| Posted by: frank091 (Frank Saunders Jr) | I say: this is not so. The potter mixes his clay to give rise to his pottery. In this way, how is the clay pottery people's spontaneous nature? The woodsman chops down trees to make his instruments. In this way, how are the wooden instruments people's spontaneous nature? And so the sages' ritual and duty is just like clay pottery to which they give rise. In this way, ritual, duty, accumulation, and artifice---how could these be people's original, spontaneous nature! All people's spontaneous nature: Comparing Yao and Shun to Jie and Robber Zhi---their spontaneous nature is one and the same. Comparing the gentleman and the petty person---their spontaneous nature is one and the same. How could [anyone] take ritual, duty, accumulation, and artifice to be people's spontaneous nature? If so, then Yao and Shun have what value? The gentleman has what value? The value of Yao, Shun, and the gentleman is that they are able to transform their spontaneous nature and are able to set up artifice. By setting up artifice, they give rise to ritual and duty. In this way, the ritual, duty,
accumulation, and artifice of the sages are also like mixtures of clay when they are made. If we look at it in this way, how can ritual, duty, accumulation, and artifice be people's spontaneous nature! What's demeaned in Jie, Robber Zhi, and the petty person is that they go along with their spontaneous nature, follow their natural
sentiments, and are at ease with indulgence, they will exhibit greed for benefit, fight, and steal. And so people's spontaneous nature is clearly bad. Their goodness is artificial.
Heaven was not partial To Geng San, Minzi Qian, or Xiao Ji at the exclusion of the masses of people, but these three alone were extraordinary in the substance of their filial piety, and whole in their reputation for it---how? It was because they excelled in matters of ritual and duty. Heaven was not partial to the people of Qi and Lu at the exclusion of the Qin people, but in the duties of fathers and sons, and the separateness of men and women, the Qin are not like the Qi and Lu in matters of filiality, respect, and patterning---how? It's because the Qin people go along with their natural sentiments and spontaneous nature, are at ease with indulgence, and are lazy with ritual and duty---how is it that their spontaneous nature is different! |
