| Hu Hongren’s doctrine of benevolence contains profound contents,There are three main aspects.Firstly,in his doctrine,he did not discuss “benevolence” directly through the “realm”;instead,he explained “benevolence” by using “the mind of universe”.in his doctrine,“benevolence” is a spiritual realm that believes “human could be human after learning to appreciate the universe”;however,in his doctrine.Hu’s explanation of benevolence by using “the mind of universe”was not exactly the same to “the mind of universe” by Dong Zhongshu,for the former put more emphasis on the connotation that “I co-exist with the universe” while the latter put more emphasis on the connotation that “the universe and human are complementary to each other”.In order to further expound his opinions,Hu then discussed benevolence by using “the Taoism of the heart” whose significance was to highlight the “life and vitality” of benevolence and emphasized that “benevolence” was the expression of“mind nature” in its course of prevalence.He also proposed that the “life and vitality”of benevolence could only be manifested when it drew support from the “heart” of the subject spirit,which laid a realistic foundation for the moral behaviors of the subject.It was more specific and distinct compared with Confucianists in the Northern Song Dynasty(A.D.960—1127)who explained benevolence by using “life and vitality”.Secondly,in Hu’s doctrine,the key to “identify benevolence” is to be devoted(to do things with all one’s heart).For better interpretation,Hu made specific discussions from two aspects including “observing knowledge and cultivating breeding” and“perceiving truths and holding reverence”,The aim is to show more clearly,how he identifies “benevolence” in his doctrine.Thirdly,owing to the social status and background at that time,plus the characteristics of Hu’s benevolence thought itself,Hu put more emphasis on combining his own doctrine of benevolence with social orders and political practices in reality and made considerable thinking in this aspect.For example,he suggested that the country should restore the "square-fields system",feudalism,and the "recommendation system".What’s more,he also advocated policies of the "giving support to people and showing solicitude for people," and "prudent use of penalties".It can be seen that on the basis of inheriting the predecessors,Hu Hongren’s doctrine of benevolence has a strong concern for reality and a very distinctive ideological feature. |
