Confucianism is an Eastern religion/philosophy. Although it is more accurately referred to as a philosophy, books on world religions inevitably include it with other religions from Buddhism to Zoroastrianism. It originated in China but has spread to Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. Most people who adhere to the teachings of Confucius follow Chinese traditional religion, which is a blending of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and traditional local practices and beliefs.
Teachings
Confucianism goal is making not only the man virtuous, but also making him the man o f learning and of good manners.Confucius taught that when societies operate under laws, people are punished by authorities after having committed illegal activities. People generally conform to the laws, often without necessarily understanding the rationale behind them. He promoted a different way: to internalize behaviors so that actions are controlled beforehand. People then behave properly because they wish to avoid feeling shame and want to avoid losing face. In theory, the result is a reduction in the number of coercive laws required for smooth functioning of the society.(http://www.csuchico.edu/~cheinz/syllabi/asst001/fall97/11kshinn.htm)
Don't do unto others what you would not have them do unto you. It is phrased in the negative. The Christian Golden Rule is phrased in the positive. The Confucian version is much more practical. Not a demand for action, it is, instead, a constraint. [What can serve as a principle of conduct for life?] "Perhaps the word 'reciprocity' (shu) will do. Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you.1 Never to wrong others takes one a long way towards peace of mind. People who know no self-restraint lead stormy and disordered lives, passing their time in a state of fear commensurate with the injuries they do to others, never able to relax. . . . To expect punishment is to suffer it; and to earn it is to expect it.2
Symbol
The water symbol -
Though this worldview [confucianism] is recognized as
one of the eleven main living religions, it has no standard symbol or icon representing
its belief system. Quite often, though, this Chinese ideogram for water is utilized.
It represents the 'source of life' in Chinese philosophy.
(http://www.allholybooks.com/Confucianism/index.htm)
Architecture
Chinese people built Confucian temples in honor of his contribution to Chinese culture. The Confucian temples have a special name in China, it is Kong Miao. The Confucian temple in Qufu is one of the most holy cities in the world. The building of all of the temples was not easy. When Confucius first died, his writings and teachings were not accepted. In later dynasties his ideas were more accepted bringing about temples and schools made in his honor teaching his words. Confucius temples are in all different sizes, in one area of the world there is a small pavillion in honor of him, in another part there is a whole temple with glazed like walls and a pool.
Holidays
September 28 is Confucius birthday. Many celebrate this day. It is also commonly known as philosopher’s day. This tradition has been celebrated for many decades in "Communist China." In Taiwan, the "Nationalist Party" are strongly engaged in the Confucian beliefs,ethics, and behavior. The tradition of this ceremony is supported by the government and has been going on without any problems for many years. This is not a national holiday, and most likely not on calendars, especially American. More than 3,000 people from around the world attended the ceremony in the memorable man’s hometown, Qufu, to honor him. The people that attend vary from his descendants, government officials, and representatives from various places around the world. They"saluted the altar" and offered flowers to a statue of Confucius. People are dressed in traditional ancient costumes. They have re-enacted ceremonies that are held in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Confucius (551-479 BC)
Confucius: The Golden Rule: An Annotated Bibliography Freedman, Russell. Confucius: The Golden Rule. Scholastic, 2002. Print. Freedman’s book illustrates Confucius’s main way of life called the Golden Rule. It goes into depth about where the idea originated and what drove the spread of the idea throughout the West and even into the East. It also talks about his life before he became a philosopher and why he left everything behind to do so. The source seems very reliable, and is not biased.
The Analects: An Annotated Bibliography NuVision Publications,2007.Print The piece of literature covers the ways Confucius taught about government, education, morals of man and the meaning of life. It’s a compilation of quotes and sayings of Confucius to impact the Western way of life. The book makes you think in a different way than one usually would to reach the meaning of life, and the different aspects of life around us. The source is not very useful unless you are looking for quotes, information is given but you have to read between the lines.
Confucius:His Life and Thought:An Annotated Bibliography Kaizuka, Shigeki. Confucius: His Life And Thought. Dover Publications,Inc. 2002.Print. This book details how Confucius got to where he was. It introduces the social and political back- round of his time, and explains his significance. It tells us about his early life before his teachings and what he did before he was a philosopher. Many people seem to think that this source is very reliable, as well as the author. The information given in this book is very much a repeat of a lot of the things previously learned from the websites and other books. Robinson, B.A. "CONFUCIANISM." ReligiousTolerance.org by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Ontario Consultants, 12 July 1995. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://www.religioustolerance.org/confuciu2.htm>. This website proceeds to list out the beliefs, teachings, and relationships that are found in Confucianism. It doesn’t go into extensive detail about them, but if you are looking for answers very quickly it’s a good go-to website. It does, however, explain why relationships within the family are important. This website was not very helpful to our research.
Shinn, Kathy. "CONFUCIANISM: A BRIEF SUMMARY." Home - CSU, Chico. Waveland Press. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://www.csuchico.edu/~cheinz/syllabi/asst001/fall97/11kshinn.htm>. The website goes into extensive detail about Confucianism and everything from start to finish. It talks about his childhood and where he grew up, and his schooling that led him to first start his career as Minister of Justice. After he left he traveled around the country looking for people who would listen to his teachings. Confucianism not only explains what Confucius taught, but the morals, rules, and beliefs behind it. It also explains the ‘Five Classics’ in detail and what his foundation to a good life is. This website was very useful in finding out more about Confucius.
Confucianism is an Eastern religion/philosophy. Although it is more accurately referred to as a philosophy, books on world religions inevitably include it with other religions from Buddhism to Zoroastrianism. It originated in China but has spread to Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. Most people who adhere to the teachings of Confucius follow Chinese traditional religion, which is a blending of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and traditional local practices and beliefs.
Teachings
Confucianism goal is making not only the man virtuous, but also making him the man o f learning and of good manners.Confucius taught that when societies operate under laws, people are punished by authorities after having committed illegal activities. People generally conform to the laws, often without necessarily understanding the rationale behind them. He promoted a different way: to internalize behaviors so that actions are controlled beforehand. People then behave properly because they wish to avoid feeling shame and want to avoid losing face. In theory, the result is a reduction in the number of coercive laws required for smooth functioning of the society.(http://www.csuchico.edu/~cheinz/syllabi/asst001/fall97/11kshinn.htm)
Confucian Golden Rule
(http://blogs.rny.com/sbw/stories/storyReader$48)
Don't do unto others what you would not have them do unto you. It is phrased in the negative. The Christian Golden Rule is phrased in the positive. The Confucian version is much more practical. Not a demand for action, it is, instead, a constraint. [What can serve as a principle of conduct for life?] "Perhaps the word 'reciprocity' (shu) will do. Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you.1Never to wrong others takes one a long way towards peace of mind. People who know no self-restraint lead stormy and disordered lives, passing their time in a state of fear commensurate with the injuries they do to others, never able to relax. . . . To expect punishment is to suffer it; and to earn it is to expect it.2
Symbol
The water symbol -
Though this worldview [confucianism] is recognized as
one of the eleven main living religions, it has no standard symbol or icon representing
its belief system. Quite often, though, this Chinese ideogram for water is utilized.
It represents the 'source of life' in Chinese philosophy.
(http://www.allholybooks.com/Confucianism/index.htm)
Architecture
Chinese people built Confucian temples in honor of his contribution to Chinese culture. The Confucian temples have a special name in China, it is Kong Miao. The Confucian temple in Qufu is one of the most holy cities in the world. The building of all of the temples was not easy. When Confucius first died, his writings and teachings were not accepted. In later dynasties his ideas were more accepted bringing about temples and schools made in his honor teaching his words. Confucius temples are in all different sizes, in one area of the world there is a small pavillion in honor of him, in another part there is a whole temple with glazed like walls and a pool.Holidays
This tradition has been celebrated for many decades in "Communist China."
In Taiwan, the "Nationalist Party" are strongly engaged in the Confucian beliefs,ethics, and behavior. The tradition of this ceremony is supported by the government and has been going on without any problems for many years. This is not a national holiday, and most likely not on calendars, especially American. More than 3,000 people from around
Confucius (551-479 BC)
(http://www.china.org.cn/english/2004/Sep/108381.htm
Annotated Bibliography
Confucius: The Golden Rule: An Annotated Bibliography
Freedman, Russell. Confucius: The Golden Rule. Scholastic, 2002. Print.
Freedman’s book illustrates Confucius’s main way of life called the Golden Rule. It goes into depth about where the idea originated and what drove the spread of the idea throughout the West and even into the East. It also talks about his life before he became a philosopher and why he left everything behind to do so. The source seems very reliable, and is not biased.
The Analects: An Annotated Bibliography
NuVision Publications,2007.Print
The piece of literature covers the ways Confucius taught about government, education, morals of man and the meaning of life. It’s a compilation of quotes and sayings of Confucius to impact the Western way of life. The book makes you think in a different way than one usually would to reach the meaning of life, and the different aspects of life around us. The source is not very useful unless you are looking for quotes, information is given but you have to read between the lines.
Confucius:His Life and Thought:An Annotated Bibliography
Kaizuka, Shigeki. Confucius: His Life And Thought. Dover Publications,Inc. 2002.Print.
This book details how Confucius got to where he was. It introduces the social and political back- round of his time, and explains his significance. It tells us about his early life before his teachings and what he did before he was a philosopher. Many people seem to think that this source is very reliable, as well as the author. The information given in this book is very much a repeat of a lot of the things previously learned from the websites and other books.
Robinson, B.A. "CONFUCIANISM." ReligiousTolerance.org by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Ontario Consultants, 12 July 1995. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://www.religioustolerance.org/confuciu2.htm>.
This website proceeds to list out the beliefs, teachings, and relationships that are found in Confucianism. It doesn’t go into extensive detail about them, but if you are looking for answers very quickly it’s a good go-to website. It does, however, explain why relationships within the family are important. This website was not very helpful to our research.
Shinn, Kathy. "CONFUCIANISM: A BRIEF SUMMARY." Home - CSU, Chico. Waveland Press. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://www.csuchico.edu/~cheinz/syllabi/asst001/fall97/11kshinn.htm>.
The website goes into extensive detail about Confucianism and everything from start to finish. It talks about his childhood and where he grew up, and his schooling that led him to first start his career as Minister of Justice. After he left he traveled around the country looking for people who would listen to his teachings. Confucianism not only explains what Confucius taught, but the morals, rules, and beliefs behind it. It also explains the ‘Five Classics’ in detail and what his foundation to a good life is. This website was very useful in finding out more about Confucius.
Works Cited:
"YouTube - 1 of 5 Confucius Biography." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCqIjq6ff-k&feature=player_embedded#at=478>.