A source book in Chinese philosophy

Part I

Chronology of dynasties

Chronology of philosophers

1. The growth of humanism

Ancestors and the Lord on High

The mandate of heaven, ancestors and virtue

The "Great Norm"

Spirits, the soul and immortality

2. The humanism of Confucius

Selections from the Analects

3. Idealistic Confucianism: Mencius

The Book of Mencius: Book 6, part 1

Additional selections

4. Moral and social programs: The Great Learning

5. Spiritual dimensions: The Doctrine of the Mean

6. Naturalistic Confucianism: Hsun Tzu

"On Nature"

"On the Rectification of Names"

"The Nature of Man is Evil"

7. The natural way of Lao Tzu

The Lao-Tzu (Tao-te ching)

8. The mystical way of Chuang Tzu

"The Equality of Things"

"The Great Teacher"

Additional selections: (1) The nature and reality of Tao

(2) Tao everywhere

(3) Constant flux

(4) Evolution

(5) Tao as transformation and one

(6) Nature vs. man

(7) Calmness of mind

(8) Sageliness and kingliness

(9) The equality of life and death

(10) Subjectivity

(11) The inner spirit

9. Mo Tzu's doctrines of universal love, heaven and social welfare

A. "Universal Love, pt. 2"

"The Will of Heaven, pt. 1"

"Attack on Fatalism, pt. 1"

Additional selections: (1) Utilitarianism

(2) The condemnation of war

(3) Condemnation of wasteful musical activities

(4) Condemnation of elaborate funerals

(5) Elevating the worthy to government positions

(6) Agreement with the Superior

10. Debates on metaphysical concepts: Logicians

A. paradoxes of Hui Shih and the Debaters

B. Kung-sun Lung Tzu (1) "On the White Horse"

(2) "On Marks (chih) and Things"

(3) "On the Explanation of Change"

(4) "On Hardness and Whiteness"

(5) "On Names and Actuality"

11. The Yin Yang School

(1) Tsou Yen

(2) Yin and Yang

(3) The Five Agents

12. Legalism

(1) Synthesis of legalistic doctrine

(2) Interpretations of Tao

13. Philosophy of change

(1) Selections from the commentaries

(2) Selections from the "Appended Remarks," pt. 1

(3) Selections from the "Appended Remarks."

pt. 2

(4) Selections from "Remarks on Certain Tri-grams"

14. Yin Yang Confucianism: Tung Chung-shu

A.A profound examination o names and appellations

B. Meaning of the Five Agents

C. "The Correspondence of Man and the Numerical Categories of Heaven"

D. "Things of the Same Kind Activate Each Other"

E. Additional selections: (1) The Origin (Yuan)

(2) Humanity and righteousness

(3) Humanity and wisdom

(4) Historical cycles

15. Taoistic Confucianism: Yang Hsiung

16. The Naturalism of Wang Ch'ung

A. "On Original Nature"

B. "On Spontaneity"

C. "A Treatise on Death"

D. Additional selections: (1) Accident vs. necessity

(2) Strange phenomena

(3) Fate

(4) The equality of past and present

17. Taoism of Huai-nan Tzu

A. The "Yang Chu Chapter"

B. The Lieh Tzu: (1) Skepticism

(2) Fatalism

19. Neo-Taoism

(1) Wang Pi's Simple Exemplifications of the Principles of the Book of Changes

(2) Wang Pi's Commentary on the Book of Changes

(3) Wang Pi's Commentary on the Lao Tzu

(4) Ho Yen's Treatise on Tao

(5) Ho Yen's Treatise on the Nameless

(6) Kui Hsaing's Commentary on the Chuang Tzu

20. Seven early Buddhist schools

21. Seng-chao's Doctrine of Reality

(1) "Immutability of Things"

(2) "Emptiness of the Unreal"

22. Philosophy of emptiness: Chi-tsang of the Three-Treatise School

(1) Two levels of truth

(2) Causes and effects

(3) Four subsidiary causes

(4) Existence, nonexistence, and emptiness

(5) Substance and function

23. Buddhist idealism: Hsuan-tsang of the Consciousness-Only School

(1) Nonexistence of the Self

(2) nonexistence of Dharmas

(3) First transformation of consciousness

(4) Second transformation of consciousness

(5) Third transformation of consciousness

(6) Consciousness-only

(7) Nine objections to the consciousness-only doctrine and their answers

(8) Three natures of being, three natures of non-being and thusness

24. T'ien-t'ai philosophy of perfect harmony (1) Various aspects of the mind

(2) Three ages as an instant; Substance and function

(3) Functions of concentration and insight

25. One-and-all philosophy: Fa-tsang of the Hua-yen School

A. Treatise on the Golden Lion

B. Hundred Gates to the Sea of Ideas of the Flowery Splendor Scripture

(1) "All that come into existence through causation end together in quiescence"

(2) "Harmonious Combination and Spontaneity"

26. Zen (Ch'an) School of Sudden Enlightenment

A. Platform Scripture

B. Recorded Conversations of Shen-hui

C. Recorded Conversations of Zen Master I-hsuan

27. Revival of Confucianism: Han Yu and Li Ao

(1) An Inquiry on Human Nature

(2) An Inquiry on the Way (Tao)

(3) The Recovery of the Nature

28. The Neo-Confucian metaphysics and ethics in Chou Tun-I

(1) An Explanation of the Diagram of the Great Ultimate

(2) Penetrating the Book of Changes

29. Numerical and objective tendencies in Shao Yung

Supreme Principles Governing the World.

30. Chang Tsai's philosophy of material force

A. The Western Inscription

B. Correcting Youthful Ignorance: (1) "Great Harmony"

(2) "Enlightenment Resulting from Sincerity"

31. The idealistic tendency in Ch'eng Hao

(1) "On Understanding the Nature of Jen (Humanity)"

(2) "Reply to Master Heng-ch'u's Letter on Calming Human Nature"

(3) Selected sayings

32. The rationalistic tendency in Ch'eng I

(1) "A Treatise on What Yen Tzu Loved to Learn"

(2) "Letters in Reply to Yang Shih's Letter on the Western Inscription,"

Selected sayings

33. The unity of mind and principle in Lu Hsiang-shan

34. Great synthesis in Chu His

A. Treatises: (1) "A Treatise on Jen,"

(2) "A Treatise on Che'eng Ming-tao's Discourse on the Nature,"

(3) "First Letter to the Gentlemen of Hunan on Equilibrium and Harmony,"

(4) "A Treatise on the Examination of the Mind,"

B. Complete Works: (1) Moral Cultivation

(2) Relation between the Nature of Man and Things and Their Destiny

(3) Nature of Man and Things

(4) Nature of man and the Nature of Things Compared

(5) Physical Nature

(6) Destiny

(7) Mind

(8) T Mind, Nature and Feelings

(9) Jen

(10) Principle (Li) and Material Force (Ch'i)

(11) Great Ultimate

(12) Heaven and Earth

(13) Spiritual Beings and Spiritual Forces

(14) Buddhism

35. Dynamic idealism in Wang Yang-ming

A. Inquiry on the Great Learning

B. Instructions for Practical Living

36. The materialism of Wang Fu-chih

(1) World of concrete things

(2) Substance and function

(3) Being and non-being

(4) Principle and material force

(5) Unceasing growth and man's nature and destiny

(6) principle of nature and human desires

(7) History and government

37. Practical Confucianism in Yen Yuan

(1) In defense of physical nature

(2) The identity of principle and material force

(3) Learning through experience

38. Tai Chen's philosophy of principle as order

(1) On principle (Li)

(2) On nature

(3) On capacity

(4) On humanity, righteousness, propriety and wisdom

(5) On the variety of circumstances

39. K'ang Yu-wei's philosophy of Great Unity

(1) The Three Ages

(2) Confucianism.