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The Analects – Chapter 52 (3.12). Ritual Reverence
3.12 Of the saying, “The word ‘sacrifice’ is like the word ‘present’; one should sacrifice to a spirit as though that spirit was present.”
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The Analects – Chapter 51 (3.11). The ritual as governance code
3.11 Someone asked for an explanation of the Ancestral Sacrifice. Confucius said, “I do not know. Anyone who knew the explanation could deal with all things under Heaven as easily as I lay this here”; and he laid his finger upon the palm of his hand.
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The Analects – Chapter 50 (3.10). Lament for the hollowed sacrifice
3.10 The Master said, “At the Ancestral Sacrifice, as for all that comes after the libation, I had far rather not witness it!”
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The Analects – Chapter 49 (3.9). Confucius’ lament for lost history
3.9 The Master said, “How can we talk about the ritual of the Xia? The State of Qi supplies no adequate evidence. How can we talk about the ritual of Yin? The State of Song supplies no adequate evidence. For there is a lack both of documents and of learned men. But for this…
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The Analects – Chapter 47 (3.7). The archer’s virtue
3.7 The Master said,”Gentlemen never compete. You will say that in archery they do so. But even then they bow and make way for one another when they are going up to the archery-ground, when they are coming down and at the subsequent drinking-bout. Thus even when competing, they still remain gentlemen.”