Yi (義)
To Confucius, yi (義) was the origin of li. Yi can best be translated as righteousness. While doing things because of li, your own self interest, was not necessarily bad, you would be a better, more righteous person if you base your life upon following yi. This means that rather than pursuing your own selfish interests you should do what is right and what is moral. Yi is based upon reciprocity. An example of living by yi is how you must mourn your father and mother for three years after their death. Since they took care of you for the first three years of your life you must reciprocate by living in mourning for three years.
Ren (仁)
Just as li flows out of yi, so yi flows out of ren (仁). Ren can best be translated as human heartedness. His moral system was based upon empathy and understanding others, rather than divinely ordained rules. To live by ren was even better than living by the rules of yi. To live by ren one used another Confucian version of the Golden Rule: he argued that you must always treat your inferiors just as you would want your superiors to treat you. Virtue under Confucius is based upon harmony with others, very different from the Aristotelian view of virtue being personal excellence.
Political Theory
Confucius' political thought is based upon his ethical thought. He argues that the best government is one that rules through "rites" and people's natural morality, rather than using bribery and force. He explained this in one of the most important analect : 1. "If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame. If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good." (Translated by James Legge) This "sense of shame" is somewhat an internalization of duty, where the punishment precedes the evil action, instead of following it in the form of laws as in Legalism.
While he supported the idea of the all-powerful Emperor, probably because of the chaotic state of China at his time, his philosophies contained a number of elements to limit the power of the rulers. He argued for according language with truth - thus honesty was of the most paramount importance. Even in facial expression, one sought always to achieve this. In discussing the relationship between a son and his father (or a subject and his King), he underlined the need to give due respect to superiors; this demanded that the inferior must give advice to his superior if the superior was considered to be taking the wrong course of action in a given situation.
This was built upon by his disciple Mencius to argue that if the King was not acting like a King, he should no longer be King and lost the Mandate of Heaven. Therefore, a tyrannicide is justified because a tyrant is more a thief than a King.
In many ways his political theory resembles that of Roman Stoicism.
Confucius's political theory worked very well. Although there were many disruptions, Chinese political history during the era of Confucianism was generally more stable than other countries'.
Temples
Since early after Confucius' death, Qufu, his hometown, has been the place for devotions and remembrance of the master. It is still a main destination for cultural tourism, and many Chinese people go to visit his grave and the surronding temples. In China, there are many temple where one can find together representations of Buddha, Lao Zi and Confucius. However, there are also many temples dedicated to him that have been used for Confucianist ceremonies.
The following is a list of temples that are dedicated to Confucius:
Successors and descendants
Confucius' philosophical school was first continued by his direct disciples and by his grandson Zisi. Mencius and Xun Zi are his two great followers, one on each "side" of his philosophy, let's say idealism and realism. They built upon and expanded his ethico-political system.
His descendants were identified and honored by the imperial government. They were honoured the rank of a marquis 35 times since Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, and they were promoted to the rank of duke 42 times from the Tang Dynasty to 1935. One of the most common titles is Duke Yansheng (衍聖公 Yǎnshèng gōng), which means "overflowing with sainthood." The latest descendant is K'ung Te-ch'eng (孔德成 Kǒng Déchéng) (born 1920), who is the 77th generation and a professor in the National Taiwan University.
See also
Quotes
- "Leaving virtue without proper cultivation; not thoroughly discussing what is learned; not being able to move thoughts toward the right; and not being able to change what is not good -- these things cause me concern."
- "The pursuit of learning may be compared to what may happen when raising a mound. If there lacks but one basket of earth to complete the work, and I stop, the stopping is my own work. It may be compared to throwing down the earth on level ground. Even though only one basketful is thrown at a time, advancing with it is my own going forward."
External links
Further Reading
- Herrlee Glessner Creel, Chinese Thought, from Confucius to Mao Zedong, ISBN 0226120309
- Michael H. Hart, The 100, Carol Publishing Group, July 1992, paperback, 576 pages, ISBN 0806513500
Source | Copyright
Confucius (孔夫子, 