Confucius Biography
Philosopher (c. 551 BCE–479 BCE)
Confucianism, also known as Ruism, is described as
tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a
way of governing, or simply a way of life. Confucianism developed from what
was later called the Hundred Schools of Thought from the teachings of the
Chinese philosopher Confucius (551–479 BCE), who considered himself a
retransmitter of the values of the Zhou dynasty golden age of several centuries
before. In the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), Confucian approaches edged out
the "proto-Taoist" Huang-Lao, as the official ideology while the
emperors mixed both with the realist techniques of Legalism. The disintegration
of the Han political order in the second century CE opened the way for the
doctrines of Buddhism and Neo-Taoism, which offered spiritual explanations
lacking in Confucianism.
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| Confucianism, also known as Ruism, is described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or simply a way of life. |
A Confucian revival began during the Tang dynasty of
618-907. In the late Tang, Confucianism developed in response to Buddhism and
Taoism and was reformulated as Neo-Confucianism. This reinvigorated form was
adopted as the basis of the imperial exams and the core philosophy of the
scholar official class in the Song dynasty (960-1297). The abolition of the
examination system in 1905 marked the end of official Confucianism. The New
Culture intellectuals of the early twentieth century blamed Confucianism for
China's weaknesses. They searched for new doctrines to replace Confucian
teachings; some of these new ideologies include the "Three Principles of
the People" with the establishment of the Republic of China, and then
Maoism under the People's Republic of China. In the late twentieth century
Confucian work ethic has been credited with the rise of the East Asian
economy.
With particular emphasis on the importance of the family and
social harmony, rather than on an otherworldly source of spiritual values,[4]
the core of Confucianism is humanistic. According to Herbert Fingarette's
concept of "the secular as sacred", Confucianism regards the ordinary
activities of human life — and especially in human relationships as a
manifestation of the sacred,[6] because they are the expression of our moral
nature (xìng 性), which has a transcendent
anchorage in Heaven (Tiān 天) and a proper respect for the
spirits or gods (shén).[7] While Tiān has some characteristics that overlap the
category of deity, it is primarily an impersonal absolute principle, like the
Dào (道) or the Brahman. Confucianism focuses on the practical
order that is given by a this-worldly awareness of the Tiān. Confucian
liturgy (that is called 儒 rú, or sometimes 正統/正统
zhèngtǒng, meaning "orthoprax" ritual style) led by Confucian priests
or "sages of rites" (禮生/礼生
lǐshēng) to worship the gods in public and ancestral Chinese temples is
preferred in various occasions, by Confucian religious groups and for civil
religious rites, over Taoist or popular ritual.
The this-worldly concern of Confucianism rests on the belief
that human beings are fundamentally good, and teachable, improvable, and
perfectible through personal and communal endeavor especially self-cultivation
and self-creation. Confucian thought focuses on the cultivation of virtue and
maintenance of ethics. Some of the basic Confucian ethical concepts and
practices include rén, yì, and lǐ, and zhì. Rén (仁, "benevolence"
or "humaneness") is the essence of the human being which manifests as
compassion. It is the virtue-form of Heaven.Yì (義/义)
is the upholding of righteousness and the moral disposition to do good. Lǐ (禮/礼)
is a system of ritual norms and propriety that determines how a person should
properly act in everyday life according to the law of Heaven. Zhì (智)
is the ability to see what is right and fair, or the converse, in the behaviors
exhibited by others. Confucianism holds one in contempt, either passively or
actively, for failure to uphold the cardinal moral values of rén and yì.
Traditionally, cultures and countries in the East Asian
cultural sphere are strongly influenced by Confucianism, including mainland
China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, as well as various
territories settled predominantly by Chinese people, such as Singapore. In the
20th century Confucianism's influence reduced greatly. In the last decades
there have been talks of a "Confucian Revival" in the academic and
the scholarly community and there has been a grassroots proliferation
of various types of Confucian churches. In late 2015 many Confucian
personalities formally established a national Holy Confucian Church (孔聖會/孔圣会
Kǒngshènghuì) in China to unify the many Confucian congregations and civil
society organisations.
Credits: Wikipedia
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