The Nature of Man: Excerpt from Wang Feng Yi’s “Discourse on Transforming Inner Nature”

(六)
Chapter 6

三性
San Xing
The Three Inner Natures

⼈有三性、
ren you san xing,
People have Three Natures:

⼀天性、
yi tian xing,
First, Heavenly Nature;

⼆禀性,
er bing xing,
Second, Endowed Nature;

三习性。
san xi xing.
Third, Acquired Nature.

天性是纯善⽆恶的,
tian xing shi chun shan wu e de,
The Heavenly Nature is pure, benevolent and without evil.

孟⼦说的性善,
meng zi shuo de xing shan,
The innate goodness that Mencius [1] speaks about,

正是指的天性。
zheng shi zhi de tian xing.
refers precisely to the Heavenly Nature.

⼈赋的性叫禀性,
ren fu de xing jiao bing xing,
The Nature that is bestowed upon people is the Endowed Nature.

禀性是纯恶⽆善的,
bing xing shi chun e wu shan de,
The Endowed Nature is purely wicked and malevolent.

荀⼦主张的性恶,
xun zi zhu zhang de xing e,
The Innate Wickedness that Xun Zi [2] proposes

正是指的禀性。
zheng shi zhi de bing xing,
refers precisely to the Endowed Nature.

后添的性叫习性,
hou tian de xing jiao xi xing,
The last Nature is called the Acquired Nature.

习性是可善可恶的,
xi xing shi ke shan ke e de,
The Acquired Nature could be good or evil,

近朱则赤,
“jin zhu ze chi,
“Entering cinnabar, one is stained red,

近墨则黑.
jin mo ze hei.”
entering ink, one is stained black.”

告⼦说的性
gao zi shuo de xing
The Nature that Gao Zi [3] discusses

『可东可西』正是指的习性。
“ke dong ke xi” zheng shi zhi de xi xing.
“Perhaps to the East, perhaps to the West [4] ,”refers to Acquired Nature.

以天性用事的会找⼈好处,
yi tian xing yong shi de hui zhao ren hao chu,
People resorting to the Heavenly Nature to manage affairs will seek people’s positives

以禀性当家的准看⼈不对。
yi bing xing dang jia de zhun kan ren bu dui.
People resorting to Endowed Nature for household affairs,
accordingly, see people’s wrongdoings.

这叫什么性,
zhe jiao shen me xing,
What are these Natures called?

招什么事。
zhao shen me shi.
What matters do they beckon?

天性有源,
tian xing you yuan,
Heavenly Nature has a source.

禀性有根。
bing xing you gen.
Endowed Nature has a root.

前⽣的习性,
qian sheng de xi xing,
Acquired Nature comes from previous lives

就是今⽣的禀性。
jiu shi jin sheng de bing xing.
and is this life’s Endowed Nature.

能化去禀性
neng hua qu bing xing
If one is able to transform and remove
the Endowed Natural Dispositions

（怒、恨、怨、恼、烦）,
(nu, hen, yuan, nao, fan),
(wrath, hatred, resentment, annoyance, and vexation),

天性就圆满了。
tian xing jiu yuan man le.
then Heavenly Nature is perfect in its circularity.

不能化的,
bu neng hua de,
People who are unable to transform and remove them,

⼀触即发,
yi chu ji fa,
once touched, they stir into existence,

像被鬼迷住了似的,
xiang bei gui mi zhu le si e,
it is as if possessed by ghosts.

所以叫做『五鬼』,
suo yi jiao zuo “wu gui,”
That is the reason why they are called “the Five Ghosts”

闹得家宅不安。
nao de jia zhai bu an.
and they stir up the domain of the home into unrest.

又叫做『五毒』,
you jiao zuo “wu du,”
They are also called “the Five Poisons.”

令⼈害病死亡。
ling ren hai bing si wang.
Causing people to fall sick and die from them.

它的根最深,
ta de gen zui shen,
Their roots are the deepest,

不易拔除。
bu yi ba chu.
as it is not easy to pull them out.

⼈若是降伏不住它,
ren ruo shi xiang fu bu zhu ta,
If people are unable to subdue them,

就难当好人.
jiu nan dang hao ren.
it is hard to be a good person.

佛说:
fo shuo:
Buddha says:

『业⼒随身,
“ye li sui shen,
“If demonic forces follow the Body,

必⾄妄动⽆明。』
bi zhi wang dong wu ming.”
certainly there will be rash actions out of ignorance.”

难以成道。
nan yi cheng dao.
This makes it difficult to achieve the Dao.

习性是物欲所绕,
xi xing shi wu yu suo rao,
Acquired Nature revolves around materialistic desires.

禀性是⼈间的烦恼。
bing xing shi ren jian de fan nao.
The Endowed Natural Dispositions are the vexation and agony of people’s relations.

能在道德场中尽义务,
neng zai dao de chang zhong jin yi wu,
If one is able to work for no reward in the field of the Way and Virtue,

身界算是脱出去了。
shen jie suan shi tuo chu qu le.
the Human Realm is considered cast away.

会当⼈的,
hui dang ren de,
If one is able to act as a good person,

脱出了⼼界。
tuo chu le xin jie,
one casts off the Heart Realm.

禀性化尽,
bing xing hua jin,
Only when Endowed Nature is completely transformed

才脱出了性界。
cai tuo chu le xing jie.
is one able to shed the Nature Realm.

不然怎能『超出界外』呢？
bu ran zen neng “chao chu jie wai” ne?
Otherwise, how could one “Transcend Beyond the Realms?”

神⾜即是德,
shen zu ji shi de,
The Spirit being ample is Virtue.

神⾜就乐,
shen zu jiu le,
The Spirit being ample is Joy.

乐就可以化禀性。
le jiu ke yi hua bing xing.
Joy then is able to transform the Endowed Nature.

脾⽓化尽,
pi qi hua jin,
When flaring tempers are completely transformed,

因果自了。
yin guo zi liao.
Cause and Effect will naturally abate.

去习性、
qu xi xing,
Remove Acquired Nature,

化禀性、
hua bing xing,
transform Endowed Nature,

圆满天性。
yuan man tian xing.
and make Heavenly Nature perfect in its circularity.

[1] Mencius is a a strong advocate of the goodness of Human Nature. In reply to Gao Zi who is quoted shortly thereafter he resorts to the same analogy of water to make his point:

⽔信⽆分于东西。⽆分于上下乎？ ⼈性之善
也， 猶⽔之就下也。⼈⽆有不善， ⽔⽆有不
下。今夫⽔， 搏⽽跃之， 可使过颡； 激⽽⾏
之， 可使在⼭。是岂⽔之性哉？ 其势则然
也。⼈之可使为不善， 其性亦犹是也。

Water does not at random differentiate into [flowing] east or west. Would it not be differentiated into [flowing] above and below? Human Nature is kind-hearted just
as water [flows] exactly downwards. There is no human without goodness, just as there is no water that does not flow downwards. Today laboring the water, pounce it and it will leap up, it could go past the forehead; swash it, it will travel; it
could be made to be atop a mountain. How could this be due to the water’s nature? It is the force that makes it so. Humans could be sent into evilness, their nature is also [dealt] in a similar way.

[2] Xun Zi lived after Mencius in a time of war and turmoil and was an equally dedicated adherent of Confucianism. His dictum was that humans are evil by nature [xing e lun 性恶论], thus his standpoint was at the complete other
side of the spectrum compared to Mencius. The full paragraph from the book, bearing the same title Xun Zi [荀⼦] is replicated below:

⼈之性恶，其善者伪也。今⼈之性，⽣⽽有
好利焉，順是，故争夺⽣⽽辞让亡焉； ⽣⽽
有疾恶焉，順是，故残贼⽣⽽忠信亡焉；⽣⽽
有耳目之欲， 有好声⾊焉， 順是， 故淫乱⽣
⽽礼义⽂理亡焉。然则从⼈之性， 順⼈之
情， 必出于争夺， 合于犯分乱理， ⽽归于
暴。故必将有师法之化， 礼义之道， 然后出
于辞让， 合于⽂理， ⽽归于治。用此观之，
⼈之性恶明矣， 其善者伪也。

Human Nature is evil; and its goodness is false and fabricated. Today as for Human Nature, when born it is also fond of gain. Following along [with these
indulgences] is the reason for contention coming into existence and thus yielding and allowance perishing. Born with hate and wickedness, following along [these
sentiments] is the reason for savage banditry coming into existence and thus faith and honesty perishing. Born with the desire of ears and eyes, they are fond of sounds and colors. Following along [with these desires] is the reason for promiscuity coming into existence and thus etiquette, righteousness, refinedness and reason perish. That being so, following Human Nature, and submitting to human sentiments, it certainly will come out in the form of contention, uniting [humans] in violation of their duties and disorderly reasoning, as well as a return to violence. That is the reason why there must inevitably be transformations through the masters’ laws and the Dao of etiquette and righteousness. Afterwards it will come out in the form of yielding and allowance, uniting
[humans] in refinedness and reason, as well as a return to governance.
Using this observation, Human Nature is clearly evil,and its goodness is false and fabricated.

[3] Gao Zi, a contemporary of Mencius, was a Chinese philosopher who lived during the Warring States Period. Gao Zi firmly believed that education, teaching and direction would determine Human Nature. This is exemplified by a famous Chinese proverb appearing in the Three Character Classic:

⽟不琢不成器。
If Jade is not cut and polished,
it will not turn into a useful utensil.

[4]Perhaps to the East, perhaps to the West is an abbreviated quote by Gao Zi that follows below in its entirety. Gao Zi, a contemporary of Mencius, was a Chinese philosopher who lived during the Warring States Period:

 性犹湍⽔也，決诸东⽅则东流，決诸西⽅则
西流。⼈性之⽆分于善不善也， 犹⽔之⽆分
于东西也。

Human Nature resembles rushing water. Burst it open in the east, and it will flow to the east; burst it open in the west, and it will flow to the west. Human Nature is not differentiated into good and evil, in the same way as water is not differentiated into east and west.