Origins, beliefs, practices, holy texts, sacred places. Confucianism, four texts as containing the central ideas of confucian thought. The book is based on his sayings and captures what confucianism. Confucian thought focuses on the cultivation of virtue in a morally organised world. It was probably compiled by the second generation of confucius disciples. The idea of learning from the past is fundamental to confucian thinking, and the early histories and biographies are the closest thing to sacred narratives in confucianism. There are four classical books titled in chinese sishu which are considered as the confucianism holy book. A holy man reading the guru granth sahib, the holy book of sikhism. There are several holy books in confucianism however lun yu analects is the most revered.
Sometimes viewed as a philosophy, sometimes as a religion, confucianism is perhaps best understood as an allencompassing humanism that is compatible with other forms of religion. The basics of confucianism confucianism is one of the two most important and indigenous philosophies from china the other one being taoism. Confuciuss love of antiquity was motivated by his strong desire to understand why. They searched for new doctrines to replace confucian teachings. A set of moral principles that may be held by a society, a group or an individual. In the broadest sense, a daoist attitude toward life can be seen in the accepting and yielding, an attitude that offsets and complements the moral and dutyconscious character ascribed to confucianism. Origins, beliefs, practices, holy texts, sacred places jennifer oldstonemoore on. Like hinduism in the upanishads and taoism in the book tao te ching, the confucian doctrines are found in the four confucian sacred books, thus. The principles of confucianism are contained in the nine ancient chinese. In the 12th century, zhu xi codified the sacred texts of confucianism, calling them simply the four books.
Further, it is not always possible to understand heaven, but the. The basics of confucianism world religions professor. Confucianism was banned, texts were burned, and hundreds of confucian. The worlds sacred texts have held profound significance for the cultures that produced them. Daoism, indigenous religiophilosophical tradition that has shaped chinese life for more than 2,000 years. Confucian books are boring if youre interested in holy stories, spiritual miracles, and afterlife thrills. The four books are analects, great learning, the doctrine of the mean, mencius. Read excerpts from the egyptian book of the dead, a compendium of. But while the old chinese books do not profess to contain any divine revelation. Confucianism, also known as ruism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient. Hsiao love within the family, love of parents for their children, and love of children for their parents. Confucianism, the way of life propagated by confucius 6th5th century bce and followed by the chinese people for more than two millennia.
The author sheds much light on these textsthe book of changes, the classic of history, the classic of poetry, the spring and autumn annals, the book of rites, and the nowlost classic of musicand also discusses the role of heroes such as the sage kings, rituals and the chinese calendar, sacred places, and confucianisms place as a state. Confucianism and christianity the four east asian religions confucianism, taoism, zen buddhism, and shinto have the following differences with christianity. For two millennia, the teachings of confucius served as the foundation for civil. Sacred books of china traditional chinese beliefs confucian canon. It developed nearly 2500 years ago as a social and political philosophy with religious overtones, and came to influence chinese life and practice arguably more than any other body of thought. Almost every school of religious thought and belief has its own central texts to guide its followers. Its practical teachings will be exhibited in the most popular of all the taoist. His teachings penetrated the society of the time and he was considered one of the most important philosophers and professors in the history of china. Confucianism is a philosophical system that was developed from chinese politician, theorist and teacher confucius, or kong qiu. The five classics are classic of poetry, classic of history, classic of. World history i world religions flashcards quizlet. Christianity vs confucianism comparison chart from. The five central principles of confucianism, which are taught in the sacred texts are benevolence, righteousness, observance of rites, moral wisdom, and faith. Confucianism is depending on ones perspective either a religion, philosophical movement, cultural way of life, or governmental system.
Confucianism is sometimes mistakenly seen as a religion but it is really a philosophy of china, and of asia as a whole. The daoist religious founders and reformers also claimed the early texts such as. Based primarily on the masters sayings, preserved in both oral and written transmissions, it captures the confucian spirit in the same way that the platonic dialogues embody. Confucianism rujiao is a way of life taught by confucius kong fuzi in china in the 6th5th century bce and the rituals and traditions associated with him. After introducing key texts and interpreters, then, this entry explores three. As confucianism makes a comeback in china, daniel a. The fundamental teachings of confucius are explored in this video from professor javy galindos course on comparative religion. For more than two thousand years, its ethical code with its firm emphasis on the family, social order and selfdiscipline has sustained chinese civilization and shaped the people and history of east asia.
Confucianism beliefs and teachings schoolworkhelper. Revisit confucianism investigate the renowned yijing. Sometimes viewed as a philosophy and sometimes as a religion, confucianism may be understood as an allencompassing way of thinking and living that entails ancestor reverence and a profound humancentred religiousness. Although three of four of these books are traditionally attributed to confucius kungtzu, 551479 b. The holy book of jainism is a collection of texts known as agam literature or the agam sutras.
It is intended to whet your appetite for further study and to help you understand the religious beliefs of others in todays global society. Neoconfucian philosophy internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Although often seen as a philosophy, confucianism is also considered a religion that has its own gods and beliefs that are based on the ideas of its founder. Confucianism beliefs and teachings confucius was a contemporary of lao tzu, they had similar philosophies e. It wasnt actually written by confucius, but instead the second generation of his students. Confucianism the philosophy explained main main tenets tenetstenets of of of confucianism confucianism the sacred past. The four books are great learning, doctrine of the mean, analects of confucius, and mencius. Confucianism a guide that serves as a brief introduction to several world religions. Jains see these texts, which are the transcriptions of lord mahavirs sermons, as sacred documents. The nicene creed sums up christian belief in the holy trinity. Confucianism encourages humans to practice these five traits to work toward moral harmony and cosmic harmony.
It has been established that none of them has been written by confucious kungtzu, 551479 b. They were selected by zhu xi in the song dynasty to serve as general introduction to confucian thought, and they were, in the ming and qing dynasties, made the core of the official curriculum for the civil service. However, the four books, are considered the closest we come to the original teaching of confucious. Emulate the actions of the most virtuous figures of the past, like the legendary sage yao. Providing a unique distillation of this ancient and compelling tradition, the book traces the course of confucianism, from its origins in ancient china to its place in society today. This book provides a brief history of what will become known as confucianism and its influence in east asia,the beliefs of confucius,mencius,and other important teachers, a view of the sacred texts, concept of the afterlife, traditional holidays celebrated, etc. The four books is a collection of confucian root texts. Still the substance of learning, the source of values, and the social code of the chinese, it has also influenced other countries, particularly japan, korea, and vietnam. The best books on confucius five books expert recommendations.
Check your understanding with a quiz on the main concepts of confucianism. The wujing did not attain their final form until confucianism was adopted as the han dynastys official ideology and its most cherished texts became the basis of the civil service examination. Publication date 1879 topics confucianism publisher. Then, delve into neo confucianism, with its principles of selfcultivation and harmony with humanity and the cosmos. There are thousands of classic textbooks of confucianism, none of them being holy. This concise, illustrated volume is an accessible introduction to the key themes of confucianism the life of confucius and his teachings, ritual and ceremony, art and architecture, sacred. Confucianism has made a significant contribution to the moral, philosophical and spiritual history of humankind. Most of these postdate confucius, and the first of the books is the analects, the.
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