Comments by Student Uriah Khambatta Most recent public comments by Student Uriah Khambatta https://nowcomment.com/users/12136 Ah, Master Kongzi's wise words to berate those claiming to have no effect on governance due to their apolitical standing. Kongzi is also motivating us to take an active, political stand by engaging in self-cultivation. So simple, no? https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288620 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288620 Fri, 13 Jul 2018 19:20:45 -0400 This calls to mind the Daoist balance of qi. In this context, which would be yang or yin: learning or thinking? Or neither? Or both? https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288619 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288619 Wed, 22 Oct 2014 07:01:37 -0400 Master Kongzi's reply to the question regarding the effective assessment of character could be used as an effective assessment of ourselves. Where we find solace, who we follow and what we do can illuminate our identity, answering the question: who am I? https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288618 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288618 Wed, 22 Oct 2014 06:36:47 -0400 Here Kongzi remarks on the fallible perspective of intellect as an ability to question or antagonize beliefs, linking to Mr. Burell's comment on the nature of debate and rhetoric. (see 1.3) https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288617 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288617 Fri, 13 Jul 2018 19:20:44 -0400 This points out the affection-intensive aspect of filial piety, implying that natural human tendencies need to give substance to the ritual. https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288614 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288614 Thu, 23 Oct 2014 04:04:42 -0400 The "at sixty my ear was attuned" calls to mind Jesus's "those with ears, let them hear" (pointed out to me by Mr. Burell) except in a more internal, personal way: Master Kongzi has acknowledged the sages' advice, and thus *demonstrates* a step in the Way https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288610 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288610 Fri, 13 Jul 2018 19:20:44 -0400 Master Kongzi touches on the realm of psychology through the socio-cultural lens, addressing the development of a correct conscience (shame) via veneration and ritual propriety. Upbringing, we see, is colossal to the Way. https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288609 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288609 Fri, 13 Jul 2018 19:20:44 -0400 I cannot begin to imagine the effort(lessness) required in constructing those three hundred poems, as Chinese poetry has rigid sets of rules that make free-verse look like child's play. To think that each poem even notes a meaningful idea! https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288608 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288608 Fri, 13 Jul 2018 19:20:44 -0400 It's a bit of a stretch, but this touches upon the theory of relativity. https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288607 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288607 My first thought on this quote was of the fallacy in Master Kongzi's analogy. Since, in reality, the Pole Star and all cosmic bodies are all *moving* through space away from the center of the universe, he can't state that "the Pole Star remains simply in its place." But that's only relative to the center of the universe. Relativity is a conundrum I have trouble with, because you can cause an object to 'move' or not by assigning a relative observation point to the object. You can see the trouble that can cause as, right now, I can either be 'at rest' with respect to my laptop, or hurtling through space with respect to the center of the universe. I need an anchor, an observation point to define my state of being. And Confucianism stresses this point: we should *steer* with a goal in mind (societal progress, self-cultivation, ritual propriety) rather than row aimlessly through life. Hence, we need a Pole Star, an observation point to compare to our spiritual development. Without a goal, a Way in mind, we wouldn't be able to gauge our effortless self-cultivation. Fri, 13 Jul 2018 19:20:44 -0400 Rhetoric is useful, but shouldn't be the 'root' of the intention. Language should be the finishing touch to innate human affection. (Like the make-up analogy in 3.8) If the roots aren't true and strong, the branches will wither and bend. https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288606 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288606 Wed, 22 Oct 2014 05:34:30 -0400 Master Kongzi's comment retains numerous layers of meaning as being 'informed' denotes an *involved* understanding of various sources, including text, history, and experiences. https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288605 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288605 Fri, 13 Jul 2018 19:20:44 -0400 Both being joyful when we lack and being venerable when he have implies a patient attitude which we've earlier learned to be the mark of a gentleman. https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288604 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288604 Wed, 22 Oct 2014 05:08:21 -0400 A prelude to Master Kongzi's "a gentleman is not a vessel." Also, another link to the Daoist principle of balance. https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288603 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288603 Fri, 13 Jul 2018 19:20:44 -0400 As with Laozi, Kongzi is focused on the balance of the excesses: while speech is useful, the extremes of hypnotic language is condemned. https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288602 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288602 Ingratiating manners driven for self-gain do not fulfill humanistic goals and will not meet the quota self-cultivation requires. Wed, 22 Oct 2014 04:35:48 -0400 And a mighty tough root to apply oneself to, at that. It's easy to renege on filial piety, but the methods for strengthening it prove difficult. Kongzi advises that affection be a starting point. Care to share any thoughts on this matter? https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288601 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288601 Fri, 13 Jul 2018 19:20:44 -0400 Does 'zi' denote the status of mastery? In Slingerland's book translation 'Youzi' is referred to as 'Master You'. So is he the equivalent of a 'Master' or some such? If so, when I say 'Master Kongzi,' am I being redundant? https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288600 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288600 Fri, 13 Jul 2018 19:20:44 -0400 Un-recognition is an immense hindrance to the Way; the gentleman follows the Way to cultivate himself, yes, but there's also the aim to facilitate the ethical and moral growth of others. https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288599 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288599 If the gentleman remains unrecognized, unheeded, his purpose is rendered obsolete for his Virtue has not touched the lives of others. This is the root for Master Kongzi's sorrow we later see populating the Analects, and proves as a final, daunting test for the gentleman: even in the face of others *ignoring* sage advice, the gentleman remains free of resentment and anger, and does not deviate from wu-wei serenity. Instead, we see Kongzi moved to tears over the fate of humanity's disregard for history, for role ethics, for affection; the gentleman's sorrow thus remains a self-giving act. Fri, 13 Jul 2018 19:20:44 -0400 Here we move from the internal process of self-cultivation to a communal setting. The Master points out the value of sharing our cultivation with others. https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288598 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288598 Notice, however, the wu-wei side of this sentence: the gentleman's *companions* arrive from afar. This hints at the charismatic attraction of the gentleman; he's achieved a state of influence through his sole attention to the everyday. Fri, 13 Jul 2018 19:20:44 -0400 True: when I first read the Analects, I immediately latched onto 'learning' as rote-memorization of information, as chunks and quantities of factual knowledge. The learning Master Kongzi talks about, however, is un-quantifiable. https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288597 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288597 Fri, 13 Jul 2018 19:20:44 -0400 We encounter Master Kongzi with a carefully-worded proposition. I say proposition because there's no demand to follow it, no rebuke for those deviating thus far. https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288596 https://nowcomment.com/documents/28873?scroll_to=288596 On the contrary, we find the Way with a finger pointing inwards, with a soothing whisper in our ears, "You can study, you can take your time, you can practice." Master Kongzi begins with a convincing argument that invites us to join him on the Way and, even if we chose not to, he points out the satisfaction of the personal education, of the internal growth inherent in our lives. This is where our Way begins, and it's a choice that lends itself to the minutia of the everyday. Every breath, every thought, and every action can be seen as a form of dynamic studying and practice, of pre-reflection, of wu-wei. It's no wonder I find the Analects a calming pasture; it's healthy soil we can root ourselves in while we nurture our seeds of self-cultivation. Fri, 13 Jul 2018 19:20:44 -0400