Life and teaching of Confucius
Life Of Confucius
Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC) was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher. According to tradition, Confucius was born in 551 BC, in or near the city of Qufu, in the Chinese State of Lu (now part of Shantung Province). Confucius is a Latinized name. His Chinese name was Kung Fut-tzu, meaning Master Kong. He was a contemporary of Gautama Buddha and lived just before the time of Socrates and Plato.
Confucius came from an aristocratic but impoverished family. His father died when Confucius was three years old, and he was brought up in poverty by his mother. Confucius married a young girl named Qi Quan at 19 she gave birth to their first child Kong Li when he was 20. Confucius is reported to have worked as a shepherd, cowherd, clerk and book-keeper. At twenty-two he became a teacher. His mother died when Confucius was 23.
Soon became a renowned teacher. Many came to study under him. Moral education was the backbone of his educational programme. He also taught his disciples how to serve as officials on all levels in government.
Confucius lived during the Chou Dynasty (1100 B.C. to 256 B.C.). At this time, the land was divided among feudal lords. The moral and social order was in a state of decay. Confucius sought a way to restore the cultural-political order. He believed that reform would come through educating the leaders in the classics and in his philosophy. He therefore sought a political position of influence, from which he could implement his principles.
Confucius is said to have risen to the position of Chief magistrate in Lu and later Minister of Justice when he was fifty years of age. According to the Historians, the neighboring state of Qi was worried that Lu was becoming too powerful. Qi decided to sabotage Lu’s reforms by sending 100 good horses and 80 beautiful dancing girls to the Duke of Lu. The Duke indulged himself in pleasure and did not attend to official duties for three days. Confucius was deeply disappointed at the misbehavior and immoral life of the Duke of Lu. He resigned in protest the post as minister of justice and left the state of Lu. According to tradition, after Confucius’s resignation, he began a long journey (or set of journeys) around the small kingdoms of northeast and central China. He wandered for thirteen years from state to state, only to be disappointed and saddened everywhere by a refusal to respond to his moral challenge. The Analects pictures him spending his last years teaching disciples and transmitting the old wisdom. Burdened by the loss of both his son and his favorite disciples he died at the age of 72 or 73 in 479 BC.
Teachings of Confucius
Confucius expounded a system of social and political philosophy which he conveyed to a group of disciples. His teachings and sayings were later collected by the disciples of Confucius in a book known in the West as the Analects.
Confucianism teaches 5 virtues
- Ren (Jen), that refers to altruism and humanity.
- Yi, that refers to righteousness.
- Li, that refers to good conduct.
- Zhi, that refers to knowledge.
- Xin, which means loyalty.
The teachings of Confucius are focused on two interrelated areas: Social Teachings, which deal with the proper behaviour of the individual in society and to his fellow men, and Political Teachings, which deal with the art of governance and the proper relationship of the Ruler to the ruled. He viewed education as central to achieving proper conduct both within Society and in GovernmentConfucius said that he was not an innovator and that all of his teachings were merely rediscoveries of what had been true in the past.
Social Teachings of Confucius
Confucius taught that people should have compassion for one an other, and to avoid treating others in ways that they themselves would not wish to be treated: What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others. (Analects 12.2)
In order to be compassionate, people should avoid self-aggrandizement and be simple in manner and slow of speech. They should practice altruism and self restrain.
Confucius taught that the key to achieving proper self-mastery was adherence to correct ritual. In Counfucius’ teachings, ritual encompassed both quasi religious practices as veneration of dead ancestors, as well as the broader concept of etiquette and correct social interaction. Confucius taught that there were mutual obligations arising between members of social relationships, for example as between Husband and Wife, Parents and Children, Older Brother and Younger Brother, and so on. Adherence to the proper conduct expected between members of these groupings would guarantee an harmonious relationship between them and also serve as the foundation of a just a stable society.
Although the subordinate members of a relationship (children to their parents, wives to their husbands) were required to be obedient, their obedience was not absolute and depended upon the superior member of the relationship (parent, husband for example) acting in accordance with his own obligations.
Confucius’s teachings strongly emphasized the importance of following ritual. He said: “Look at nothing in defiance of ritual, listen to nothing in defiance of ritual, speak of nothing in defiance or ritual, never stir hand or foot in defiance of ritual.” (Analects 12.1)
Political Teachings of Confucius
Much of Confucius’s teachings focused on the art of governance and how a ruler should act. Unlike Machiavelli, who expounded a concept of amoral statecraft in which he counseled the ruler on how to appear just in order to gain the trust of the people, while at the same time engaging in oppression and stratagems, Confucius advocated for true justice and compassion on the part of the ruler and the ruled. Only by being a just ruler would the ruler enjoy the Mandate of Heaven and continue to have the right to rule.
As with his social teachings, Confucius believed that the key to good governance lay in each man carrying out his duties as prescribed by his position within the hierarchy.
He stated: “Good government consists in the ruler being a ruler, the minister being a minister, the father being a father, and the son being a son”.(Analects 12.11) It was essential that the ruler possess virtue. Virtue would enable the ruler to retain the supreme position. He who governs by means of his virtue is, to use an analogy, like the pole-star: it remains in its place while all the lesser stars do homage to it. (Analects 2.1) Remarkably, given the violent nature of his times, Confucius believed that rulers should not have to resort to force or the threat of punishment to maintain power. He stated: “Your job is to govern, not to kill” (Analects XII:19)
As in the case of social relationships such as those between parents and children, husbands and wives, Confucius believed that the rulers should observe proper ritual in order to maintain their position and right to rule. These rituals included giving proper sacrifices to the ancestors at the ancestral temples, the exchange of gifts between members of the nobility which bound them together in a web of obligation and indebtedness, and acts of etiquette and decorum such as bowing.
Confucius Teachings on Education
Confucius taught that one the key to self mastery was through scholarship and study. He stated “He who learns but does not think is lost. He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.” (Analects 2.15) In his own teachings, Confucius did not expound, but rather used asked questions of his pupils and used analogies to classic texts. According to Confucius- I only instruct the eager and enlighten the fervent. If I hold up one corner and a student cannot come back to me with the other three, I do not go on with the lesson. (Analects 7.8)
In exhorting men to become gentlemen or Superior Men, Confucius recommended diligent study under a master familiar with the rules of correct behaviour. He recommended learning from the classics. In time, Confucius’s emphasis on education and his belief that position and rank should be based on merit, led to the establishment of an imperial bureaucracy in which admission was based not on birth but on how well the applicant did on the imperial examinations.
Conclusion –
Confucius’ thoughts have been developed into a system
of philosophy known as Confucianism. The teachings and philosophy of Confucius have deeply influenced Chinese, Korean,Japanese, Taiwanese and Vietnamese thought and life. Focus of Confucius in particular was on creating harmony in human society. His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of
social relationships, justice and sincerity.