Inner Reflection and Outward Cultivation, for Connecting Heaven and Man: An Inquiry into the Cultivation Theory of the Doctrine of the Mean Grounded on "Cheng" (Sincerity)

Abstract

As a representative text of pre-Qin Confucianism, the Doctrine of the Mean sets out in detail the cultivation theory that Confucianism produced on the basis of cheng (sincerity), and it has long received the attention and the reflection of different scholars. On the basis of the concept of cheng, the cultivation theory of the Doctrine of the Mean builds a moral cultivation system that runs through the way of heaven and the way of man and bears a metaphysical character, and it embodies the ultimate value pursuit of Confucianism. Through a re-interpretation of cheng, the core of the cultivation theory of the Doctrine of the Mean, this paper points out its dual meaning as the law of the operation of heaven and earth and as the root of personal cultivation, and from this explains its role as a "bridge" that connects heaven and man. On this basis, this paper sorts out the two cultivation paths of "from cheng to ming" and "from ming to cheng", as well as the cultivation work of "shendu" (being watchful over oneself when alone) and "mingshan" (understanding the good), which cultivates both inner and outer, and it reveals the logic by which the cultivation theory of the Doctrine of the Mean unfolds from the inner to the outer and from oneself to others, so that the realization of "utmost cheng" is completed through self-cultivation and the state of the unity of heaven and man of "attaining centrality and harmony" is finally reached. This state is not only the completion of personal virtue; it also contains the cosmological meaning of completing oneself and completing things and of assisting the transforming and nourishing work of heaven and earth.