Beyond Interpersonal Morality: Three Modalities of Filial Piety as Lived Religion in Contemporary Practice

Is Confucian filial piety (xiao) still relevant to contemporary society? Moving beyond the interpretation of filial piety as an interpersonal morality, this paper redefines xiao as a religious virtue that bridges humans, spirits, and Heaven. By juxtaposing classical ritual theories from the Liji and Neo-Confucian internal cultivation with contemporary cases, including the institutionalized Confucianism of Indonesia (MATAKIN), the internalized discipline of the Kongyang Academy, and spontaneous emotional eruptions in end-of-life care, this study reveals how filial piety functions as a prolific emotional root that could flourish in various cultivational paths. It argues that the religious efficacy of filial piety provides essential spiritual resilience against the anxieties of modernity and mortality.