Ren (Confucianism)
Encyclopedia
Ren is a Confucian notion denoting, as rough approximation, the good feeling a virtuous human experiences when behaving rightly, especially toward others. Ren can be considered the inward expression of Confucian ideals
.
Yan Hui, considered to be Confucius' most outstanding student, once asked his master to describe the rules of rén, receiving the answer that he should, "see nothing improper, hear nothing improper, say nothing improper, do nothing improper." Confucius believed humanity to be good at its very core and therefore considered rén to be a part of everyone. Although followers of Hsun Lzu believed that human nature was basically bad. Rén was believed to be a natural quality inside of every person. Confucius spoke these words expelling the ease of practicing rén: "it [rén] is not far off; he who seeks it has already found it." Rén is close to man and never leaves him.
and yi
. Li is often translated as "ritual" while yi is often translated as "righteousness". These three interrelated terms deal with agency as Confucians conceive it. Li is the action which has been deemed appropriate by society, yi is the action that is indeed correct, while rén deals with the relationship between the agent and object of the action. Often li and yi are the same; however, that is not always the case. In the Lunyu there is a parable about a man named "Upright" who reported his own father to the authorities after he discovered that his father had been stealing sheep. This would seem to conform with "right" behavior as the obligatory thing to do when you discover a thief is to report them. However, Confucius commented that such an act was in fact not correct. The relationship between a father and a son is more important than the laws or conventions regarding theft of property so the "righteous" thing to do according to Confucius would have been for the son to not report the crime.
Li is the outward expression of Confucian ideals, while rén is the inward expression of those same ideals. Li, according to Hopfe and Woodward: "Basically, li seems to mean 'the course of life as it is intended to go'. Li also has religious and social connotations. When a society lives by li, it moves smoothly: men and women respect their elders and superiors; the proper rituals and ceremonies are performed; everything and everyone is in its proper place."
Life is subdivided into Five Relationships. Confucius believed that if Li were present in all of these relationships throughout society, the social order would be ideal.
In Chinese, Rén is composed of 2 parts representing "persons" and "two", respectively. Rén relied heavily on the relationships between two people, but at the same time encompassed so much more than that. It represented an inner development towards an altruistic goal, while simultaneously realizing that one was never alone, and that everyone had these relationships to fall back on, being a member of a family, the state, and the world.
The Five Relationships are:
All of these practices are the physical, or outward, expression of Confucian ideals. These are the observable behaviours of the members of society. Confucius; however, believed that in order for society to truly follow li
, one must also adhere to and internalize these practices. The mentality involved in performing these rituals in society must not exist only there, it must be a part of the private life of the person. This is known as rén.
Rén is not a concept that is learned; it is innate, that is to say, everyone is born with the sense of rén. Confucius believed that the key to long-lasting integrity was to constantly think, since the world is continually changing at a rapid pace.
A very devote follower of Confucius, Mencius
, believed that "responsibility", or i, was so critical to Confucianism that he added it to Confucius' concept of rén. The concept of i resembles the duty that an emperor or duke owes to the people of his kingdom, and not to people from other kingdoms.
There have been a variety of definitions for the term rén. Rén has been translated as "benevolence", "perfect virtue", "goodness" or even "human-heartedness". When asked, Confucius defined it by the ordinary Chinese word for love, ai, saying that it meant to "love others".
Rén also has a political dimension. Confucianism says that if the ruler lacks rén, it will be difficult if not impossible for his subjects to behave humanely. Rén is the basis of Confucian political theory; it presupposes an autocratic ruler, exhorted to refrain from acting inhumanely towards his subjects. An inhumane ruler runs the risk of losing the Mandate of Heaven
or, in other words, the right to rule. A ruler lacking such a mandate need not be obeyed, but a ruler who reigns humanely and takes care of the people is to be obeyed strictly, for the benevolence of his dominion shows that he has been mandated by heaven. Confucius himself had little to say on the will of the people, but his leading follower, Mencius, did state on one occasion that the peoples' opinion on certain weighty matters should be polled.
Moreover, Confucius was concerned with peoples' individual development, which he maintained took place within the context of human relationships. Ritual and filial piety are the ways in which one should act toward others from an underlying attitude of humaneness. Confucius' concept of humaneness, rén, is probably best expressed in the Confucian version of the Ethic of Reciprocity
: What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.
Confucius' Golden Rule of Being entails doing things for others that you would want them to do to you in return, as well as not doing things to others that you would not want to experience in return. Hence, it expands the Golden Rule into a positive prescription of actions as well as a negative proscription.
Rén also includes traits that are a part of being, such as hsin, meaning to make one's words compliment his actions; li
, which means to properly participate in everyday rituals; ching, or "seriousness"; and yi
, which means right action. When all these qualities are present, then one can truly be identified as a chün tzu
(君子), or "superior man," which means both a man of superior rank in a government and a morally superior human being. The fact that this term combines two meanings reveals the view often held by Confucians that government should be run by ethically superior human beings who concentrate solely on the welfare of the people they govern.
Confucianism
Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...
.
Yan Hui, considered to be Confucius' most outstanding student, once asked his master to describe the rules of rén, receiving the answer that he should, "see nothing improper, hear nothing improper, say nothing improper, do nothing improper." Confucius believed humanity to be good at its very core and therefore considered rén to be a part of everyone. Although followers of Hsun Lzu believed that human nature was basically bad. Rén was believed to be a natural quality inside of every person. Confucius spoke these words expelling the ease of practicing rén: "it [rén] is not far off; he who seeks it has already found it." Rén is close to man and never leaves him.
Interpretation of the Chinese Character
The character for rén is composed of two graphic elements, one representing a human being and the other representing the number two. Based on this, one often hears that rén means "how two people should treat one another." While such folk etymologies are common in discussions of Chinese characters, they often are as misleading as they are entertaining. In the case of rén - usually translated as "benevolence" or "humaneness" - Humaneness is Human-ness, the essence of being human. For Confucius the interaction of completely dependent infant and caring parent is the most emotionally charged human interaction, “To love a thing means wanting it to live…” (Analects XII.10). The Way of humaneness is human interaction and through shared experience knowing one’s family. “Fan Chi asked about humaneness. The Master said it is loving people. Fan Chi asked about wisdom. The Master said it is knowing people”(Analects XII.22). In other words, human love and interaction is the source of humaneness, the source of the human self. Noble behavior, or behavior befitting an individual of exemplary humaneness, between the self and the family, is crucial since they are the root of the self.The Principles of Li, Yi and Rén
The principle of rén is tied directly to the concepts of liLi (Confucian)
Li is a classical Chinese word which finds its most extensive use in Confucian and post-Confucian Chinese philosophy. Li encompasses not a definitive object but rather a somewhat abstract idea; as such, it is translated in a number of different ways...
and yi
Yi (Confucianism)
Yi, , literally "justice, righteousness; meaning," is an important concept in Confucianism. It is the moral disposition to do good....
. Li is often translated as "ritual" while yi is often translated as "righteousness". These three interrelated terms deal with agency as Confucians conceive it. Li is the action which has been deemed appropriate by society, yi is the action that is indeed correct, while rén deals with the relationship between the agent and object of the action. Often li and yi are the same; however, that is not always the case. In the Lunyu there is a parable about a man named "Upright" who reported his own father to the authorities after he discovered that his father had been stealing sheep. This would seem to conform with "right" behavior as the obligatory thing to do when you discover a thief is to report them. However, Confucius commented that such an act was in fact not correct. The relationship between a father and a son is more important than the laws or conventions regarding theft of property so the "righteous" thing to do according to Confucius would have been for the son to not report the crime.
Li is the outward expression of Confucian ideals, while rén is the inward expression of those same ideals. Li, according to Hopfe and Woodward: "Basically, li seems to mean 'the course of life as it is intended to go'. Li also has religious and social connotations. When a society lives by li, it moves smoothly: men and women respect their elders and superiors; the proper rituals and ceremonies are performed; everything and everyone is in its proper place."
Life is subdivided into Five Relationships. Confucius believed that if Li were present in all of these relationships throughout society, the social order would be ideal.
In Chinese, Rén is composed of 2 parts representing "persons" and "two", respectively. Rén relied heavily on the relationships between two people, but at the same time encompassed so much more than that. It represented an inner development towards an altruistic goal, while simultaneously realizing that one was never alone, and that everyone had these relationships to fall back on, being a member of a family, the state, and the world.
The Five Relationships are:
- Father to Son - There should be kindness in the father, and filial piety in the son.
- Elder Brother to Younger Brother - There should be gentility (politeness) in the elder brother, and humility in the younger.
- Husband to Wife - The husband should be benevolent, and the wife should listen.
- Elder to Junior - There should be consideration among the elders and deference among the juniors.
- Ruler to Subject - There should be benevolence among the rulers and loyalty among the subjects.
All of these practices are the physical, or outward, expression of Confucian ideals. These are the observable behaviours of the members of society. Confucius; however, believed that in order for society to truly follow li
Li (Confucian)
Li is a classical Chinese word which finds its most extensive use in Confucian and post-Confucian Chinese philosophy. Li encompasses not a definitive object but rather a somewhat abstract idea; as such, it is translated in a number of different ways...
, one must also adhere to and internalize these practices. The mentality involved in performing these rituals in society must not exist only there, it must be a part of the private life of the person. This is known as rén.
Rén is not a concept that is learned; it is innate, that is to say, everyone is born with the sense of rén. Confucius believed that the key to long-lasting integrity was to constantly think, since the world is continually changing at a rapid pace.
A very devote follower of Confucius, Mencius
Mencius
Mencius was a Chinese philosopher who was arguably the most famous Confucian after Confucius himself.-Life:Mencius, also known by his birth name Meng Ke or Ko, was born in the State of Zou, now forming the territory of the county-level city of Zoucheng , Shandong province, only thirty kilometres ...
, believed that "responsibility", or i, was so critical to Confucianism that he added it to Confucius' concept of rén. The concept of i resembles the duty that an emperor or duke owes to the people of his kingdom, and not to people from other kingdoms.
There have been a variety of definitions for the term rén. Rén has been translated as "benevolence", "perfect virtue", "goodness" or even "human-heartedness". When asked, Confucius defined it by the ordinary Chinese word for love, ai, saying that it meant to "love others".
Rén also has a political dimension. Confucianism says that if the ruler lacks rén, it will be difficult if not impossible for his subjects to behave humanely. Rén is the basis of Confucian political theory; it presupposes an autocratic ruler, exhorted to refrain from acting inhumanely towards his subjects. An inhumane ruler runs the risk of losing the Mandate of Heaven
Mandate of Heaven
The Mandate of Heaven is a traditional Chinese philosophical concept concerning the legitimacy of rulers. It is similar to the European concept of the divine right of kings, in that both sought to legitimaze rule from divine approval; however, unlike the divine right of kings, the Mandate of...
or, in other words, the right to rule. A ruler lacking such a mandate need not be obeyed, but a ruler who reigns humanely and takes care of the people is to be obeyed strictly, for the benevolence of his dominion shows that he has been mandated by heaven. Confucius himself had little to say on the will of the people, but his leading follower, Mencius, did state on one occasion that the peoples' opinion on certain weighty matters should be polled.
The Golden Rule
Speculation about Confucius' choice of word, and his own words of defining it by Ai, as love of others has led to the belief that rén is the Confucian route to the "Golden Rule".Moreover, Confucius was concerned with peoples' individual development, which he maintained took place within the context of human relationships. Ritual and filial piety are the ways in which one should act toward others from an underlying attitude of humaneness. Confucius' concept of humaneness, rén, is probably best expressed in the Confucian version of the Ethic of Reciprocity
Golden Rule
Golden Rule may refer to:*The Golden Rule in ethics, morality, history and religion, also known as the ethic of reciprocity*Golden Rule savings rate, in economics, the savings rate which maximizes consumption in the Solow growth model...
: What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.
Confucius' Golden Rule of Being entails doing things for others that you would want them to do to you in return, as well as not doing things to others that you would not want to experience in return. Hence, it expands the Golden Rule into a positive prescription of actions as well as a negative proscription.
Rén also includes traits that are a part of being, such as hsin, meaning to make one's words compliment his actions; li
Li (Confucian)
Li is a classical Chinese word which finds its most extensive use in Confucian and post-Confucian Chinese philosophy. Li encompasses not a definitive object but rather a somewhat abstract idea; as such, it is translated in a number of different ways...
, which means to properly participate in everyday rituals; ching, or "seriousness"; and yi
Yi
Yi may mean:* Yi , a letter of the Ukrainian alphabet* Yi , a text editor written in Haskell* Serbia and Montenegro * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, and its sequel, Yoshi's Island DS...
, which means right action. When all these qualities are present, then one can truly be identified as a chün tzu
Junzi
Junzi or nobleman, was a term used by Confucius , to describe his ideal human. To Confucius, the functions of government and social stratification were facts of life to be sustained by ethical values; thus his ideal human was the junzi...
(君子), or "superior man," which means both a man of superior rank in a government and a morally superior human being. The fact that this term combines two meanings reveals the view often held by Confucians that government should be run by ethically superior human beings who concentrate solely on the welfare of the people they govern.
Sources
- Chi-Yun, Chang. A Life of Confucius. Hwakang Press, Taipei 171.
- Do-Dinh, Pierre. Confucius and Chinese Humanism. Funk & Wagnalls, New York. 1969.
- Dubs H, Homer. "The Development of Altruism in Confucianism" Apr. 1951: 48-55 JSTOR Oxford University.
- Hopfe M, Lewis and Woodward R. Mark. Religions of the World. Pearson Education Inc: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 07458.