Heaven Fire Tongren: Confucian-Daoist Dialogue and the Investigation of Ancient Spiritual Origins from a Pre-Qin Perspective

Section 2: The Worship of Heaven—A Common Belief Transcending Tribes

The upper trigram of Tóng Rén is Qian—Heaven. In the belief system of ancient peoples, "Heaven" occupied the highest position.

I. The Mandate of Heaven

In the ancient belief system, "Heaven" was the supreme ruler of all things. King Tang of Shang declared before conquering the Xia Dynasty in the Book of Documents (Tāng Shì):

"The Xia has many crimes; Heaven commands its destruction. ... I fear the Supreme God; I dare not but be upright." (有夏多罪，天命殛之。……予畏上帝，不敢不正。)

"Heaven commands its destruction"—Heaven commands his overthrow. In the ancient conception, the command of Heaven held supreme authority—it transcended any individual, any tribe, any state.

This profoundly connects with the "responding to Qian" in the Tóng Rén hexagram. Six Two "responds to Qian"—corresponding to Heaven—meaning she receives Heaven's approval and support. In the context of ancient belief, if a person or a tribe received the "Mandate of Heaven," they possessed a legitimacy that transcended tribal boundaries—because Heaven is the common sovereign of all, and Heaven's command is valid for everyone.

The reason the Way of Tóng Rén can transcend clan and regional boundaries to face all people under Heaven lies precisely in its foundation in "Heaven"—a transcendent authority universally acknowledged by all.

II. The Connection Between Heaven and Fire—The Rite of Heaven Sacrifice

In ancient sacrificial rites, Heaven and Fire were closely linked. The ceremony of sacrificing to Heaven often required the use of fire—burning sacrificial offerings so that smoke and flame rose toward Heaven, serving as the medium for communication between the human and celestial realms.

The Rites of Sacrifice (Jì Fǎ, though the philosophical origins of this chapter are debated, its basic description of Heaven sacrifice reflects ancient reality) records:

"Burning dry wood on the Altar of Grand Sacrifice is to sacrifice to Heaven." (燔柴于泰坛，祭天也。)

Burning firewood on a high altar to sacrifice to Heaven—this is the oldest method of Heaven sacrifice. Flames rise toward Heaven, and smoke fills the sky—this scene is the original religious image of "Heaven and Fire gathering in accord."

Why use fire for Heaven sacrifice$16 Because fire is the only natural force capable of "ascending" from the ground to the sky—water flows down, earth stays on the ground, metal is heavy—only fire can rise upward to connect with Heaven. Therefore, fire became the natural bridge for communication between the human and celestial realms.

During the ritual of Heaven sacrifice, people from different tribes and clans gathered together, praying to Heaven in unison—at that moment, they transcended the differences and contradictions of daily life and became a group that collectively faced Heaven. This might be the oldest archetype of Tóng Rén—in the face of common belief, people naturally aggregate into one.