation in last 3000 years.Based on this knowing,we could theorize the doctrine in this cultivation tradition,and in this way continuing the cultural and academic function of the Canon of Ode and its cultivation,even to present a new scheme of Confucian practice in modern society.