{"id":82,"date":"2018-07-22T16:50:45","date_gmt":"2018-07-22T16:50:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-hccc-worldreligion\/?post_type=chapter&p=82"},"modified":"2018-07-22T16:50:45","modified_gmt":"2018-07-22T16:50:45","slug":"principles-and-texts","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/atd-herkimer-worldreligions\/chapter\/principles-and-texts\/","title":{"raw":"Principles and Texts","rendered":"Principles and Texts"},"content":{"raw":"

Confucianism<\/span><\/b>, major system of thought in China, developed from the teachings of Confucius and his disciples, and concerned with the principles of good conduct, practical wisdom, and proper social relationships. Confucianism has influenced the Chinese attitude toward life, set the patterns of living and standards of social value, and provided the background for Chinese political theories and institutions. It has spread from China to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam and has aroused interest among Western scholars.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Although Confucianism became the official ideology of the Chinese state, it has never existed as an established religion with a church and priesthood. Chinese scholars honored Confucius as a great teacher and sage but did not worship him as a personal god. Nor did Confucius himself ever claim divinity. Unlike Christian churches, the temples built to Confucius were not places in which organized community groups gathered to worship, but public edifices designed for annual ceremonies, especially on the philosopher's birthday. Several attempts to deify Confucius and to proselyte Confucianism failed because of the essentially secular nature of the philosophy.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The principles of Confucianism are contained in the nine ancient Chinese works handed down by Confucius and his followers, who lived in an age of great philosophic activity. These writings can be divided into two groups: the Five Classics and the Four Books.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The\u00a0Wu Ching<\/i>\u00a0(Five Classics), which originated before the time of Confucius, consist of the\u00a0I Ching<\/i>\u00a0(Book of Changes),\u00a0Shu Ching<\/i>\u00a0(Book of History),\u00a0Shih Ching<\/i>\u00a0(Book of Poetry),\u00a0Li Chi<\/i>\u00a0(Book of Rites), and\u00a0Ch'un Ch'iu<\/i>\u00a0(Spring and Autumn Annals). The\u00a0I Ching<\/i>\u00a0is a manual of divination probably compiled before the 11th century BC; its supplementary philosophical portion, contained in a series of appendixes, may have been written later by Confucius and his disciples. The\u00a0Shu Ching<\/i>\u00a0is a collection of ancient historical documents, and the\u00a0Shih Ching,<\/i>\u00a0an anthology of ancient poems. The\u00a0Li Chi<\/i>deals with the principles of conduct, including those for public and private ceremonies; it was destroyed in the 3rd century BC, but presumably much of its material was preserved in a later compilation, the\u00a0Record of Rites<\/i>. The\u00a0Ch'un Ch'iu,<\/i>\u00a0the only work reputedly compiled by Confucius himself, is a chronicle of major historical events in feudal China from the 8th century BC to Confucius's death early in the 5th century BC.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The\u00a0Shih Shu<\/i>\u00a0(Four Books), compilations of the sayings of Confucius and Mencius and of commentaries by followers on their teachings, are the\u00a0Lun Y\u00fc<\/i>\u00a0(Analects), a collection of maxims by Confucius that form the basis of his moral and political philosophy;\u00a0Ta Hs\u00fceh<\/i>\u00a0(The Great Learning) and\u00a0Chung Yung<\/i>\u00a0(The Doctrine of the Mean), containing some of Confucius's philosophical utterances arranged systematically with comments and expositions by his disciples; and the\u00a0Mencius<\/i>\u00a0(Book of Mencius), containing the teachings of one of Confucius's great followers.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The keynote of Confucian ethics is\u00a0jen,<\/i>\u00a0variously translated as \"love,\" \"goodness,\" \"humanity,\" and \"human-heartedness.\"\u00a0Jen<\/i>\u00a0is a supreme virtue representing human qualities at their best. In human relations, construed as those between one person and another,\u00a0jen<\/i>\u00a0is manifested in\u00a0chung,<\/i>\u00a0or faithfulness to oneself and others, and\u00a0shu,<\/i>\u00a0or altruism, best expressed in the Confucian golden rule, \"Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.\" Other important Confucian virtues include righteousness, propriety, integrity, and filial piety. One who possesses all these virtues becomes a\u00a0ch\u00fcn-tzu<\/i>(perfect gentleman). Politically, Confucius advocated a paternalistic government in which the sovereign is benevolent and honorable and the subjects are respectful and obedient. The ruler should cultivate moral perfection in order to set a good example to the people. In education Confucius upheld the theory, remarkable for the feudal period in which he lived, that \"in education, there is no class distinction.\"<\/span><\/p>","rendered":"

Confucianism<\/span><\/b>, major system of thought in China, developed from the teachings of Confucius and his disciples, and concerned with the principles of good conduct, practical wisdom, and proper social relationships. Confucianism has influenced the Chinese attitude toward life, set the patterns of living and standards of social value, and provided the background for Chinese political theories and institutions. It has spread from China to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam and has aroused interest among Western scholars.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although Confucianism became the official ideology of the Chinese state, it has never existed as an established religion with a church and priesthood. Chinese scholars honored Confucius as a great teacher and sage but did not worship him as a personal god. Nor did Confucius himself ever claim divinity. Unlike Christian churches, the temples built to Confucius were not places in which organized community groups gathered to worship, but public edifices designed for annual ceremonies, especially on the philosopher’s birthday. Several attempts to deify Confucius and to proselyte Confucianism failed because of the essentially secular nature of the philosophy.<\/span><\/p>\n

The principles of Confucianism are contained in the nine ancient Chinese works handed down by Confucius and his followers, who lived in an age of great philosophic activity. These writings can be divided into two groups: the Five Classics and the Four Books.<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Wu Ching<\/i>\u00a0(Five Classics), which originated before the time of Confucius, consist of the\u00a0I Ching<\/i>\u00a0(Book of Changes),\u00a0Shu Ching<\/i>\u00a0(Book of History),\u00a0Shih Ching<\/i>\u00a0(Book of Poetry),\u00a0Li Chi<\/i>\u00a0(Book of Rites), and\u00a0Ch’un Ch’iu<\/i>\u00a0(Spring and Autumn Annals). The\u00a0I Ching<\/i>\u00a0is a manual of divination probably compiled before the 11th century BC; its supplementary philosophical portion, contained in a series of appendixes, may have been written later by Confucius and his disciples. The\u00a0Shu Ching<\/i>\u00a0is a collection of ancient historical documents, and the\u00a0Shih Ching,<\/i>\u00a0an anthology of ancient poems. The\u00a0Li Chi<\/i>deals with the principles of conduct, including those for public and private ceremonies; it was destroyed in the 3rd century BC, but presumably much of its material was preserved in a later compilation, the\u00a0Record of Rites<\/i>. The\u00a0Ch’un Ch’iu,<\/i>\u00a0the only work reputedly compiled by Confucius himself, is a chronicle of major historical events in feudal China from the 8th century BC to Confucius’s death early in the 5th century BC.<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Shih Shu<\/i>\u00a0(Four Books), compilations of the sayings of Confucius and Mencius and of commentaries by followers on their teachings, are the\u00a0Lun Y\u00fc<\/i>\u00a0(Analects), a collection of maxims by Confucius that form the basis of his moral and political philosophy;\u00a0Ta Hs\u00fceh<\/i>\u00a0(The Great Learning) and\u00a0Chung Yung<\/i>\u00a0(The Doctrine of the Mean), containing some of Confucius’s philosophical utterances arranged systematically with comments and expositions by his disciples; and the\u00a0Mencius<\/i>\u00a0(Book of Mencius), containing the teachings of one of Confucius’s great followers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The keynote of Confucian ethics is\u00a0jen,<\/i>\u00a0variously translated as “love,” “goodness,” “humanity,” and “human-heartedness.”\u00a0Jen<\/i>\u00a0is a supreme virtue representing human qualities at their best. In human relations, construed as those between one person and another,\u00a0jen<\/i>\u00a0is manifested in\u00a0chung,<\/i>\u00a0or faithfulness to oneself and others, and\u00a0shu,<\/i>\u00a0or altruism, best expressed in the Confucian golden rule, “Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.” Other important Confucian virtues include righteousness, propriety, integrity, and filial piety. One who possesses all these virtues becomes a\u00a0ch\u00fcn-tzu<\/i>(perfect gentleman). Politically, Confucius advocated a paternalistic government in which the sovereign is benevolent and honorable and the subjects are respectful and obedient. The ruler should cultivate moral perfection in order to set a good example to the people. In education Confucius upheld the theory, remarkable for the feudal period in which he lived, that “in education, there is no class distinction.”<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t

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