That Confucius was found to speak of tien-ming ( or decree of Heaven) as well as ming ( or destiny) without tien ( or Heaven), and

his advice about keeping ghosts and spiritual beings at a distance, was perhaps a prelude to what could be called a dawn of enlightenment, represented by a less superstitious way of understanding life and reality.
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About Confucius - His Life and Destiny

An excerpt from The Six Patriarchs of Chinese Humanism Author: Peter M.K. Chan All rights reserved
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Before we get into the teaching of Confucius, it will serve to know what he was really like in the eyes of his students: It was the masters intention to comfort the old, to be faithful to his friends, and to be concerned about the young. [ .... Ibid. 3:25] He was mild but strict, dignified but not intimidating, polite and completely at ease.[ Ibid. 7:38] He fished with a line but not a net; and did not shoot at birds that were in their nests. [
Ibid. 7:27]

The master seldom talked about personal benefits in connection with destiny and humaneness. [ Ibid. 9:1] He rejected arbitrariness of opinion, dogmatism, obstinacy, and egotism. [ Ibid. 9:4] He was apprehensive about fasting, war, and pestilence. [
Ibid. 7:13]

Confucius was great. His learning was broad beyond description. [ Ibid. 9:2] He was well versed in poetry, history, and propriety (or rituals and proper conduct). [ Ibid. 7:18] He taught (us) literature, conduct, loyalty, and faithfulness. [ Ibid. 7:25] In short, Chung-Ni (Confucius) was beyond reproach. He was like the sun and the

moon. [Ibid. 19:24] As ancient history had also seen fit to record, Confucius father died when he was three, and his mother when he was about fifteen. For this reason, he had to work for a living by taking on various low paying jobs during his teens and twenties. The following is what he said about this difficult period of his life. I was poor when I was young; that is why I can do many humble chores. [ Ibid.9:6] I was not born with knowledge, but admired and quick to seek the teaching of the ancients. [ Ibid. 7:20] As he had also come to realize, nothing was more natural to me than to learn quietly, study unceasingly, and advise others untiringly! [ ! Ibid.7:2] But it was not until he was thirty that he began his private endeavor to propagate the teaching of the ancients. As he put it: I transmit but do not create; I believe in and love the teaching of the ancients. [Ibid. 7:1] For the twenty years or so that followed, he was sought after by students from near and far. Thus, by the age of fifty, he was known to many to be an outstanding scholar and educator. For this reason, he was invited by his home state of Lu to serve in a number of official positions, including a threemonth stint as deputy minister of law. However, for reasons that the ruler of Lu was not prepared to put his ideas into practice (or political intrigue if I may add), he resigned and took his disciples to travel from place to place to see if he could sell his ideas elsewhere. To him, one should not cooperate with those who follow a different Way. [ Ibid. 15:40] With some rice to eat, water to drink, and a bent arm as pillow, I still find life to be enjoyable. To me, unrighteous wealth and honor are but floating clouds. [ Ibid.7:15] Besides, a kingly person is not an instrument (for others to use). [ Ibid. 2:12] He works for the Way (of humanity) rather than food, and could always find relief for himself by working in the fields. [
Ibid. 15:32]

By this time, Confucius was already fifty-five years old. Despite having to contend with difficulties every now and then, as we are also told, he was welcomed and provided for first by the state of Wei for a period of five years, and then by the state of Chen for another three. To his disappointment however, none were prepared to put his ideas about government into practice. For this reason, he could not help but think that if the Way (of humanity) prevails, it is destiny. If it is abolished, it is also destiny. [ Ibid.14:36] Further, he also thought that he who does not know destiny cannot be a kingly person. [ 20:2] Thus, at the age of sixty-three and getting too old to travel, arrangement was made for him to return to his home state of Lu, where he continued to write and teach until his death at the age of seventy three. The purpose of recounting the life of Confucius is to show that his autobiography, short as it comes in the Analects, is quite on the mark. At fifteen, I dedicated to my studies. At thirty, I stood on my own (financially and intellectually). At forty, I was without doubt (or confident). At fifty, I knew the decree of Heaven (or what he took to be his destiny). At sixty, I was at ease with whatever I hear (no longer bothered by criticisms nor excited by praise). At seventy, I could follow my desires without violating rules (his hormones were no longer sufficient to drive him in the wrong way). [
Ibid. 2:4]

One question that calls for attention is what Confucius meant exactly by knowing the decree of Heaven. Was he advocating the view that whatever happens in life is actually not of ones own doing? More bluntly put, was he promoting the idea (then popular) that ones destiny is really prefixed by Heaven? Well, it may be argued that this is so. For he is also known to have said that a kingly person holds three things in awe: the decree of Heaven, great personalities, and the words of the sages. [

That is to say, had he not implicitly assumed that Heaven is able to dictate, reward and punish as it wishes, why should anyone, kingly persons in particular, be afraid of Heaven? And how about his admonition that anyone who commits a crime against Heaven has no one to pray to? [ Ibid. 3:13] Does it not also indicate that the (then) anthropomorphic view of Heaven was very much on his mind?
Ibid.16:8]

On the other hand, it could also be pointed out that Confucius had also said the following: Does Heaven really speak so as to make seasons change and things grow? Does Heaven really speak? [ Ibid. 17:19] If Heaven does not speak, or so he seemed to be saying, how could anyone claim to know the decree of Heaven? What worries me is that I will not be able to cultivate virtue, teach what I have learned, follow what is righteous, and correct my own mistakes. [ Ibid. 7:3] He also advised his students not to blame Heaven and complain against men; and to reach for higher understanding by learning what is basic. [ Ibid. 14:37] That is to say, had Confucius been of the view that ones destiny is really decreed or prefixed by Heaven, why should he worry about making mistakes and so on, as well as urging his students to study hard, improve and correct themselves? Besides, it was also his view that it is man (not Heaven) that makes the Way great, and not the other way round. [ Ibid. 15:29] And, despite his knowing that riches and honors are what men desire, and poverty and low status are what men hate, [ . Ibid. 4:5] he still wanted to take upon himself the difficult task of cultivating the moral character of man government officials and those in power in particular. Under this light, or so it could also be argued, what he meant by knowing the decree of Heaven is but a fanciful way of saying that by the time he was fifty, he became aware of the fact that his fame had already spread, and was on the way to help govern his home state in accordance with the Way of the

Zhou dynasty. As he put it: If any state employs me, I shall think of it as Eastern Zhou (or the latter Zhou dynasty). [ ! Ibid. 17:5]Further, in his saying that whether or not the Way will prevail is all a matter of destiny, [ Ibid. 14:36]and that an accomplished person would think of righteousness in the presence of benefits as he would accept his destiny in the face of danger, [
Ibid. 14.12] what

he meant to say is that despite best of effort, one must still gracefully accept consequences that are beyond ones control. This is why he had also said that one who does not know destiny cannot be a kingly person. [ Ibid.20:2] As it is also stated in the Great Learning: no ones destiny ( ming) is fixed and unchangeable. The virtuous gets
it, but those who are not virtuous will lose it [ Great Learning, Commentary, 10]

Well, to make purchase of these two contrary points of view, I believe that it is perhaps better to say that Confucius was metaphysically ambivalent in this regard. His main concern was with issues ethical rather than metaphysical. This is why he had to dismiss questions about ghosts and death. If we do not know how to serve men, how can we serve ghosts? If we do not know about life, how can we know about death? [ Analects 11:11] To perform ones duties due to men and respect ghosts and spiritual beings from a distance is what understanding is really all about. [ Ibid. 6:22] As some of his students had also seen fit to report: The master did not talk about things strange, miraculous, mysterious, (including) spiritual beings; [ Ibid.7:21] and that they have not heard anything about inborn nature and the Way of Heaven from the master. [
Ibid. 5:13]

Comment: For what cultural historians are able to tell, by the Shun Dynasty (ca. 1523 BC ca.1027BC), worshipping of spiritual beings and ghosts was already a common practice. With regard to relation between human beings and ghosts, it was generally believed that ghosts are actually the psychic remains (huen) of those who have passed away. As such, it is not to be assumed that ones dead ancestors no longer exist. For this reason, it was also believed that they still need to be attended to and served. That is what ancestral worship was all about. It was not until much later that this idea of personal immortality was to take on a different color. According to the more progressive of intellectuals, the immortality of a person is only preserved by his virtuous deeds and words, or public accomplishments, as these have also come to be called. That is to say, a persons immortality is actually dependent on how he has come to be remembered, if at all. What also came into play was the idea that there is a Supreme Being who governs both Heaven and Earth. It was called the Lord-on-High (SunDi or God). It is He who gives, and it is He who takes away. However, as the stream of time entered the latter half of the Zhou Dynasty (ca. 1027 BC ca.249 BC), a change of attitude was noticeable. Even though people still worship deities, spiritual beings and ghosts, some were already of the view that it is better to keep them out of the picture. Along with this slight change of tune, belief in the Lord-on-High also gave way to a less anthropomorphic notion, generally referred to as Heaven (tien). As a result, it was also commonplace for people to speak about the decree of Heaven (tien-ming), which was further understood as a kind of Mandate to be enjoyed by the Son of Heaven (or emperor). Thus, on the basis of what Confucius was reported to have said, it is rather clear that the (then) popular religious and anthropomorphic view of Heaven was already at risk in the minds of intellectuals. That Confucius was found to speak of tien-ming ( decree of Heaven) as well as ming ( destiny) without tien, and his advice about keeping ghosts and spiritual beings at a distance, was perhaps a prelude to what could be called a dawn of enlightenment, represented by a less superstitious way of understanding life and reality. But it was not until the arrival of Xunzi(ca.298 238 BC), the third patriarch of Confucianism, that this enlightenment was brought into full bloom.

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Peter M.K. Chan is the author of The Mystery of Mind published 2003, and Soul, God, and Morality published 2004. Recently, he has also competed another work titled The Six Patriarchs of Chinese Humanism (available in ebooks, but not yet in print). For details regarding the above, please visit http://pmkchan.googlepages.com/home http://patriarchsofchinesephilosophy.googlepages.com/home http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/petermkchan
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