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to Vietnamese Missionaries in Taiwan Home Page1. When explaining the cause of China's succumb to Communists' conquest, Western scholars concluded that it was largely due to the weakness of thoughts by contemporary Chinese thinkers. This realistic remark shines some light on an overdue lesson which should be discussed in some details.
First of all, the loss of China to Communism is in fact the loss of Chinese philosophy to Western ideology. The battle was indeed a philosophyical one because philosophy is the originator of all humanity studies and cultures. Communist victory means banishment and condemnation to the whole structure of East-Asian culture in its own homeland. The result is an extreme atrocity to Asian nations, whose losses take along their national pride and integrity. Communist Chinese has coldly declared, "Confucius' learning is a feces eating one". The statement means that all Confucius-follower countries -- China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam...-- eat feces, as they have been eating for the last 2,000 years. Nothing could compare to such demeaning ways to deny one's own cultural heritage as this satement did.
2. This humiliation was vaguely felt in the earlier years of the 20th century by Chinese intellectuals. They then began to study Western thoughts and eventually decided to seek help from the two most respected philosophers Dewey and Bertrant Russel. Nevertheless these two thinkers could not come up with any worthwhile ideology. Communism then went on to win the war, at least on the philosophical front. Up until now, East Asian nations could not yet recover. This means that they have not presented a philosophical system capable of confronting Marxism. Chinese contemporary thoughts were still confused and chaotic, or lame as being observed by outsiders, not by those who are hostile to China but by the great admirers such as Granet or Count Keyserling themselves. The observations are painfully truthful, however, as the Chinese and East-Asian philosphies are dragging behind Western thoughts in great distances.
3. If so, then is East-Asia's philosphy worthless?
-- Not at all. The Honululu International Philosophy Conference in 1949, with 50 nations attending, most of whom from the West, has unanimously chosen Confucius to be the Grand Marshall. This indicated that the world of philosophy still paid highest respect to Chinese culture. I think the indication is justly appropriate because nobody else but Confucius himself would deserve the honor.
The question, therefore, is why Nho Learning has not yet shown any response?
I think the answer is obvious: It is up to Han Nho. Then what is Han Nho?
Nho is usally classified into three types:
--- Nho from the Three-Great Emperors Period (Tam Hoang) represents the Spirit: Hoang Nho.
--- Nho developed in the Five-King Period (Ngu De) represents the Culture: Di Nho.
--- Nho imitated and popularized in the Han Dynasty represents the Politics: Han Nho
The last stage of Nho, from the Han Dynasty, being remnants of the mainstream, has lost its power of thinking and become rigid. Creativity was reduced to fragmented commentaries with mixed resources from legalists and magic schools (Yin Yang men), without reaching the level of "Vi Ngon Dai Nghia" (Words of Great Thoughts). Magicisms is at animalistic stage, legalism at ideological stage while Original Nho has reached the spiritual stage. Compared to Western thoughts, Han Nho was no longer a Nho philosophy or "Tao" but of an inferior level of philosophy. Nevertheless, sinologists have, for the last two centuries, completely invested in this kind of Nho learning, therefore no one could have responded the conference's appeal. If attitudes don't changes, one can never achieve the reasoning power of western thoughts, because it is not endowed strength of the East. Strengths of the East lie in its virtues and merits, while words are of secondary priority, hence weakness in philosophy. That is no shame at all, however, many peoples of great dimensions such as the Romans, Jews, or Muslims, all have poor or negligible philosophies. Because these are not their strengths, it wouldn't be a concern if we fail to match their philosophy level. But even if we could reach that level of powerful reasoning, neither could we respond to the conference's appeal. Western philosophies are still losing to communism and failing to give guidance to life, or, in western word, it fails to give life a direction. This results in the phenomenon that American and the West are world leaders in technologies, economics, and politics, but western cultures are summed up in a comment by Heidegger, "Chaos and misfortune". Thus one day even if the East could reach the western level of reasoning, it still can neither win communism, nor can it direct people's life. It might even run the risk of losing all the essences of its culture whose strength does not concentrate on the reasoning power, but on the virtues and merits. Words are in third place...
4. Then what should we do?
The answer is we must go back to the original Nho, which is truly Dao Nho, not Nho philosophy. Hindi term is Darshana, which is translated as Philosia by some people. It doesn't matter if the terminology is appropriate. The content is all what counts. Then let's consider the content:
Dao Nho is a way of life consisting of Mind (thoughts), Heart (feeling, love), and Will Power (desire, strength). Meanwhile philosophy itself only contains "Ideas" (knowledge) or less than a third of Tao because Tao's mind also contains "Enlightenment". Heart and Will Power also contain Feeling Spirit and Will Spirit. From a structural standpoint, "Ideas" are at lateral phenominal level, while "Mind-Heart-Will Power" are at vertical spiritual level which will raise man's conciousness to the higher stage. Mere logicality will only lead to richness and abundance. But this richness is still contained within the boundary of Lateral phenomenon, and lacks the power of leadership. Abundance might even lead to chaos. Therefore, even some day we could elevate Nho studies to the level of Nho Philosophy, we still find ourselves confined inside the four academic walls, instead of leading the real living world outside.
5. Then how can we find Dao Nho?
It is not just a scholar, but requires a philosopher with "creative explanation" capacity to formulate a new system of thought which could attract the consciousness of the contemporary man. Such a philosopher is called "Man of Nho" such as Nghieu, Thuan, Phuc Hi, Nu Oa...While waiting for the appearance of such "wonder man", we touch base on how the person should be:
a. Beyond the limit of Han Nho: Peoples in the first generation of the 20th cenutry have lost their countries due to the fatal mistake of valuation philosophy better than Nho Dao. We should not continue this track of harmful error. Remove ourselves from the road of mere philosophy, or the attempts to transform Han Nho into a Western philosophical system. In fact, Phung Huu Lan has succeeded with those attempts and has gone nowhere. Let's find our way back to Nho Dao: It is the homeward pathe of Di Nho with Nghieu, Thuan, and with Chuyen Huc-period of making merits. The Path of Hoang Nho The with Phuc Hi, Nu Oa, Than Nong is the period of virtues. The two are combined into Nguyen Nho (original) which contains "Mind-Love-Will", or in another word "Logic-Hunamity-Valor" or "Truth-Goodness-Beauty". Philosophy by itself only contains "Truth" and lacks the other two elements. "Truth" must go with "Goodness" and "Beauty" otherwise Nho is short of 70% because is not an ideology, but a living style, a Tao, a Way.
b. Removing the political element because it divide the countries: China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, Phililipines... This devisive factor is a late comer which overshadows the overall reality that all belongs to the same denomination that covers from China, Korea, Japan, to Vietnam, Laos, Campuchea, and other Pacific territories. All of these country share the same agricultural civilization of the East Asia. This Nguyen Nho, in fact, is the common heritage of the extended family. Ironically all but China have forgotten this heritage. The remaining Han Nho in China again has lost its originality, and become too rigid to accommodate to the modern time.
c. Therefore all East-Asian countries should consider themselves as siblings of the Extended Family sharing the Nguyen Nho heritage. China would assume the role of the eldest brother in order to revitalize Nguyen Nho as well as to support and delegate other brothers to participate in that universal Nho. This would serve to bring back the living Tao for the Family and to fulfill the world's need of the "Holistic Knowledge", what the world hopes from East-Asia.
The three issues above, containing several resounding echoes, will gradually emerge when being carried out. Meanwhile they could be expressed through the word "TAO-FIELD". It's now time to join hand to reconstruct the "General Tao-Field for East Aisa."
40. Will be a letter sent to confucianist of Taiwan not yet translated, it will be sent later.
(C) Copyright. Last updated April 5, 1997 by VietMissio
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