Page 612 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

57 0 THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TAOISM A-L

to cause harm. With his formulation of the Way of ]ingming, Uu Yu thus
intended in part to both restore and redefine the central tenets of Daoxue, or
the so-called Neo-Confucian teachings of his contemporaries.
Uu's vision of ]ingming dao rests on a broad interpretation of how the
attributes of filiality and loyalty are best exemplified. In his view, maximum
loyalty is to be without deceit in all matters (dazhong zhe yiwu buqi k "±":#
-~/f~). Similarly, to love everyone without exception is Uu's definition
of maximum filiality (daxiao zhe yitijie ai ::k~::jlf--fl!lJ.~~). Followers of
]ingming dao were expected to strive toward an embodiment of purity and
radiance that ultimately brought them in consonance with the heavenly realm,
like a river returning to the sea. Uu maintained that loyalty and filiality auto-
matically ensued from conduct distinguished by purity and radiance. To him,
purity meant that one did not defile anything (bumn wu ~ ~ 47))) and radiance
meant that one did not disturb anything (buchu wu /f~ ~§;J tm).
Both Uu and his foremost disciple Huang Yuanji repeatedly advocated the
need to chengfrn zhiyu J;iI!(;{t'~~ (restrain anger and stifle desire), a phrase
that can be traced to the gloss accompanying hexagram 41 in the *Yijing. It
was essential for anyone striving toward absolute integrity and equanimity to
learn how to restrain all expressions of hostility and obsessive attachments of
desire. Harm, according to Uu, was sure to ensue with but a single irregular
thought. He strongly believed that how one fared in life was entirely within
one's own responsibility to determine. The efficacy of all prayers and ritual
practice, in his view, completely rested with the integrity of the supplicant.
Uu made simplicity the governing principle of ]ingming dao, sanctioning only
one talisman, one seal, and a concise petitionary model for ritual use.
Citing guidelines that Celestial Master Hu ostensibly received from Xu Xun,
Uu adamantly repudiates the contemplative practice of xiulian {It i* (cultivat-
ing refinement). There was no need, in his view, to sequester oneself within a
mountain retreat to undertake a study of the Dao. One could gain rank as a
transcendent, he claimed, by adhering to eight treasures, ranging from loyalty
and filiality to lian [#It (honesty), jin ill (discretion), kuan 1:i (expansiveness),
yu Hi (generosity), rong ?if. (tolerance), and ren :{l, (endurance). Uu deemed
such qualities essential to the cultivation of a sense of gongxin 0 le., (public
spirit).
The instructions recorded in Huang's name enlarge upon this principle with
the warning that go ngxi n can easily be feigned, whereas anyone truly acting in
the interest of the public did not covet praise as such. He advised his disciples
to respond compassionately to the ill-behaved and lead them back toward
the right path by example rather than risk alienation by scolding. Huang also
emphasized the retributive justice inherent in all conduct, with good and bad
being rewarded in kind, but remains conspicuously silent regarding the so-called
*shanshu (morality books) practice of counting merits and demerits. Notable