Confucianism
•Deity: Confucius held a more personal conception of the way of nature (Tao) than did
Taoism, but he does not hold to a “Creator” God. Shang-Ti and T’ien are both terms
used in Scripture. “Heaven supports my work.” It is imp to know the ways of Heaven
•Cosmos (Reality): Tao; yin/yang; “10,000 things;” Confucius was not so much an
innovator, as a transmitter. He held the traditional view. The sky represented the “way of
Heaven” and was good and natural
•Human being: No dualism of body and spirit. Heart/mind and flesh. Essentially good,
endowed by Heaven. We need to nurture and cultivate this innate and potential
goodness. Man is hierarchically superior to woman.
•Human problem: The ancient ways of virtue are ignored. The proper way of the ancient
sage kings are not followed. Proper relationships are not followed.
•Salvation: Return to the way of the ancestors. Study the “classics” to find the ancient
way of virtue. There is a “looking back” rather than a “looking forward”
•Conduct: Follow the way of the ancients. The “five great relationships” define all human
relationships. Li (propriety) is a guide to proper conduct
•Scripture: The Five Classics (Ching) and Four Books (Analects, Mencius, Ta Hsueh
(Great Learning), Chung Yung (Doctrine of the Mean, or Grand Harmony)
•Destiny: Confucius is agnostic concerning one’s destiny
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Kung Fu Tzu (“revered master”)
551 – 479 BC
“Confucius” and “Confucianism” are not meaningful terms in Chinese
Born in Shantung province
His father died when Confucius was 3 years of age
He was taught first by his mother, then by others
He was a very eager student – a deep love of learning
Thus, he received a high-quality education
Served in various minor government posts
Married at age 19
Mastered the “six arts” (ritual; music; marksmanship; horsemanship; calligraphy;
math)
He began a brilliant teaching career when he was in his 30s
In his late 40s and early 50s Confucius served in minor posts, finally as the
Minister of Justice in Lu, his native home
His loyalty to the king caused him “political” problems at the court (he was
“framed” by unrighteous scholars “lesser” than he was)
He left at age 56 to find rulers who might be interested in his ideas
His reputation as a teacher spread (as many as “10,000 disciples”)
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At age 67 he returned home to teach, write, and edit the Classics
He died in 479 BC at the age of 73
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His “life course” – Analects II.4; 7.16
His meeting with Lao Tzu (seen before) [in WS]
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An apocryphal story
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Of the 100 schools, Confucius’ school was the Ju chia, the school of the literati,
or scholars 유가
In a stratified society: literati; laborers; artisans
Ju literally means “literatus” or “scholar”
Followers of this school were scholars as well as thinkers. It was a broad
intellectual tradition based on the continuing interpretation of a body of writings
known as the classics.
They, above, others, were the teachers of the ancient classics and therefore the
inheritors of the ancient cultural legacy
Confucius was the leading figure of this school, and may be considered its
founder, but the term Ju not only denotes Confucian or Confucianist, but has
wider implications as well
Confucius considered himself as a transmitter, not as an innovator
– At the time of the ancient sage kings (Yao, Shun, & Yu) there was a period
of Grand Harmony between the cosmic and the social order
– A transmitter of the “classics”
– Analects VII, 1, p 123
Comparison of Taoism and Confucianism (basic values are very similar)
Taoism
In retirement, a Taoist
Life of the individual
Lao Tzu – advocate of naturalism
People should return to the origin, to Tao
Minimal human role in society; small
human - vast majesty of nature
Ideal state – a return to the uncorrupted
state of nature
Yin philosophy
Get the foundation of the self in tune with
Tao and let behavior flow spontaneously
Simplicity
Romantic
Spontaneity and naturalness
Focus is beyond the human as individual
Wanders beyond society
Confucianism
In office or society, a Confucianist
A public life
Confucius – advocate of culture
People should reform the world
through moral education
Magnified human role in making
a perfect social order
Improvement of human nature
through development of civilization
Yang philosophy
Make an effort to build up a
complete pattern of ideal responses
to consciously imitate
Formalism; meticulousness
Classical
Social responsibility
Focus is on the human element
Roams within society
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The study of philosophy is not a profession, but a life work
It is not to increase knowledge, but to elevate the mind and character
In the tradition of Chinese philosophy, there is a distinction between working on
learning, and working on Tao (the way)
The purpose of “working on learning” is the increase of positive knowledge
The purpose of “working on Tao” is the elevation of the mind
Chinese philosophy belongs to the latter (elevation of the mind)
“Set your heart on the Tao” (Analects VII, 6)
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(Moral/ethical) Education is supremely important in Confucianism
The novelty of Confucius’ teaching: it is character, not birth, that matters
Education is a form of learning (“learning” for the sake of oneself)
The fundamental concern is learning to be human - character building
A ceaseless effort to make
– A healthy body
– An alert heart/mind (moral thinking)
– A pure soul
– A brilliant spirit
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Learning is considered as a continuous holistic process of character building
People are teachable; improvement is possible
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The process of self-learning is for the purpose of acquiring self-knowledge
– Self-reflection
– Personal introspective examination
– These are constant practices (Analects 15.29-30, p 199)
Learning for the sake of oneself signifies a process of deepening
self-awareness for the sake of broadening one’s human relatedness
Self-cultivation is an end in itself, and its main purpose is self-realization
The Confucian idea of the self is not built on the idea of individuality as the core
of the person (as in Christianity or Hinduism)
The “self” is understood as the center of relationships
The “self” is an open self, not a closed self
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Self>family>community>country>world>beyond
The process of learning to be truly “human” never really ends
The secret of human life lies with human beings (ITB) and their better
relationships (CB) [concepts taken from Unification Thought]
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The Chinese/Confucian project: “Sageliness within and Kingliness without”
The human being is an integrated being
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The truly novel element in Confucius’ teaching is the idea that the man of real
quality – the gentleman, or chun tzu – is a person of character (education,
training, and cultivation of character), and not of birth or class, as traditionally
understood
Human beings are teachable, improvable, perfectible through proper endeavor
A teacher and student: sincerity, effort, guidance, learning
Julia Ching: “Self-cultivation is not so much an end in itself, as it is a basis for
the service of others—in the family, the country, and the world. The Confucian
is a man (or woman) for others, even in his/her pursuit of sagehood.”
The issue of a Deity in Confucianism
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Shang ti – ancestral spirit (Lord on high)
T’ien (Heaven) “one Great” a sky “hierophany”
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Confucius felt that Heaven supported his work; he believe in prayer to Heaven
Analects Vii, 22 (p 127); IX, 5 (p 139); XIV, 38 (p 189); XIV, 41 (p 190); XI, 8 (p 154);
XVII, 19 (p 214): He who offends against Heaven has none to whom he can pray
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Confucianism offers a transition from the earlier personal deity of the Classics, to
the later God-Absolute of the philosophers (Julia Ching, 113)
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The idea of heaven and the Mandate of Heaven:
– Heaven is identified with what is good, and the aim of good men should be to
promote and preserve the balance between Heaven and earth
The issue of Ming
• We should do our best what we know we “ought” to do
• We should not care whether we succeed or fail
• To act in this way is to “know Ming”
– Analects XIV, 41 (p 190)
Five key themes in Confucianism (Huston Smith)
– Jen (goodness, benevolence, human-heartedness, etc.)
– Chun Tzu (“gentleman,” the “ideal man”)
– Li (propriety or “good manners” - etiquette)
– Te (government by virtue; power of moral example)
– Wen (the “arts of peace” – versus the “arts of war”: Hsun Tzu)
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Te is the “power” by which men rule
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It is not physical power or oppressive rule
Te lies in the power of a moral example; the impress of a great personality
Government by virtue
Men of this order are completely beyond (petty/small/selfish) personal ambition
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Analects IV.25 p 106 (and footnote)
Analects XIII.12 p 174 (and footnote)
On this foundation let us look at the Confucian view of the human being
The Human Being
• Human beings have a natural goodness endowed from Heaven, but it needs to
be realized and fulfilled
• This requires education/training/inculcation of character
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The story of the boy and the well (Mencius, 82-3)
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The “four beginnings” and the “four constant virtues”
– 4 “seeds” and the 4 “blossoms” which derive from them…….
4 beginnings
4 constant virtues
Seed
Blossom
Heart of compassion
Heart of shame
Heart of courtesy/modesty
Heart of right/wrong
(conscience)
benevolence (goodness): Jen
righteousness (dutifulness): I
propriety (good manners): Li
wisdom: Chih
The heart/mind of the human being is important
• It is the locus or place of man’s meeting with heaven
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If you know human nature, you know heaven
Mencius 7A.1 (p 182)
The heart comes from heaven (Mencius 6A.15, p 168)
It is given by Heaven
The Human Problem
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Human beings have failed, from moral causes, to live by jen (the will to seek the
good of others), as their ancestors have done (or did)
The ancient ways are being ignored
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Analects IX.17 (p 142)
Analects XV.26 (198)
Analects XVII.2 (209)
re: the power of sexual desire
“Salvation” in Confucianism
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“Salvation” is restoration of the proper relationships between people
Jen (인) names the ideal relationship which should pertain between people
Goodness, man-to-man-ness, benevolence, love, human-heartedness
It is the virtue of virtues (perfect virtue); a kind of transcendental perfection
Jen or human heartedness is the highest virtue an individual can attain
Jen is the ultimate goal of education
The education of an individual is a preparation for a peacefully ordered society
Related attitudes: magnanimity, good faith, charity, sincerity
Jen is always concerned with the relationship between person and person
Jen is the expression of the ideal human nature
Dealing with other human beings as a human being ideally should
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Jen is the sum of virtues possible only for the superior and mature man
The boy, or the inferior man, is capable only of hsiao (filial piety)
Confucius did not feel that any of his contemporaries had achieved jen!
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Jen is the implicit capacity for goodness and harmony in the individual
It must be cultivated in a social way, in interaction with others; it is an art
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The practice of jen is the practice of “chung” and “shu”
Chung and shu: the alpha and omega of one’s moral life
Chung = loyalty
Shu = reciprocity…..
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Chung = loyalty: to one’s own heart and conscience
– Chung is the full development of the heart of jen within the self
Shu = reciprocity: respect for & consideration for others (Analects XV.23 p 198)
– Shu is the extension of the heart of jen to others
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The practice of jen is the practice of chung and shu (Analects IV.15 p 105)
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Jen is the center of man’s nature; yi is its external expression
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(Li)
(Li)
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Yi (I) carries the sense of duty or obligation
Jen and shu are applied to specific social relationships by means of I
I means the “oughtness” of a “situation.” It is like Kant’s “categorical imperative”
It is the thing that one ought to do simply because it is (morally) the “right thing
to do” and thus should be done for its own sake, apart from other
considerations, in whatever situation one finds oneself
formal essence: Yi or I (sense of “oughtness”) Hyung Sang (형상)
loving essence: Jen (“loving essence”) Sung Sang (성상)
The important concept of Li
• The transformation process leading to the realization of jen is the practice of Li
• The path to the attainment of jen is the practice of Li, which is “social norms”
• The English translation of Li has been “rites” “rituals” “proprieties” “ceremonies”
“courtesy” “good manners” “politeness” “etiquette” etc.
• Li is not something fixed and forever; it is flexible and subject to change
according to concrete or specific individual situations; contextual
• The principle governing the adoption of Li is I (Yi) or “righteousness” or the
sense of “oughtness” (connected with the moral reason)
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Two meanings:
– Propriety
– Ritual
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As for ritual, Li has to do with extensive formal ceremonial and details of
ceremony and etiquette
Appropriate response
The individual’s life becomes stylized into a vast, intricate, ceremonial rite
The Confucian regards human society in terms of personal relationships and the
ethical responsibilities resulting from such relationships
Life is completely ordered down to the minutest detail
This is the well-conducted life
Exemplified in the late Yi dynasty in Korea
– “The True History of Queen Inhyun”
Li as propriety is a very important concept in Confucianism
– The quality or state of being proper
– The standard of what is socially acceptable in conduct or speech
– The outward expression of jen
• The Mean
– The way in the middle; avoiding extremes; bringing harmony and balance
• Rectification of Names (Cheng Ming)
– The various roles and relationships of life have been normatively delineated
& defined
– People should inculcate the appropriate attitudes and expressions
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The Five Great Relationships
Starting with filial piety, Confucian ethics analyzed all human behavior in terms
of five key relationships
There is a basic sense of hierarchy to these relationships
– Three are directly related to the nuclear family
• Father – Son
• Husband – Wife
• Elder brother – Younger brother
– Two are related to the broader (extended) society
• (elder) friend – (younger) friend
• ruler – subjects
You are never alone when you act
What jen requires in specific instances is carefully prescribed by the delineation
of graded love, the Give Great Relationships
The sum of the conduct befitting these relationships is li
A ritualization of the entire social process
The ways of heaven are reflected in society
All human relationships can be condensed into these 5 great types
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These five relationships should all be governed by appropriate dispositions
– Father – son
• Father should show kindness
• Son should show filial piety
– Husband – wife
• Husband should show love
• Wife should show obedience
– Elder brother – younger brother
• Elder brother should show nobility
• Younger brother should show respect
– Elder friend – younger friend
• Elder friend should show humaneness
• Younger friend should show deference
– Ruler – subjects
• Ruler should show benevolence
• Subject should show loyalty
All should embody chung (loyalty) and shu (reciprocity)
Li
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as propriety also focuses on the family
Basic unit of society
Moral education should start with the family. It first develops through filial piety
Key value is children’s respect for parents (filial piety): hsiao
The process of developing moral virtue is the process of socialization through
the practice of Li
• Li is crucial in moral education
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A respect for age (for the elderly) is important
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The Confucian society is “one large family” (Analects XII.5 p 163-4)
– The supreme method for governing a nation is to rule people by jen, the
ruler being a model for all his people
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To govern a society which is “out of order,” the method of “rectification of
names” has to be used; this is the enforcement of “li”
Confucianism is a “deliberate” tradition
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The Conduct of the individual
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Li as propriety is the right guide to conduct
Li is the norm of human behavior in all social circumstances
The conduct of the Chun-tzu is the norm
Chun-tzu
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The Chun-tzu is the ideal man in Confucianism, the perfect gentleman
If Jen is the relationship between two people, the Chun-tzu is the person
True Manhood, the Superior Man, Manhood-at-its-Best
A gentleman in the most significant sense
The person who is fully adequate, poised, confident, competent, and balanced
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Opening chapter of the Ta Hsueh
Righteousness in the heart
Beauty in the character
Harmony in the home
Order in the nation
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Analects XIV.32 p 188; XV.20 p 197;
XV.31 p 199
The Chun-tzu’s attitude toward others is jen (benevolence, goodness)
(Great Learning):
leads to
leads to
leads to
leads to
beauty in the character
harmony in the home
order in the nation
peace in the world
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In Neo-Confucianism, there is the concept of the Shung run or Sheng Jen
The ideal person with not only moral qualities, but an almost ontological quality
as well—a person whose every thought and deed are in harmony with the
universe
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There are a fewer number of Sheng Jen in the world than even the Chun-tzu
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The Family Pledge speaks of the 성인 (saint). This is the equivalent of the
Sheng Jen in Confucianism
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important part of education is to study the “arts of peace” (wen)
Smith, Religions of Man p 186The arts of peace are in contrast to the art of war (by Hsun tzu)
Music, art, poetry, the sum of culture in its aesthetic mode
Art, for example, is an instrument for moral education
The arts have relevance for international relations
It is necessary for the Chun-tzu to study the arts of peace
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The root of jen is filial piety (hsiao)
The blossom of filial piety is jen
3 ways of saying: Dr. YOKim p 131
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The root of jen is
The basis of all virtue is
The source of all culture is
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Filial piety comes before loyalty to the sovereign, conjugal affection, and all else
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TF: the parent-child (father-son) relationship is the center of the universe
The family pledge speaks of 효
filial piety
filial piety
filial piety
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“Salvation” in Confucianism is closely tied with “conduct”
Salvation is a return to the (ancient) ways of the ancestors
We need to study the classics to discover the ways of the ancients, the ancient
way of virtue
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We must realize that nobility of character is not a matter of birth, but is a moral
achievement, open to everyone, though actually attained only by very few
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Analects XV.3 p 193
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Confucius set forth a deliberate tradition in order to improve relationships and
establish a well-ordered society
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As for one’s destiny, Confucius was agnostic (Analects XI.11 p 155)
Confucian scriptures
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Confucius looked back to a golden age of virtue – the age of the sages
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The age of the sages was the source of the holy books
The books are intimately linked to the tradition of the sages
These books are the records of their words and deeds
The sage thoroughly understood things
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Understood the ways of heaven
Understood the ways that best serve human society
The sage is he who hears the ways of heaven and manifests or reveals them to
humanity
The sage penetrates the feelings of heaven and earth and understands the
nature of man and the world
For Confucius the issue of transmitted literature is less a sense of textual
authority as it is a living contact with the virtuous sage-kings of China’s past
For Confucius, the study of this literature (broadly speaking) is wen, the means
by which individuals and societies might fully become human and virtuous
The Confucian Scriptures
• The literary works that have stood the test of time are called “Ching” (classic)
• They record the very deeds and sayings of the sages
• Wu Ching and Ssu Shu (5 classics and 4 books)
Five Classics (Wu Ching)
• Depending on who you consult: 5, 6, 9, 12, and 13 classics
• I-Ching (Book of Changes) very popular in the West
– A divinatory work with philosophical commentaries (called “wings”) which
explain the patterns of change inherent in the universe
• Shih-Ching (Book of Poetry or Songs)
– An anthology of about 300 poems/songs
– Thought to exemplify the essential expression of poetic beauty and moral
virtue
– Analects II.2 p 88
• Shu-Ching (Book of History)
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Records the words and deeds of ancient sage-king rulers
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Li-Chi (Canon of Ritual and Protocol)
– Detailed accounts of the philosophical meanings of the rituals of the ancient
sage-kings
– The Universe Story Virtuous Women (Queen Inhyon p 265)
– Sokdam 47
Chun Ch’iu (Annals of Spring and Autumn)
– A record of events
Sometimes a sixth one: Hsiao-Ching (Classic of Filial Piety)
The Four Books (Ssu Shu)
• A unique combination of works that served as an entire program of learning and
self-cultivation
• They were arranged in a specific order to reflect a cumulative learning
experience
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Chu Hsi: “I want people first of all to read the Great Learning to set a
pattern, next to read the Analects to establish a foundation, next to
read the Book of Mencius for stimulation, and next to read the Doctrine
of the Mean to find out the subtle points of the ancients.”
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A programmed order of one’s moral and ethical education in terms of
studying these texts.
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The Great Learning (Ta Hsueh)
– Theme: the ordering of society through self-cultivation of the individual
– Expounds the three guiding principles and the eight general rules (or 3
cords and 8 minor wires)
– The Ta Hsueh was placed first so that it might provide a framework in terms
of its enunciation of stages of learning (handout)
– Individual, family, nation, world, etc.
– Compare with Bennet (Book of Virtues)
Analects (Lun Yu)
– Embodiment of Confucian ideas
– Words and actions of Confucius and his disciples
– Was placed second to reinforce the primacy of Confucius’s teachings as
the foundation upon which learning can best be built
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The Book of Mencius (Mencius)
– Lengthy conversations providing insight into his thought
– Was placed third to indicate its basis as the interpretative tool and
elaborative text of the basic Confucian teachings
The Doctrine of the Mean (Chung Yung)
– It deals with the personal and political implications of human nature and
self-cultivation and looks at the relationships of moral human beings to a
moral universe
– Was placed fourth; a text appreciated for its subtlety and abstraction, as
well as its depth of thought
Confucianism
•Deity: Confucius held a more personal conception of the way of nature (Tao) than did
Taoism, but he does not hold to a “Creator” God. Shang-Ti and T’ien are both terms
used in Scripture. “Heaven supports my work.” It is imp to know the ways of Heaven
•Cosmos (Reality): Tao; yin/yang; “10,000 things;” Confucius was not so much an
innovator, as a transmitter. He held the traditional view. The sky represented the “way of
Heaven” and was good and natural
•Human being: No dualism of body and spirit. Heart/mind and flesh. Essentially good,
endowed by Heaven. We need to nurture and cultivate this innate and potential
goodness. Man is hierarchically superior to woman.
•Human problem: The ancient ways of virtue are ignored. The proper way of the ancient
sage kings are not followed. Proper relationships are not followed.
•Salvation: Return to the way of the ancestors. Study the “classics” to find the ancient
way of virtue. There is a “looking back” rather than a “looking forward”
•Conduct: Follow the way of the ancients. The “five great relationships” define all human
relationships. Li (propriety) is a guide to proper conduct
•Scripture: The Five Classics (Ching) and Four Books (Analects, Mencius, Ta Hsueh
(Great Learning), Chung Yung (Doctrine of the Mean, or Grand Harmony)
•Destiny: Confucius is agnostic concerning one’s destiny