Diqin Designer

Chapter 533 The Transformation of Daoist and Mohist Methods

Mencius's theory of the inherent goodness of human nature and Xunzi's theory of the inherent evil of human nature are not simply a matter of right and wrong; they are two completely opposite theories.

Mencius's theory of the inherent goodness of human nature does not mean that every individual is inherently good, but rather that there is a certain standard.

This standard is whether one possesses the "Four Beginnings," namely, the "Beginning of Benevolence (compassion)," the "Beginning of Righteousness (shame)," the "Beginning of Propriety (humility)," and the "Beginning of Wisdom (discernment)."

In Mencius's theory of the inherent goodness of human nature, only those who possess these "four beginnings" can be considered human and can be said to have inherent goodness. Those who do not possess these "four beginnings" are not human, but are classified as animals and are directly expelled from the human category!
To classify people who lack the "four virtues" as animals is to posit inherent evil in human nature. However, Mencius simply did not consider people without the "four virtues" as human beings, and therefore did not say that their nature was inherently evil.

Of course, Li Shiqi did not intend for the scholars of Bactria to understand such profound Confucianism; he merely wanted to make these scholars struggle with their own ideas and then put them in a difficult position.

Sure enough, after hearing the question left by Li Shiqi, the Bactrian scholars began to ponder whether human nature is inherently good or evil.

It seems that both sides can be argued, but both sides can also be refuted.

After Li Shiqi finished speaking, one of the scholars from the Qin Dynasty spoke up: "I come from the Daoist school of the Hundred Schools of Thought!"

The Bactrian scholars looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young Qin scholar speaking. This man was wearing strange clothes with patterns they could not understand.

During today's academic exchange, the clothes worn by the Qin scholars were quite strange to the Bactrian scholars, as everyone's attire was different.

Bactrian scholars speculate that the Qin scholars were wearing the attire of their respective schools of thought.

The strange patterns they see on the youth's clothes are actually the yin-yang symbol and the Bagua.

Although the theory of Yin and Yang appeared very early, the Taiji diagram appeared much later. It was during the Northern Song Dynasty that Zhou Dunyi drew the Taiji diagram and wrote the "Taiji Diagram" treatise.

That's right, it's Zhou Dunyi, the author of "On the Love of Lotus".

However, the Taiji diagram drawn by Zhou Dunyi is different from the Taiji diagram commonly known in later generations. The Taiji diagram we know today was finalized during the Ming Dynasty.

The Tai Chi symbol painted on the clothes of this young man from the Daoist school of Qin was clearly the Tai Chi pattern of later generations, which was naturally the work of Li Nian.

When Li Nian interacted with scholars from various schools of thought, he would occasionally talk about things from later generations, which greatly benefited the scholars.

This is also an important reason why scholars from all walks of life admire Li Nian and are willing to follow her arrangements.

Although young, this person was extremely knowledgeable, understood the doctrines of various schools of thought, and often put forward insightful and thought-provoking opinions.

Daoism, having received guidance from Li Nian, completed its theoretical system and naturally helped Li Nian.

Furthermore, under Li Nian's influence, Taoism has also changed other things, such as alchemy. Nowadays, Taoist alchemy has gradually turned into chemical research.

Upon hearing the young Qin scholar say that he came from a school of thought called "Taoism" in Qin, the Bactrian scholars were curious about what kind of school Taoism was.
The young Taoist laughed and said, "The founder of my Taoist school is Lao Dan, also known as Laozi. My Taoist teachings emphasize 'following the natural way' and 'governing by non-action'."

"The Dao is the principle that unifies heaven and earth and governs the operation of all things, which exists in the darkness. For example, the alternation of day and night, the rising and setting of the sun and moon, and the need for food when hungry and water when thirsty are all within the Dao and are caused by the operation of the Dao."

I understand now. The "Tao" in Taoism refers to the laws governing the operation of heaven and earth and all things.

"Therefore, 'The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth; the named is the mother of all things.'"

The young Taoist scholar recited a passage with great enthusiasm, but the translator on site was cursing inwardly. What was this Qin man saying? Was it even human language?
They couldn't understand it at all. This time, they couldn't even translate it based on their own understanding; they could only guess.

The young Taoist also noticed that the translator might not understand, and explained with a smile: "These words come from my Taoist classic, the Tao Te Ching, and are a quote from it. The meaning is: The Tao can be spoken of, but it is not the common Tao of the world. The name that can be spoken of is not its true name."

This time, the translators had an easy time translating, but the Bactrian scholars were somewhat bewildered.

This Qin school of thought, known as "Taoism," seems so mysterious.

The young Taoist smiled and pointed to the ground, giving an example: "Just like this ground, we call it 'earth,' but does that mean its real name is 'earth'? No, it's just a name we've given it. It has no real name, and we can say that its real name is yet unknown to us."

"Moreover, we call it 'earth,' but can the name 'earth' represent everything about it? How thick it is, how wide it is, and how many people live on it?"

The young Taoist shook his head and answered himself, "No, 'earth' is just a name we give it; it doesn't represent everything about it."

It sounds convoluted, but Bactrian scholars, upon careful consideration, felt it had a philosophical flavor. This Taoist doctrine speaks of the limitations of our understanding of things; the names we give to things can only represent the part we recognize, not the whole thing. In other words, "The name that can be named is not the eternal name."

This sentence, in connection with the saying "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao," indicates a one-sided and limited understanding of the Tao. When the name "Tao" is given, one is already deeply trapped in this one-sidedness, and subconsciously has the concepts of "Tao" and "non-Tao."

This view is one-sided, because the Tao is the Tao, and there is no such thing as "Tao" or "non-Tao".

The young Taoist said, “'Nameless, the beginning of heaven and earth' means 'before the beginning of heaven and earth, there was chaos and nothingness, and it was impossible to name it,' but this is also the state before the beginning of heaven and earth. 'Named, the mother of all things' means 'heaven and earth have been opened, and it can be named, and all things are born from it.'”

After briefly explaining these few sentences from the first chapter of the Tao Te Ching, the young Taoist laughed and said, "The existence of the Tao, in the words of the Confucian scholar Xunzi, is 'The course of Heaven is constant; it does not exist for Yao, nor does it perish for Jie.' That is to say, the Tao does not exist because of our love, hate, joy, or anger; in fact, our love, hate, joy, and anger are all within the Tao."

"Therefore, 'Tao follows nature' means conforming to Tao, and human actions should conform to the laws of Tao."

The interesting thing about Taoism is that "Tao follows nature" means that we should emulate the naturalness of Tao. However, everything is within Tao, so how we act is within Tao. In other words, "non-action" and "doing everything" can coexist in Taoism.

Just as water flowing along a river is a way, so too is it the way for people to build dams to block the water.

After briefly explaining "Tao follows nature," the young Taoist said, "'Governing by non-action' means conforming to nature, allowing all things to operate naturally according to the Tao."

"Governing by doing nothing" does not mean doing nothing and letting the people do whatever they want. Rather, it means governing and guiding the people in accordance with the Dao (objective laws), and not interfering too much beyond that.

The Bactrian scholars listened, feeling that the Daoist school's scholarship seemed inferior to that of the Confucian school. The young Daoist continued, "Our Daoist school has Zhuangzi, who once debated swordsmanship with King Wen of Zhao. Zhuangzi said there are three kinds of swords in the world: the sword of the common people, the sword of the feudal lords, and the sword of the emperor..."

"Your Majesty, you can be considered as kings, the common people as the masses, and the feudal lords as governors of your respective regions."

The "Three Swords" theory in Zhuangzi's "On Swords" immediately aroused the great interest of Euthydemus I, who was listening in the audience.

"The commoner's sword is the ordinary sword we use. If it is sharpened, it can take a life with one stroke. However, it is a sword for personal violence. Once the wielder dies, no matter how sharp the sword is, it will have no power. Moreover, it is of no use to national affairs..."

As the Taoist youth spoke of the swords of commoners and the swords of emperors, Euthydemus I's eyes lit up. The theory of the swords of emperors resonated with him, and he, as the ruler of Bactria, should wield such a sword.

The Bactrian scholars, who had previously thought Taoism was inferior to Confucianism, were now greatly impressed, finding the "Three Swords" theory to be truly brilliant.

The young Daoist scholar also prepared to set a trap for the Bactrian scholars. He laughed and said, "There is another interesting story about Zhuangzi. It is said that one day after he fell asleep, he dreamed that he had become a butterfly and was fluttering between heaven and earth. He had no idea that he was Zhuangzi. But after he woke up, he found that he was still Zhuangzi."

The story is unremarkable and nothing special; they often dream that they have turned into birds or beasts.

But immediately, a question from the young Taoist scholar put the Bactrian scholars into deep thought.

"Zhuangzi recalled his dream of transforming into a butterfly. He wondered whether he was dreaming of being a butterfly, or whether a butterfly was dreaming of itself becoming a person named 'Zhuang Zhou.' Do you all know the answer?"

The scholars of the Bactrian group were initially taken aback, then were all astonished, especially those who studied philosophy, for the question was simply brilliant.

Am I dreaming of being a butterfly, or is the butterfly dreaming of me? Am I real, or am I merely a figure in some butterfly's dream?
The teachings of this Taoist school are extremely profound and mysterious!

After the Taoist youth finished digging the pit, a Mohist disciple began to expound on the Mohist doctrines.

The Mohists also proactively reformed themselves. Their principles of "universal love and non-aggression" are commendable, but this doesn't mean their doctrines are without flaws. For example, their belief in ghosts and spirits, and their rigid hierarchical structure...

The Mohist school was once a prominent school of thought, but it later fell behind the Confucian, Taoist, and Legalist schools, and this was not without reason.

Today, the contemporary leader of the Mohist school is leading his disciples in reforming the Mohist doctrines.

The reforms also led to a split within the Mohist school. Most of the Mohist disciples followed the leader's reforms, some broke away from the Mohist school, and others refused to accept the reforms and clung to the original Mohist doctrines.

The reformed Mohists were also known as "New Mohists" in the Qin Dynasty, while the Mohist disciples who still believed in and adhered to the original Mohist doctrines were called "Old Mohists".

Li Nian knew about the split within the Mohist school, but did not intervene, nor did he need to. Without actively seeking change, the Mohists of the old era would eventually be swept into the dustbin of history.

Because there is no place for the remnants of the old era on the great Qin ship of the new era.

The Qin Dynasty will not deliberately suppress them, but it will not support them either. However, the fact that the Qin Dynasty does not take the initiative does not mean that it will not have an impact on them.

Without the support of the Qin Dynasty, the various schools of thought would gradually fail to attract enough disciples, and without enough disciples, their doctrines would be difficult to pass on and would gradually disappear over time.

However, the new schools of thought that reformed themselves would present a different picture. With the active support of the Qin Dynasty, they might not become very prosperous, but they would be able to continue their legacy.

The Mohist disciple who accompanied the delegation was a young man from the New Mohist school, and he spoke eloquently to the Bactrian scholars about the New Mohist doctrines.

After the Mohists, a Legalist disciple taught Legalist doctrines, and Li Nian intervened in the Legalist movement.

Because the Legalist thought of this era was quite "punishing," although the Legalist thought had a very reasonable analysis of human nature, Li Nian couldn't just stand by and watch the solutions it proposed go uncorrected.

Han Feizi, a famous philosopher among the Hundred Schools of Thought, proposed a method to stabilize the rule of a monarch: to keep the people ignorant. He said, "In the country of an enlightened ruler, there are no written records, but the law is the teaching; there are no words of the former kings, but the officials are the teachers."

In short, in a country with a wise ruler, there should be no need for people to read and write books; it is enough to teach them to understand and abide by the law.

Of course, Han Feizi's ideas also depend on the historical context in which he lived.

At that time, the six states had not yet been destroyed and the world had not yet been unified. Many people were searching for a way to end the chaos and bring lasting peace to the world. Han Feizi was one of them.

These ideas were Han Feizi's answer to governing the world. From a later perspective, Han Feizi's ideas were flawed, but at the time, they were progressive.

The various schools of thought in ancient China were pioneers of Chinese civilization, and we should not completely reject them simply because their doctrines were found to be flawed in later years.

Li Nian wanted to enlighten the people and promote education in the Qin Dynasty, but the Legalist school's ideology of keeping the people ignorant was unacceptable. This was no ordinary school of thought, and a strong crackdown was necessary.

Therefore, with the support of the First Emperor, Li Nian took the initiative to intervene in the Legalist school, abolishing its ideas of keeping the people ignorant, weak, and exhausted.

He also organized debates between the other schools of thought and the Legalists, with the Confucians being the most active in these debates.

This is also because many Legalist ideas were deliberately targeted at Confucianism.

Li Nian also ordered the Imperial Household Agency to send people to various places to spread the Legalist doctrines of keeping the people ignorant and exhausting them, so that the people of the world would know that these Legalist ideas were harming them and that the Legalists were not good people.

Although Legalist thought will still be used, Li Nian hopes that the Chinese people in this world will be less "fooled," "exhausted," and "weak," and that those who use Legalist methods to control the people will be less blatant.

Under Li Nian's influence, the Legalists of the Qin Dynasty are now forbidden from learning their methods of governing the people, but they are allowed to learn the good ideas and doctrines of the Legalists.

The other schools of thought reformed on their own, eliminating the dross and adding the essence, with Li Nian not interfering much. However, because the Legalists were of great importance, Li Nian took the initiative to intervene and reform them.

The new Legalist thought of the Qin Dynasty added the idea of ​​enlightening the people so that they could better understand the law. When the people are strong and wise, the country can become stronger.

(End of this chapter)