9.15.2003
K�ung Fu Tzu, also known as Confucius, was born in the Zhou (also spelled Chou) Dynasty in 551 BCE and died in 479 BCE. Confucius wandered the many states of China and gave advice to rulers; he had a group of students that learned from him and documented his philosophical ideas. Confucianism has been called a civil religion and also a diffused religion; it is not a real religion though, because it is simply an ethical system for people. Confucians follow tradition for things such as birth, marriage and death.
Confucius did not intend to found a new religion, he wanted to interpret and revive the unnamed religion of the Zhou dynasty. The people of the time were thinking: �If it is not the ancestral and nature spirits, what then is the basis of a stable, unified, and enduring social order?� The dominant view of the day was that strict law and how the people on top ran the country were the bases of sound policy. Confucius, however, believed that the basis lay in Zhou religion with its rituals. He interpreted these not as sacrifices asking for the blessings of the gods, but as ceremonies performed by people. Rituals embodied, for him, the ethical core of Chinese society. Moreover, Confucius applied the term �ritual� to actions beyond the formal sacrifices and religious ceremonies to include social rituals: courtesies and accepted standards of behavior -- what we today call social mores. He saw these time-honored and traditional rituals as the basis of human civilization and felt that only a civilized society could have a stable, unified and enduring social order.
Confucius�s ideas weren�t actually used fully until after his death; Han Emperor Wu, who ruled from 140-87 BC, accepted Confucius�s ideology and orthodoxy. From that time on the imperial state promoted Confucian values to maintain law, order and the state affairs. In late traditional China, emperors sought to establish lectures in villages on Confucian moral laws and to give civic awards to related sons and morally pure wives. The imperial family and other notables sponsored the publication of morality books that encouraged the practice of Confucian values which included respect for parents, loyalty to government, and keeping to one's place in society. They believed that farmers should remain farmers, and practice the ethics of farming. This side of Confucianism was conservative, and served to strengthen established institutions and long-standing social divisions.
Quotes from Confucius
At fifteen, I set my heart on learning. At thirty, I was firmly established. At forty, I had no more doubts. At fifty, I knew the will of heaven. At sixty, I was ready to listen to it. At seventy, I could follow my heart's desire without transgressing what was right.
Only when things are investigated is knowledge extended; only when knowledge is extended are thoughts sincere; only when thoughts are sincere are minds rectified; only when minds are rectified are the characters of persons cultivated; only when character is cultivated are our families regulated; only when families are regulated are states well governed; only when states are well governed is there peace in the world.
Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it.
Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.
He who will not economize will have to agonize.
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.
Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon and star.
It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.
Men's natures are alike, it is their habits that carry them far apart.
Respect yourself and others will respect you.
Study the past if you would define the future.
Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.
When we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.
Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue.
Have no friends not equal to yourself.
He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.
The cautious seldom err.
The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.
The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress.
Things that are done, it is needless to speak about...things that are past, it is needless to blame.
To be able to practice five things everywhere under heaven constitutes perfect virtue... [They are] gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.
What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.
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Confucius did not intend to found a new religion, he wanted to interpret and revive the unnamed religion of the Zhou dynasty. The people of the time were thinking: �If it is not the ancestral and nature spirits, what then is the basis of a stable, unified, and enduring social order?� The dominant view of the day was that strict law and how the people on top ran the country were the bases of sound policy. Confucius, however, believed that the basis lay in Zhou religion with its rituals. He interpreted these not as sacrifices asking for the blessings of the gods, but as ceremonies performed by people. Rituals embodied, for him, the ethical core of Chinese society. Moreover, Confucius applied the term �ritual� to actions beyond the formal sacrifices and religious ceremonies to include social rituals: courtesies and accepted standards of behavior -- what we today call social mores. He saw these time-honored and traditional rituals as the basis of human civilization and felt that only a civilized society could have a stable, unified and enduring social order.
Confucius�s ideas weren�t actually used fully until after his death; Han Emperor Wu, who ruled from 140-87 BC, accepted Confucius�s ideology and orthodoxy. From that time on the imperial state promoted Confucian values to maintain law, order and the state affairs. In late traditional China, emperors sought to establish lectures in villages on Confucian moral laws and to give civic awards to related sons and morally pure wives. The imperial family and other notables sponsored the publication of morality books that encouraged the practice of Confucian values which included respect for parents, loyalty to government, and keeping to one's place in society. They believed that farmers should remain farmers, and practice the ethics of farming. This side of Confucianism was conservative, and served to strengthen established institutions and long-standing social divisions.
Quotes from Confucius
At fifteen, I set my heart on learning. At thirty, I was firmly established. At forty, I had no more doubts. At fifty, I knew the will of heaven. At sixty, I was ready to listen to it. At seventy, I could follow my heart's desire without transgressing what was right.
Only when things are investigated is knowledge extended; only when knowledge is extended are thoughts sincere; only when thoughts are sincere are minds rectified; only when minds are rectified are the characters of persons cultivated; only when character is cultivated are our families regulated; only when families are regulated are states well governed; only when states are well governed is there peace in the world.
Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it.
Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.
He who will not economize will have to agonize.
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.
Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon and star.
It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.
Men's natures are alike, it is their habits that carry them far apart.
Respect yourself and others will respect you.
Study the past if you would define the future.
Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.
When we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.
Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue.
Have no friends not equal to yourself.
He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.
The cautious seldom err.
The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.
The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress.
Things that are done, it is needless to speak about...things that are past, it is needless to blame.
To be able to practice five things everywhere under heaven constitutes perfect virtue... [They are] gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.
What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.
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