ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how Confucian humanism might answer the spirituality problem. According to Herbert Fingarette, Confucius's insight is that the traditional customs (li) that regulate daily life are, in fact, “sacred rites” that represent “roadmaps” of the Way (dao). Those who master li are not only moral exemplars, but also harmoniously integrated into the ultimate reality of dao. While this view does account for a spiritualized morality, there are obstacles to adopting it. It is uncritically reliant on human conventions, and the metaphysical status of dao is uncertain and, from the perspective of a secularist, suspect. Nevertheless, the Confucian perspective moves the investigation forward by illuminating the spiritual potential inherent in human culture.
