Mandate
of Heaven : Ancient Chinese Soteriology
Ancient Chinese
Classic texts:
“
天命之謂性；率性之謂道；修道之謂教。
道也者，不可須臾離也；可離，非道也。是故君子戒慎乎其所不睹，恐懼乎其所不聞。
莫見乎隱，莫顯乎微。故君子慎其獨也。
喜、怒、哀、樂之未發，謂之中。發而皆中節，謂之和。中也者，天下之大本也。和也者，天下之達道也。
致中和，天地位焉，萬物育焉 (《中庸》 )
“
人之初，性本善。性相近，習相遠。
苟不教，性乃遷。教之道，貴以專。 (《三字經》 )
“夫上古聖人之教下也，皆謂之虛邪賊風，避之有時，恬惔虛無，真氣從之，精神內守，病安從來。
是以志閒而少欲，心安而不懼，形勞而不倦，氣從以順，各從其欲，皆得所願。
故美其食，任其服，樂其俗，高下不相慕，其民故曰樸。
是以嗜慾不能勞其目，淫邪不能惑其心，愚智賢不肖，不懼於物，故合於道。
所以能年皆度百歲而動作不衰者，以其德全不危也。
(黃帝內經
素問·上古天真論原文)
“ 有物混成，先天地生，寂兮寥兮，獨立而不改，周行而不殆，可以為天地母。吾不知其名，強字之曰道，強為之名曰大。大曰逝，逝曰遠，遠曰反。故道大，天大，地大，人亦大。域中有四大，而人居其一焉。人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然。
“
“ 致虛極；守靜篤。萬物並作，吾以觀复。夫物芸芸，各復歸其根。歸根曰靜，靜曰復命。復命曰常，知常曰明。不知常，妄作兇。知常容，容乃公，公乃全，全乃天，天乃道，道乃久，歿身不殆。
《彖》曰：歸妹，天地之大義也。天地不交，而萬物不興。歸妹，人之終始也，說以動，所歸妹也。征凶，位不當也；无攸利，柔乘剛也。
《象》曰：澤上有雷，歸妹。君子以永終知敝。
“A
body thou hast prepared.........I have come to do thy will”
Hebrews 10:6
I was educated in American fundamentalism, and
salvation of this teaching is about an individual, born as a sinner,
with acts of sins and departure from God's holy teaching, destined to
perish and eternally punished. By the acts of Christ's own death on
the cross, the sinless for the sinful, and by his substitutionary
atonement, Christ was able to redeem the sinful and fulfilled the
acts of righteousness, and thus a sinner converted, trusted in that
saving faith, can become righteous, and hence attained salvation,
here and in the afterlife, as a righteous person, to attain eternal
life.
This American teaching invented in this North American
context, focuses on individual salvation, perfected in personal
conversionism, turning from acts of wantoness, and acts of
drunkenness, adulterous living, gluttony and avarice, turning to
Christ Jesus, holding him as the centre of his life and trusted in
his righteousness and deeds of righteousness, striving to lead a life
pattern by personal piety of studying the Bible, church attendance,
prayer, and being a witness to this faith by leading others into this
faith.
In short, “the old has passed, the new has come,
behold, I have made everything new.” This teaching focuses on the
new birth as if this converted person has not done any deeds of sin
or crime. A person in Christ is regarded as a new person, his
righteousness is “imputed” onto him by Christ's acts of self
sacrifice and his teaching.
Perhaps the best way that I can
see this faith is in its teaching, that God was in Christ, focused on
the individual, and salvation is all but for the individual
person.
I was a faithful follower of this way. Converted at
the age of 16, dedicated my life to Christ, and his teaching, being a
person who attains this teaching, follower of the way, and always in
my acts and deeds reflect this way. As a Christian, and a Chinese
from Taiwan, China, I thought Chinese culture has nothing to
contribute to my person, personal well being, and how to behave. I
one time thought that if I married a white girl, that might solve
this problem, being able to be embraced by this American culture in
every way. Life was not so easy, the more I moved apart and in
denial of my Chinese identity, the further I drift. The more I got
to see that being a Chinese has a low social standing in this
society, and lower than black people. In the eyes of American
whites, we are but an oddity, similar to Jews, and to be converted
and hold our own social standing, lower than white people and blacks.
No matter how much education a Chinese attains, it is the same
situation every where. In the more progressive northern states,
being a Chinese has a slightly higher status than that of the South,
nevertheless, the same lower social status and order that I came to
embrace or rather, it was reputed/imputed onto me by my birth.
Similar to that American Evangelical teaching, that Christ's own
righteousness is imputed onto sinners, my Chinese identity and all
that inferior social standing, political standing here in this
American nation – has imputed onto me, just because I am a Chinese
person.
This understanding is clearer to me now after a few
years of Mr Trump's politicization of China threats, and also I see
it commonly, every day. I see that also through the eyes of those
who suffered this injustice, such as Hispanic people :“these
Mexicans.”Migrants and Mexicans are regarded as a threat and lower
class, treated as such in this American nation. I see that
politicization supported by American Evangelicals, as if it is God
given, and their rights. It is seen as an immigration issue,
disguised as 'illegals' that are threatening American society, to the
point that their elevated status is threaten. American Evangelicals,
supported this ideology by votes and action. Their action speaks
louder than words, always holding the moral high ground as the elect,
that God has chosen them to lead this American country out of the
miry of sin and despair, and that they shall manifest God's destiny
in this way. Their religious faith being the forefront of this
fight. Hence, many of these White American Evangelicals, as in the
lead to fight against the unrighteous, drunken and rapist illegals,
who also import covid pandemic through their massive emigration
through southern borders.
Why is this political topic
important in the discussion of Chinese classical view of soteriology?
In ancient Chinese, “nature” as heaven imputed onto Chinese is
something good, kind and if I may use Christian words, “illustrious.”
It is because this nature is an emanation from the heavens.
Departure from this goodness, is common and as a result, Huang-Di in
his conversation leading to the description of eventual sickness and
disease. He does not preach eternal life, but a good life that ends
well through self discipline and good living.
American
soteriology is about the salvation of individuals who attained this
blessing and shall inherit this land. Much of inheriting this land
resulted in genocide of previous residents, millions perished because
God has not chosen them, but these newly arrived European immigrants.
Not that they are smarter, but this one thing they do, pursuing and
pushing and clearing the land from these none-humans, “Indians.”
These are pagans, to be converted by the sword or death, brought
under subjugation for the sake of Christ, and his kingdom. Indeed,
history belongs to the victors. These victors then divided up the
land according to their own image and after their likeness, and of
course, this anger comes again when pagans and these ugly Mexicans
are invading this American land and taking away their God given
rights.
There is this stark contrast between American
Evangelical faith to that of ancient Chinese Classics.
Our
Chinese Classic teaches that “mandate of heaven” is what defines
human nature, and understanding that and attaining this heaven given
nature, is the way/Dao, as the process to attain this way, is the
teaching that comes from generations of those who had attained this
life here on earth. This word “teaching” is that of ancients
from China, and as Christian, we have a Master who taught us how to
be. This is the same context of Christianity when translated into
modern Chinese as “Christ's teaching.”
In order to
understand and attain this doctrine, sages and holy ones from Chinese
past history learned that this was seldom far from each of us, and
when in action and behaviours, themselves strive to behave in that
way, without departing to the left or to the right. It brings peace
when all action ceases to be, and this peace is the evident and
visible sign of one who is on the way. This is the simplest Chinese
soteriology. Salvation is to return to that illustrious nature given
by the heavens, and as this mandate is evident to us, we know in our
hearts, right from wrong, and if we do not know acts of right from
wrong, we can be taught from ancient Chinese Classics. These
teachings have accumulated years and generations of practice, and
come down to us, some five thousand years ago, crystallized by
Confucius, Laotse, and sages and holy men from the past. Sometimes,
it helps with a different perspective, such as brought in from India,
Buddhism, or by ancient Christians from Persia, or Manicheans or
those sages from the West, through Silk Road trades and flourished
for a time. Nevertheless, ancient Chinese were able to convert these
and absorbed them for Chinese use, for a better living.
Ancient
Chinese medical text testified that people departed from ways of
“truth” “goodness” and “empty-state.” Their lives have
been cut short, and suffered various illness. These habits can be
mended through an understanding of how to be, and how to behave.
Attaining this ideal, is similar to that of YiChing's 54th
hexagram, that we shall return to that of our nature, that attaining,
and returning to that which was formed, is the salvation in Chinese
context, the great righteousness.
As it was said, “humans
follow the way of the earth, and earth to heaven, heaven to dao, and
dao/this way follows nature/itself, that of itself, as it was.”
This way is never far from us. We do not need Western missionaries
from the West, through wars, and acts of aggression, through
subjugation, and destruction of our land, or to caricature our own
image or to regard us, Chinese, as lower than them, as it once was
said in the Psalms, “Thou hast regarded man, lower than the
angels.” Indeed, we are lower than these White American masters.
They beat us in every way, they run our schools, and our kids cannot
move upward due to their restrictions. They show us how to behave,
and grant us to look at them, and their beauties. They imputed onto
us, the white features, but given us an ugly image, of slanted eye,
evil eye Chinese look, as if that is how we should look at ourselves.
Theirs is the right to the Kingdom, ours, is the right to be beneath
them, even in American religious world, no one scarcely look at us.
The more we imitate them, and sound like them, the less we imitate
Christ, and his teaching. Expansion and greed is the American way,
ours is to imitate that, and to be converted so that we can sit
beneath them, as in the Psalms, “Sit on my right hand, and I will
make enemies a footstool for your feet.” Yes, to be a foot stool
for their feet, our faith has taught us that. I am just getting
tired of it, so now I am looking at ancient Chinese Classics, and the
more I look, the less likely I am impressed by these Americans.
I
am returning to that of my forefathers' way and this is Chinese
soteriology. An answer to modern Americans, as their churches are
laying waste, massive expatiated from their midst. Why such a
horrible destruction? May I suggest that American faith does not
work, and American rule is no longer the case. As Yang spoke to
their Blinken at Anchorage, “You have no right to speak from a
position of strength.” In order to attain Christ's teaching, I
suggest, we shall return to that eternal way, the dao, which is no
far from all of us. We are a proud people, and we have our way, and
why not look into it, and be humble enough to learn from this source
of living water? As the holy scripture teaches, “those who believe
me, out of their bellies shall flow waters of living stream.”
Indeed, ancients taught, Dao is not far from us, from those
who are illiterate, or stupid or simple. Those things we regard as
the way, is not. It is often and manifested in the nature that
Heavens has imputed onto us, when we see acts of humanity,
righteousness, acts of li (rites), or through wisdom, we are seekers
of the way, as ancient Christians. Indeed, theirs is the Father
Abraham, but Christ saw through all that, told them, “Yours is the
devil, as your father.” Theirs is the way to destroy other nations
and race and culture. I say, ours, is the way to imitate that of the
nature of peace, and median way. There is no easy passage, but to
depart from this way, is the way that leads to death, and wide as it
is, smooth and broad is the way that leads to destruction. I choose
life, I choose to live in a way handed down from ancients of my
forefathers. I shall continue to tread lightly, confidently, and on
my way. This is my Chinese soteriology.
