The ideal is plump, the reality is skinny. Not everyone is willing to stay out of things and be a happy butterfly like Zhuangzi.
The Mohists, who had always wanted to join the world, had to make compromises with reality. It should be said that it is not just the Mohist family. Whether to join the world or to emerge from it, this is a problem that disciples of all schools of thought will face. This means that in the future they will struggle for reality or for ideals.
As a result, Taoism split into the Huang-Lao School and the Lao-Zhuang School. Zixia said goodbye to Zengzi in the state of Lu and embarked on a road to join the world.
Mencius spent his whole life struggling to join the world, but he was unwilling to compromise with reality. In the end, he had to return to the state of Zou in despair and write a book.
Hao
"Xiangli Feng is about to win." Lin Xiangru reminded in a low voice. On the ring, Xiangli Feng stood up excitedly. His short coat highlighted his strong figure, and his eight-foot-tall body was extremely oppressive.
"The Jixia Academy in the State of Qi was built, and you and other Confucian disciples flocked to it. Now that the Handan Academy in the State of Zhao has been built, you abandoned the Jixia Academy and came to our State of Zhao. Is it beneficial? Is it righteous? Your Majesty is around the ring. Build a grandstand, collect tickets, and distribute the collected ticket money to you. You hold the money the king gave you in your hands, but you cursed the king for being greedy for money, which is not what a gentleman does. Is this profit? Is this righteousness?" Xiang Lifeng smoothed his sleeves and had a tendency to start a fight if they disagreed.
Under normal circumstances, everyone is a gentleman who uses words but does not use hands when debating. But if someone gets excited and someone uses force, no one will stop them.
Because fists are also a way of speaking. Hao
"Is it for the benefit of the Mohists to come to Zhao State? Is it for righteousness?" Kong Qi also stood up.
"Righteous people also benefit." Xiangli Feng raised his head and said with a smile. When Kong Qi heard this, his expression suddenly changed, he bowed and walked down the stage dejectedly.
"Are they arguing about justice and profit?" Zhao Kuo asked. The debate between heaven and man, the debate between human nature, the debate between justice and benefit, the debate between kings and hegemons, and the debate between name and reality are the five most famous issues during the period of the Contending of One Hundred Schools of Thought. Each school and each faction has put forward its own views on the issues, and each faction has different opinions. The same, even the same faction is different, and some are even completely at odds with each other.
The most famous thing in later generations is the dispute between Mencius' theory of "good nature" and Xunzi's "theory of evil nature". Thousands of years after their death, there was no result.
On the other four major issues, in addition to the debate between name and reality, Xunzi and the authentic Confucius and Mencius schools of Confucianism are also very different.
Hao So... Xunzi was criticized as a heretic by Confucianists. Xunzi called this group of Confucians rotten Confucians and despicable Confucians.
However, one of the two factions is super powerful, and the other has a large number of people and a deep foundation. No one can defeat the other, they can only talk about it.
"Confucianism advocates benevolence and righteousness, while Mohism believes that benefit and righteousness are the same, benefit is righteousness, and righteousness is benefit. The so-called valuing justice and disparaging benefit is just hypocrisy." Lin Xiangru said.
"Everything in the world is for profit, and everything in the world is for profit. There is nothing wrong with profit. What is wrong is that there is no bottom line for profit and there is no limit to greed." Zhao Kuo said slowly.
"Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty." After the debate, everyone noticed Zhao Kuo and came over one after another. Hao
"In informal situations, you don't need to be so polite." Zhao Kuo waved his hand.
"Meng Hong, a common man, has met the king." At this time, a Confucian disciple walked up to Zhao Kuo and leaned down to salute.
"Who are you, Mencius?" Zhao Kuo looked at Meng Hong.
"It's the great ancestor of the grass people." Meng Hong said.
"I have admired Mencius for a long time. I wish I could have been born decades earlier and listened to his teachings." Zhao Kuo sighed.
"If my great-grandfather knew about the king, he would be very happy." When Meng Hong heard that Zhao Kuo admired his family ancestor, his originally somewhat rigid aura instantly softened a lot.
"Hahaha, Mr. Mencius would not be happy if he saw so many Mohist disciples, Yang Zhu disciples, and Xunzi in my king's academy." Zhao Kuo laughed loudly.
When Mencius Hao was alive, the Mohist school and Yang Zhu were at their peak. As the banner-bearer of Confucianism, Mencius naturally could not let go of the Mohists and Yang Zhu. He spent his whole life either madly attacking the Mohists and Yang Zhu, or on the road to madly hating the Mohists and Yang Zhu.
Similarly, apart from Confucianism, the schools of thought that had the greatest influence on Mencius were Mohism and Yang Zhu.
After all, if you want to defeat the enemy, you must understand the enemy deeply, and in the process of understanding, your own thoughts will be led astray by the enemy.
Under the influence of the Mohist idea of equality and Yang Zhuwei, Mencius proposed that "the people are the most important, the country is the second most important, and the king is the least important" in the face of the strict Confucian hierarchy of "the king, the minister, the minister, the father, the son, the son."
'After that, he even said more
"A man who is a traitor is called a husband. I have heard that one husband was killed by Zhou, but I have never heard of regicide." 'If the king regards his ministers as his hands and feet, then his ministers will regard him as his heart and soul; if his ministers regard his ministers as dogs and horses, then his ministers will regard him as a fellow countryman. "If the king treats his ministers like dirt, then his ministers will regard him as a bandit."
'To put it simply, don't drag out those useless old dogmas. If you are good to me, I will be good to you. If you are not good to me, I will be bad to you.
Love is the embrace of two people, not the contribution of one person. The same goes for kings and ministers. In ancient times, especially in the face of the "monarch, king, minister, minister" promoted by Confucianism, Mencius's words were extremely shocking.
Such idealists are destined to be unpopular with rulers. Mencius never became a high official in his life. Later, Zhu Yuanzhang even wanted to expel Mencius from the Confucius Temple.
Although everyone always puts Confucius and Mencius together, Mencius is undoubtedly ahead of the times in terms of the idea of 'people-oriented'.
"The king underestimates our ancestors. Our ancestors will definitely be very happy to see Xunzi and others, because his thoughts can take another step closer." Meng Hong leaned over and said.
Hao
"Yes, opponents will only make Mencius stronger." Zhao Kuo nodded and walked outside as he said,
"But, after all, Mencius has been dead for many years. If you want to bring his thoughts closer, you can't rely on him, but on you descendants. Isn't this what the so-called Guangzong Yaozu is?"
"That's what the king said." Meng Hong couldn't help but become a little anxious when he saw Zhao Kuo walking outside, but he couldn't stop him directly, so he had to follow him.
"The common people will have a debate tomorrow about kingship and domineering. I wonder if the king is interested?" Zhao Kuo finally understood why Meng Hong stood up. It turned out to be to promote Mencius' kingship.
Mencius believed that kingliness is the opposite of hegemony. The royal way is to implement benevolent government and convince people with virtue. Domineering means using force to subdue others, but it cannot make people convinced.
Mencius once preached his royal way to King Wei of Qi, King Xuan of Qi, King Hui of Wei, and King Xiang of Wei, hoping that Qi and Wei could use their own royal way to govern the country. He also promoted his philosophy of governing the country to Song and Teng.
Hao, but the result is obvious, everything failed. Now Meng Hong obviously carries his great-grandfather's last wish and wants to go to Zhao Kingdom to preach the king's way.
