Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s9.t2.12

v1.c7.s9.t2.12

Confucius takes a positive attitude towards life, regarding comprehension of one’s destiny as the important realm. Nevertheless, he is never blindly self-confident and self-righteous, stating “The man of honour holds three things in awe - the mandate of Heaven, people in high position and the words of sages. The petty-minded man, being ignorant of the mandate of Heaven, does not stand in awe of it. He treats people in high position with insolence and the words of the sages with disdain” (The Head of the Jisun Family). His outlook on heavenly mandate pre-determines his attitude of leaving the question open towards ghosts and gods, so to speak, phenomenological reduction. Zilu asked about serving the ghosts and spirits. The Master said, “Why should one worry about serving the ghosts and spirits when he is not even able to serve the living?”, Zilu went on, “May I ask about death?” The Master said, “How can one understand death when he does not even understand life?” (Those Who First Studied). But he pays great attention to worship and sacrificial offering, as it is evident in passage of He had Eight Rows of Dancers that “When the Master offered sacrifices to the dead, he did so as if they were present. The same when he offered sacrifices to the gods”, advocating “respect given to the ghosts and spirits but keeping a distance from them” (Ranyong). Obviously, his altitude is cautious.