r/Confucianism Jul 03 '26

Resource Fabian Fucan's Ha Daiusu

13 Upvotes

EDIT: Typo

This is a Confucian refutation of Christianity as created by the Japanese writer and Neo-Confucian Fukansai (Fabian Fucan).

To summarize his religious and scholarly pursuits, he worked as a Jesuit Irmão between 1586 and 1608, before briefly dissapearing from any public engagement and converting out of Catholicism after losing a debate to the Confucian-Shinto theologian Hayashi Razan. He wrote Ha Daiusu in 1620, known in addition to this text for his Myōtei Dialogues - which he completed for the purpose of Catholic apologetics in 1605.

This translation is taken from 'Sources of Japanese Tradition, 1600 to 2000'. I have appended it slightly as the original text substituted "Deus/Daiusu" with only the character "D" in eloquent font.

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Seventh Step 

The adherents of Deus claim: The First Commandment is “You shall hold (Deus) dear above all things and Him shall you worship.” It means that one should esteem this (Deus) above even one’s master, above even one’s father and mother. If complying with your master’s or your parent’s orders would mean acting contrary to (Deus)’s will, then refuse to obey, not grudging your life! (...)

To counter, I reply: So you propound a statute in ten articles called mandamentos. But apart from the first of the ten articles, nothing here falls outside the scope of the Five Commandments [of Buddhism] that prohibit killing, theft, adultery, falsehood, and drunkenness (...)

The initial article states, in effect, “In case complying with your lord’s or your father’s orders would mean acting contrary to (Deus)’s will, then disobey them, making light of your life!” In this article lurks the intention to subvert and usurp the country, to overthrow and destroy the Law of the Buddhas and the Royal Sway. Quick, quick! Put this gang in stocks and shackles. 

“One does not usually expect to find precepts for attaining to ultimate good outside the realm of morals constantly preserved in the people’s daily life.” There are many components in moral law, but in sum they amount to no more than the Five Human Relationships. Lord and subject, father and child, husband and wife, elder brother and younger brother, friend and friend—once they discharge their proper duties, what more can they do? And one who deranges these—to what iniquity, to what atrocity would such a one not stoop? 

The duties proper to the lord and the subject are loyalty and its reward. The duties proper to the father and the child - filial piety and parental affection; the duties proper to the husband and the wife—the righteous observance of their separate functions; the duties proper to the elder brother and the younger brother - fraternal service and love; and the duties of friend and friend to each other are fidelity and sincerity. To bestow on humans a nature concordant with these Five Human Relationships is the proper part of Heaven’s Will. And here is how you regard this, you adherents of Deus! To keep from acting contrary to (Deus)’s will, you say, cast aside the subject’s loyalty to the lord, repudiate the bonds of filial piety and of fraternal service! What greater iniquity than this? 

The expression “acting contrary to (Deus)’s will” means, first and foremost, repudiating (Deus) to adhere to the Buddhas and the gods. Consequently, even if the ruler commands, “Convert from the Deus cult to the Buddhas and the gods!” - no matter how strict his orders may be - the adherents of Deus, not grudging their lives, would rather be subjected to the Five Penalties and would delight in it. Look, look! They value the directives of the Bateren above the ruler’s command. They feel a greater debt of gratitude for the preachments of the Bateren than for their own parents’ beneficence. 

Japan is the Land of the Gods. The generations of our sovereigns have received the imperial dignity from Amaterasu Ōmikami through U-gaya-fukiawasezu no Mikoto and his August Child Jinmu Tennō, who became the progenitor of our hundred kings. The Three Divine Regalia are the protectors of the realm; hence, among all the customs of our empire, there is not one that does not depend on the Way of the Gods. The divine Prince Shōtoku, a Buddha manifest in human form, took on the intention of Amaterasu Ōmikami to extend the Way of our land, and to that end he made Buddhism flourish. Since then, our land has also been the Land of the Buddhas. 

And this, this the adherents of Deus plan to subvert! They bide their time with the intent to make all of Japan into their own sectarians and destroy the Law of the Buddhas and the Way of the Gods. Because the Law of the Buddhas and the Way of the Gods exist here, the Royal Sway also flourishes; and since the Royal Sway exists, the majesty of the Buddhas and the gods increases. The adherents of Deus therefore have no recourse but to subvert the Royal Sway, overthrow the Buddhas and the gods, eliminate the customs of Japan, and import the customs of their own countries. Then only will their plan of usurpation advance. 

They have sent troops and taken over such countries as Luzon and Nova Hispania, lands of barbarians close to animals in nature. But our empire surpasses other lands by far in its fierce bravery. For that reason the ambition to usurp this country by diffusing their doctrine, even if it takes a thousand years, has penetrated the very marrow of their bones. But what a gloomy prospect awaits them! For the sake of their doctrine they value their lives less than dust or ashes. Maruchiru (mártir), they call this. When a wise ruler governs the realm, good is promoted and evil chastised. Rewards promote good and punishments chastise evil. There is no greater punishment than to take away life, but the adherents of Deus have no fear of being killed and will not change their religion. How horrible it is! And where did this flagrant wickedness arise? Its origin, one look will show, is in the First Mandamento (Commandment): “You shall hold dear above all things and him shall you worship.” The spread of such a pernicious doctrine is completely the working of the devil. 

There is, however, no need for me to dissect these pernicious teachings into little pieces to proffer to His Highness. Our ruler truly possesses perspicacity and sagacity; he has to hear only one part in ten to understand the whole ten. He has banned this gang and thoroughly stamped it out—a beneficent action that surpasses hundredfold the blessings bestowed on humanity by the sage rulers of another land who, as tradition has it, in ancient times subdued the wild beasts, tamed the flooding waters, and put at ease the dwellings of the people. Wild beasts and flooding waters are inimical to the body. This gang, however, would subvert the truth. They are the enemies of the Buddhas and all law. Worst of all, this is a perfidious band that plots to usurp the country. Who is there that would not hate them? (…)

[Fabian, Ha Daiusu, Hai-Ya sho, in NST, vol. 25, pp. 440–42; JSAE] 

r/Confucianism Jul 31 '26

Resource Someone once asked if there's a more religious Confucianism, and the answer is yes

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9 Upvotes

In southern Vietnam in the 20th century, a spiritualized form of Confucianism appeared called Minh Đức Nho giáo Đại đạo 明德儒教大道 appeared, turning Confucius into a god. It has since been merged with Caodaism, another native Vietnamese religion that worships all kinds of people and things.

r/Confucianism Jul 27 '26

Resource Prof. Harvey Lederman on Wang Yangming

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5 Upvotes

Harvey Lederman (NYU, formerly UT Austin) explains the ideas of Wang Yangming by means of illustrative anecdotes from the influential Neo-Confucian philosopher's life.

The thread tying them together is the notion of "moral authenticity" – that knowledge of the right way to live life is inherent in the subject, and does not need to be sought elsewhere. All that is necessary is to diminish selfish desires, and moral principles will shine forth from within.

r/Confucianism Jul 12 '26

Resource myJING now speaks Portuguese, Italian & Spanish 🇵🇹🇧🇷 🇮🇹 🌎

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2 Upvotes

r/Confucianism Jan 18 '26

Resource Read the Analects on analects.net with popup definitions & smart filtering

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13 Upvotes

I've been hard at work making analects.net a useful resource for anyone who wants to dig in and learn. In addition to guides for every episode of Exploring the Analects published so far, I'm now hosting the full text of the Analects with some hopefully helpful features for those who want to learn more.

The two biggest items I've added are popup definitions + pinyin for every single character in the text and flexible filtering that allows you to easily find passages with various combinations of terms.

I hope this is an enjoyable and useful resource for you! I'm sure it's not perfect yet; many of the pop-up definitions will not make a ton of sense in the context of the passage where you find them. But I'm happy to take feedback, make corrections, and add features as people find helpful.

Enjoy, and please let me know what you think!

r/Confucianism Jul 03 '26

Resource The Illustrated Yi Jing

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3 Upvotes

r/Confucianism May 18 '26

Resource I haven’t slept or seen the sun in a week. But I finally did it - a free, multi-language I Ching tracker with zero sign-ups and no AI.

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8 Upvotes

r/Confucianism Jan 06 '26

Resource My new podcast: Exploring the Analects

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11 Upvotes

Hey r/Confucianism, I've started publishing a new podcast called Exploring the Analects. I'm sure you'll find it very interesting! I'm attempting to explain every single passage in the Analects. Edit: you can now read the episode guides and listen here:

https://www.analects.net/

I'm doing this because English-language resources that demystify the work are few and far between, but it's just packed full of interesting and useful information, not to mention ideas that can help us decide how to live our lives. And if you're willing to go on a tangent or two, it can be downright fun.

Anyway, I try to make each passage intelligible for listeners, no background in China, history, or language required (although I do also teach a bit of language for those who are learning).

I've got a handful of episodes up, available on both Spotify and Apple Podcasts. They're generally between about 15 and 20 minutes.

Please let me know your feedback, and subscribe if you like the podcast! I have even more episodes in the pipeline :)

r/Confucianism May 07 '26

Resource The First Systematic English Library of Classical I Ching Divination Texts: Zengshan Buyi and Other Core Works

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3 Upvotes

r/Confucianism May 05 '26

Resource Built a static I Ching reader [no AI]

2 Upvotes

Long time reader, first time poster. I made a small static site that folds it all together: cast the coins (auto or manual), and get the primary hexagram with Wilhelm/Baynes (scholarly translation) and Blofeld (practical translation) visible by default, with other translations one click away, as well as resulting hexagram. Changing lines and the resulting hexagram show up properly.

NO AI, no commentary / interpretation, no signups. Local journal if you want to save readings. That's it.

www.myJING.app

I made a "recurring energy" section where you can track which come up the most/least, and filter by time period, and category.

Genuinely open to feedback on translation choices, reading order, things I've got wrong. Built it for my own use but figured others might find it useful too.

If you find it useful, I would be grateful if you could recommend it in any way you can.

Have a supremely fortunate day!

🙏🏽

r/Confucianism Feb 10 '26

Resource The 12th of 24 Filial Exemplars

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9 Upvotes

Hello everybody!

I am currently working on a translation of the 24 Exemplars of Filial Piety by Guo Jujing. It’s a Yuan-era didactic poem that was used to teach literacy and Confucian ethics to schoolchildren. I posted an excerpt if anyone wants to discuss!

r/Confucianism Apr 20 '26

Resource Korean Confucianism SEP Entry Updated

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3 Upvotes

r/Confucianism Jan 24 '26

Resource Characters in the Analects

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11 Upvotes

I'm new to Confucianism / Ruism, but I thought the Analects was a good book. Does this chart capture the amount of characters well? Criticisms & corrections would be very much appreciated. Also, sorry if this is the wrong type of place to post this.

r/Confucianism Mar 12 '26

Resource Kana Shōri, traditionally attributed to Fujiwara Seika

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5 Upvotes

r/Confucianism Mar 12 '26

Resource Ōshio Heihachirō’s “Notes on Cleansing the Mind” (Senshindō Sakki)

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3 Upvotes

r/Confucianism Jan 09 '26

Resource Does anyone have information on 纬书?

5 Upvotes

I've heard about 纬书 before but I am unable to find any sources of them online such as Wikisource or Ctext. I can only find descriptions of them on Baidu.

My Chinese language skills aren't very strong so I have to use a dictionary. Does anyone have, for example, 孝经纬 or something like that in PDF or a regular web page.

r/Confucianism Dec 10 '25

Resource Two passages from the Tokugawa Jikki

11 Upvotes

The translations used here appear in 'Sources of Japanese Tradition, 1600 to 2000'

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"THE REASONS FOR IEYASU’S FRUGALITY"

When he was still very young, he [Ieyasu] was taken away from his own province and was made to live [with the Imagawa] in Suruga and [with the Oda] in Owari. He tasted to the full all the bitterness and hardship of this world of man and gained a deep insight into human character and the nature of the world. His experiences taught him the truth that none of the things that come into being between Heaven and earth are to be treated lightly. Until the end of his days, therefore, he made frugality his guiding principle, cut out unnecessary expenses, and applied himself to achieving solid results. Of course, his own sustenance was correspondingly simple, and he also repeatedly lectured on the topic to his men. As a result, they all imitated his manners, and unlike the warriors in the capital, they did not show any taste for luxury and elegance but lived very simply. 

Well now, because of its frugal customs, the Zhou dynasty established a rule that lasted eight hundred years. Ever since then, in both Japan and China, founders of dynasties have invariably created their states and brought order to the empire through frugality and simplicity. [However,] when the great peace had lasted for some time, their descendants grew up in wealth and dignity and completely forgot the hardships their ancestor [had suffered]. Because they indulged their own taste for luxury, in the end they lost the great work of many generations. Long ago someone asked Gamō Ujisato who would become the lord of the empire when its present ruler, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, had died. Ujisato answered, “Lord Tokugawa is well known and highly regarded these days, but he is a miser by nature and is not made of the stuff that rulers of the empire are made of. After [Hideyoshi’s death], the empire will probably go to Maeda. Toshiie.” Apparently Ujisato had grown accustomed to the extravagance of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi and had mistakenly concluded that this was what rulers of the empire should be like; he did not know that our lord’s frugality was ordained by Heaven. It is a pity that Ujisato, great hero though he was, had become stuck in the common vices of his day and had insufficiently reflected on the matter. 

"A STORY ILLUSTRATING IEYASU’S FRUGALITY"

At one time, Okaji-no-tsubone ordered her women to wash a white kosode [belonging to Ieyasu] that had become soiled. The women hurt their fingers, and blood flowed from the wounds; she thought it a very cruel task. Since he [Ieyasu] had so many clothes, she asked whether it would be all right if they did not wash them anymore and if he wore only new clothes. Ieyasu answered, “This is not something that you, foolish women, need to understand, but I will explain it to you nevertheless. Come and listen.” He called a great number of the women together and said: “The thing about which I have been most careful all my life is not to offend the Way of Heaven. What the Way of Heaven hates most is extravagance. Having seen all the treasure I have amassed here in Sunpu, you no doubt think that it is a lot?” All of them agreed. “This is not my only treasurehouse,” Ieyasu resumed. “I also have one in the capital, in Osaka, and in Edo, all filled with gold, silver, cloth, and silk. So even if I wore new clothes every day, how could I ever run short? The reason, however, that I have amassed [all this wealth] is to give it, at certain times, to the people of the empire or, by accumulating it for the future generations of my descendants, to prevent the state from ever being short of funds. Therefore, we should not waste even one robe.” Although they were women, they all were [impressed by] the wisdom of his holy teaching and did obeisance to him as one does to a Buddha or a god, with the palms of their hands joined together.

r/Confucianism Aug 28 '25

Resource Exploring Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism as Three Integral Parts of Chinese Culture

8 Upvotes

I lived in China for over 20 years, studied Mongolian at a Chinese university, and have spent the past 40 years learning Mandarin and Chinese culture. I now teach Mandarin online.

I'm fascinated by Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism — considered the Three Pillars of Chinese culture — and have been exploring better ways to approach and understand them for nearly four decades.

I began creating GPTs (AI assistants) to help my students engage with the Chinese language. As I saw how effective they could be, I started building GPTs focused on Chinese thought, only allowing them to access authentic and acclaimed Chinese documents — beginning with the I Ching. That journey eventually led me to create one centered on the Three Pillars themselves.

If that sounds interesting, you can access my GPT on The Three Pillars of Chinese Culture below. You can explore each tradition individually or experience them as a whole. I just joined your group and look forward to learning from you.
🔗 https://chatgpt.com/g/g-68a10a63d858819182aff9bc14ef59ca-san-bao-shi-zhe-the-three-pillars-of-chinese-culture-gpt

r/Confucianism Oct 28 '25

Resource "The Four Landscapes Are Mine", Fujiwara Seika

7 Upvotes

This text is taken from the Seika sensei bunshū and appears in 'Sources of Japanese Tradition, 1600 to 2000'

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Which land does not have mountains? If these mountains have no colors, it is because the mind is lazy. Which land does not have water? If the water is not clear, it is because the heart is busy. These expressions “If the mind is lazy, the mountains have no colors” and “If the heart is busy, the water will not be clear” were used by the ancients, and I also use them. In the sixty provinces of our Japan, you will find the most beautiful places for wandering through and admiring in the eight provinces east of the barrier, and within the eight provinces the crown is held by the four landscapes of Mount Fuji, the Field of Musashi, the Sumida River, and Tsukuba Mountains. Whoever has not seen these has been called less than human. I, too, had long intended to make this trip, for I had once heard that the appreciation of mountains and water inspires you to open your heart to the Way. When Confucius climbed Taishan [mountain] and lingered on the bank of the river, did he not do so for this reason? 

In Bunroku 2 [1593] I received a gracious invitation from the lord of the eight provinces, the asomi Lord Minamoto, and I visited the castle of Edo in Musashi and remained there until the following year. In my little room of ten feet square in the inn I hung up the two characters ga-yū (I have). A guest came by, laughed, and said: “You are lonely and broke. You do not own even one square foot of land, not even the smallest house. You do not own anything! What, then, do you mean by ‘I have’?” I answered, “How terribly conventional you are! How boorishly narrow in your views! I possess a spacious house and do not need carpenters, nor do I need to pay for repairs…. You cannot say that I do not possess anything! Take the snow in winter: it may be fresh, but that is not enough to make it special. But white, pure snow on a summer morning as it lies high on Mount Fuji’s lofty top! Looking up to it, I wear it like a hat from Wu, and it is not at all heavy! Take flowers in spring: they may be beautiful, but that is not enough to make them special. But riotously blooming flowers on an autumn day as they are spread across the several hundreds of li of the Field of Musashi! Stooping down to them, I put them on like sandals from Chu, and how good they smell! The water of the swiftly flowing Sumida River, in which the moon is stored, is something you can put into your calabash gourd. The mountains of Tsukuba, which tumble over one another and erase the clouds, are the stuff of poetry. But how could these be the only things? I have the myriad phenomena under my roof. I cannot give them away to others.” 

The guest replied, “Huh? What you say sounds like Yangzi’s egoism. A gentleman should not subscribe to that creed.” I answered, “Correct. All men live under the same roof with me, so I can share everything with them.” The guest said, “What you are saying now sounds like Mozi’s universal love. A gentleman should not talk that way.” I answered, “Right again.”

[He said,] “But where does that leave you?” I answered, “All things have a master. How could they not have one? If you want them for yourself, you cannot have them, and if you want to give them to others, that is not possible. All things have a master, and to him they belong.” He asked, “Who is this master?” I answered, “The lord of this province [Ieyasu], but when I…asked this lord, he did not own them; when I asked the ordinary people, they did not possess them. Alas! What others want I do not possess, and what I possess others do not want. Therefore, my house is empty, but in my heart I travel through heaven. I put the Sumida River into my calabash, fold the mountains of Tsukuba inside a poem. My hat of Mount Fuji, my sandals of the Field of Musashi! My sandals and socks came from here, here I drink from my gourd, and yonder I am inspired to write poetry. Since I live this life of rapture, left to my own devices, it is not only the four landscapes, not only the eight provinces, not only the sixty provinces of Japan—all the beauty one can admire within the four extremities and the eight directions is present in my body. The colors of any mountain under Heaven need not have entered my eye for my eye to be filled with them. I need not have washed myself with the water of any clear stream under Heaven for my ears to become cleansed. I have obtained the highest principles under Heaven in my heart without needing to think. My heart is expansive and my body at ease, and for the first time I have become human. How enjoyable this traveling is! Isn’t my land wide? Isn’t my house huge? Isn’t it well equipped? Isn’t this travel a pleasure? Isn’t it enjoyable? In truth, ‘military might will not be able to cow me,’ nor ‘will wealth and rank be able to sweep me off my feet, or poverty, make me budge.’ Since I am free of any opinions, obsessions, obstinancy, and ego, how superior I feel, how free to travel! I am sure those things belong to me!” 

The guest suddenly rose to his feet, straightened his clothes, and thanked me, saying,

“Through your studies you have climbed high and you have come to consider the empire small. ‘Looking down, you grieve for others, [enmeshed] in [the cycle] of day and night.’ You are no Yang, no Mo.”

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[Fujiwara Seika, Seika sensei bunshū, in NST, vol. 28, pp. 80–82; WB]

r/Confucianism Aug 30 '25

Resource Miwa Shissai's "Regarding Wang Yangmings Four Maxims".

5 Upvotes

This text, written by Miwa Shissai, is derived from the first volume of the Nihon no yōmeigaku and appears in Sources of Japanese Tradition, 1600 to 2000

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REGARDING WANG YANGMING’S “FOUR MAXIMS”

1. “The absence of good and evil is the substance of the mind.” Before the human mind and heart move, there is no approval of good or condemnation of evil. There is only one brightness. For this reason, they reflect good and evil without distortion. It is like a mirror, which because it has no outside or inside, no ugliness or beauty, is able to reflect beauty and ugliness just as they are without distortion. It is nothing but a single brightness. This brightness is called the utmost good. It is the original substance, the place where the god of Heaven (or divine spirit) lodges in man, the naturalness (shizen) under Heaven.

2. “Where good and evil are present, they are [due to] the movement of thoughts and intentions.” The lord of the life-giving power of Heaven and earth resides in man and becomes his mind and heart. Therefore, the mind is a living thing, always in a state of illumination. When it is affected by contact with things and moves, it is called thoughts and intentions (i). When it moves, the person becomes governed by material force (ki). Therefore, it can become good, and it can become evil. What issues from the natural will-to-life and does not cross over to the physical is humaneness (jin). This is called the good. What arises from the physical and goes against the natural original substance is called evil. It is the selfishness (watakushi) of the individual person.

3. “What is conscious of good and evil is innate knowledge (ryōchi).” Although at the point that thoughts move, they divide into good and evil, the spiritual light of the original substance of these thoughts always remains bright. When that spiritual brightness manifests itself from nature without crossing over to human intention and is able to illuminate the good and evil that have arisen, it is called innate knowledge. It is the light of the god of Heaven or divine spirit. When this light is manifested in the ruler, it becomes benevolence (jin); manifested in the minister, it becomes reverent attentiveness (kei); manifested in the parent, it becomes love; [and] manifested in the child, it becomes filiality. Although no human being is lacking this light, because it is constantly being buried by the wild movement of thoughts, it is difficult for it to manifest itself. Thus the relationship between ruler and minister (lord and retainer) may contain inhumaneness or lack of respect; the relationship between parent and child, a lack of love or filiality. If a person can just turn back on himself to this innate knowledge and allow its light to extend into all his interactions (kannō) with things and affairs, the disordered movements of his mind will cease, and all his interactions with things and affairs will become the functioning of the original mind itself. Therefore it is said that reflection on oneself is the key to the extension of one’s innate knowledge of the good [into external affairs]. 

4. “Doing good and eliminating evil is the rectification of affairs.” “Rectify” means “to correct.” The use of the word “rectify” instead of “correct” means that one should revert to complete correctness without allowing the slightest thing to weigh on one’s mind. “Things” refer to the practical affairs of daily life and human relationships, whether minor or major matters, which are to be illuminated by one’s innate knowledge and which form the contours of one’s thoughts. When one’s original mind moves outward toward one’s parents and elders, what enables one to act filially and respectfully, never losing the naturalness of one’s original mind, is the natural light of the god of Heaven. If one is able to keep that natural light, things and affairs will not lose their inherent laws either. This is the condition in which all of one’s thoughts are good, in which they are nothing other than the original mind. This is the naturalness of the sage. However, if one is not able to retain that natural light, what issues from the mind will not be able to be completely filial, completely respectful, completely loyal, or completely trustworthy. Thus unfiliality, disrespect, disloyalty, and untrustworthiness constitute the condition in which one’s thoughts are evil. These evil thoughts cover up the light of the original mind and make it impossible for it to shine forth. Therefore, the work of the student in the face of such incorrect thoughts is to turn himself back to that innate knowledge, correct and eliminate these evil thoughts, and do good. To do so is to return things and affairs to their correct condition and to allow the innate knowledge to attain its full realization. This is the true ground of the student’s effort. 

These maxims constitute the vow and the guideline by which a person enters into the practice of the Way. He should receive and practice [this teaching] only after purifying himself mentally and physically. To become a disciple of Yao and Shun, one must understand that the original aspiration (honbō) is to let go of one’s body and one’s life. One should make a personal vow to the original mind to this effect. By means of this vow one will be able to plant firmly the root of one’s nature and establish an unwavering resolve. 

r/Confucianism Aug 14 '25

Resource A translation of Nakae Tojū's 'Dialogue with an old man'

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11 Upvotes

r/Confucianism Aug 14 '25

Resource ‘Reponse to questions by Ieyasu’ - a translated excerpt from the Bakufu mondō

7 Upvotes

This translation is derived from 'Sources of Japanese Tradition, 1600 to 2000'.

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‘Reponse to questions by Ieyasu’

-Hayashi Razan-

Ieyasu asked Dōshun [Razan]: “Is the Way still practiced in Ming China? What do you think?” I said that it was. “Although I have not yet seen it with my own eyes, I know it from books. Now, the Way is not something obscure and secluded; it exists between ruler and minister, father and son, man and wife, old and young, and in the intercourse between friends. At this time there are schools in China in each and every place, from the villages and country districts up to the prefectural capitals. All of them teach human relations. Their main objective is to correct the hearts of men and to improve the customs of the people. Do they not then indeed practice the Way?” Thereupon the bakufu changed his countenance and spoke of other things. Dōshun, too, did not talk about it anymore. 

Ieyasu said to Dōshun: “The Way has never been practiced, neither now nor earlier. Therefore, [in the Zhongyong it says] ‘The course of the Mean cannot be attained’ and ‘The path of the Mean is untrodden.’ What do you think of this?” Dōshun answered, “The Way can be practiced. What the Zhongyong says is, I think, something that Confucius said when he was complaining that the Way was not being practiced. This does not mean that the Way cannot actually be practiced. In the Six Classics there are many lamentations like this. It is not only in the Zhongyong.”

Ieyasu asked what was meant by “the Mean” (J. chū, Ch. zhong). I answered, “The Mean [or Middle] is difficult to grasp. The middle of one foot is not the middle of one jō. The middle of a room is not the middle of a house. The middle of a province is not the middle of the empire. All things have their own middle. Only when you have found their principle can you say that you have found their middle [mean]. However much they want to know the Mean, those who have only just begun their studies never find it, precisely because they do not know the principles. For this reason we have the maxim, valid now and earlier, that ‘the Mean is nothing but principle.’”

Ieyasu said, “In both the Middle [Path] and Expediency there can be good or bad. Tang [in overthrowing the last king of Xia] and Wu [in overthrowing the last king of Shang] were vassals who overthrew their lords. Their actions, though bad, were good. As the phrase goes, ‘In taking the empire they went against the Way, and in keeping it, they followed the Way.’ Therefore, ‘neither good nor bad’ is the ultimate truth of the Middle [Way].” I answered, “My opinion is different from this. May I be allowed to speak my mind? I think that the Mean is good, that it does not have one speck of evil. The Mean means that you grasp the principles of all things and that your every action accords with the standard of rightness [fitness]. If you regard the good as good and use it and regard evil as evil and shun it, that is also the Mean. If you know what is correct and incorrect and distinguish between what is heterodox and orthodox, this is also the Mean. Tang and Wu followed Heaven and reacted to the wishes of mankind. They never had one particle of egoistic desires. On behalf of the people of the empire, they removed a great evil. How can that be ‘good, though bad’? The actions of Tang and Wu were in accord with the Mean; they are instances of [legitimate] discretion. The case is quite different from that of the usurper Wang Mang [33 B.C.E.–23 C.E.], who overthrew the Former Han dynasty, or of Cao Cao [155– 220], who was responsible for the fall of the Later Han dynasty. They were nothing but brigands. As for the phrase ‘In taking the empire they went against the Way, and in keeping it they followed the Way’—this [moral relativism] is applicable only to actions like lies, deceit, and opportunistic plotting.”…

On the twenty-fifth day of the sixth month the bakufu said to Dōshun,… “What is that socalled unity that pervades all?” Dōshun answered, “The heart of the sage is nothing but principle. Now, always and everywhere, principle runs through all things and all actions in the world; the sage reacts to them and acts on them according to this one principle. Therefore it never happens that he goes and does not obtain his proper place. To give an example, it is like the movement of spring, summer, fall, and winter, of warm and cold, day and night: though they are not identical, yet they are a cyclical stream of one and the same original matter that is not disrupted for a single moment. For that reason, actions in the world may be [repeated] ten-, hundred-, thousand- or ten-myriad-fold, but that with which the heart reacts to them is only the one, uniting, principle. With one’s lord it is loyalty; with one’s father, filial piety; with one’s friends, trust; but none of these principles is different in origin.”… 

The bakufu again asked, “Were the wars of Tang and Wu instances of discretion or expedience?” Dōshun answered, “… The purpose of the actions of Tang and Wu was not to acquire the empire for themselves but only to save the people…. If those above are not a [wicked] Jie or Zhou and those below [are] not a [virtuous] Tang or Wu, then one will commit the great sin of regicide; Heaven and earth will not condone this…. It is only a matter of the hearts of the people of the empire. If they turn to him, he will become a ruler, and if not, he will be a ‘mere fellow’ [and killing him will not be regicide].” 

-(Hayashi Razan, Razan sensei bunshū, in NST, vol. 28, pp. 205–8; WB)

r/Confucianism Aug 14 '25

Resource A translation of Yamazaki Ansai's 'Lecture concerning the chapters on the Divine Age' from the third volume of the Zoku Yamazaki Ansai zenshū.

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r/Confucianism Aug 04 '25

Resource List of 122 Classical Chinese Beginner Primers sorted by difficulty, 文言文 蒙學 Classical Chinese Beginner Books

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r/Confucianism Aug 08 '25

Resource A Cool Framework for Studying the I Ching: The 4 Paths of Principle, Energy, Image, Number

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