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Mohism -> Mozi -> Book 8 -> On Ghosts III -> 11

武王Not only does the deed of King Wu prove it to be so.
When the ancient sage-kings distributed rewards it must be before their ancestors.
When they meted out punishments it must be before the altar.
Why are the rewards distributed before the ancestors?
To submit their fairness.
Why are punishments meted out before the altar?
To submit their justice.
Not only does the record in that book prove it to be so.
On the day when the ancient sage-kings of the Three Dynasties of Yu, Xia, Shang, and Zhou
first established their empire and built their capitals,
they invariably chose the central altar
on which to build the ancestral temple.
They would pick out the luxuriant and elegant among the trees
to plant in the temple of agriculture.
They would select the affectionate and filial, virtuous and kind among the elders of the country
to be masters of ceremonies.
六畜They would pick out the victims among the six animals by their fatness, perfection, and the colour of their wool.
The jades and stones were to be appropriate in material and satisfactory in measurement.
And the cakes and wine were to be prepared with the most fragrant and yellow grain,
and so the quality of cakes and wine
would vary with the abundance of the year.
天下This is to say, in the government of the ancient sage-kings, spirits and ghosts had priority over the people.
Before the offices and courts were completely established, the sacrificial vessels and sacrificial robes must have been all stored in the storehouse,
the masters and attendants of ceremonies must have all been installed in court,
and the victims must be kept apart from the original flock.
Since the government of the ancient sage-kings was like this, the ancient sage-kings must have believed in the existence of spirits and ghosts.


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