| Summary: | This essay examines the Ru 儒 notion of ming 命, usually translated into English as 'fate,' with an emphasis on the thought of two prominent Ru thinkers, Z hu Xi 朱熹 (1130-1200) of Song 宋 China and J eong Yagyong 丁若鏞 (Dasan 茶山, 1762-1836) of Joseon 朝鮮 Korea. Although they were faithful followers of the tradition of Kongzi 孔子and Mengzi 孟子, they held very different views on ming. Z hu Xi saw the realm of fate as determined by contingent movements of psychophysical force, whereas J eong Yagyong believed it to be utterly contingent upon the unfathomable deity, Shangdi 上帝. These differences have important consequences for their conceptions of the good human life as well as the development of their respective cultivation programs. In conclusion, I argue that their differences are directly related to their different stances on the goal of Ru study. Z hu Xi, in confrontation with Buddhism, tried to put all people on the road to becoming a sage, while J eong Yagyong aimed at the actual attainment of sagehood even if only some people could do so.
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