Analects of Confucius Book 10–15: Confucius on ritual

Ritual is like a magnet. If a ruler shows a love for ritual, the people will automatically follow his or her example and social harmony will reign. If a ruler shows a disdain for ritual, the people will turn their eyes away and social harmony will collapse.

Ritual is also like an advanced driver assistance system in a car. By preventing us from veering out of our lane and exceeding the speed limit, it helps us to avoid potential crashes when we are tempted to succumb to our wildest impulses and basest desires.

These are the two most important ideas that Confucius articulates in his comments on ritual in Book 11 to Book 15 of the Analects. Here is the complete collection.

Confucius’s comments on ritual
11.1
“Those who learn ritual and music before taking up an official position come from the common people; those who learn ritual and music after taking up an official position come from the nobility. If I were to employ them, I would employ the former.”

12.1
“Exercising self-discipline and returning to ritual constitute goodness. If you manage to exercise self-restraint and return to ritual for just one single day, goodness will prevail throughout the world. You can only achieve goodness through your own efforts. How can it come from anybody else?”

“Don’t look at anything that goes against ritual; don’t listen to anything that goes against ritual; don’t say anything that goes against ritual; don’t do anything that goes against ritual.”

(To Yan Hui)

12.15
“If you expand your learning through culture and keep your behavior in check through ritual you’re unlikely to go wrong.”

13.3
When language doesn’t accord with the truth of things, nothing can be carried out successfully. When nothing can be carried out successfully, ritual and music won’t flourish. When ritual and music don’t flourish, punishments and penalties miss their mark.

13.4
When a ruler loves ritual, the people don’t dare to be disrespectful. When a ruler loves rightness, the people don’t dare to be disobedient. When a ruler loves trustworthiness, the people don’t dare to be deceitful. If such a ruler existed, people would flock to them from everywhere with their children strapped to their backs.

14.41
“When their rulers love ritual, the common people are easy to manage.”

15.18
“A leader takes rightness as their essence, puts it into practice through ritual, manifests it through humility, and brings it to fruition through trustworthiness. This is how a leader behaves.”

15.33
“Power acquired through knowledge that cannot be maintained through goodness will inevitably be lost. Power acquired through knowledge and maintained through goodness will not be respected by the people if it is not exerted with dignity. Power acquired through knowledge, maintained through goodness, and exerted with dignity is still not perfect if it is not implemented in accordance with ritual.”

Links
Book 11, Chapter 1
Book 12, Chapter 1
Book 12, Chapter 15
Book 13, Chapter 3
Book 13, Chapter 4
Book 14, Chapter 41
Book 15, Chapter 33

Note
I took this image at the Summer Palace in Beijing.