標題: 于丹和英國人聊孔夫子 -- Why Confucius matters now [列印本頁] 作者: 廣南子 時間: 2009-5-8 19:48 標題: 于丹和英國人聊孔夫子 -- Why Confucius matters now 英國《泰晤士報》網站4月25日刊載了John Naish采寫的于丹訪問記，題目是Why Confucius mattersnow。該文的導讀這樣寫道：「當于丹解讀古代先賢的教誨時，她沒有想到自己的書會賣出1000萬冊，也沒有料到會讓中國的學者們憤怒（WhenYu Dan updated the ancient sage』s teachings, she didn』t expect tosell 10 million copies — or to anger Chineseacademics）」。文章摘要如下（英語原文附后）：
Why Confucius matters now
John Naish
Yu Dan has struck publishing gold inher home country with a book that reinvents Confucius』s2,500-year-old ideas for the 21st century. Now she is here to bringhis ancient path of balanced self-cultivation to our materialisticshores.
The Beijing professor is a picture of petite perfection on a Londonhotel sofa, wearing what we might call Westernised Chinese Smart: ablindingly white designer tunic, precisely tousled hair, shortblack skirt and patent-leather ankle-boots. Only a snag down theknee of her tights leavens her impenetrable neatness.
This 41-year-old married mother is a fast-talking embodiment ofmodern China. Though raised on Confucian ideals by her belovedscholarly father, she is also a pioneer of Oriental media andmarketing studies. Her book, Confucius from the Heart: AncientWisdom for Today』s World, which rebrands Confucius as acontemporary sage, has sold ten million copies in China over thepast two years, propelling her to national prominence — andexposing her to barbed criticism as the brazen 「beauty professor」who presumes to dilute traditional academic subjects.
The collected life-teachings of alow-born provincial politician from 551BC might seem an unlikelyguide to navigating today』s swirl of distractions, choices andconflicting aspirations, but Yu Dan says that Confucius』s thoughtsoffer 「an ancient window for a modern world」. She explains: 「In the21st century it is possible to interpret his ideas from a differentangle, one that suits our era of globalisation. I』m writing it formodern people, not ancients or academics.」
Confucius was born about 2,500 years ago and although his ancestorsare believed to have been members of the aristocracy, they werepoverty-stricken by the time he was born. He was taught at home byhis mother and then distinguished himself as an indefatigablelearner in his teens.
In middle age he served as a magistrate, an assistant minister ofpublic works, and eventually as minister of justice. At 67 hereturned to teaching. He was the first teacher in China to striveto make education broadly available to the masses. His lessonsattracted about 3,000 followers who collected the teachings intothe Confucian Analects.
Confucius, Yu Dan says, has long been misunderstood in his nativeland, and sorely needed rescuing from near-banishment by thehardline communist Cultural Revolution of the 1970s. 「Some leadersin China tried to ban him completely. This was a very stupid thingto do. It』s like our old philosophers are sleeping. What I am doingis to wake them up a bit, not just for Chinese people but forEuropeans, too. Now that China is very materialistic, we arestruggling to find the balance between materialistic and spiritual.We modern people need to have both sides.」
Confucius』s key message is that we should not look outsideourselves for answers to life』s problems, but to try to cultivateour inner resources and change our attitudes. The secret of lastingsatisfaction is to adopt the broad-minded positive outlook of ajunzi, Yu Dan says. This Confucian term means 「the best possibleversion of yourself」.
「If we can manage to fully understand where our limits lie, to becautious and circumspect in our words and actions, to bring thespirit of Confucian courtesy and honour to the world, and todevelop our mind and body, we will have many fewer things totrouble us,」 she argues. 「It is a way of living that every one ofus can practise and we can begin today. The happiness thatConfucius and his disciples enjoyed can be a wellspring ofhappiness for us. This is probably his greatest lesson.」
The old sage may even help us to unravel one of modernity』s centralparadoxes, she adds. 「In modern China, our lives are visiblyimproving in a material sense, yet many people are growing moredissatisfied. Because we have a highly visible class of people whohave suddenly become extremely wealthy, there is always somethingto make ordinary people feel that their lives contain unfairness.We spend too much time looking at the outside world and too littlelooking at our hearts and souls. Confucius can teach us the secretof happiness; to find the peace within.」
Yu Dan began reading Confucius』s collected teachings, called TheAnalects, at 7. She finished it in her early teens. 「My fathertaught me to read it very carefully. He was a scholar of literatureand philosophy,」 she says with evident pride. 「I am his onlydaughter. He was a big influence on me. So I have been with thisbook for more than 30 years.」
But what precise changes has Confucianism wrought on her dailyexistence? 「People have different understandings of this book atdifferent stages of their life. I am still discovering a new bookin there all the time. What it taught me is very subtle. I am verymuch against the idea of learning something like this very quicklyand simply.」
Nevertheless, she used markedly Western means to repackage theancient master for modern readers. 「My first degree was inphilosophy and literature. After that, I changed my speciality anddid a PhD in mass media. So I am using the media as a tool todeliver the message of philosophy, to produce an easy-to-understandway for Confucius. I wanted to introduce him to the less educated,normal, non-academic Chinese.」 It』s not the first time that Yu Dan,a professor of arts and media at Beijing Normal University, hasused this strategy. Over the past decade she has become atelevision personality and written popularising texts on the Taoand on Chinese ancient opera.
This populist approach has, however, provoked vitriol in herhomeland. In November last year, for example, the Shanghai Dailysniffed: 「Her knowledge is over-simplified, yet she boldly appearsas a great scholar.」 How does she respond to such personal attacks.「I think that everyone has the freedom to make comments about otherpeople. So I don』t really mind what people say about me.」
Just as I』ve decided that she』s a thoroughly tough 21st-centurycookie, Yu Dan turns all coquettish. Personal questions prompt herto giggle girlishly. 「People have their biological age and theirpsychological age. Physically I am around 40, but I am feeling thejoy of being in my teens or having the depth of someone in theirfifties.」 Is she married? More giggling and wiggling. 「What do youthink? Most people would think that a woman doing literature andphilosophy would be single. But I am married, with a daughter and ahusband.」
Yu Dan is a modern Chinese paradox. But she』s proud to be that way.Confucianism can, she says, bridge the confusion. 「I love modernjazz. I』m going to a jazz concert with a male friend while I』m inLondon. But that does not mean that I can』t appreciate classicalChinese music and ancient philosophy. These things,」 she says, 「arenot in conflict.」作者: 木瓜香 時間: 2009-5-11 18:07
于丹的《論語心得》很受歡迎。作者: tylz888999 時間: 2009-5-15 06:51
