“He”(Harmony) in Daoism: An Inspiration to Ecological Ethics
Liu-yan Chen-xia
Abstract: In this Essay we shall focus on the concept of
“He”(Harmony)in Daoism, and its particular inspiration to the modern ecological ethics. “he” originally means “tone”(diao) in music which coordinates different sounds into mellifluous melodies, or refers to a state of all beings growing spontaneously according to their own nature. “he” is later viewed as harmonious relationship between Heaven, Earth and humanity. In Daoism, Dao creates Primordial Energies (yuanqi) from nothing, which brings out yin and yang; all oppositions and discrepancies are merged into one organic whole through the interacting and balancing between yin and yang which is also essential for human beings to grow in accordance with their makeup. Daoism’s stress on “oneness of man and heaven”, “valuing life”, “nourishing all the myriad beings”, “action as non-action” and “inherited Guilt” (chengfu)etc, are all important ways to reach harmony between natural world, humanity and society. Imbalance between yin and yang, disorder between heaven and earth, or separation of the body from the mind may lead to calamities, social disorders, poverty, diseases and pollution, etc. Thus, the concept of “he” can be very conducive and inspiring today because it contains a brilliant wisdom on ecology ---it regards nature, individuals and society as one dynamic, interactive organism, and shows the way to convert ourselves, construct harmony with Heaven and Earth and bring back a peaceful and wholesome millennium. Under the circumstances of globalization, studies of Daoism and ecological ethics need to start off from the local, endow Daoism with vitality by means of comprehensive creation, and enhance Daoism to be modernized and universalized, so it can play its role in protecting biodiversity and cultural pluralism.
On the grand opening ceremony of Beijing Olympics, 2008, audiences from all over the world were impressed by an enthralling part in which 2008 pieces of Chinese characters were magically swindling and switching, finally putting on a huge “he” in both simple and ancient styles of Chinese character. Apparently, Zhang Yimou, chief director of the opening ceremony intended to present to the whole world the core idea of Chinese culture. And, he succeeded, the splendid scene has engraved the simple but sagacious word “he” in the mind of the people from all the countries and has publicized an important approach for human being to adjust themselves in nature, society as well as in their future life.
In Chinese, “he” originally means “tone”(diao) in music which coordinates different sounds into mellifluous melodies, or refers to a natural state of all beings growing spontaneously according to their own nature. “he” was later viewed as harmonious relationship among Heaven, Earth and humanity. And this thesis is to illustrate the concept of “He”(Harmony)in Daoism, and its particular inspiration to the modern ecological ethics. [i]
In Daoism, Dao creates Primordial Energies (yuanqi) from nothing, which brings out yin and yang, and all oppositions and discrepancies are merged into one organic whole through the interacting and balancing between yin and yang. Daoism’s stress on “oneness of man and heaven”, “valuing life”, “nourishing all the myriad beings”, “inherited Guilt” (chengfu),and “action as non-action”, etc, are all important ways to reach harmony between natural world, humanity and society. Imbalance between yin and yang, disorder between heaven and earth, or separation of the body from the mind may lead to calamities, social disorders, poverty, diseases and pollution, etc.
Apparently, “he”(Harmony) in Daoism shares with the contemporary eco-studies the concerns to enhance a positive relationship between human and nature. Contrary to the rapid growth of modern economy and unconscionable exploitation of natural resources promoted by modern industry, “he” in Daoism creates a set of eco-ethics which appeals to human’s responsibilities to breed and take care of all kinds of creatures and bring about eco-nature, eco-mind as well as a peaceful community. In the entry on Daoism in the edition of the Encyclopedia of Bioethics, we note that Daoism express “a universalistic ethic that extended the scope of all humanity, to the wider domain of all living things.”“Daoist conceptions on history, humanity and cosmos also undercut some of the paternalistic tendencies so common in other traditions…. Our lives are to mirror the operation of the Dao, which contrasts markedly with Western images of God as creator, father, ruler, or judge.”[ii] In short, the “he”(Harmony) in Daoism lays down an explicit and important ecological ethics rule that may serve as a valuable inspiration for the construction of modern ecological ethics as well as the global theories and undertakings of Green Politics.
Ⅰ. Mingling and Balancing Yin and Yang-- Basic principle for myriad things
In the ancient book of Shuowen Jiezi ( To explain words and characters, the earliest dictionary of China in the 2nd century AD), “he ”was annotated as: “It means tone, follows the two words ‘龠’and ‘禾’, and is written as ‘和’ for short in most classic books”. According to this,“龢” (“he”) has two parts, the part of “龠”(“yue”) represents its meaning and shape---a kind of three-hole bamboo pipe which is usually played in coordination with other instruments, and the other part indicates that it has the same pronunciation as “禾” “he”，and is often used as a substitution for the character “和” which has the same meaning and pronunciation. Thus the original meaning of “he” is related to tone, indicating coordination, harmony and balance, etc.
Thus, tones from different instruments ought to be coordinated with each other in order to produce a mellifluent piece of music；And noticeably, this implication has been preserved in most Chinese expressions made up of the word “he”. For instance:1) To express the beauty of music or the concord between different items, there are “hesheng”(symphony), “hele”(happy and harmonious), “hehe”(concord), “hexie”(harmony),”hemei”(harmonious and happy, “heqia”(on friendly terms); 2)To refer to solutions to conflicts or a state including no war, there are “heping ”(peace), “hejie”(to be reconciled), “hehui”(peace conference), “hehuan”(to ease up), “hehao”(to restore good relations), “heyi”(peace talks), “heyue”(peace treaty), “heqin”(the policy of cementing friendly relations through political marriages), “jianghe”(to become reconciled); 3) To indicate agreeable state of people’s disposition, tone of speech, mood or personal relationships, there are “pinghe”(composed and gentle), “he’ai”(affable, amiable), “heshan”(kind and gentle, genial), “heqi”(friendly and amiable), “heyue”(affable and pleasant), “hemu”(harmony), “heshun”(gentle and amiable), “heyi”(unassuming and amiable), “yonghe”(stately, dignified and amiable); 4)To describe pleasant weather or feelings there are “wenhe”(mild, temperate and moderate), “henuan”(warm and mild), “hechang”(gentle and pleasant), “hexu”(pleasantly warm, genial), “hefeng”(soft breeze), “xianghe”(auspicious and peaceful).
Apart from the above, many idioms contain “he”, for instance, “heguang tongchen”(Daode jing·chapter56, the way softens the glare, and mixes with the dust), “hefeng xiyu”(in a gentle and mild way), “heyan yuese”(be all smiles and sweetness), “hezhong gongji” (to work together with one accord in time of difficulties), “he’er butong”(harmony in difference), “hepan tuochu”(to lay all the cards on the table), “yituan heqi”(to keep on the right side of everyone), “fanzhan shanghe”(to oppose war and advocate accord) and “heping gongchu”(peaceful coexistence),etc.; There are also verbs in which “he” ought to be pronounced in the fourth tone, “heshi”(to chime in with a poem), “qugao hegua”(of a song to be too highbrow to be popular), “yichang baihe’(when one starts singing, the others join in); What’s more, there have been popular sayings in Chinese such as “heweigui”(Harmony is gold.), “jiahe wanshi xing”(A harmonious family can succeed in everything.) and “heqi shengcai”(Wealth can be brought about by amiability). In a word, “he” is a utopian word which pursues balance, ideal and perfection, and in ancient China, people also used to name their utopian state with “he” like in “baohedian”(Palace of Reassured Harmony) and “taihedian”(Palace of Extreme Harmony), and “yonghegong”, the well known Lama Temple in Beijing, which means Palace of Stately Harmony.
So “he”(Harmony) in Daoism is indubitably one of the key words in Chinese traditional ideals, closely related to terms like “Dao”, “qi”, “yin and yang”, and “xie”. The origin of Heaven and Earth is accounted for in terms of the two forces of yin and yang, the two essential aspects of the Primordial Energies (yuanqi), also out of which all beings are formed. So harmony among myriad things is realized through the rotation, coordination and balancing between yin and yang. Harmony between Heaven and Earth is the essential factor for the nature to grow spontaneously and ecologically, as was demonstrated in most classic books:
The Dao produces the One. The One turns into the Two. The Two gave rise to the Three. The Three brings forth the myriad of things. The myriad things contain yin and yang as vital forces, which achieve harmony through their interactions. (Daode jing, Chapter42)[iii]
Thus it is said, “Dao begins with One”. One (alone) However, does not give birth. Therefore it divided into yin and yang. From the harmonious union of yin and yang, the myriad things were produced. (Huainanzi, chapter13)[iv]
“The union of yin and yang will give rise to the birth and harmony of myriad things.”(Li ji)
Evidently, the concept of “he” herein，basically refers to two things: the harmonious union of Heaven, Earth and men, and the principle of the spontaneous growth of myriad things in the world. That is to say, harmony and spontaneity are two core parts in “he” -- through the fluxing and balancing interactions of “qi” from the two poles of yin and yang, myriad things can be circulated in harmony and immorality. And this represents the unique way that the Chinese treat nature, life and the order of cosmos. With this belief, Daoism regards the very harmony between yin and yang as an attainable perfection, applies it to the interpretation of ideal order in nature, life and society, and extends it to the government of a nation:
“The essence and harmony as such are natural and constant. To know this is called wise.”
“Blunts its sharpness, unties the tangles, softens the glare, and mixes with the dust.”(DaodeJing, Chapter 55,56) [v]
“To unite the kingdoms, to lead government officers, and to harmonize the common people. ”(Zhouli)
“For Heaven and Earth to unite harmoniously is the great principle of life.”(Lu shi chunqiu)
“As for the qi of Heave and Earth, nothing is greater than its harmony (He). As for harmony, by it yin and yang are regulated, day and night distinguished, (and so) it produces beings.”(Huainanzi, chapter13)
“As for the yin and yang, the yin and yang essential in the Central Harmony. When the qi of Central Harmony gains, the ten thousand beings will flourish; people will live harmoniously and the rule of the sovereign will bring peace.” (Taiping jing) [vi]
Confucianism regards “he” with no less significance. The following is from the first chapter of Zhongyong:
“Before the feelings of pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy are aroused it is called equilibrium(zhong, centrality, mean) ，when these feelings are aroused and each and all attain due measure and degree, it is called harmony. Equilibrium is the great foundation of the world, and harmony its universal path. When equilibrium and harmony are realized to the highest degree, heaven and earth will attain their proper order and all things will flourish.”[vii]
Thus, in both Daoism and Confucianism, “Balance of yin and yang” and “Central Harmony” are described as sacramental display of supreme order and interactions among Heaven, Earth and Human beings. [viii]However, they are displayed with reciprocal emphasis. “Centrality” in Confucianism is interpreting an experiential modification of people’s disposition, while in Daoism it deals with how to harmonize the qi of Heaven and Earth, emphasizing the union of yin and yang. Nevertheless，the two schools both contend that Heaven, Earth and human are one organic whole. On the one hand, the harmony between them insure the spontaneous growth of myriad things as well as the advent of the era of Great Peace; On the other hand, if any of the components--- Heaven, Earth and human is out of function, their communication and harmony will be reduced to disorder and result in natural disasters or social turbulence. Thus, in Chinese notions, “he”(Harmony) is a central element to the harmonization of Heaven and Earth, yin and yang:
As for the laws of qi, it circulates under Heaven and above Earth; if yin and yang obtain each other, mingling and attaining harmony, they unite as three with the qi of Central Harmony, together nurturing all things. If the three qi cherish each other and mutually communicated, there will no longer be any harm. (Taiping jing) [ix]
According to Taiping jing, “What is pure adheres to Heaven, what is turbid adheres to Earth, and the Central Harmony adheres to humanity.” Human stand in the central position of cosmic organism and therefore are uniquely designed to protect, pass and refresh the qi of Central Harmony and maintain the harmony of cosmic and the spontaneity in which the myriad things will healthily grow. Humans never stand isolated from nature, and it is each person’s obligation to limit the over-growth of their self-consciousness and protect the spontaneity of the environment.
Unfortunately, the golden ages marked by harmony between Heaven, Earth and human that might have been existing during the ancient times, some time close to the age of Eden recorded in the Bible, was interrupted, due to the accumulation of human’s wrong doings. As said in the Taiping jing, “When the order is destroyed, not only the king is the culprit, but all the people under heaven are guilty; The sin can be passed down to later generations and gradually accumulate. All the guilt is due to people performing astray from Dao.”[x]
The Doctrines of Inherited Guilt (chengfu), transposing cosmological language into ethical reasoning, explains reasons for human diseases, sorrows, natural disasters and social calamities, alleging that all these are due to the accumulation of people’s deeds. That is to say, people are given life by Heaven and are reared by Earth, if they become unscrupulous and unconscionable, Heaven and Earth shall grieve over their ailments, and thus produce strange phenomena to punish their children; And yet, by the same token, if people perform friendly to their surroundings, blessings and happiness will be granted to them or their next generations. In a word, crucial factors for the relations between human and nature are spiritual and ethical, human is responsible for either deterioration or harmonization of the environment. The doctrines of Inherited guilt cautions us to take measures to lead an ecological life so that a sustainable living space can be handed over to our offspring.