Analysis of 'Ghosts and Spirits' and the Doctrine of Sincerity in the Doctrine of the Mean: Metaphysical Foundations and the Manifestation of the Dao
This article deeply interprets the chapters on 'Ghosts and Spirits as Virtue' and 'Sincerity Accomplishes Itself' in the Doctrine of the Mean, investigating their significance as the core of Confucian metaphysics. By analyzing Pre-Qin conceptions of ghosts and spirits, the paper argues that the 'Ghosts and Spirits' chapter serves to demonstrate the ineffaceability of sincerity ('cheng'), thereby elucidating how the substance of sincerity corresponds to Heaven and sustains the world, revealing the ontological basis of the Doctrine of the Mean.
Introduction
The Zhongyong (Doctrine of the Mean), traditionally attributed to Zisi, stands as a nexus in pre-Qin Confucian thought, inheriting the teachings of Confucius above and initiating the Way of Mencius below. Though its language is concise, its meaning is profound, encompassing Heaven and Earth, connecting with ghosts and spirits, permeating all things, and perfecting human relationships. It proceeds from the subtle to the manifest, from the authentic to the bright, layer upon layer, arriving at the ultimate peak of the Dao-substance (Dao Ti).
What we discuss here are two of the most essential passages in the Zhongyong. The first is: "The Master said: 'The virtue of ghosts and spirits! How abundant it is! We look for them and do not see them; we listen for them and do not hear them; yet they integrate with all things and cannot be left out. They cause all under Heaven to purify themselves and wear their most solemn robes to receive the ancestral sacrifices, overflowing as if above them, as if beside them. The Book of Odes says: ‘The arrival of the spirits, how cannot it be fathomed! Much less can they be scorned!’ Indeed, the subtle and the manifest, the inextinguishable nature of authenticity—it is thus!'"
The second is: "That which is authentic completes itself, and the Dao guides itself. Authenticity is the beginning and end of things; without authenticity, there are no things. Therefore, the exemplary person values authenticity above all. Authenticity does not merely complete oneself; it is that by which things are completed. To complete oneself is benevolence (Ren); to complete things is wisdom (Zhi). It is the virtue of the nature, the Way that unites the inner and the outer, and therefore it is appropriately applied at all times. Thus, the utmost authenticity is ceaseless. If ceaseless, it is long-lasting; if long-lasting, it yields verification; if it yields verification, it is far-reaching; if far-reaching, it is broad and profound; if broad and profound, it is lofty and bright. Broad and profound is what carries things; lofty and bright is what covers things; long-lasting is what completes things. Broad and profound corresponds to Earth; lofty and bright corresponds to Heaven; long-lasting is boundless. Such a one is manifest without being seen, transforms without moving, and accomplishes without acting."
These two passages—one discusses the virtue of ghosts and spirits to reveal the inextinguishable nature of authenticity, and the other discusses the self-completion of the authentic substance to exhaust the transforming power of Heaven and Earth—are interconnected and mutually illuminating, truly constituting the marrow of the entire Zhongyong.
Why do we say this$1 The Zhongyong begins by stating: "What Heaven mandates is what we call our nature (Xing); following this nature is what we call the Way (Dao); cultivating this Way is what we call education (Jiao)." These three sentences move from Heaven to man, from nature to the Way, and from the Way to education, already prefiguring the foundation of the authentic substance. The chapter on "The Virtue of Ghosts and Spirits" then launches from the subtle and imperceptible ghosts and spirits to put forth the main thesis of "the inextinguishable nature of authenticity," providing a crucial starting point for revealing the metaphysical Dao-substance. Subsequently, the chapter "That Which is Authentic Completes Itself" directly unfolds the inherent meaning of the authentic substance, speaking of its self-completion, its completion of things, its correspondence with Heaven and Earth, its boundlessness and ceaselessness, pushing the Way of the Zhongyong to its highest realm.
Therefore, interpreting these two passages is not merely a matter of lexicography; it is essential for understanding the pre-Qin Confucian views on the Dao-substance, ghosts and spirits, Heaven and man, and authenticity-illumination (Cheng-Ming).
This article approaches the subject from the perspectives of the pre-Qin era and high antiquity, drawing broadly from pre-Qin classics, using "ghosts and spirits" and "authenticity" as two main threads to penetrate their meaning layer by layer. The essay is divided into three parts: Part One discusses "The Virtue of Ghosts and Spirits"; Part Two discusses "That Which is Authentic Completes Itself"; and Part Three discusses the relationship between the two, revealing the complete picture of the metaphysical thought in the Zhongyong.