The Research On Hu Hong’s Thoughts Of Ritual

Hu Hong attached great importance to self-cultivation and government of the country with ritual,consciously undertook the historical mission of revitalizing Confucianism,and regarded the revitalization of the spirit of rites and music and the reconstruction of social human order as the core orientation of his thoughts of rites,showing a strong concern for the real society and has distinct characteristics of the times.Hu Hong inherited and carried forward the theoretical ideas of Ercheng Luoxue(二程洛学)and his father Hu Anguo,fully excavated the principles of liturgy contained in the process of interpreting the Six Confucian Classics,and tried to integrate the academic pursuit of reviving the Confucian Teachings of the Six Confucian Classics into the political demands of governing the country with rites.Hu Hong also showed the development of the inner sacred way in the Great Learning,Zhongyong,Analects,and Mencius,and at the same time considered the perspective of rites.From a scriptural perspective,Hu Hong’s attack on the Zhou Rites embodies the preservation of the Confucian classics and the spirit of Neo-Confucianism,and carries a profound reflection on Wang Anshi Reform,believing that carrying forward the revenge and the righteousness of the king in the Spring and Autumn Annals is a strong support against Jin’s claims;the concern for the well-field system discussed in Mencius is his insight into the phenomenon of land annexation and heavy taxation in the Southern Song Dynasty;the emphasis on the three cardinal guiding principles and human relations in the Analects is out of consideration for reviving the imperial court discipline the consideration of Buddhism harming human relations.Hu Hong’s interpretation of the Six Confucian Classics and the Four Books fully demonstrates the attention paid to the self-cultivation of rites and the function of governing the country,which is in line with the interpretation orientation of Confucian classics and the study style of the times used by the Song Confucians.In the academic environment of the rise of Neo-Confucianism in Song Dynasty,the construction of Hu Hong’s thoughts of rites is closely related to Neo-Confucianism.Since Confucius interpreted the rite with benevolence,under the influence of the Song Dynasty’s theory of Heavenly Principle,Hu Hong communicated rite and Principle with benevolence.Under the judgment of unkindness and rudeness,Hu Hong absorbed Mencius’s views on benevolence with mind,nature by mind(心以成性),and Zhang Zai’s theory of Knowing the Courtesies and Forming the Characters(知礼成性),and believed that rites come from emotion and are used as stipulate,and under the perspective of separation of nature and emotion,nature action was used as mind and emotion,and the unrighteous mind and unrighteous emotion produced therein needed to be tempered by rite and returned to a state of neutrality.In the process of cultivating the mind with respect(敬),to achieve the pursuit of righteousness for profit,to realize the understanding of benevolence,and then to achieve the grasping and practice of rite,in this process,Heavenly Principle is the highest code of conduct.It is precisely based on his adherence to Heavenly Principle that Hu Hong’s criticism of the ritual of the tomb sacrifice reflects his consideration of the relationship between emotion and Principle and rite.Hu Hong’s interpretation path of speaking with the scriptures and saying the rituals with the Principle has always followed the Confucian style of reverence for morality and etiquette,and strives to start from the benevolence and morality according to Heavenly Principle and human nature,and implement his concept of scripture and etiquette into the practice of the concept of benevolence and government that integrates the family and the country and the world.His liturgical thought fully embodied the development and practice of the way of inner sage and external king,and had a certain influence on the liturgical thoughts of Zhang Shi,Chu Hsi,Wang Chuanshan and others.