On February 15, 2025, the USCCA Book Circle gathered to discuss pp. 15–50 of John C. H. Wu's Chinese Humanism and Christian Spirituality. In these passages, Wu shares his perspective on "Mencius' Philosophy of Human Nature and Natural Law" (pp. 15–35) and on "The Spirit of Joy in the Chinese Sages" (pp. 39–50). This Book Circle discussion touched on such themes as natural law, joy as harmony, and the mandate of heaven understood through Catholic tradition and Chinese culture.
One aspect of this week's reading which spurred particular interest among participants was the way in which Wu's position as a legal scholar and as a Catholic informed his understanding of natural law in the teachings of ancient Chinese sages. Western philosophy tends to rely on metaphysical speculation as a source of wisdom, but discussion participants found that the Chinese sages challenge readers to find wisdom in the ways of our ancestors, learning from their examples in accordance with nature and ritual propriety.
Such ways of living are described by sages as a kind of harmony, and are closely related to joy, as Wu notes: "According to the Chinese way of thinking, music is joy, and joy is music, because both of them are essentially bound up with the idea of Harmony" (p. 39). In turn, USCCA Book Circle participants reflected on the harmony of joy as it is portrayed in different religious and philosophical thinkers and traditions, from Mencius to Augustine. Participants suggested that dialogue between East and West could deepen our understanding of joy as an individual and collective phenomenon.
The next Book Circle discussion will be held on March 15, 2025; we will be discussing the section entitled "Taoism" (pp. 51–57) in John C. H. Wu's Chinese Humanism and Christian Spirituality, which is now available from Angelico Books for 15% off with the discount code wu15. As participants read the passages selected for March 15, we ask them to consider the following message from the Book Circle facilitators:
We will read the chapter of "Taoism" on pages 51-57. Even though it is a short chapter, it is peppered throughout with excerpts from the Daodejing (Tao Teh Ching) that are "sententious and pregnant with meaning" (p. 55). The chapter concludes with two stories from the Book of Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu), which introduce us to two of the most important Daoist spiritual disciplines indispensable to one's union with Dao. Here are some questions that may help guide your reading:
1) What verses from the Daodejing (Tao Teh Ching) do you find illuminating, and why?
2) What verses from the Daodejing (Tao Teh Ching) do you find puzzling?
3) Do you see any points of contact between Daoist ideas in this chapter and the Christian faith?
4) How do you understand the spiritual practice of "the Fast of the Mind" (p. 56-57)?
5) How do you understand the spiritual practice of "Settled in Forgetting" (p. 57)?
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