Confucianism

A religion (or philosophy) that involves social, political and philosophical thought that eventually had immense influence on East Asian countries, especially China.

ORIGIN
Confucius (latinized from Kong Fu-Tzu, Kong Tze, ), the root of Confucianism and its ideas. However, he does not start the religion, he saw himself as a transmitter for ideas and rituals.

Lived from (about) 551 BCE 479 BCE Had noble lineage, but had no wealth. Skilled in many subjects (ritual, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, arithmetic) that led to becoming a teacher.

Originally wanted to become a royal advisor to the emperor; failed. Wished for social harmony

The spread of Confucianism:

Confucius' teaching skills attracted many disciples Most of the time, Confucius did not write his own teachingshis students recorded them. He traveled with his students from region to region (to see if rulers would adopt his principles, this mostly did not work).

Some of his own disciples (a notable one being Mencius or ) opened their own schools, teaching what was taught to them (with small mixes of their own teachings as well).

After the Burning of the Books (burning much of Confucianism texts that may have survived through scholars hiding some of it) the Han and Tang Dynasty made Confucianism the main philosophy of the state.

CORE IDEAS & VALUES

A lot of core ideas of Confucianism revolves around the human self. Confucianism does not have much concepts about the afterlife and gods (hence why people argue that it is not a religion). As Confucius once said, We have not learned how to serve men; how can we serve god? There are many concepts in Confucianism, and they hold a lot of meaning. Here are a few: FIVE VIRTUES Ren () Rn Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you.

Confucius believes people should practice compassion, love and equality from the benevolence in all of us.

Whereas Confucius omits his own opinion on the innate nature of humans, Mencius states that men are born good. (He justifies this with the drowning example)

Confucianism involves many ideas of altruism, and tying in with Confucius' political views, a ruler needs ren, to treat their subjects humanely, otherwise they are not fit to rule.

Li (/) L Men's natures are alike, it is their habits that set them apart.

Basically, etiquettetreating others politely and with good manners (especially your elders). This is also a place where Confucianism is a bit religiousrituals.

Confucianism can be seen as a way of bringing back old traditions, one of which is ancestor worship, which the people respected for their wisdom and experience.

Simple actions in everyday life reflect li. (Wearing certain color clothes during certain periods of time, greetings, etc.) Good habits.

Xin () Xn The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his action.

Being faithful, or true to your words Confucius considered this to be very important in politics. Xin is a building block of a country. Without faith in your subjects, there would be conflicts.

Another important part of xin for a ruler is to win the faith (or loyalty) of your subjects (the people you rule over). By doing this, your people would be honest and loyal to you. This logic can also be used for personal relationships.

Zhi () Zh Knowledge: when you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it.

The idea of wisdom.[Note: This stands for itself, really.] Gaining experience, understanding the world, etc.

Yi () Y A gentleman puts justice above everything. A gentleman who is brave but not just becomes a crook, a vulgar man who is brave but not just becomes a bandit.

Being righteous, the justice within yourself. Altruism is also present in this virtue; Confucius believes that courage can lead to justice only if used correctly, and with his beliefs, includes considerations of others.

Believed to be a duty of all men to act towards all that is right and good.

NOTE: Sometimes, zhi is replaced with filial piety, and sometimes filial piety is merely included in the four accompanying virtues (a different set). However, this subject is extremely prominent in the culture derived from Confucianism.

Human Relationships

Revolved around strong family values. Human relationships are important in Confucianism, there was a believed social hierarchy as well as a belief for treatment between two types of people.

Social Hierarchy: (tien): the gods (di): the earth, nature [closely intertwined with tien] (jun): the king, or emporer (chin): you parents (shi): teacher NOTE: Lao Tze, creator of Taoism and Confucius were both alive during the same period, and due to the more mystical and spiritual nature of Taoism, somewhat coexisted. (Some people would adopt both religions.) Relationship Behaviors: Father Son (Loving/Reverential) Elder Younger Brother (Gentle/Respectful) Husband Wife (Good/Listening) Older Younger Friend (Considerate/Deferential) Ruler Subject (Benevolent/Loyal)

IMPACT & RELEVANCE

The impact of Confucianism is best seen in East Asia, where it has spread to various places including Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and Singapore. Of course, the place where it has evidently left a mark is China.