Japanese Philosophy: A Sourcebook

Prelude The Shōtoku Constitution

Prelude The Shōtoku Constitution 35 Prelude The Shōtoku Constitution It is folly to think of any single historical person or event as marking the beginning of philosophy in a given culture. Still, any treatment of a philosophical tradition has to start somewhere and we may take a cue for how to proceed from Aristotle. In his narrative about the development of his own intellectual heritage, Aristotle crowned Thales of Miletus as the first philosopher (Metaphysics i.3) and to the present day, most histories of western philosophy follow Aristotle’s lead. He believed Thales to be the earliest Hellenic thinker to seek not merely an explanation for everything, but an explanation based in the natural rather than supernatural or mythological, and grounded in reason and observation rather than in tales about Olympian deities. For Aristotle, that characteristic epitomized the philosophical legacy he and his contemporaries had inherited. The lesson we take from this, then, is that we consider a tradition’s philosophical origins not to recapture some pristine moment when philosophy began, but to contextualize the nature of philosophy by selecting an ancient figure or text as emblematic, serving as an inspiration for what would follow. Applying this to the Japanese philosophical tradition, a good place to begin is the Seventeen-Article Constitution, long believed to have been issued by the legendary figure of Prince Regent Shōtoku (574?–622?) in the year 604. This work is hardly more philosophically sophisticated than Thales’ pronouncements that all things are water and that everything is full of spirits. Nonetheless, the Constitution is exemplary of what many Japanese philosophers have in fact done throughout the ensuing fourteen centuries. First, it attempts to harmonize diverse ideas from various sources, giving each idea its function within a more comprehensive system in response to the particular needs of Japan at the time. For Shōtoku, Confucianism teaches proper social behavior and governmental leadership, whereas Buddhism teaches self-understanding and control of inner motivations. Second, the Constitution emphasizes the continuity between the social and natural worlds, urging humans to act in accord with the patterns and cycles of nature. And lastly, it addresses the pursuit of truth as a collective enterprise. Specifically, the Constitution counsels: 36 | t h e s h ō t o k u c o n s t i t u t i o n (1) that we are not all that different from each other and so insight may come from anyone among us; thus, it is as important to include all that is true as it is to exclude what is false; (2) that impassioned, egoistic motivations about winning an argument can lead us astray from finding the truth; and (3) that we think most effectively—compensating for each other’s weaknesses —by cooperation and synthesis instead of confrontation. Overall, that is probably as much a prolegomenon for a philosophical method as we could find in the pre-Socratic Greeks. And like the role of the pre-Socratics for the West, the Shōtoku Constitution sets the tone for much of what would follow in the Japanese philosophical tradition. [tpk] The seventeen-article constitu tion Shōtoku 604, 12–23 1. Take harmony to be of the highest value and take cooperation to be what is most honored. All persons are partisan, and few indeed are sufficiently broad-minded. It is for this reason that some offend against lord and father, and some transgress wantonly against neighboring villagers. But when those above are harmonious and those below live congenially with each other, and when mutual accord prevails in resolving the affairs of the day, then all matters without exception will be properly and effectively dispatched. 2. Revere in earnest the three treasures: the Buddha, the dharmaž, and the clergy, for these are the final refuge for all sentient beings and are the most sacred and honored objects in the faith of all nations. What persons in what age would fail to cherish this dharma? There are few persons who are truly wicked. Most can be instructed and brought into the fold. Without repairing to these three treasures, wherein can the crooked be made straight? 3. On receiving imperial commands, execute them. The lord is the sky and the ministers are the earth. When the sky covers and shelters all and the ministers provide their support, the cycle of the four seasons turns smoothly and all of the life forces...