Shu as an Expression of Jen

十一

~What does Confucius mean by shu (altruism)? What is its most famous expression? Why does he consider it an expression of jen? How does it express jen?

~How does one exercise shu? What is its difference from the Christian Golden Rule?

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Altruism, according to Confucius, is that which serves as the guiding principle for conduct throughout life. Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you (Analect 15:23). This Analect is strikingly similar to what the Christians have termed as the Golden Rule or the Ethic of Reciprocity. The principle of the Golden Rule was announced by Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 7:12

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Along the same line, Hinduism and Buddhism also speaks of the same thought (but not limited to):

Mahabharata 5:1517

“This is the sum of duty. Do not unto others that which would cause you pain if done to you.”

Udana Varga 5:18

“Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful. 

Scholars of the Confucian tradition have categorised chung or conscientiousness as the positive aspect of the practice and shu or altruism as the negative. Herewith, taken as a whole, is the right way to practice and to exercise jen and now that the principle of chung has been established in the previous entry Chung as an Expression of Jen, we will see how shu is developed. According to Fung Yu-Lan (1976), there practices are not forced because “the original natures of all men have in them a feeling of commiseration, which makes it impossible to them to bear to see the suffering of others.” This is also true in the simplest sense of altruism as it shows a person who helps other, whole-heartedly and without the ego, without asking and expecting for anything in return. Founder of Sociology Auguste Comte coined altruism as the antonym of egoism. Chan’s (1963) commentary on Analect 4:15 took Ch’eng I’s explanations regarding chung and shu: the former as the substance and the latter as the function. 

Analect 14:36

“Someone said, ‘What do you think of repaying hatred with virtue?’ Confucius said, ‘In that case what are you going to repay virtue with? Rather, repay hatred with uprightness and repay virtue with virtue.’”

However negative, shu can be interpreted at the extension of the mind [that is originally good] to others (Chan, 1963). 

Fung, 1947

“Chung is the positive aspect of extending oneself to include one’s fellow men, shu is the negative.”

“Men can also take what they do not desire, to illustrate what other men do not desire. This in truth is what is called shu. Thus, “to extend the scope of one’s actions” to include others, this is the starting point of the practice of jen.” 

Shu is the proactive application of jen since it now involves others. Show goodness to others without hiding a knife behind your back and they too to you. If they treat you wrongly, still do them good because this is the moral way and this is the right way.

Analect 9:13

“Confucius wanted to live among the nine barbarous tribes of the East. Someone said, ‘They are rude. How can you do it?’ Confucius said, ‘If a superior man lives there, what rudeness would there be?’”

From this Analect, we can foresee what will happen when the superior man who was able to cultivate himself (chung) will do such towards others (shu). This is humanity. 

Analect 12:2

“…Do not do unto others what you do not want them to do unto you. Then there will be no complaint against you…”

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