Confucianism and Confucius's Life and His Teachings

Introduction

Confucius was born in 551 B.C.E., at a time when China was not a single empire but a group of small kingdoms. His name was Kong Qiu (K'ung Ch'iu). He later became known by the title of Kong Fuzi (K'ung Fu Tzu), meaning “Master Kong,” but he is known in the West by the Latin version of his name, which was created and spread by European Catholic missionaries. This paper discusses Confucianism and Confucius's life and his teachings.

Discussion

Tradition relates that Confucius was from a once-noble family that had fled at a time of political danger to the state of Lu (south of present-day Beijing). His father died when Confucius was a child, and despite their poverty, his mother raised him as an educated gentleman. He enjoyed chariot riding, archery, and playing the lute. In his teens, he became seriously interested in pursuing scholarship. He is said to have held a minor government post as tax collector, probably to support his mother and his studies. His mother died when he was in his late teens, and he entered into a state of mourning. When the period of mourning was over, he began his public life as a teacher. (Ch'u Chai, 85)

Despite his eventual success as a teacher, Confucius had always wanted to play an influential part in government, and it is possible that for a time (c. 500-496 B.C.E.) he became a government minister. Confucius married and is believed to have had a son and a daughter. He lived for about fifteen years outside of his home state but eventually returned to Lu to take a somewhat ceremonial post as senior advisor. He died about 479 B.C.E.

Confucianism

Confucianism is an influential East Asian spiritual and ethical tradition. It originated with Confucius at the end of the sixth century B.C.E. Since then, Confucianism has often been the official ideology of the Chinese state.

History

Confucius [Latin for K'ung-fu-tzu, "Master K'ung" (551-479 B.C.E.)] was a profoundly influential teacher who emphasized that, because human beings are social creatures, a good society is important to a good human life. But he also realized that a good society in turn depends on good, highly motivated people. The first goal, then, must be to cultivate humaneness within oneself. He believed this was something all people can do. He is said moreover to have edited five classic books of Chinese thought, and his disciples gathered his own teaching into a collection known as the Analects. (Yao, 56-58)

Later Confucians taught proper behavior in terms of five relationships: ruler-subject, father-son, elder brother-younger-brother, husband-wife, and friend-friend. They also developed specific views of humaneness. Mencius (Chinese, Meng-tzu) (ca. 372-ca. 289 B.C.E.) had an optimistic view of the human being. Humaneness, he said, is present in all human beings; it simply needs the right nurturing in order to blossom and flourish. Hsun Tzu (ca. 300-238 B.C.E.) disagreed. In his view people are by nature evil and uncivil. To avoid the evils that result from greed and contention, people must be ...