Jen
Jen
Man.
Goodness; virtue in general; the moral principle; the moral ideal of the superior man (chun. tzu); the fundamental as well as the sum total of virtues, just as the Prime (yuan) is the origin and the vital force of all things — jen consisting of “man” and “two” and yuan consisting of “two” and “man”. (Confucianism.)
True manhood; man’s character; human-heartedness; moral character; being man-like; “that by which a man is to be a man;” “realization of one’s true self and the restoration of the moral order.” (Confucius and Mencius.) “The active (yang) and passive (yin) principles are the way of Heaven; the principles of strength and weakness are the way of Earth; and true manhood and righteousness (i) are the way of Man.” “True manhood is man’s mind and righteousness is man’s path.” It is one of the three Universally Recognized Moral Qualities of man (ta te), the four Fundamentals of the Moral Life (ssu tuan), and the five Constant Virtues (wu ch’ang). True manhood and righteousness are the basic principles of Confucian ethics and politics. (Confucianism.)
The golden rule; “Being true to the principles of one’s nature (chung) and the benevolent exercise of them in relation to others (shu).” “The true man, having established his own character, seeks to establish the character of others; and having succeeded, seeks to make others succeed.” (Confucius.)
Love; benevolence; kindness; charity; compassion; “the character of the heart and the principle of love;” “love towards all men and benefit towards things.” (Confucianism.) “Universal love without the element of self,” (Chuang Tzu, between 399 and 295 B.C.) “Universal Love.” (Han Yu, 767-824.)
The moral principle with regard to others. “True manhood is the cardinal virtue by which others are pacified, whereas righteousness is the cardinal principle by which the self is rectified.” It means “to love others and not the self.” (Tung Chung-shu, 177-104 B.C.)
Love of all men and things and impartiality and justice towards all men and things, this virtue being the cardinal virtue not only of man but also of the universe. “Love means to devote oneself to the benefit of other people and things.” “Love implies justice, that is, as a man, treating others as men.” “The true man regards the universe and all things as a unity. They are all essential to himself. As he realizes the true self, there is no limit to his love.” (Ch’eng Ming-tao, 1032-1068.) “Love is the source of all laws, the foundation of all phenomena.” “What is received from Heaven at the beginning is simply love, and is therefore the complete substance of the mind.” “Love is the love of creating in the mind of Heaven and Earth, and men and other creatures receive it as their mind.” (Chu Hsi, 1130-1200.)
— W.T.C.