Wanwuyiti and Finding God in All Things: A Neo-Confucian and Ignatian Dialogue-BNBU Institute for Advanced Study

Wanwuyiti and Finding God in All Things: A Neo-Confucian and Ignatian Dialogue

Dear Colleagues and Students,

On December 6, 2024, we are honored to invite Dr. Amy Yu Fu, a visiting scholar from Harvard University and Associate Professor at Hangzhou City University, to deliver a lecture titled Wanwuyiti and Finding God in All Things: A Neo-Confucian and Ignatian Dialogue. In this lecture, we will explore the common ground between human ethical cultivation and spiritual self-transformation from the perspectives of Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism and Ignatian spirituality, and discuss their implications for modern educational practice. The lecture details are as follows:

(Please note that the lecture time has been changed to 15:00-16:00 on December 6, 2024. The date and location remain unchanged. Kindly take note.)

Topic: Wanwuyiti and Finding God in All Things: A Neo-Confucian and Ignatian Dialogue

Speaker: Dr. Amy Yu Fu

Time: December 6, 2024, 15:00-16:00

Venue: CEFC Academy (CC 126)

Language: English

Registration Period: November 29, 12:00 – December 6, 14:00

Registration Link: https://oas.uic.edu.cn/

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Amy Yu Fu is an associate professor of English at Hangzhou City University. She received her PhD in the field of comparative religion from Zhejiang University. She has been a visiting scholar and researcher at Harvard University (2014-2016, 2023-2024), the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Monash University. She is an editorial board member of Interreligious Studies and Intercultural Theology (Equinox Publishing) and Reading Religion (American Academy of Religion). She is a member of AAR (American Academy of Religion) and AASR (the Australian Association for the Study of Religion). She has translated books in the field of religion (E-C), published Dao De Jing: A Process Perspective in America, and dozens of articles in internationally recognized journals. Her research interest includes comparative religion as well as the cultural interaction between China and the West, in particular the 17th century Jesuit missionary enterprise in Asia.

Brief intro to the lecture:

It is generaly recoginzied that the early Jesuits misinterpreted the key Neo‑Confucian terms taiji/li (太极/理) from an Aristotelian perspective, thereby leading to a dialogical failure in their initial encounter with the Neo‑Confucian tradition. This comparative study renews the dialogue between two spiritual traditions by reading two representative texts, side by side, on self‑cultivation: Reflections on Things at Hand (近思录，12th century) and The Spiritual Exercises (16th century), revealing the commong ground between the two traditions. The comparison showcases that the notion of “wanwuyiti” is tantamount to a religious imperative for human ethical engagements, and the Ignatian axiom “Finding God in All Things” energizes a spiritual self‑transformation to forge an intimate bond with God and the world. While Neo‑Confucian cultivation focuses on the removal of desires, seeking to maintain “equilibrium” and “centrality”, the Ignatian exercises foreground commitment to “discernment” and “indifference”. The Neo‑Confucians address human and worldly affairs in a procedural manner to establish an orderly society. In contrast, the Ignatian self is directed toward an orderly individual life to serve, love, and bring ever more to God’s Divine Majesty.

-Ash 陈鹭 lschenlu@uic.edu.cn

Center for Whitehead Studies (CWS)

Institue for Advanced Study (IAS)