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field, but a process, growth towards ren- dealing with the common people, behave as if
humanity in and through ren-humanity. The you were officiating at an important ceremony.
biological status of a human (ren) is no more Do not do to others what you would not like

than a fragment of the socio-cosmic reality in done to yourself! (XII, 2)”. (Cheng 2000, 53-
which the natural parent-child and child-parent 54)
relationship is primarily manifested, which The “asceticism” that Anne Cheng
seeks to be exemplary and practically without refers to, understood as self-renunciation,
hiatus in the child's growth, respectively in the allows us to bring the meaning of the rite(s)

care of the elderly parent. closer to the series of notions that we consider
related: surrender, sacrifice or recoil (ritual
recoil, to put it more clearly, even if
Li: the Titual tautological). Its etymology allows them such

To illustrate “right living” in view of an interpretation: from the vessel for sacrifices,
the ideal re-presented by ren, Confucius it comes to designate the ritual of sacrifice
appeals to a metaphor: a sacrificial vessel, itself. On the other hand, in Confucius, the
called li. We believe that looking at this term ritual attitude settles inside man, and the

first of all as a metaphor, we will better beneficiary of the ritual becomes, from an
understand that we are dealing with a state of extra-mundane entity, the alter around us, the
mind, not with a formal gestural suite. other. According to Anne Cheng: “In his

Confucius' thinking, the quality of behaving references to li, Confucius often alludes to the
humanly/with humanity (ren) and inner living religious origin of the word. Composed of the
(li) are inseparable, together they denote radical that represents holy things, to which is
“Confucius” conception of man (...)" (Cheng added the schematized representation of a
2001, 54). grain boil in a cup, it originally designates a

Anne Cheng also says that: “For vessel for sacrifices, and then, by extension, the
Confucius, to be human means to be connected ritual of sacrifice. But what interests Confucius
with the other, a connection perceived as being about this term and what he retains from it is

of a ritual nature. To behave humanly means to not the purely religious aspect of the sacrifice
behave ritually (…). The formula, which has to the divinity, but the ritual attitude of the one
become famous, “Let each one submit and who takes part in the sacrifice. First and
obey himself, so as to revive the rites by foremost an internal attitude, permeated by the
himself” indicates the need for an asceticism importance and solemnity of the act in

whose purpose is to discipline the tendency progress, which only translates outward
towards egocentrism and ritually internalize through a rigorously controlled behavior.”
the humanity of relations with the other. (Cheng 2000, 54)

Another disciple, who also wants to know Li - ritual is, therefore - if we do not
about the ren, receives the following answer: force the interpretation too much, the inner and
,,Once out the door of the house, behave as if outer act of offering, under the unconscious
you are meeting an important guest. When state of the vital relationship with the other, the

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