1、Website Top Page URL: http:/www.hm.tyg.jp/acmuller/contao/docofmean.htm The Doctrine of the MeanTranslated byCharles MullerTranslated 6/10/91Updated 3/5/03A. The Text1. What Heaven confers is called “nature.“Accordance with this nature is called the Tao.Cultivating the Tao is called “education.“That
2、 which is called Tao cannot be separated from for an instant. What can be separated from is not the Tao. Therefore the Superior Man is cautious in the place where he is not seen, and apprehensive in the place where he is not heard. Nothing is more visible than the hidden, and nothing is more apparen
3、t than the subtle. Therefore the Superior Man is cautious when he is alone. When joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure have not yet arisen, it is called chung (equilibrium, centrality, mean). When they arise to their appropriate levels, it is called “harmony.“ Chung is the great root of all-under-heaven.
4、“Harmony“ is the penetration of the Tao through all-under-heaven. When the mean and harmony are actualized, Heaven and Earth are in their proper positions, and the myriad things are nourished. B. The Commentary2. 仲尼曰，君子中庸； 小人反中庸。君子之中庸也，君子而時中。小人之中庸也，小人而無忌憚也。Confucius said: “The Superior Man actualize
5、s the mean, the inferior man goes against it. The Superior Man actualizes the mean because he is always with it; the inferior mans contrarity is do to his heedlessness.“3. How far-reaching the mean is! That is why those who are able to keep it for long are few.4. Confucius said: “I know why the Tao
6、is not practiced. The intelligent go beyond it and the dull do not reach it. I know why the Tao is not manifested. The good go beyond it and the unworthy do not reach it. There is no one who does not eat or drink, but there are few who really have taste.“ 5. Confucius said: “What a pity! The way is
7、not followed.“6. Confucius said: “(Emperor) Shun was so wise! He liked to question people and delighted in listening to everyday speech. He would cover peoples bad points and disclose their goodness. He snatched up their excesses and facilitated their balanced nature for the benefit of all. It was i
8、n this way that Shun made himself into what he was.“7. Confucius said: “Everybody says I know, but they are driven forward, becoming ensnared in traps and falling into pits without knowing how to avoid them. Everybody says I know, but in intending the actualization of the mean, they are not able to
9、stay with it for a full month.“8. Confucius said: “(Yen) Hui was the kind of person who grasped the mean in such a way that, attaining to a certain goodness, he would clasp it firmly and never lose it.“9. Confucius said: “You might be able to put in order the whole country, kingdoms and clans; decli
10、ne rank and merit-pay and tread on bare swords, yet still be incapable of actualizing the mean.“Comment The performance of phenomenal wonders in incomparable with the task of actualizing the mean.10. Tzu-lu asked about strength. Confucius said: “Do you mean the strength of the South, the strength of
11、 the North, or the strength of self-mastery? To be broadminded and gentle in teaching and not rashly punish wrong-doing is the strength of the South. The Superior Man abides in this. To be able to make a bed of weapons and armor and die without grief-this is the strength of the North. The forceful a
12、re at home in this.Therefore the Superior Man is harmonious without getting sloppy. How correct his strength is! He stands in the center without leaning to either side. How correct his strength is! When the Tao is manifest in the land, he is changeless in his support of it. How correct his strength
13、is! When the Tao is not manifest in the land, he will not sell himself out, even until death. How correct his strength is!“11. Confucius said: “When you study the occult and perform miracles, later generations always tell about it. This I wont do.“As a Superior Man, to go according to the Tao and ab
14、andon it half way-this I certainly cannot do.“Then there is the Superior Man, who depends on his actualization of the mean, hides himself from the world such that he is unseen and unknown, and has no regrets about it. Only the sage can do this.“12. The Tao of the Superior Man functions everywhere, y
15、et is inconspicuous. Average men and women, even if ignorant, know something of it; yet even the sage cannot know it completely. Average men and women, even though lacking in ability are able to practice to some extent; yet even the sage cannot practice it perfectly.As vast as the universe is, peopl
16、e still have dissatisfaction. When the Superior Man calls it “vast,“ he means it is too large to be grasped. When he speaks of its smallness, he means that it is something that cannot be further broken down.The Book of Odes says: “The hawk flies high in the sky; the fish dances in the deep.“ This me
17、ans that its height and its depth are both observable. The Tao of the Superior Man starts with the common people, but in its absoluteness, it is observed throughout the universe.13. Confucius said: “The Tao is not something separate from man. If you practice a Tao that is apart from man, this cannot
18、 the Tao. The Book of Odes says:Carving axe handlesOne after anotherThey differ little from the original sampleTaking one to carve another.When you compare them,There are still differences.Therefore the Superior Man treats people as human beings, and once they have corrected themselves, he lets them
19、 be. Being sincere and fair to all, though this is different from the Tao, it are not far from it. This means “not doing to others what you dont want done to yourself.“ There are four general ways that this can be characterized, one of which I1 have been able to fully practice:(1) Treating my father
20、 as I expect my son to treat me.(2) Treating my ruler as I expect my ministers to treat me.(3) Treating my older brothers as I expect my younger brothers to treat me.(4) Treating my friends as I expect my friends to treat me.In the putting into practice of virtue or the taking care of speech, if the
21、re is somewhere where I am deficient, I certainly endeavor further. If there is excess, I do not dare to merely expend it. His words reflecting his actions, his actions reflecting his words-how can this Superior Man not be sincere through and through?14. The Superior Man acts accepting his own situa
22、tion. He does not hope to be somewhere else. When he is in a position of fame and fortune, he acts within fame and fortune. When in a position of poverty and low status, he acts within poverty and low status. When dwelling with uncultured tribes, he acts as if he is with uncultured tribes. When he i
23、s in stress and difficulty, he acts from within stress and difficulty. There is no place where the Superior Man is not completely himself.When in a high position, he does not step on those below him. When in a low position, he does not drag down those above him. Correcting yourself and not expecting
24、 things from others, you will not create resentments. You will not resent Heaven above, nor blame men below.The Superior Man abides in change and awaits his destiny. The inferior man practices manipulation and prays for luck.The Master said: “Practicing archery is like practicing to be a Superior Ma
25、n. When you miss the bulls-eye, you look for the error in yourself.“15. The Tao of the Superior Man can be compared to traveling: To go far, you must start from close by. It can be compared to climbing: To go high, you must start from down low. The Book of Odes says:The Happy union with wife and chi
26、ldrenIs like the music of lutes and harpsWhen siblings all get alongThe harmony is entrancing.So make your household goodAnd enjoy your wife and children.The Master said: “Husband and wife should follow each other.“16. Confucius said: “The overabundance of the power of spiritual beings is truly amaz
27、ing! Looking for them, they cannot be seen. Listening for them, they cannot be heard. There is nothing that they do not embody. They cause the people of the world to fast for purification, and wear beautiful clothes in order to participate at the sacrifices. They are overflowing, seeming to be above
28、, seeming to be on the left and on the right. The Book of Odes says: Trying to investigate the spirits, we cannot reach them. How could we possibly grasp them with our thoughts? The manifestation of the subtle and the inconcealability of sincerity is like this.“17. What a good son was Shun (the sage
29、 emperor)! His virtue was that of a sage, he was venerated as an emperor. His wealth included everything within the four seas. He is sacrificed to in the ancestral temple, and his sons and grandsons have preserved his name. Therefore we can say that the greatly virtuous always attain their appropria
30、te position, always receive their proper reward, always get their recognition and are always long-lived.We can also know that Heaven develops each thing according to its preparation. Thus, Heaven nourishes the growing sprout, and throws down the leaning tree. The Book of Odes says:Joyful is the Prin
31、ceWith the power of his own correctnessHe harmonized those far and nearHe received his reward from HeavenWho protected him, helped himAnd gave him the mandateWhich he in turn enhanced.Thus, the greatly virtuous always receive the Mandate of Heaven.18. Confucius said: “The only one who didnt suffer f
32、rom grief was King Wen, since his father was King Chi and his son was King Wu. His father set him up and his son continued his ways. King Wu merely extended what had been handed down from Kings Tai, Chi and Wen. Once he put on his armor, he took control of the whole realm and he never failed to live
33、 up to the great reputation the people accorded to him. He was respected as an emperor; his wealth included all within the four seas. The ancestral halls make offerings to him, and his sons and grandsons have preserved his name.“King Wu received the Mandate of Heaven late in life. The Duke of Chou c
34、onsummated the virtue of Wen and Wu. Following in the ways of Kings Tai and Chi, he sacrificed to the former princes with the ceremony proper to an emperor, and spread this ceremony to all the nobles, ministers, officers and the common people. If the father was a minister and the son an officer, the
35、n the funeral ceremony would be for a minister, and the sacrifices for an officer. If the father was an officer and the son was a minister, he would be buried as an officer and sacrificed to as a minister. The one years mourning applied up to the ministers, but the three-year mourning applied up the
36、 emperor. In the mourning for parents, there was no distinction according to class.19. Confucius said: “How completely King Wu and the Duke of Chou actualized their filial piety! Through filial piety, they correctly passed down the wills of their forefathers and correctly transmitted their works. In
37、 spring and autumn, they cleaned the ancestral temple, laid out the sacrificial vessels, dressed up in the ceremonial outfit and prepared the seasonal foods.“Using the ritual of the ancestral temple, they ordered the ancestral lineages.By rank, they distinguished high and low classes; by works, they
38、 distinguished goodness.By having the lower classes offer the toast to the upper classes, they kept the lower classes involved.By hair color, they distinguished seniority. Each taking their positions, they carried out the ritual, played the music, respected the venerable, loved their relatives. They
39、 served the dead as if they were alive, and they served those not present as if they were there. Herein they brought filial piety to its highest level.They used the Winter and Summer festival to make offerings to the Lord-on-High, and used the rituals on the ancestral temple to make offerings to the
40、 ancestors. He who could completely disclose the meaning of the Winter and Summer sacrifices, and the great Imperial sacrifice, could govern the country as easily as if he were pointing to the palm of his hand.“20. The Duke of Ai asked about government. Confucius said: “The records of the government
41、s of Wen and Wu are on the ancient tablets. When they had the right people, the government functioned, and when they didnt have the right people, government failed. When people are right, the government flourishes; when the ground is right, plants flourish; the governments of Wen and Wu flourished l
42、ike fast-growing weeds.“Therefore, the skillful handling of government is contingent upon having the right people. You attract the right people by your own character. You cultivate your character through the Tao and you manifest the Tao by means of jen. Jen is “humanity“2 and its most obvious functi
43、on is in love for relatives. “Justice“ means “setting things right“ and its most obvious function is in venerating the Good. The differing levels in loving relatives and venerating the good are expressed through propriety.Thus, if your rank is low, and you do not have the support of those in power,
44、you cannot hope to have an influence on government. Therefore the Superior man cannot but cultivate his character.Wanting to cultivate his character, he cannot do it without serving his parents. Wanting to serve his parents, he cannot do it without understanding others. Wanting to understand others,
45、 he cannot do it without understanding Heaven.There are five pervasive (ta) relationships in this world, which are carried out in 3 ways. The relationships are those between ruler and minister, father and son, husband and wife, older brother and younger brother, and between friends. The three ways o
46、f practice are wisdom, jen and courage, but they are practiced in unison.Some are born knowing it; some know it by learning and some have to struggle to know it. Nonetheless, the knowledge is the same.Some practice it by being comfortable within it; some practice it by benefitting from it; and some
47、have to struggle to practice it. But when the practice is perfected, it is the same.“Confucius said: “Loving study, you approach wisdom; loving energetic practice, you approach jen. Understanding shame, you approach courage. If you understand these three, you know how to polish your character; knowi
48、ng how to polish your character, you know how to handle others; knowing how to handle others, you know how to govern a state or clan.“In general, in the handling of the realm, a state or a clan, there are nine basic patterns of treatment. These are: polishing your own character; venerating the Good;
49、 caring for your relatives; respecting the high ministers; making the lower ministers feel like they have a significant role; treating the common people as your children; making the artisans feel welcome; treating foreign guests gently and embracing the nobles.Polishing your character, you set up your own Tao. Venerating the Good, you are not deluded. Caring for your relatives, then your fathers, elder and younger brothers will not resent you. Respecting the high ministers, you will not make foolish mistakes. Making the lower ministers feel like they are p
