The Hexagram of Contemplation 觀卦 (guan gua) and “Using the Divine Way to Give Instruction” 神道設教 (shen dao she jiao) in Early China

Summary

In early Chinese religion, celestial deities, earthly spirits, and ghosts were devoutly worshipped. Oracle bone inscriptions record rituals for rain, temple worship, and river deities under terms like “fang.” The Supreme God was the paramount deity of the Shang Dynasty, merging with ancestral spirits by the early Zhou. The hexagram of Contemplation (guan gua) depicts shamans or ritual hosts performing temple sacrifices, emphasizing sincere human–Heaven communication. A monarch’s guan ritual embodies inner sincerity, prompting celestial trust, forming an interactive relationship. The hexagram’s structure highlights deities’ transcendence and humans’ reverence. Sages established religion for human life but not as leaders. From Shang through Spring and Autumn, Chinese spirituality shifted from shamanism to ritual propriety and from theistic to humanistic culture, shaping subsequent 2500 years. Confucius replaced shamanistic elements with moral experience.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Most primitive religions originated from the devout worship of celestial deities, earthly spirits, and ghosts. In oracle bone inscriptions, rituals related to praying for rain, temple worship, river deity worship, and the worship of great deities were referred to as “fang” 方 or “yi fang” 以方. The Supreme God was the paramount deity of the Yin Shang Dynasty people; by the early Zhou Dynasty, the Supreme God and ancestral spirits began to merge. The hexagram of Contemplation 觀卦 (guan gua) establishes instruction through the concept of “contemplation” fully presenting the entire process of shamans, sorcerers, or ritual hosts participating in temple sacrifices, and completing the hand-washing ritual 盥 (guan) and the sacrifice-offering ritual 薦 (jian). It emphasizes the sincere communication between humans and Heaven. When a monarch performs the guan ritual, he embodies inner “sincerity and clarity” 誠明 (chengming); in response, the celestial deities will “show trust” 有孚 (youfu). Thus, it can be verified that deities exist in Heaven, and an interactive, responsive relationship is formed between Heaven and humans. The nine in the fifth place (the dominant line) possesses great inspiring power. The two fundamental dimensions for interpreting the hexagram structure are “the great view is above” 大觀在上 (da guan zai shang) and “[t]hose below look toward him and are transformed” 下觀而化 (xia guan er hua). These dimensions not only highlight the infinite transcendence, charisma, and appeal of the worshipped deities but also underscore humans’ profound reverence and faith in deities and the absolute existence. Sages 聖人 (sheng ren), as intermediaries between humans and deities, established religion for the sake of human life but did not regard themselves as religious leaders. However, from the Shang and Zhou dynasties to the Spring and Autumn period, a transition occurred in the spiritual life of the Chinese people: from shamanism to ritual propriety 禮 (li), and from theistic culture to humanistic culture. This transition laid the fundamental direction for the development and evolution of Chinese culture over the following 2500 years. Confucius attempted to replace or eliminate the shamanistic elements in early Confucians with personalized moral experience and ethical consciousness.