Seeking God in Confucianism- Luo Rufang’s Thought on Shangdi

Abstract

Luo Rufang (1515–1588) was a very active and influential Confucian scholar and lecturer during his lifetime. In Luo’s work, we can find three main points regarding Shangdi: First, Shangdi is not an abstract principle. Shangdi is a personal deity who generates the myriad things and humans. Shangdi is always monitoring the behaviors of humans and giving corresponding rewards and punishments. Second, Shangdi grants humans a nature that is the same as Shangdi’s own nature. We, as humans, may therefore experience Shangdi’s presence by watching and finding this Heavenly bestowed nature. We should thus be fearful and reverent in feeling the presence of Shangdi, restrain ourselves from misbehavior, and diligently practice moral cultivation to achieve a complete realization of manifestation of the heavenly nature granted by Shangdi. And third, eventually, all our thoughts and deeds will become reflections of Shangdi’s mind. We will then return to oneness with Shangdi. When Luo talks about Shangdi, his ultimate concern is the moral cultivation and spiritual transformation of humans. Shangdi is important only in relation to humans. Further examinations will demonstrate that his idea of Shangdi is almost entirely rooted in the ancient classics and contemporary neo-Confucian thought. Luo’s case may provide us with a new historical and intellectual resource for the study of Ming Confucianism and its dialogue with Catholicism.