Welcome
Welcome back. Today, we’re moving on to think about ritual. You’ve been thinking about ritual for your homework, so we’re going to start by sharing some of these thoughts.
These were the passages:
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Day 1: 曾子曰：「吾日三省吾身：為人謀而不忠乎？與朋友交而不信乎？傳不習乎？」Zengzi said, ‘Every day, I examine myself in three respects: have I failed to treat others with devotion? In my relationships with friends, have I not been trustworthy? Is there anything I have learned, but not put into practice?’
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Day 2: 禮之用，和為貴… When making use of social rituals, it is harmony that should be taken as most valuable…
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Day 3: 君子博學於文，約之以禮，亦可以弗畔矣夫！The superior person becomes knowledgeable through wide learning, and restrains themselves through ritual. They will not overstep the boundaries (of proper conduct)!
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Day 4: 禮云禮云，玉帛云乎哉？When we say ‘ritual… ritual…’, are we just talking about gemstones and silk?
Now think about the following:
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Which of these spoke to you most deeply?
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What reflections did these passages provoke?
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Which of these did you feel most challenging?
Ritual
The word for “ritual” in 裡, pronounced lǐ in contemporary Mandarin (and differently pronounced in other Chinese languages: e.g. it is lé, with a sharp, high falling tone in Taiwan Hokkien). The character can mean ritual, rite, courtesy, and also appears in compounds meaning things like “ceremony” (典禮 diǎnlǐ) and “gift” (lǐwù 禮物). It is one of the key concepts of early Confucianism. But what does it mean?
We can think of ritual as being about complicated ceremonies, fancy hats and robes, and so on. And lǐ does encompass these things. But it also means simpler things: like the ways in which we move, talk, greet each other etc. For Confucius, ritual is inherently social. He’s not talking about private rituals (and for Confucius, even personal rituals are social, in that they have the power to affect those around us).
The 20th century philosopher Herbert Fingarette, in an influential essay, talked about lǐ as having an almost magical efficacy. Let’s read a passage together from Fingarette’s book. I’ll share the reading on Canvas.
In this context, ritual is a practice of attentive, mutual engagement that allows us to shape our interpersonal relationships. For Confucius, this has an extraordinary power. You can see it as skill in the subtle, interpersonal dance of our social life. It is, in fact, the hidden force that regulates the world. If we are good at ritual, at attuning ourselves to each other, then we can flourish in even the most difficult circumstances.
Questions about Ritual
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What everyday rituals are there that help you attune yourself to people around you?
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You visit a friend. In what ritualised ways do you interact to attune yourself to your friend?
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How is this different when you go and visit somebody you have a more formal relationship with?
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What does Fingarette mean when he says that ritual “has life in it”?
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Have you ever been in a context where you haven’t known the everyday rituals, and thus you have felt awkward, or strange? Share the story of this.
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Is ritual necessarily insincere?
Designing a Ritual
Ritual is, to some extent, about designing our social interactions, as a way of channelling feeling, and shaping ourselves and our relationships. A final task for today—if we have time—is in breakout groups to design a small ritual that you think would be efficacious or helpful in helping us to care for ourselves and each other during our online classes. We’re not thinking here about rules, but about rituals as something more aesthetic, something that might help channel pleasure, enjoyment, or collective well-being.
Homework
The reading this time is a bit longer. But I’m going to ask you to read Xunzi’s discourse on ritual. It’s a little long, so read through with a focus simply on what you can get out of the text. What parts speak to you? What parts provoke new reflections or self-reflections?