A Study Of The Sacrificial Rites Thought In The Book Of Rites

The Book of Rites,one of the "Five Classics" of Confucianism,was compiled by ritualists in the Western Han Dynasty,and is an influential Confucian text that focuses on the spirit of ritual and righteousness embedded in the specific rituals of the pre-Qin Dynasty.The Book of Rites covers many aspects of ancient Chinese political systems,rituals and education,and social life,and contains profound political,educational,and philosophical ideas.Since Zheng Xuan wrote his commentary on the Book of Rites in the Eastern Han Dynasty,its status has grown,and it eventually became the first of the "Three Rites" in the capacity of a scripture.Rituals are a very important part of the Book of Rites,also known as the auspicious rites,and are at the top of the Five Rites.Rituals are an important humanistic activity with political,life and other edifying meanings.The Book of Rites summarizes the rituals as "three sacrifices" : to heaven and earth,to the ancestors and to the sages.The ancients had a variety of perspectives on rituals,whether it was to pray for good fortune or to avoid calamity,behind which lay a reverence for heaven and earth,the ancestors and the sages.In addition,the rituals also vigorously promote the spirit of filial piety and the idea of edification,and explore the issue of ultimate human care in a deep-rooted value concept.This paper begins with the origins of rituals and explores the process of rituals from the initial sorcery activities to the rationalization and eventual development of rituals.Secondly,this paper elaborates on the idea of paying tribute with all one’s heart contained in the Rituals of the Book of Rites.Again,this paper discusses the edifying function of rituals to achieve harmony,concord and peace through ritual and music edification.Therefore,at the political level,those who are responsible for the political state educate the people through virtue and propriety in order to strengthen the norms of human morality and thus maintain social order.Finally,the paper explains the idea of "three sacrifices" in the Book of Rites.The spiritual principle of the three rituals is "repaying the root and reversing the beginning".Sacrifice to heaven and earth,giving thanks for the virtue of birth of all things in heaven and earth.Ancestral sacrifices are made to give thanks for the fertility of the ancestral parents.Sacrifice to the sages and give thanks for the virtue of their teachers and instructors.Through rituals,people’s emotions are expressed,their spirits are elevated,the way of human morality is kept,and the purpose of ruling the country and leveling the world can be realized.This is the fundamental reason for the emphasis on rituals in the Book of Rites and the promotion and importance of rituals in later times.