徳倫理の再生 : 儒教からの一つの提言

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It is natural for us to be required to act rightly, but to be good is even more important. No matter how right an actis, if one has a bad intention or motivation, that act is not worthy of being ca11ed good. It might be the intentio recta that is required for the rightness of the act. "Every good tree bears good fruit" (Mt 7 : 17). A good act follows a good disposition of one's heart and mind. It is virtue that makes a human being good. Virtue must be considered in reference to good ; more specifically, virtue refers to the good of the human person. Therefore, virtues are indispensable for the formation of the human person. Confucianism which is basically "virtue ethics" can contribute greatly to an inculturation of Christianity in Japan. Since Mencius, through the tradition of Confucianism, conscience, ryoshin in Japanese, has played a significant role in Japanese morality. The main role of ryoshin is to determine how to cultivate oneself, how to become one's authentic self. In particular, in the Japanese context, the primary quality of ryoshin is makoto or sincerity. Makoto, interpreted not metaphysically, but rather morally and anthropologically, became a cardinal virtue for the Japanese ethical/moral ethos in the lin eo ryoshin. Mencius is the first person who used the term liang hsin/ryoshin. According to him, liang hsin springs from one's heart and mind, which is good by nature. This is the origin of all his thought : a "theory of the original goodness of human nature." According to him, liang hsin/ryoshin is given as the "sprouts" of four virtues : humanity, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom. These four virtues are the embodiment of liang hsin in real life. The understanding of liang hsin is developed in the concept of ch'eng (sincerity). Ch'eng is largely discussed and developed as a moral and philosophical or metaphysical concept in the Chung-yung (The Doctrine of the Mean). Ch'eng should be embodied in one's life. According to Wang Yang-ming, making the mind sincere is indispensable for one to be a fully human person. Though there are several meanings of ch'eng, he stresses sincerity as the meaning of ch'eng. Sincerity is not merely a psychological or ethical concept, but rather an existential and anthropological presupposition. Wang's teachings had a great influence on Japanese thought, especially with regard to ethics. We can also find a possibility of inculturation of Christianity in Japan in and through ryoshin. It is inadequate and inappropriate that we unconditionally transfer Christianity cultivated in the Western cultural climate into the Japanese cultural climate. Rather, we have to accept and interpret Christianity in the context of the Japanese cultural climate and express it through Japanese concepts. The problem is how to embody the Good News in Japan. This is challenging to us, but at the same time, it is the basic task of inculturation as the embodiment of evangelization. Evangelization requires us to discover and cultivate the seeds of the Word embedded in the local culture. As God's Word became man, the Words of Jesus can and should be embodied in the Japanese cultural climate.
上智大学の論文
2004-08-01

著者

竹内修一
上智大学神学部

徳倫理の再生 : 儒教からの一つの提言

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