Understanding Principles and Cultivating Virtue ——Xiong Shili’s Dual Approach to Comprehending the Dao of Change
CHEN Haoran
(Center for Yi Studies and Ancient Chinese Philosophy, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, Shandong, China)
Abstract: Xiong Shili took the I Ching as his foundation and, based on the ontology of ‘the unity of substance and function,’ approached the Dao of the I Ching through the dual dimensions of ‘understanding principle’ and ‘cultivating virtue.’ ‘Understanding principle’ refers to investigating things to extend knowledge, which means probing the principles of things to grasp the unity of all being. This idea is based on the I Ching saying, ‘Exhaust the principle and reach your nature to achieve destiny.’ ‘Cultivating virtue’ refers to nurturing the mind and nature, returning to one’s original heart, and expanding innate knowledge to perfect oneself and all things, consistent with the I Ching saying, ‘Those who continue are good, those who complete follow their nature.’ These two dimensions are united in the dynamic process of ‘continuous creation’ in the I Ching and manifest as the consistent unity of body and function in both ‘heaven and humanity’ and ‘mind and things.’ Xiong Shili used this approach both to criticize the Buddhist and Daoist notions of ‘emptiness’ and ‘nothingness’ for being detached from reality, and to correct the later Wang Yangming followers’ flaw of ‘overemphasizing principle while neglecting application,’ providing a theoretical premise for modern New Confucians to ‘develop inner sagehood to achieve new outer governance.’
Key words: understanding principles; cultivating virtue; investigating things to extend knowledge; unity of substance and function; inner sage and outer king
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