eurasia-101 | Page 29

values and experiences 23 . In Western civilization , the emphasis on humanistic modernization has actually caused havoc for human civilization . In the 21st century , especially in the current pandemic caused by novel coronavirus , people must reflect on the problems in the process of modernization . How to avoid the huge risks posed by the pandemic ? How to solve the disease of today ' s world ? The author thinks that the answer is in the Chinese philosophy of Confucianism , Chinese Buddhism and Taoism , which is completely perfect . Western learning is now in a bottleneck state , and the ancient Chinese wisdom is “ dredging ” rather than “ blocking ”. The forbearance spirit of embracing all rivers in Chinese culture is lacking in the western theory of unification .
The Virtue of Centrality and Harmony in Chinese Philosophy
The rich traditional cultures left behind by Chinese ancestors are called the “ Three Teachings and Nine Streams ,” each of which has a different orientation toward value . From a bird ’ s eye view of Daoxue , there is a commonality among these schools of thought . The fulcrum of commonality lies in the two Chinese characters called “ zhong he ” ( centrality and harmony 中和 ). The characteristic Chinese philosophical thoughts can be summarized in one word . The word is “ zhong ” ( centrality 中 ), one part of two characters that describe the characteristics of Chinese philosophy . There must be reasons why all schools of thought , including Buddhism from India , were assimilated by Chinese culture and civilization . Though they differ in many ways , they are voices that come from the spiritual apertures of the Chinese mind . These voices “ are liver and gall , Chu and Yue , if we look at them from the point of view of their differences . But if we look at them from the point of view of their sameness , then the ten thousand things are all one .” (“ Dechongfu ” in Zhuangzi 庄子 • 德充符 ). “ zhong ” and the name Zhongguo ( Middle Kingdom or China 中国 ) was not derived from China as pottery , nor from Китай in Russian ; rather , it was a crystallization of the Chinese soul and national character . Therefore , the core teaching that most represents Chinese wisdom is “ centrality and harmony .” At this point , Confucian culture gives the best expression . Zhongyong ( 中庸 Centrality and Equilibrium or The Mean ), one section in the Liji ( Book of Ritual 礼记 ) said : “ Before pleasure , anger , sorrow , and joy have arisen , this is called centrality . After they have arisen and have attained their appropriate degree , this is called harmony . Centrality is the
23
Merriam-Webster e-dictionary , https :// www . merriamwebster . com / dictionary / anthropocentrism
29