Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 9, 2024

The Spiritual Structure and Meaning Construction of Ritual and Music Civilization

(Abstract)

Zhang Qingjiang

The deep spirit of Ritual and Music Civilization is rooted in the responsive actions of practitioners based on their belief in the foundational principles of ritual and music. To deeply understand ritual and music civilization, it is essential to reveal the meaning and influence of ritual and music actions from an experiential perspective. The connection between heaven and humanity is the spiritual basis of this experience. The creation of “rites and music” by sages stems from their initial experience of the ultimate reality of “heaven,” while the participation of “humanity” is based on the transcendent pursuit of “serving heaven.” In the specific practice context, the interplay of practitioners’ bodies, beliefs, and atmospheres constructs a world rich in symbolic manifestations, allowing practitioners to gain meaningful experiences of connecting with the cosmic origin. Only by reinterpreting the spiritual dimension of the heaven-human structure from the practitioners’ “experiential” perspective and returning to the deep meaning construction in ritual and music scenes can we better reveal the integrative principles inherent in Ritual and Music Civilization.