Xu Yingran
Zai Wo said, "I have heard of the names of ghosts and gods, but I do not know what they are." Confucius said, "Qi is the flourishing of the spirit; Po is the flourishing of the ghost; the combination of ghosts and gods is the ultimate teaching. All living things must die, and after death they must return to the earth: this is called ghosts. Bones and flesh die below, and the shade becomes wild soil; their qi spreads above, becoming bright, scorching, and mournful. This is the essence of all things and the manifestation of the spirit. Based on the essence of things, it is made to the extreme, and the ghosts and gods are made clear, so that they are the example of the people. The hundreds of people fear them, and the ten thousand people obey them." The sage thought that this was not enough, so he built palaces and called them ancestral temples to distinguish between relatives and strangers, and taught the people to return to the ancient times and never forget where they were born. The people obeyed from this, so they listened and were quick. After the two ends were established, they responded with two rituals. When building court affairs, burning meat and vegetables, and showing the light of the sky, to respond to the qi. This is to teach the people to return to the beginning. Offering millet and sorghum, showing respect to the liver, lungs, head and heart, and offering chivalrous wine to the occasion, and adding yuchang wine, is to repay the soul. Teaching the people to love each other and the superiors and subordinates to use affection is the highest etiquette.
