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Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Landscape Painting in Chinese Art

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/clpg/hd_clpg.htm

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Mt:11:25:
25 ¶ At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones. (DRV)

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500 BC

THE GREAT LEARNING


Confucius


WHAT THE GREAT LEARNING teaches, is to illustrate illustrious

virtue; to renovate the people; and to rest in the highest excellence.

The point where to rest being known, the object of pursuit is then

determined; and, that being determined, a calm unperturbedness may

be attained to. To that calmness there will succeed a tranquil repose. In that repose there may be careful deliberation, and that
deliberation will be followed by the attainment of the desired end.
Things have their root and their branches. Affairs have their end
and their beginning. To know what is first and what is last will
lead near to what is taught in the Great Learning.
The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue
throughout the kingdom, first ordered well their own states. Wishing
to order well their states, they first regulated their families.
Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their
persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified
their hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be
sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts,
they first extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such extension of
knowledge lay in the investigation of things.
Things being investigated, knowledge became complete. Their
knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their
thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then rectified. Their hearts
being rectified, their persons were cultivated. Their persons being
cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being
regulated, their states were rightly governed. Their states being
rightly governed, the whole kingdom was made tranquil and happy.
From the Son of Heaven {the King of Heaven, God
and the son of the King of heaven, Immortal Son who is Jesus Christ, represented by a very close form with the same brush strokes with a slight elongation is the original in Chinese language} down to the mass of the people, all must consider the cultivation of the person the root of everything besides.

It cannot be, when the root is neglected, that what should spring
from it will be well ordered. It never has been the case that what was
of great importance has been slightly cared for, and, at the same
time, that what was of slight importance has been greatly cared for.


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