So this notion of the realm of life has led to a moral deficiency in society. For the severe criticism of the utilitarian realm, we regard it as a pure moral utilitarianism. In fact, we must affirm the very important value and significance of utilitarianism in creating social wealth.
So when Mr. Feng proposed the concept of the realm of life, he realized that in terms of the realm of life, ideological and political education, and the construction of national morality, from a theoretical perspective, the first is that we lack systematic theoretical support, the second is that our construction goals are not very clear, and the third is that the moral realm is not the comprehensive ideal of life.
But some people may also say, who has ever reached the realm of heaven and earth?
You can't just hang something high up there as if no one can get there. In fact, traditional Chinese philosophy talks about the realm of heaven and earth. In recent years, the Confucian tradition of heaven and earth has taught you about the realm of heaven and earth. It is not only the Confucian and Taoist traditions, but also about the realm of heaven and earth. It has established a series of methodologies with you. This is called a kind of kung fu, telling you to persevere, be sincere, be upright, be cautious, and so on. There are a series of excellent and rich cultural resources there.
So no matter what kind of state a person is currently in, they should always hold onto this "daily self-examination", be vigilant and alert at all times, and tell themselves that there is a higher law that hangs high in the sky and high in the human world. This must be the goal, to continuously improve your understanding of different degrees of human life, and to implement it in your behavior.
Mr. Feng has effectively integrated the traditional Chinese concept of the unity of knowledge and action. Knowledge is perception and understanding, action is behavior, and the mutual consistency between human knowledge and behavior is made very clear and understandable. However, we will find that what drives a person to move from the realm of nature to the realm of utility, from the realm of morality to the realm of heaven and earth?
Do you think enlightenment prompted him? What can cause dissolution and continuous improvement, or in other words, enlightenment? Where does the driving force for improvement come from?
In the collection of works by San Song Tang, Mr. Feng said that having a sense of understanding leads to enlightenment, while not having a sense of understanding leads to ignorance. But if there is only perception without a higher level of perception, then its understanding is still in ignorance, just like a person dreaming in a dream. Although the dream in the dream is awakened, it is still in the dream. "Zhuangzi's Qiwu Lun" says: "The dream is not known. The dream is occupied by the dream, and after realizing it, one realizes the dream, and after having great awareness, one realizes this great dream." With a higher level of perception and understanding, one can be said to be a great awareness.
Zhuang Zhou dreamed of a butterfly, and upon turning back, he realized whether Zhuang Zhou had transformed into a butterfly or a butterfly had transformed into Zhuang Zhou. This is known as materialization. In fact, it is not a problem with the perception here. It does not tell you the absurdity of life, dissolve the meaning of life, or tell you the unity between people and things.
So enlightenment is never the most complete enlightenment, it is always a question of advancing from one level of enlightenment to a higher level of enlightenment.
Furthermore, it is said that those who live in the realm of heaven and earth are saints, while those who live in the realm of morality are sages. Therefore, Mr. Feng believes that the realm of human beings is a matter of understanding, not of existence. Once you can recognize what your behavior is like, you can be in a certain realm. It's not that you act, for example, some people's behavior can truly reach the realm of heaven and earth. For example, people in the realm of nature, such as Laozi's concept of 'the common people use their daily lives without knowing', are doing things that are in line with the Tao every day, but they do not realize it. You cannot say that these people are already in the realm of heaven and earth, in fact, they are still in the primitive realm of nature.
So it's not just about behavior as a standard, but more about both perception and behavior factors. If you have studied ethics, when judging a person's behavior, you often emphasize the theory of motivation and effect. For example, when you see an old lady about to cross the road, have you looked at the road or are you going to see why he wants to help him cross the road. Mr. Feng said that you must combine these two to see his behavior, but in his behavior, it emphasizes more on observing the person's perception. He also believes that motivation is stronger than effectiveness.
We have just introduced Mr. Feng's four realms theory, which is completely consistent with his new Neo Confucianism system. He particularly emphasizes the regulation, qi, Dao body, and Quanta, providing fundamental support for the realm of heaven and earth. The new Neo Confucianism system provides a very solid theoretical foundation for his entire depiction of the realm of heaven and earth.
So he told people, why do you have to advance from the realm of nature to the realm of heaven and earth, and what kind of behavior should you do in this realm?
He fulfilled the fundamental function of philosophy, firstly by providing him with a metaphysical theoretical basis. The second point is to tell you what the path of a sage is, which is the moral realm and the realm of heaven and earth. And more importantly, he tells you what the future direction of Chinese philosophy is, still adhering to the tradition of thousands of years, a process of advancing towards the realm of heaven and earth. Although it may not be fully realized, I have been striving to achieve it.
His realm theory effectively inherits and promotes traditional Chinese philosophy, providing a transcendent understanding of human spiritual pursuit. He combined the pursuit of life provided by Chinese philosophy with Western logical rationality, integrating the realm of life and metaphysics, supporting the entire realm theory with the metaphysical system, and using the realm theory as the ruler of the entire metaphysical system.
Feng Sheng believes that this realm is a new form of humanistic metaphysics, which is the soul of his philosophical system. He is a metaphysics that fundamentally aims at human beings.
Finally, let's summarize. Firstly, we will introduce Mr. Feng's relationship with the history of Chinese philosophy through the Three Histories. Secondly, we will introduce Mr. Feng's new Neo Confucianism system through the Six Books. Lastly, we will explore Mr. Feng's thoughts on the function of philosophy and the future development of philosophy through the methods and philosophy of Chinese philosophy.
Mr. Feng himself said, 'To establish one's heart for heaven and earth, to establish one's destiny for the people, to inherit the ultimate knowledge, and to open up peace for all eternity.' This is what Zhang Zai said, and Mr. Feng said that it is the natural mission of every philosopher to aspire to. Future philosophy can also be expressed in these four sentences by Zhang Zai. Since Zhang Zai proposed this mission, everyone has been trying to target him. We currently do not have any philosophy that can truly achieve this.
And indeed, nowadays, for example, many functions or functions of this kind of pursuit of excellence and opening up peace for eternity have been shared by other disciplines, but it does not prevent us from making efforts for it.
In his comprehensive evaluation of Mr. Feng Youlan, Mr. Fang Keli stated that he is already a historical figure and should make a comprehensive, objective, and fair assessment of his philosophical path and academic achievements, his gains and losses, and his rightful position in the history of modern Chinese philosophy. This assessment should include an overall evaluation and evaluation of his various academic stages of thought, as well as evaluations of his philosophical achievements, political attitude, moral character, and other aspects.
It should be said that these three lectures are mostly based on his philosophical achievements. Regarding Mr. Feng Youlan's own political attitude, moral character, and other aspects, we have basically not touched upon them. In fact, the latter two are also a major reason why Mr. Feng has been criticized by Hong Kong and Taiwan. For example, he criticized the Gang of Four during the Cultural Revolution and many political behaviors, especially after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Hong Kong and Taiwan have been very strict and severe in criticizing him. However, to be honest, most of our classmates grew up in mainland China, and we may all be relatively young and have not experienced such a process of the Cultural Revolution.
So, Mr. Feng himself, including us, has always emphasized a fundamental viewpoint in Chinese philosophy, whether it is historical figures or philosophical concepts, which is the understanding of sympathy. We must understand where the special position and fundamental difficulty lie in his position.
So it should be said that as a descendant of the Feng family, many people compare Liang Shuming and Feng Youlan, and place Liang Shuming on a very high standard of moral exemplars. From his academic articles to his moral personality, everyone believes that he is a person with a relatively modern intellectual model. Many times, many people recognize Mr. Feng's academic articles, but they do not particularly recognize his personal academic personality and other aspects.
But Mr. Liang Shuming and Mr. Feng have their own different experiences, and they have a very clear understanding of the political attitude. Mr. Liang Shuming has the capital to say no to politics, while Mr. Feng cannot. And the stance or attitude of many people who have experienced the hardships of the Cultural Revolution cannot be simply based on partial texts or literature.
So perhaps now, what we should pay more attention to in this regard is not to criticize his attitude, but to embrace a more sympathetic and understanding attitude. There is another slogan that may sound empty, but it is indeed a method that everyone can learn from, which is Mr. Feng's understanding of traditional and modern Eastern and Western cultures. He always maintains a basic attitude and persistence of inheriting tradition and innovating, absorbing the nourishment of tradition, maintaining an open attitude, and constantly enriching the content of Chinese culture through innovation. This is also a very important reason why Mr. Feng's academic articles can always have vitality.
