Ritual and Cosmology: A Critique of Two Anglo-American Interpretations of the Liji

Abstract

This article offers a preliminary critique of two influential interpretations of the cosmology of the Liji within Anglo-American scholarship, particularly those proposed by Roger Ames and Michael Puett. Its aim is to highlight both the shortcomings and the strengths of these explanatory models, and to argue that a more comprehensive understanding of the Liji’s cosmology might perhaps emerge from a combination of the fundamental principles of each. We will show that, although Puett is right to argue that, in ancient China, the cosmos was conceived as fragile and perishable, this does not necessarily imply that it was understood as intrinsically discontinuous; and that, while Ames is correct in claiming that cosmic order was conceived as a processual and correlative web, this does not necessarily mean that it was conceived as a spontaneously harmonious configuration. Accordingly, following Ames, we will argue that the ritual bond between the cosmos and humanity was understood as effective and substantive; yet, following Puett, we will explain that the continuity and persistence of this relationship were regarded as uncertain and, therefore, fragile. The thread of the analysis will be developed by taking as its point of departure the Jiaotesheng and Zhongyong chapters of the Liji.