The decline of religious authority in the Liyou era bet365 horse racing odds Western Zhou Dynasty
July 9, 2019 09:09 Source: "Chinese bet365 horse racing odds Journal" Issue 1730, July 9, 2019 Author: Guo Yixi

Wang Guowei said in "The Theory of Yin and Zhou Institutions": "The transformation of Chinese politics and culture,Mo Opera in the Yin and Zhou Dynasties。”Indeed,Overall,Yin people are still ghosts,The Zhou people tended to respect heaven and respect people,There are obvious differences between the second generation。But at the beginning bet365 horse racing odds Western Zhou Dynasty,Yin and Zhou Dynasties still have certain continuity in their ideological concepts,Ge Zhaoguang discussed this in detail in "History of Chinese Thought",And pointed out that people in the early Zhou Dynasty were not as civilized and rational as later generations imagined,It is a continuation bet365 horse racing odds Yin and Shang series of concepts of gods and ghosts during the Yi Dynasty。However,Any thing or idea from happening、Development and eventual demise are all the result of adapting to the needs bet365 horse racing odds times,The same applies to religious concepts rooted in superstition。The rational spirit appearing in the Book of Songs is a test of religious authority since the Yin and Shang Dynasties,During this period,The Liyou era bet365 horse racing odds Western Zhou Dynasty is an important historical stage。From the perspective bet365 horse racing odds Liyou era bet365 horse racing odds Western Zhou Dynasty represented by the "Er Ya" part bet365 horse racing odds "Book of Songs",Religious authority has been declining。  

  The decline of religious spirituality centered on the loss bet365 horse racing odds power of God

Ancient China did not lack religious awareness,It can be seen from the relics unearthed from Yin Ruins,Yin culture is a kind of religious culture,People in the Yin and Shang Dynasties asked God everywhere,Divination is the product of this kind of religious belief。"Book of Rites·Biaoji" says: "Yin people respect gods,Lead the people to serve God,Ghost first, then etiquette。”can be seen,In the Shang Dynasty, the status of religious sacrifices exceeded the status of etiquette in court meetings between monarchs and ministers。However,In the early Western Zhou Dynasty,Although there are still chapters in literary creation that reflect piety and awe of God,Such as "The Emperor is God,I’m so distinguished。Monitor all directions,Please don’t ask for help from the people”;"I will enjoy it,Wei Yang Wei Niu,Weitian Qizhi",But overall,After Zhou revolutionized Yin life,The rational spirit begins to rise,The Zhou people gradually transformed the strong religious superstition bet365 horse racing odds Yin and Shang Dynasties to facilitate the rulers to achieve their political goals。For example, in "The Great Edict", divination is used to mobilize against rebellion before war,In "Luo Gao", divination was used to select the capital to relocate the Yin survivors。At the same time,The long period of stability in the Zhou Dynasty allowed people to think about themselves and nature、Social relationships provide opportunities,Coupled with social changes,Making primitive religious superstition no longer suitable for the needs of social development,People began to consciously explore new life theoretical support。Poems such as "Ban", "Dang" and "Sangrou" have begun to doubt the authority of heaven,Like "God Banban,The common people are dead”;"The Mighty God,He has many fates”。

According to "Guoyu·Zhouyu" records,King Li appoints sycophants and honors Duke Yi,Suppress public opinion,Extremely corrupt and tyrannical。The contradiction between the king and the people,Destroyed people’s belief in the divine right of destiny,Although "no country dares to speak out",But it also led to "the princes do not enjoy it",Wang Liuyu",This period is the beginning bet365 horse racing odds fall bet365 horse racing odds authority of heaven。To the era of King You,Chao Gang wasted,Social unrest,Combined natural and man-made disasters,“The sky brings chaos,Recommended for those who are hungry",It accelerated the collapse bet365 horse racing odds dynasty。"Wang Li Opera" recorded in "Guoyu·Zhou Yu",That is, the incident in which the emperor used the power bet365 horse racing odds emperor to destroy the system of establishing heirs and elders that came from the patriarchal system,This is extremely destructive to the feudal order。The result is,The power of heaven, which symbolizes the emperor, gradually decreased with the decline bet365 horse racing odds Zhou Dynasty,The religious concepts inherited from the early Zhou Dynasty can be said to have gradually declined。At this time, there was a lot of reaction and chaos、A grievance poem that criticizes the ills bet365 horse racing odds times,The "Heaven" reflected in the later poems of "Xiaoya" and "Daya",It can almost be said that the authority has been wiped out。In "Daya", there is a chapter "Zhan Yan" lamenting the ruthlessness bet365 horse racing odds sky,Not protecting people’s livelihood,"Zhao Min" is more urgent and laments that God will ruthlessly bring disasters。Poems from "Xiaoya" such as "Jie Nanshan" complaining about heaven not favoring the world,"The Turn of October" even said that destiny is unjust,Making people unable to live a stable life。These expressions describe from different angles the reality that people were in dire straits in the Liyou era bet365 horse racing odds Western Zhou Dynasty,Depicting the suffering of all living beings in the context of social unrest,Intense irony。Due to long-term social unrest,The ruler’s corruption and immorality,People’s faith in God has also begun to waver,The spirit of primitive religion is crumbling。  

  The bet365 horse racing odds ancestor worship strengthens

Religion always imagines a supervisor about life behavior,When the status of God or ghosts declines,A new subject is needed to supervise the human world。The power of God in the religious spirit bet365 horse racing odds "Book of Songs" era is gradually lost,However, the status of ancestor worship and sacrifice has become increasingly prominent,Become an important part of national tradition。This is because,The Western Zhou Dynasty society implemented a patriarchal system,The concept of "kinship" serves as the spiritual bond to maintain clan society,Ancestor worship is needed to enhance cohesion and identity。It can be said,The strengthening bet365 horse racing odds spirit of ancestor worship in the Zhou Dynasty is the inevitable result bet365 horse racing odds loss bet365 horse racing odds power of God。"The Book of Songs·Chu Ci" details the whole process bet365 horse racing odds ancestors actively preparing for sacrifices,And the scene of family gathering after the sacrifice,Creates a grand and solemn atmosphere: "Think of wine and food,To enjoy and worship。To make things right,Yijie Jingfu。Jiji staggering,絜er cattle and sheep,Previous taste。Either stripping or hunting,Or four or will。Blessings and sacrifices to Yu,Sacrifice to Kongming...the etiquette is ready,Bells and Drums Are Alert。filial piety and grandson position,Congratulations on the work。Sacred tool to stop drunkenness,The emperor’s corpse is carried。Bells and drums deliver the corpse,Shenbao returns。”

Zhou people’s trust and reverence for their ancestors and gods,To a certain extent, it is different from the ancestor worship in the Yin and Shang Dynasties。First,In terms of choosing ancestor objects for sacrifice,The Zhou Dynasty paid more attention to the close relationship during ancestor worship。As stated in Wang Guowei's "Theory of Yin and Zhou Institutions",The Yin people sacrificed almost everything,“The method of businessmen’s inheritance is inconsistent with the meaning of respect,The method of offering sacrifices has no distinction between superiority and inferiority regardless of distance or distance,Ziyu Qinqin、Zun Zun has two meanings,Nothing is right”,The Zhou people attach great importance to "kissing relatives and respecting respect",Of course there are choices for sacrifices,“The system of Zhou Dynasty,There are also those who have a close relationship,Then the sacrifice method is already”。Zhou people’s sacrificial method,There are four temples (King、Wang Ji、King Wen、King Wu)、Seven Temples (Added Houji later)、The theory bet365 horse racing odds two civil and military kings,It can be seen from this,The Zhou people’s attitude towards ancestor worship is different from the ancestor worship during the Yin and Shang Dynasties,That is to pay attention to the ethical relationship between people,And this is related to the Zhou Dynasty hierarchy。Secondly,The worship of virtue in sacrifices in the Zhou Dynasty is also different from the strong religious atmosphere in the Yin and Shang Dynasties。Wu Guowei thinks,The focus of Yin and Zhou’s reforms lies in Zhou’s concept of virtue,That is, "The rise and fall bet365 horse racing odds Yin and Zhou Dynasties is the rise and fall bet365 horse racing odds virtuous and the unvirtuous"。For example,From "Shengmin", it is said that Houji blessed and protected future generations as "Houji initiated sacrifices",Repent without guilt,So far” can be seen,The Zhou people reduced the religious significance in their praise and sacrifice to their ancestors,And pay more attention to expressing trust and respect for ancestors。Zairu,In "Da Ming", phrases such as "the destiny of heaven is everlasting" and "matching heaven with virtue" appear,Believe that only the virtuous can inherit the destiny and rule the world,King Wen is the representative who replaced Yin and prospered Zhou Dynasty with virtue,That’s why there is “King Wen of Yi Xing”,The theory that all nations will prosper。"I Will" combines the ritual of worshiping King Wen and praying to heaven,This shows that the destiny of heaven and the "Code of King Wen" are consistent,Put the general spirit bet365 horse racing odds Yin people on King Wen,Making King Wen the spokesperson of ancestor worship in a religious spirit。Therefore,It can be seen from the changes in the concept of sacrifice in the Yin and Zhou Dynasties,The ancestor worship spirit of Zhou people has been strengthened,Gradually introduce religion into secular ethical relationships based on blood,This transformation is the embodiment bet365 horse racing odds spiritual awakening of humanistic rationality in the Western Zhou Dynasty。  

  Focus on the value of bet365 horse racing odds

Ancestor worship includes reverence for human life itself,Ancestor-sacrifice poems preserved in Daya and Song of Zhou,Most of them praise the outstanding achievements and glorious entrepreneurial history bet365 horse racing odds late fathers and kings,Rarely with religious and witchcraft concepts,Indicates that Zhou people relied more on human efforts to govern the world。For example,"Tianzuo" reveals that from the construction bet365 horse racing odds Qishan Holy Land to the management of King Wen's reign, they laid the foundation for the development bet365 horse racing odds Zhou people in later generations,It is an inevitable trend of historical development that the Yin and Shang Dynasty in the Zhou Dynasty conquered the world,"Heaven makes a high mountain,Dawang Huangzhi。He did it,Wen Wang Kangzhi。The other party is here,Qi Youyi’s trip。Children Baozhi。""Haotian's Destiny" also describes the contribution bet365 horse racing odds three kings bet365 horse racing odds early Zhou Dynasty to the prosperity bet365 horse racing odds Zhou Dynasty,"Haotian has a destiny,The second queen received it。King Cheng does not dare to be healthy,Suyejimingyoumi。Yu Jixi!Shan Jue Xin,Si Qijingzhi”。There are seven lines in the poem,Only the opening sentence refers to the sky,This shows that although Zhou people respected heaven,But more emphasis is placed on the role of manpower。

“Heaven” in the Zhou Dynasty is not only closely related to people,He was also clothed in the cloak of humanity,Especially after the emergence of more advanced "virtue" concepts such as "matching heaven with virtue" and "respecting virtue and protecting the people",The "Heaven" bet365 horse racing odds Zhou Dynasty also had its own moral will,Start to care about the important arrangements bet365 horse racing odds world,That’s why there is a saying in "Shang Shu·Kang Gao": "Only fate is not in the ordinary",You read it”。The concept of self-conscious destiny is a huge improvement compared to previous generations,Reflects Zhou people’s rational understanding and conscious pursuit of ordering their own world。In addition to paying attention to ancestors and the royal family,The importance of some works in "Er Ya" and "Song of Zhou" in "The Book of Songs" to the people has also been estimated。The poems of "Daya" are like "The people are also tired" in "Min Lao",汔客小安。Benefit China,The country is intact" and "God Ban Ban" in "Ban",The common people are dying" all reflect the concern for people's livelihood in order to get rid bet365 horse racing odds political crisis bet365 horse racing odds dynasty,The idea of ​​​​requiring solutions to people's diseases,Already aware bet365 horse racing odds importance bet365 horse racing odds stability bet365 horse racing odds people to maintaining the political stability and prosperity bet365 horse racing odds Zhou Dynasty。In addition,Other chapters of "The Book of Songs" clearly reflect the author's concern for people's grievances,For example, in "Min Lao", "Zhao Min" and "Jie Nanshan" we can see the concerns bet365 horse racing odds people at that time about the resentment bet365 horse racing odds people,"The people are tired,汔 Kexiaokang”;"Like that year of drought,The grass never breaks out,Rubiqiju。I love this country,Everything will stop”;"The country is dead,Why not monitor”。The detailed description of this part in the Book of Songs shows,You can get a glimpse of destiny through people’s sentiments,Reflects the Zhou people’s awareness bet365 horse racing odds important role of people in the process of historical development。This transformation from belief in God to pursuit of human self-effort,It is the result bet365 horse racing odds transformation of religious spirit in the Western Zhou Dynasty。However,This concept still belongs to a relatively primitive intuitive experience,Explore the essence of people’s nature as seen,Just realizing that popular resentment can harm politics,Instead of truly advocating civil rights。

China’s humanistic rational spirit was born out bet365 horse racing odds earliest form of human spiritual culture—primitive religion。It is not difficult to see through the analysis of poetry in the "Elegance" part of "The Book of Songs",Religious authority in the Liyou era bet365 horse racing odds Western Zhou Dynasty was urged by various factors such as real politics,And accompanied by changes in people’s concept of “heaven” under specific historical conditions、Gradually declining with the strengthening bet365 horse racing odds spirit of ancestor worship and the improvement of people’s awareness of value。  

 (Author’s unit: College of Liberal Arts, Northwest Normal University)

Editor: Zhang Jing
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