孔子与儒家(英文介绍)

Confucianism as a religion
• Rituals for all occasions of life
– Veneration of ancestors – Meditation
• No initiation or membership • Heaven is a manifestation
• “something done with great attention to detail”
– Confucian philosophy of self discipline
Confucianism as a religion
• Confucius was not a god or a prophet
properly after death. “When your father is alive observe his intentions. When he is
deceased, model yourself on the memory of his behavior. If in 3 years after his death, you have not deviated from your father’s ways, then you
Filial Piety 孝
• Reverence and extreme respect for parents. • A huge part of Chinese culture that has been adopted into three
main religions: Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. • Varies from taking care of the parents to burying them
may be considered a filial child” -Confucius
The Five Classics 五经
• Classic of History • Classic of Poetry or Book of Odes • Classic of Rites • Book of Changes or I Ching • Spring and Autumn Annals
Jamie Buehler
Confucianism as a system of ethics
• Moral conduct is the basis of social harmony • Emphasis on self discipline and education • Obligation to family
ming, and if they did not they were also ming. • Confucius believed that the best thing we can
do is to do what we ought to do under the circumstances.
Confucius, Confucianism and Christ, Christianity
Confucius: Latinized spelling
Chinese name: • Kong Fuzi 孔夫子
• (Master Kong)
• 551-479 BC
titles: The First Holy One,
of God
– The words are interchangeable – Heaven means goodness. To
be good is to live in harmony with heaven – Mencius “Heaven does not speak”
Ren 仁
• A principle of mutuality, human- heartedness, and empathy.
First Teacher,
Teacher of the Ten Thousand Generations
• Never lived to see his doctrines put into practice
A Time of Turmoil
• Zhou Dynasty (1122-253 BC) • Golden Age -> The reign of Yu Wang (780 BC) • Feudal lords in power, Emperor is empty title
simply because it ought to be done, not for personal gain or profit.
Basically… A person does all action for the sake of Yi because
they are the right thing to do.
The Four Books 四书
• Analects of Confucius • Doctrine of the Mean • Great Learning • Mencius
Eros vs Agape 爱（愛 ）
• Eros
– Sexual, romantic love
• Agape
– Deepest love, based on doing good things for another person
Li 礼（ 禮 ）
• Is the principle of gain or benefit, order or propriety.
• Two main aspects of Li:
– Guide to human relationships and rules of proper action.
Basically… A person does all actions for the sake of Jen because the respect for humanity implies the
right human way to act.
Yi 义 （義 ）
• Righteousness, moral description to do good. • Acting in a way or doing what needs to be done
• The ability to empathize with another’s discomfort that would prevent the moral person to refrain from acting in ways that would cause discomfort.
• Similar to Christianity’s Golden Rule
• Collective > Individual • Humans are good, but
we stray – Education and self-
discipline
Jamie Buehler
Confucianism as a religion
• Religion = community of people who share beliefs, cultural practices, worship a deity/deities
– Guide to social order or general ordering of life.
Li 礼
• The Five Relationships all represent the way things should be done in a social life – Father and Son (loving and reverential) – Older Brother and Younger Brother (gentle and respectful) – Husband and Wife (good and listening) – Older Friend and Younger Friend (considerate and differential) – Ruler and Subject (benevolent and loyal)
• He did not create these ideas, but merely restored them
“As to being a Divine Sage or even a Good Man, far be it from me to make any such claim.”
“I am not one of those who have innate knowledge. I am simply one who loves the past and who is diligent in investigating it”
– Unconditional
Is Confucianism Eros, Agape, or neither?
仁者爱人。 道德仁义，非礼不成；
The Three Universal Virtues
Love 仁 Wisdom 知 Courage 勇 • To be used through education, self-discipline,
– Family as microcosm of the universe – Strict Father vs. Nurturing Parent model
Jamie Buehler
Confucianism as a philosophy
• “Confucianism’s root metaphor was and is a concern for the world” Humanity, reciprocity, empathy
and the acceptance of shame
-- Love For All -Family And Society
• Respect Starts in the Family
• One can then branch off to Society
• Conduct oneself with thought toward family and others.
Education
• Confucianism emphasizes education
• Should only be done for the advancement of one’s knowledge
• Not for fame, wealth, admiration.
“Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon and star.” - Confucius
Ming 命
• “Mandate of Heaven”, fate or destiny. • According to Confucius, Ming is simply the
way things are in the course of things. • He declared that his principles prevailed were
“China was no longer one
country but a dozen, each
potentially the enemy of any
othห้องสมุดไป่ตู้r”
Jamie Buehler
Is Confucianism a philosophy, a code of ethics, or a religion?
Doctrine of the Mean 中庸
• “Middle Way” • Avoiding all extremes in either thought or
action, but applying a principle standard of measurement to his or her own motives and actions.