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）：


　　于丹以一本在21世紀講述孔子2500年前智慧的書在中國走紅。現在，她把平衡自我的古老方法帶到了更重實利的英國。
　　這位來自北京的教授坐在一家倫敦酒店的沙發上，穿著白色百褶緊身衣，髮型經過精心打理，黑色短裙搭配黑漆皮短靴，呈現出一副完美的女性形象。

　　這位41歲的已婚媽媽語速很快，彷彿現代中國的化身。儘管對於儒家思想的興趣來自於她的學者父親，于丹本人也是東方媒體和營銷研究的先鋒。她的《論語心得》一書過去兩年裡在中國賣出了一千萬本，也讓她在全國範圍都獲得了很高的知名度，同時也讓她面臨批評，因為「美女教授」的形象改變了人們對學者的傳統印象。

　　公元前551年的政治家對於生活的感言看起來似乎很難成為現代社會浮躁、選擇和矛盾漩渦的指南，但是于丹說，孔子的思想「為現代世界提供了一扇古代的明窗」。她解釋道：「在21世紀，我們可以從許多不同角度來闡釋他的思想，其中最適合我們時代的就是全球化。我寫這本書是給現代人看的，而不是寫給古人或學者的。」

　　于丹說，孔子在中國很長時間裡被誤讀，幷且亟需從二十世紀七十年代近乎滅頂的災難中恢復過來。「孔子就像是一個沉睡的哲學家。我現在做的就是喚醒他，不只為中國人，也為歐洲人。現在中國太現實了，我們正努力尋求物質和靈魂的平衡。現代人兩方面都需要。」

　　孔子傳達的最重要的觀念是，我們不應該向外界尋求生活問題的答案，而應該涵養我們內心的資源，改變我們的態度。保持愉悅的秘密就在於採取寬容和積極的「君子觀」，于丹如是說。

　　「如果我們能夠充分瞭解我們的局限所在，言行謹慎，將儒家式的禮和廉恥精神帶到這個世界，開發我們的智慧和身體，就會少了很多煩惱，」她說。「這是一種我們每個人都可以踐行的生活方式，而且今天就可以開始。孔子和他的弟子享受的快樂同樣可以成為我們快樂的源泉。這或許就是他最偉大的教益。」

這位古老的聖人甚至可以幫助我們解開現代性的核心矛盾之一，她補充道。「在現代中國社會，我們的物質生活水平明顯提高了，但許多人還是越來越不滿意。因為還有一個暴富的階層，總會有一些東西讓普通人覺得很不公平。我們花了太多時間去看外面的世界，但在觀察自己內心和靈魂時卻往往不夠。孔子可以教給我們幸福的秘密；尋找內心的平和。」

　　于丹從七歲時開始讀《論語》。在十多歲的時候就讀完了第一遍。「我父親讓我仔細讀這本書。他是一個文學研究者，也是一個哲學家。」她自豪地說，「我是他唯一的女兒，他對我影響非大。所以《論語》這本書已經陪伴我三十多年了。」
　　但是，儒家理念到底對她的日常生活產生了什麼樣的具體改變呢？「人們在不同人生時期對這本書也有不同的理解。我總是能在書中發現新的意味。它對我的影響是非常微妙的。我非常反對快速簡單地學習像這樣意義豐富的作品。」

　　不過，于丹仍然用了很多明顯的西式方法為現代讀者重新包裝這位古代的大師。「我的第一個學位是哲學和文學。在那之後，我改變了專業，取得了大眾傳媒的博士。所以我用媒體做為傳播哲學信息的工具，從而形成一種令孔子易於理解的方式。我想把他介紹給受教育不多，學術界以外的普通中國人。」這幷不是于丹第一次使用這樣的策略。過去十年中，她已經成了電視名人，幷寫了關於道家和中國古代戲劇的通俗文章。

　　但這種通俗方法也遭到了批評。比如，去年十一月，上海日報（英文版）就評價道，「儘管以大學者的形象出現，她的知識卻過於簡單。」于丹是如何回應這種個人批評呢？「我認為每個人都有權對別人做出評論。所以我幷不在意別人對我怎麼說。」
　　談及她的年齡，于丹說，「人們都有生理年齡和心理年齡。我的生理年齡已經四十歲了，但我還是像年輕時一樣快樂，也有著別人五十歲時的深度。」結婚了么？「你覺得呢？多數人認為從事文學和哲學的女人是單身。但是我已經結婚了，有一個女兒。」
　　于丹是現代中國的矛盾體。但是她很自豪這一點。她說，儒家理念可以彌合分歧。「我喜歡現代爵士樂。我在倫敦的時候會和男性朋友去爵士舞會。但那幷不意味著我就不能欣賞中國古典音樂和古典哲學，」她說，「這些幷不矛盾。」


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.」

于丹的《論語心得》很受歡迎。