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Revive the Divinely Inspired Culture and Appreciate Its Significance (Part 2)  
 
3. Special Characteristics of Traditional Culture
 
China's five thousand years of culture have weathered the entire course of human civilization. It has demonstrated enormous strength in integration and vitality. Its enormous inclusiveness is reflected in its cultural principles of diversity and openness, and this has served to create its special disposition and tradition of "incorporating things of different natures" and "being tolerant of different kinds of people." It follows the principle of "maintaining harmony while acknowledging differences" and "seeking common ground while reserving differences." Its spirit in viewing the outer world with profound virtue, and its philosophical principle of "harmony" is fully reflected in the Taoist doctrine of "inaction," the Confucian idea of "benevolence and righteousness", and the Buddha School's spirit of "compassion." It is just as Laozi said, "the softest can handle the hardest," "becoming a high mountain by not refusing any handful of earth; forming an enormous sea by not abandoning any small streams." In the most prosperous Tang Dynasty, politics were transparent; the economy was prosperous, and the culture was open-minded. When the principles of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism were widely promoted, it enabled the society to maintain rather high moral standards, achieving a brilliance that attracted the attention of the world and influenced other countries.
 
4. The Essence of Traditional Culture
 
A) The universal outlook of "the integration of nature and man"
 
"Nature and man are integrated as one." This is the core element of traditional Chinese ideology, and it has played a leading role in traditional Chinese culture; it bears deep significance in areas such as moral values and aesthetic conceptions. The Book of Changes defined heaven, earth, and man as the "three major elements." The Book of Changes also says, "Change means endless procreation" and "the greatest virtue of heaven and earth is their procreation of lives." Human beings should "continue" with the "kindness" of heaven and earth, "form" the "nature" of heaven and earth, the "space" and "width" were "created" by heaven and earth; "to be knowledgeable about all things, and use the Tao to benefit the world," so as to achieve the "virtuous state of nature and man integrated as one."
 
Traditional culture holds God's will in awe, believing that heaven created man and all things, and bestowed upon them virtues and kind nature; it also laid down the law. Heaven and man correspond to each other, communicate with each other, and are united as one. Confucius said when summarizing his pattern of life, "I committed myself to learning at the age of 15; established myself at the age of 30; became clear-headed at the age of 40; and at the age of 50, I knew about God's will..." Mencius said, "Maintaining a clear heart and fostering God-given nature is the way to serve Heaven." Both the Buddha School and the Tao School talk about cycles and believe in reincarnation and that good and evil will meet their due fate. In the passage "Yue Shu" in the Records of the Grand Historian, it says, "Heaven and Man are interlinked, like the relationship between body and its shadow and air; people who do good deeds will be rewarded with good fortune; people who do bad things will be met with disaster. It is like if one plants melons, he will get melons, and if he plants beans he will get beans. It is just such a natural reasoning. Therefore, when one is attuned to the Tao of Heaven, one can understand human affairs."
 
Emperors in ancient China attached the greatest importance to offering sacrifices to gods and singing the praises of influence and guidance from Heaven and Earth. It was considered a virtuous deed to conform to the mandate of Heaven, and people would be rewarded for doing so; otherwise they would be punished by Heaven. Sages took delight in carrying out the Tao, without placing pursuit of their own good fortune as the first priority. If one does good deeds in order to gain good fortune, then there is already an element of selfishness in his heart. Therefore one should do his best to conform to the mandate of Heaven without the slightest pursuit for personal gain. It is one's duty to do good deeds and to repel the evil, and if one can try his best to do this with a sincere heart, Heaven would be moved by his efforts.




复兴神传文化　感悟文化意义 (中)
 
三、传统文化的特质
 
中华泱泱五千年文化，经历人类整个文明史，表现出极大的融合力与生命力。其巨大的包容性体现在多元开放的文化理念上，以开放的姿态、博大的胸怀，形成了“兼收并蓄”、“有容乃大”的特有气质和传统，“和而不同”，求同存异。其蕴涵的厚德载物的精神和“和”的哲理，充份体现在道家的“无为”思想、儒家的“仁义”思想和佛家的“慈悲”精神之中，如老子所言：“天下之至柔，驰骋天下之至坚”，也正所谓“不拒抔土，乃成高山；不捐细流，方为大海”，具有无所不包的融合性与无所不至的渗透性，生生不息。如中华历史上最强盛的大唐时期，政治清明，经济繁荣，文化开明，在社会生活、文化艺术等各个方面都呈现出空前繁盛的景象，这和大唐文化包容一切的气度是分不开的，儒、释、道发展和弘扬达到鼎盛时期，使社会维持较高的道德水准，取得了举世瞩目的辉煌，并影响著东方各国及其它国家。
 
四、传统文化的精髓
 
（一）“天人合一”的宇宙观
 
天人合一是中华传统人文精神的核心，在传统文化中始终占主导地位，对伦理道德、价值观念、审美意识等各领域都有著深远的影响。《易书》说天、地、人为宇宙的“三才”，《易书》还说：“生生之谓易”，“天地之大德曰生”，人类要“继”天地之“善”，“成”天地之“性”，“大”与“广”天地之“生”，“智周乎万物而道济天下”，以达“天人合德”。
 
传统文化是敬畏天命的，认为上天造就了人与万物并赋予其德行、善性，为其制定了法则。天人相应，天人相通，天人一体。孔子在总结人生规律时说：“吾十五而志于学，三十而立，四十而不惑，五十而知天命……”，孟子说：“保存灵明的本心，培养天赋的本性，这就是奉事上天的方法”。佛家和道家都提到天理循环，相信生死轮回、善恶有报。《史记﹒乐书》中说：“天与人相通，就好像形与影、气的关系，做好事的人，天报以福；做坏事的人，天报以祸。如种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆，是很自然的道理。因此讲推天道以明人事”。
 
古时天子最重视的就是祭祀，祭祀是为了敬神，赞颂天地之化育。人服从天命，是一种道德行为，天就会赏赐人，否则，天就会降罚于人。圣人乐于行道，原本不是为了求福；为了求福才行善，心中已经涉及私利了。所以只应当尽自己的心力，顺受于上天，不可有一丝毫期望希求的心。行善去恶是人本分内的事，然而只要自己能够尽到人事，诚心不间断，终究能够感动上天。