The Chinese way of goodness

Abstract

This chapter introduces the Chinese way of goodness, elaborating on the ideal of sagehood, which is a cultural meme based on Confucianism. The Chinese way of goodness is discussed from three perspectives: the meme of sagehood, the way of goodness, and the way of achieving sagehood. The meme of sagehood, based on the goodness of the sage king, evolved from the notion of the sage king to the sage and finally to self-cultivation. The way of goodness can be divided into three correlated concepts: the natural tendency of humanness, the way of attaining goodness, and the way of perfecting goodness. The practice of achieving sagehood is based on the story of Wang Yangming, a famous Confucian scholar. The conclusion discusses personal cultivation, through which people can become living examples of goodness, influencing and encouraging future generations to follow the way of goodness.