| Confucianism is a powerful spiritual belief in China. It was developed from the teachings of Confucius and his followers. Confucianism has a profound effect on all Chinese people regarding their attitude towards life, their basic everyday living, how they treat others, and their standard social values. Even though it is primarily in China, Confucianism has also spread to Korea, Japan, Vietnam, as well as some Western parts of the world. Confucius was born in the state of Lu (now known as the Shandong Province) of the noble K'ung group. His original name was K'ung Ch'iu. His father was the commander of a district in Lu and died when Confucius was only 3 years old. Even though his family was left in a state of poverty, Confucius still received a proper education. At the age of 19, Confucius married and had three children: one son and two daughters. During the first four years of his marriage, poverty was a way of life for his family, but he tried to fight it every day of his life from extremely hard labor. Once his mother died (in 527 B.C.) he went through a period of mourning. Soon afterwards, he began teaching, traveling and instructing a small group of disciples who soon gathered to him. His great intelligence and moral character soon earned him the respect of the people of Lu and beyond. At the age of 50, Confucius was appointed magistrate of Chung-tu and at 51, he became the minister of crime in Lu. His administrations were successful, reforms were made, justice prevailed and crime was almost annihilated completely. Confucius left his office in 496 B.C. to continue traveling and teaching. In 484 B.C., he returned to Lu to further be of assistance to the community. He spent the last years of his life writing commentaries that soon became recognized as pure classics. Confucius dies in Lu and was buried in a tomb at Ch'u-fu, Shandong. His principles and philosophies weren't written by him personally, but were handed down from his faithful followers. The Lun yu is a compilation of writings from his followers. This is considered to be the most reliable source of writing on his life and teachings. Confucius was a great teacher and sage, but never claimed to be divine. A set of books, known as Analects, also contain the teachings of this great philosopher. There are many sayings and thoughts from Confucius that have been recorded and vary in length (from a sentence to a paragraph). These teachings are about morals, ethics, standards and traditions that people should follow in order to live a complete and happy life. I Ching is one of the classic ancient Chinese books of Confucianism. I Ching, also known as the "Book of Changes", is traditionally used for divination as well as a moral and philosophical text. |
| Confucianism |
 |
| Back |