Tao Te Ching

The Power of Goodness, the Wisdom Beyond Words
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Zhu Xi 朱熹

(Zhū Xī)

1130 – 1200 CE

Called by historians the “second most influential thinker in Chinese history” and “one of the most influential people” in the last millennium, Zhu Xi blended Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism into a tradition called Neo-Confucianism. He synthesized ancient teachings into The Four Books which became the heart of the educational, bureaucratic, and governmental system for over 700 years in China as well as Japan, Korea and other countries. More Confucian than Buddhist or Taoist, the emphasis is on practical wisdom rather than the wisdom beyond words but still set a foundation for wise and compassionate government leading to peace and prosperity.

Lineages
Confucian Historians / Journalists Politicians

Eras

Western

High Middle Ages (1095 – 1304 CE)

Chinese

5 Kingdom of Dali 大理国 (937 – 1253 CE)
Southern Song (1127 – 1279 CE)
Jin dynasty (1115 – 1234 CE)
Western Xia 西夏 (1038 – 1227 CE)
Western Liao (1124 – 1218 CE)

Sources

Four Books

Quotes by Zhu Xi (5 quotes)

“There is no fixed shape to the preservation of perfect balance; it depends on the circumstances of the moment.”

from Four Books

Themes: Moral Freedom Equanimity

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“Only by carefully considering each set of circumstances, and following what’s called for by those circumstances can one act in accord with the appropriate course of action.”

from Four Books

Themes: Moral Freedom Skillful Means

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“The feminine, the valley, the spontaneity of spiritual transformation, this subtle and profound way to wonder is the most powerfully creative principle”

Chapters: 6. The Source

Themes: Feminine Principle Butterfly

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“The sovereign without the small man suffers from hunger; the small man without the sovereign lives in chaos.”

Themes: Natural Hierarchy Confucianism

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“Nature is the highest good and the highest excellence lies in accepting the laws of Nature completely.”

Themes: Natural Hierarchy Nature, Environment

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Quotes about Zhu Xi (2 quotes)

“Just as Shankara in 8th century India brought the scattered insights of the Upanishads into an intellectual system; and just as Aquinas in 13th century Europe wove Aristotle and St. Paul into the Scholastic philosophy; so Zhu Xi took the loose apothegms of Confucius and built upon them a system of philosophy strong enough to preserve for 7 centuries the Confucian leadership in Chinese political and intellectual life.”

— Will Durant 1885 – 1981 CE
Philosophy apostle and popularizer of history's lessons
from Our Oriental Heritage

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“In time, the Taoist ways of thinking about man and nature were assimilated into the renewed Confucian theorizing by the great synthesizer Zhu Xi.”

— Daniel J. Boorstin 1914 – 2004 CE
American intellectual Paul Revere
from Creators: Heroes of the Imagination

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