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Confucianism
Moral and religious system of
China
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To be able under all circumstances
to practice five things constitutes perfect
virtue; these five things are gravity, generosity of soul,
sincerity, earnestness and
kindness. |
Confucius |
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Confucianism
is
the moral and religious system
of China. Its origins go back to
the Analects, the sayings
attributed to Confucius (B.C.
551 - 479), and to ancient
commentaries, including that of
Mencius.
Core Value
Balance between individual
variety and social
harmony.
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To go beyond is as wrong as to
fall short. |
Confucius |
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Two Main Keys to Success
Virtuous life and adherence
to performing your duties
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The superior man thinks always of
virtue;
the common man thinks of comfort.
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Confucius |
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The Main Theme: Wisdom Inside
and Kindness Outside
The wise man admires water, the
kind man admires mountains.
The wise man moves, the kind man
rests.
The wise man is
happy, the kind man is firm.
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They must often change who would
be constant
in happiness or
wisdom. |
Confucius |
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Three Main Principles
Jen – humaneness,
love of fellow men; the central
virtue of Confucianism and the
most important characteristic of
the ideal man
Li – morality,
uprightness, custom, observing
rules
Chi – virtuous
life
The practice of jen is governed
by li: To conquer oneself and
turn to li; that is humaneness.
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He who merely knows right
principles is not equal to him who loves them. |
Confucius |
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Practicing Jen
Practicing Jen – "doing without
a purpose" because you must, not
because you want.
Shu: Do unto
others as you would have others
do unto you (mutuality;
The Golden Rule)
Chung: Don't do
unto others as you wouldn't have
others do unto you (loyalty).
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It is not the failure of others to
appreciate your abilities that should trouble you, but rather
your failure to appreciate theirs. |
Confucius |
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Five Pairs of Social Roles
To
achieve Jen, you must maintain
decent relationships (wu-lun)
with people, especially in the
five pairs of social roles:
①
Between father and son
②
Between the ruler and the
subject
③
Between the older and the
younger
④
Between husband and wife
⑤
Between
friends
The relationship between a ruler
and a subject is based on
respect and obedience from the
subject towards the ruler. The
ruler is expected to act as a
role model. This dynamic is
essential for the stability of
the relationship. The concept
highlights mutual
interdependence; without a
capable ruler, the subject's
role loses meaning. It
underscores the importance of
both parties fulfilling their
respective duties for the
relationship to function
effectively.
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To govern is to be correct. If you
set an example by being correct, who would dare remain
incorrect? |
Confucius |
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Early History and Precepts
Source: The Columbia
Encyclopedia
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In its early form (before the 3d cent. B.C.)
Confucianism was primarily a system of ethical precepts for the proper
management of society. It envisaged man as essentially a social creature who
is bound to his fellows by jen, a term often rendered as “humanity,”
or “human-kind-ness.”
Jen is expressed through the five relations—sovereign and subject,
parent and child, elder and younger brother, husband and wife, and friend
and friend. Of these, the filial relation is usually stressed.
The relations are made to function smoothly by
an exact adherence to li, which denotes a combination of etiquette
and ritual. In some of these relations a person may be superior to some and
inferior to others. If a person in a subordinate status wishes to be
properly treated that person must—applying a principle similar to the
Golden
Rule – treat his or her own inferiors with propriety. Correct conduct,
however, proceeds not through compulsion, but through a sense of virtue
inculcated by observing suitable models of deportment. The ruler, as the
moral exemplar of the whole state, must be irreproachable, but a strong
obligation to be virtuous rests upon all.
The early philosophers recognized that the
epochal “great commonwealth,” the union of mankind under ethical rule, would
take a long time to achieve, but believed that it might be constantly
advanced by practicing the “rectification of names.”
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This is the critical
examination of the degree to which the behavior of a functionary or an
institution corresponds to its name; thus, the title of king should not be
applied to one who exacts excessive taxes, and the criticism of the
undeserving claimant should force him to reform. The practice of offering
sacrifices and other veneration to
Confucius
in special shrines began in the 1st cent. A.D. and continued into the 20th
cent.
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Confucius
on Virtue
Confucius
on Success and Failure
Confucius
on Governance
Confucius
on Relationships |
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The will to win, the desire to
succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the
keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence. |
Confucius |
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Renaissance, Decline, Rebirth
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Confucianism has often had to contend with
other religious systems, notably Taoism
and
Buddhism, and has at times, especially
from the 3d to the 7th cent., suffered marked declines. It enjoyed a
renaissance in the late T’ang dynasty (618–906), but it was not until the
Sung dynasty (960–1279) and the appearance of neo-Confucianism that
Confucianism became the dominant philosophy among educated Chinese.
Drawing
on Taoist and Buddhist ideas, neo-Confucian thinkers formulated a system of
metaphysics, which had not been a part of older Confucianism. They were
particularly influenced by Ch’an or Zen
Buddhism: nevertheless they rejected the Taoist search for immortality and
Buddhist monasticism and ethical universalism, upholding instead the
hierarchical political and social vision of the early Confucian teachings.
The neo-Confucian eclecticism was unified and
established as an orthodoxy by Chu Hsi (1130–1200), and his system dominated
subsequent Chinese intellectual life. His metaphysics is based on the
concept of li,
or principle of form in manifold things, and the totality of these, called
the “supreme ultimate” (t’ai chi).
During the Ming dynasty, the
idealist school of Wang Yang-ming (1472–1529) stressed
meditation and intuitive knowledge.
The overthrow (1911–12) of the
monarchy, with which Confucianism had been closely identified, led to the
disintegration of Confucian institutions and a decline of Confucian
traditions, a process accelerated after the Communist revolution (1949).
Elements of Confucianism survived as a part of traditional Chinese religious
practice in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao and among Chinese emigrants and
have experienced a modest revival in China since the mid-1990s.
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Confucius
on Communication
Yin and
Yang
Yin and
Yang: The State of Peace, Good
Fortune, and Success
Yin and
Yang: Applications for Life and
Business
5 Basic
Elements
Holistic
Success
Balanced
Business: 5 Basic Elements
China
Chinese
Proverbs
I-Chin
Feng Shui
Lao Tzu
Tao-style
Business Plan
Sun Tzu:
The Art of War
Chinese
Language as a Competitive
Advantage
China vs.
USA: Comparative Competitive
Advantages
Kotfucius
Wei Di |
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