on the meaning of ritual - alice maz

The Way of the former kings consists in exalting ren. One must cleave to what is central in carrying it out. What do I mean by "what is central"? I say: it is ritual and yi (8.99). The Confucian moral order is grounded in ren (仁), yi (義), and ritual (禮, li). Ren is humaneness, empathy, and magnanimous compassion. Yi is righteousness, firmness of will, and principles-based justice. Ren is the duty to care and provide for those in your charge. Yi is the duty to protect them from outside threats, from each other, and even from themselves. Ren is nurturing, and yi is rectifying. These are the two qualities necessary in a virtuous ruling class.1 "Ritual" is one of the most conceptually rich words in Xunzi's philosophy and the keystone that holds everything together. The Xunist cosmology defines the constraints and challenges all efforts are subject to: the natures of Heaven, Earth, and man. Ritual, then, is the collection of techniques, developed by sages, tested and refined over time, that

The Way of the former kings consists in exalting ren. One must cleave to what is central in carrying it out. What do I mean by "what is central"? I say: it is ritual and yi (8.99). The Confucian moral order is grounded in ren (仁), yi (義), and ritual (禮, li). Ren is humaneness, empathy, and magnanimous compassion. Yi is righteousness, firmness of will, and principles-based justice. Ren is the duty to care and provide for those in your charge. Yi is the duty to protect them from outside threats, from each other, and even from themselves. Ren is nurturing, and yi is rectifying. These are the two