Welcome, Confucianism
“Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself.”
— Confucius, Analects 15:24
Confucius stated the passive Golden Rule with perfect clarity twenty-five centuries ago. He called it shu (恕) — reciprocity. The Ultimate Law is built on the same foundation: reciprocity is not one virtue among many, it is the supreme ethical principle from which all others follow. Li (propriety) without shu becomes empty ritual; shu alone is sufficient.
The Ultimate Law
Logic is the ultimate law.
Do not do to others what they would not want to be done to them, or you will be punished regardless of your will.
The purpose of punishment is to erase guilt, via retribution and restitution.
That is the entire law; it cannot be changed, all the rest is commentary.