Confucius Essay -- essays research papers

Confucius became famous as a sage, or wise man, of China during the Age of Philosophers. His Five Classics have influenced the civilizations of most of eastern Asia. Confucius was born in the state of Lu when local rulers refused to pay homage to the emperor of a failing Chou dynasty. Confucius hated the disorder that ensued and looked back on a time when things like that were not even thought of. He studied the teachings of the sage’s whose teachings and influences had made China one whole nation at one time. He decided that he was the one who should restore the faith and practices of the old emperors and wise men. Since Confucius was not able to gain an official position in China, he spent most of his life teaching a core group of disciples. The main idea of Confucius’ philosophy was to provide rules and traditions for every conceivable situation in every day life. He was concerned with all the misery in the world, and he hoped that making men noble would bring about a noble world. Confucius’ ideas of being benevolent to one’s fellow man, closely following set rituals, and acting in a manner proper and befitting one’s social class became the state followed ideology during the Han dynasty.1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When studying the religion and philosophy of Confucius, one must have a clear understanding of the books he wrote. The Five Classics were from the period preceding the Warring States Period. They were brought together and edited by the members of Confucius’ original school. Once Confucianism was made China’s official philosophy, a person had to study these five books in order to gain a prized governmental position. Saying that there are only five classics is a bit of a misstatement. There are five classics and an extra book written by Confucius that is usually lumped in with the traditional Five Classics. That book is Lunyu, or The Analects. The Analects is a collection of little bits of wisdom that Confucius gave his disciples. However, the book is not a comprehensive “bible'; of Confucianism. It is a collection of quotations, anecdotes, and wisdoms. Due to this fact, Confucianism, at least according to Confucius, is open to interpretation. The Analects is still an interesting book, in that it provides a direct view of the thoughts and feelings of Confucius. T... ...e and control the world about him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Confucius taught that when patterns on earth match those of Heaven, the spiritual beings of Heaven can be brought to earth and made to help man. All the spirits and specters of Heaven could be drawn out by earthly virtue to enact the beneficiary duties their realm imposed on them. These spirits were believed to do such things as keep rivers flowing, winds blowing and bringing rain that was needed by farmers. In turn, the farmers, following the established Confucian code of conduct, gave tithes to their overlords. This allowed the overlords to provide arts, education, and entertainment.6   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some people dispute the success of Confucianism. Technically, Confucianism failed. But only during the lifetime of its creator. During his life, Confucius only gathered a few followers. After his death, these followers passed on his teachings, wisdom, and love for rituals and the tradition survived. It survived all the way to the Han dynasty when it became the official Chinese philosophy. From then on, it was firmly established in Chinese culture and its effects and value systems can still be seen today.