The Great Learning in Ancient China (Part 1)
 
In 2011, a professor at a forum in Davos, Switzerland discussed why China's education system for the past several decades has been unsuccessful. He said that China's education system does not attach importance to creativity and one's moral character. One of the reasons he says is, “...because we have been educated to tell lies since elementary school. We have gradually developed our deception step by step.” He went so far as to say that if all schools in China were to shut down, knowledge would decrease dramatically, however, Chinese moral standards would greatly increase.
 
The professor makes a valid point about China's failing education system. Higher education institutions and students can be found everywhere in China today, but no master-level talent emerges. On the contrary, academic cheating is common practice, many teachers are not virtuous, and students have high academic grades but without substance. What is the reason behind this? We will find the answer when we compare the education system of ancient China to today's China.
 
“The foremost ingredient to establishing a country or developing people is education.” In traditional Chinese culture, virtue was the root of a country. Therefore, everyone including the emperor and common folk regarded cultivating oneself as the root for settling down or continuing with one's pursuit in life. Teaching meant educating people. The most important part of teaching was to cultivate noble virtues. As stated in The Analects of Confucius: “Learning knowledge is not the root of teaching. What comes first is to cultivate virtue such as filial piety and brotherly love, compassion, respect and sincerity. If time permitted, he may go to learn knowledge afterwards.”
 
It also states in The Great Learning how ancient people followed their way of learning. The Great Learning was originally one chapter in the Book of Rites. It was said that it was written by Confucius' student Zeng Shen. The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean (also included in the Book of Rites), The Analects of Confucius, and The Mencius together are called “The Four Books” by later scholars.
 
In ancient China, children went to elementary school at the age of eight. They began learning the basic rituals and daily housework along with etiquette, music, archery, Chinese characters and mathematics. At the age of 15, those with good grades went to college to study the ways of rectifying the heart, self-cultivation, managing the family and ruling the country in order to become well-cultivated individuals with noble character. They applied the principles of self-cultivation to dealing with personal relationships and issues between countries. They also applied the same principles to ruling the country.
 
The first sentence in The Great Learning states that the goal of learning is, “To cultivate the great virtue endowed by heaven and reach the realm of greatest compassion.” Once compassion is developed, it can be used to manage people. To manage people, one should be close to and love them. An emperor should be compassionate; an official should be respectful to the emperor; a son should be filial to his parents; a parent should be affectionate; and friends should be sincere to each other. Everyone should try to reach the realm of greatest compassion.
 
It also states in The Great Learning that, “Advocating virtue comes after ruling the country; ruling the country comes after managing the family; and managing the family comes after self-cultivation.”
 
Then, what is self-cultivation? Self-cultivation is focused on the cultivation of virtue and ethical values. Ancient people studied the principles of matter to obtain knowledge and seek the Tao. During the process, they were enlightened to the ultimate regulations of matter's development and the great Way, which they used as their guiding philosophy in their behavior. They rectified their mind, purified their heart and sincerely cultivated themselves. A person with great virtue, righteous behavior and knowledge will naturally have the ability to manage the family, rule the country and prevail over the world with peace.
 
Such an important Confucian classical work contains fewer than 2,000 Chinese characters, but it states the fundamentals of education. The goal of teaching is to raise a child to become an independent and dignified adult of great virtue through self-cultivation. Judging a great person has nothing to do with his/her age, knowledge, strength, wealth, or nobility, but with a person's character. The greatness of The Great Learning lies in its “advocating virtue”, requiring people to remove the negativity from their minds and constantly improve their moral standard. Thus, a great man stands between heaven and earth in a dignified manner. He is compassionate, wise and brave. How much responsibility a person can shoulder all depends on how broad his heart, how great his virtue and how refined his talent is.




浅谈古时的大学之道 (上)
 
二零一一年一位大学教授在达沃斯论坛发言中谈到，中国大陆过去几十年的教育是失败的，失败在于没有重视培养自主有创造性的人和有道德的人。他甚至说，如果所有的学校都取消了，中国人的知识水平会大大降低，但中国人的道德水准会大大提升。“因为我们从小学开始，每一步走过来，都培养大家在说假话。”
 
上面所言切中国弊，很有道理。且看今日，国内高校林立，学子众多，却没有培养出一位大师。相反，学术造假成风，师德沦丧，学生高分数低素质，原因在哪里？我们来对比一下古今教育的差别就可以窥其端倪。
 
“建国君民，教学为先”。在传统理念中，德乃立身立国之本，所以从天子一直到庶民百姓把修身看作是人安身立命的根本，教学即育人，最重要的是培养高尚的道德。《论语》中讲，“入则孝，出则悌，谨而信，泛爱众，而亲仁。行有余力，则以学文。”学习文化知识不是教学的根本，首先要培养人的德行：孝悌、仁爱、恭谨与诚信，如果还有余力，就可以进一步去学习文化知识。
 
《大学》也阐述了古人的为学之道。《大学》原是《礼记》中的一篇，相传为孔子的门生曾参所作。《礼记》中的《大学》、《中庸》，与《论语》、《孟子》，后世学者合称“四书” 。
 
古时小孩到了八岁，都要进到学校里上小学，学习的内容是洒扫、应对、进退这些日常生活内容和基本礼节。此外，还要学习礼仪音乐、射箭御车、文字术数等等。到了十五岁，学习成绩好的，就要进到大学中学习正心、修己、齐家、治平之道，使自己成为一个有著深厚道德涵养的人，然后应用修身的道理来处理人与人、国与国的关系，治理国家、天下。
 
《大学》第一句话就道出了学习的目的：“大学之道，在明明德，在亲民，在止于至善。”统称为“三纲”。
 
所谓“明明德”，就是发扬光大人所固有的天赋的光明道德，达到至善的境界。所谓“在亲民”，是指发扬了善性之后，即从事治民。治民要亲爱人民。所谓“止于至善”，就是国君要仁，大臣要敬，儿子要孝，父亲要慈，朋友交往要诚信，要达到至善的道德境界。
 
《大学》中说：要明明德，就要先治国。要治国，就要先治家；要治家，就要先修身。加上“格物、致知、诚意、正心”，这就是后世所称的“八目”。
 
那么，如何修身呢？《大学》里提出了“欲修其身者，先正其心。欲正其心者，先诚其意。欲诚其意者，先致其知。致知在格物。”
 
“修身”是核心，修身重点是道德、伦理的修养。格物致知是为了求道，即推究事物的原理，直至领悟事物发展的终极规律，用探究到的大道指导自己的行为。诚意正心则是不自欺欺人，纯正心态，诚心践行修身。一个人身正德高且有一定学识，自然就可以齐家、治国、平天下。
 
这么一部重要的儒家经典，字数不足二千，却道出了教育的根本。教学的目的就是使一个蒙童通过修身成长为人格高大独立的“大人”，“大”与“小”不在于年龄、知识、体力，贫富和贵贱，而在于品格的高下。可见大学之大，正在于“明明德”，让人不断的去除心灵上的污垢，使自己的道德不断提升，像天一样不厌其高，像地一样不厌其厚，堂堂乎立身于天地间，仁、智、勇三德兼备，有多么广大的胸怀、品德和才干才可能成就、担当多么大的事业和责任。