Rereading Zhu Xi’s Quiet-Sitting Practice through a Chinese Catholic Lens

With a focus on the quiet-sitting meditation of major Neo-Confucian figure Zhu Xi (1130-1200), this paper aims to shed new light on Zhu’s contemplative practice by adopting a comparative theological method. More specifically, it follows the interpretations of Zhu’s quiet-sitting put forth by Chinese Jesuit theologian Hu Guozhen (1948-) in his work to “inculturate” Christian prayer for fellow Chinese Catholics. Whether simply through oversight or because his study of Zhu on this topic was motivated by different concerns than those of most scholars, Hu’s reading of Zhu Xi has not been noted in contemporary scholarship; however, this paper argues his novel approach can help us think in fresh ways about Zhu’s quiet-sitting practice—especially its flexible approach to cultivating “reverence” as opposed to pursuing mental tranquility through strict techniques, and its relation to other practices like reading.