Mou Zongsan, one of the main representatives of New Confucianism in twentieth-century China, has presented, under the designation of a moral metaphysics, an ambitious philosophical reconstruction of Confucianism drawing both on Kantian critique and Buddhist scholasticism. I have argued elsewhere that this "philosophized" Confucianism can be understood as a reformulation of the daotong, the traditional view that the correct transmission of the Confucian Way proceeds from a master to his disciples. Unlike what Mou's prominent academic standing, at least in (...) his later years, might suggest, the core of Confucianism in his view is thus transmitted not in public discourse but in an intimate communication... (shrink)

本书是一本关于中国隋唐、明代时期理学研究的书, 内容包括有河东学派的地域渊源、河东学派形成的社会原因和思想渊源等六章.

: What philosophical and historical insights might be gained by juxtaposing and linking two distinct areas of Zhu Xi's comments, those on guishen (conventionally glossed as ghosts or spirits) and those on the transmission and succession of the Way (daotong)? There is considerable evidence that he regarded canonical rites for ancestors and teachers as insufficiently satisfying, and thus he sought enhanced communion with the dead. His statements about spirits and especially his prayers to Confucius' spirit served to enhance his (...) confidence that he had gained the transmission of Confucius' dao and that nothing being passed down to him had been lost. In the rituals and prayers to Confucius, Zhu Xi also projected himself as mediator between his students and Confucius' spirit. After hearing such prayers and participating in the ritual sacrifices, Zhu's students would become more convinced of his special status in the transmission of the Way. This inquiry into these spiritual and philosophical issues ultimately demonstrates the compelling importance of Zhu's practical concerns. (shrink)

This essay takes as it subject Lunyu jindu 論語今讀, Li Zehou’s “translation” from classical into modern Chinese of one of the Four Books, a classic that long-standing tradition claims was generated within the immediate circles of Master Confucius himself. Rather than blandly touting the inherent superiority of whichever brands of Chinese or Confucian “tradition” currently meet the approval of leading PRC figures in establishment politics, academia, and the media—old Daotong 道統 truisms retrofitted for nationalistic purposes 1—Li wants to deconstruct (...) “tradition”. He wants to return our attention to aspects of... (shrink)

This essay presents and examines the book Returning to Zhu Xi: Emerging Patterns within the Supreme Polarity edited by David Jones and Jinli He. I argue that the contributions introduce new conclusions of the investigations on Zhu Xi’s thought, made during the last 30 years, thus continuing the previous scholarly dialogue initiated by Wing-tsit Chan. I then examine the new translations of Zhu Xi’s main terms proposed in this volume, as well as the topics proposed by the contributors. I conclude (...) by analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the writers’ arguments. (shrink)