Example Of Confucianism Book Review

Founded around 500 B.C.E. by a Chinese philosopher named K’ung Fu-tzu, Confucianism is a system of teachings that are both philosophical as well as ethical in nature. Confucius is the westernized version of the founder’s name, and has been used ever since its inception. It is at times described as a religion, though there are no known deities within Confucianism, nor any recognizable dogmas that are to be followed. Instead, Confucianism is strong in its rituals and ethical foundations, teaching that society can in fact be perfect if the people who lived within it exhibited such traits that could be defined as “beautiful conduct”. Aside from its very ethical nature, Confucianism was and remains a very idealistic and sociopolitical practice.
Confucius lived in a time when there was great crisis that was both cultural and political, as China was in great turmoil during his formative years. Born into a family that was somewhere between the common folk and the aristocracy, Confucius was raised by his mother in poverty after the death of his father, and went through several different occupations through his young life before marrying and eventually beginning a political career.
Confucianism has been followed within China for well over two thousand years, and despite its transformations over time it remains the same at its core as it is still primarily about learning, values, and the supposedly unshakable code that the Chinese live by. It’s influence can also be seen in other countries such as Vietnam, Korea, and Japan.
Surprisingly enough Confucianism was not founded by Confucius. In truth he is no more responsible for Confucianism than Buddha was for Buddhism, or Christ for Christianity. Instead Confucius saw himself as more of a receptacle of learning that kept a constant renewal of old teachings and ethics in order to find a new manner in which to teach the masses. He attempted to reinvent the lessons of the past by presenting a life that was spent observing and practicing rituals that were seen as a necessity to life. His absolute love for the old ways was seen in the strong showing of his adherence to realizing why so many facets of the past had existed and survived for so long. His personal trek into the past was a quest for the origins of humanity, the absolute truth behind the need to belong and to communicate with others.
Confucius had the utmost faith in the unifying power that culture could offer. Despite the lack that traditional views had lost their veracity he still found them important and, more to the point, relevant to the future. Confucius had overwhelming faith for the potential regeneration of culture that could be brought about. So strong were his views and his love of history that tended to see himself to be a conservationist whose responsibility was the continuation of cultural and social norms that had carried the Western Zhou dynasty for so long.
There were five very basic ideas that Confucius taught others concerning behavior as translated and written upon by author Huston Smith, and those were:
Always be considerate to others. Respect your ancestors. Try for harmony and balance in all things. Avoid extremes in behavior and emotion. If you live in peace and harmony, then you will be in contact with the spiritual forces of the universe, including nature (Smith, 2009).

There are also five virtues taught in Confucianism, and those include: kindness,

righteousness, sobriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. These virtues and ideas are at the core of Confucianism and make up the general idea of what the practice, not a true religion, is all about. These can also be found as being demonstrated in the Analects of Confucius, a gathering of various sayings and ideas in which the teachings of Confucius are reflected and put into more practical use.
In keeping with the overall concepts that Confucius sought to teach, author Raymond Dawson writes a passage that speaks toward the great sage’s ideals and motivations that led towards his overall goal to teach and educate the masses. “Unable to obtain the leading political role he sought, he endeavored to reform society and salvage civilization through ethical debate, defining for ages to come the public mission of the intellectual.” (Dawson, 1993). Also amongst his teachings was that a person’s well-being is dependent upon the well-being of others, a truly idealistic statement that carries a great deal of truth but is very difficult to teach.
This single principle is known as Jen. Jen goes so far as to stress the importance of displaying acts of courtesy and a sense of loyalty to others. Many of those who follow and practice Confucianism hold a strong belief in family and the values that are deemed as important to such a unit. Within the practices of Confucianism children are reared to be respectful and are instructed to obey their elders. While this is a typically universal desire throughout most countries and ritualistic practices, in Confucianism it is among the core beliefs and as such is seen as sacrosanct to those who practice it.
In truth Confucianism is very much a description of what it takes to be considered as a good person. This is the belief of some, but for many upon many others it is a very spiritual and life-affirming practice. In fact after Confucius passed on there were temples built to honor his teachings and the man himself. So endearing were his teachings that people took to heart not only the Analects, but the very essence of the man despite his own belief that heaven was in essence a deity unto itself, a supreme being that in its wisdom created humans and shared the virtue that Confucius taught is within each living being.
In a sense this helps to realize that Confucianism is a great deal more than just a moral code of ethics. It is a great deal more than it was when it was first started, and in keeping with Confucius’s love of history and the constant regeneration of the past to influence the future, Confucianism has been influenced by both Buddhism and Taoism, prompting people to bring together many beliefs and ideals from each practice to combine them in a manner that is most fitting a system of beliefs and behaviors that was meant to embrace all that is humanity and look for the absolute perfection that exists within each individual.
It is slightly amusing that Confucius did not fully intend to create a new religion, but instead was attempting to revive an unnamed religion that dated back to the Zhou dynasty. At the time he questioned what it took to establish and hold onto a stable, unified social order. Despite the popular view being that strict law and statecraft were proven bases for a solid government, Confucius was adamant in his belief that the real basis for a stable society was to be found within Zhou religious rituals.
While he did not look to appease gods that had not aided his people in so long, he instead centered the rituals around ordinary people that embodied the civilized behavior of society. It is also important to note that while he focused heavily upon the use of rituals and cultural values, those rituals were often to include simple courtesies and accepted behaviors, what are in this day and age referred to as social mores. In his time Confucius achieved much, not the least of which was a stabilized sense of self and the beginning of an ideal that has endured thousands of years.

Works Cited

Dawson, Raymond. Confucius: The Analects. Michigan: Oxford University Press, 1993. Print.
Smith, Huston. The World’s Religions. New York City, NY: HarperOne, 2009. Print.