Mencius

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Eastern
Cover of the book Mencius by David Hinton, Counterpoint
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David Hinton ISBN: 9781619026834
Publisher: Counterpoint Publication: June 1, 2015
Imprint: Counterpoint Language: English
Author: David Hinton
ISBN: 9781619026834
Publisher: Counterpoint
Publication: June 1, 2015
Imprint: Counterpoint
Language: English

This ancient text records the teachings of Mencius (4th c. B.C.E.), the second originary sage in the Confucian tradition which has shaped Chinese civilization for over two thousand years. In a culture that makes no distinction between those realms we call the heart and the mind, Mencius was the great thinker of the heart, and it was he who added the profound inner dimensions to the Confucian vision. Given his emphasis on the heart, it isn't surprising that his philosophical method is very literary in nature: story and anecdote full of human drama and poetic turns of thought. Indeed, the text is considered a paragon of literary eloquence and style.

Mencius' strikingly contemporary empiricism represented a complete secularization of the spiritualist concepts of governance that had dominated China for over a millenia. He invested the humanist Confucian vision with its inner dimensions by recognizing that the individual is an integral part of a self-generating and harmonious cosmos. He saw all the spiritual depths of that cosmology inside us, and this led to a mystical faith in the inherent nobility of human beings. In his chaotic and war-ravaged times, he was therefore passionate in his defense of the people. Indeed, he advocated a virtual democracy in which a government's legitimacy depended upon the assent of the people. Such is the enduring magic of the Mencian heart- full of compassionate and practical concern for the human condition, and yet so empty that it contains the ten thousand transformations of the entire cosmos.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This ancient text records the teachings of Mencius (4th c. B.C.E.), the second originary sage in the Confucian tradition which has shaped Chinese civilization for over two thousand years. In a culture that makes no distinction between those realms we call the heart and the mind, Mencius was the great thinker of the heart, and it was he who added the profound inner dimensions to the Confucian vision. Given his emphasis on the heart, it isn't surprising that his philosophical method is very literary in nature: story and anecdote full of human drama and poetic turns of thought. Indeed, the text is considered a paragon of literary eloquence and style.

Mencius' strikingly contemporary empiricism represented a complete secularization of the spiritualist concepts of governance that had dominated China for over a millenia. He invested the humanist Confucian vision with its inner dimensions by recognizing that the individual is an integral part of a self-generating and harmonious cosmos. He saw all the spiritual depths of that cosmology inside us, and this led to a mystical faith in the inherent nobility of human beings. In his chaotic and war-ravaged times, he was therefore passionate in his defense of the people. Indeed, he advocated a virtual democracy in which a government's legitimacy depended upon the assent of the people. Such is the enduring magic of the Mencian heart- full of compassionate and practical concern for the human condition, and yet so empty that it contains the ten thousand transformations of the entire cosmos.

More books from Counterpoint

Cover of the book Stolen Glimpses, Captive Shadows by David Hinton
Cover of the book Pitiful Criminals by David Hinton
Cover of the book This Is Why I Came by David Hinton
Cover of the book The Art of Loading Brush by David Hinton
Cover of the book The Baker's Tale by David Hinton
Cover of the book Maverick Jetpants in the City of Quality by David Hinton
Cover of the book The Colony by David Hinton
Cover of the book The Poetry of William Carlos Williams of Rutherford by David Hinton
Cover of the book A Sense of the Whole by David Hinton
Cover of the book The Patriot by David Hinton
Cover of the book The Oyster War by David Hinton
Cover of the book The Joy of Killing by David Hinton
Cover of the book The Lists of the Past by David Hinton
Cover of the book Goddess of Love Incarnate by David Hinton
Cover of the book Night Train by David Hinton
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy