Confucianism

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WHAT IS CONFUCIANISM?

Confucianism, also known as Ruism, is a philosophy and belief system from ancient China which laid the foundation for much of Chinese culture. Confucius was a philosopher and teacher who lived from 551 to 479 B.C.E. His thoughts on ethics, good behavior, and moral character were written down by his disciples in several books, the most well known being the Lunyu. Confucianism believes in ancestor worship and human-centered virtues for living a peaceful life. It is variously described as a tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or “a way of life”.  The golden rule of Confucianism is “do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you.”

The main idea of Confucianism is the importance of having a good moral character, which can then affect the world around that person through the idea of “cosmic harmony.” If the emperor has moral perfection, his rule will be peaceful and benevolent. Natural disasters and conflict are the result of straying from the ancient teachings. Moral character is achieved through the virtue of ren, or “humanity,” which leads to more virtuous behaviours, such as respect, altruism, and humility. Confucius believed in the importance of education in order to create a virtuous character. He thought that people are essentially good yet may have strayed from the appropriate forms of conduct. Rituals in Confucianism were designed to bring about this respectful attitude and create a sense of community within a group.  

The idea of “filial piety,” or devotion to family, is key to Confucius thought. This devotion can take the form of ancestor worship, submission to parental authority, or the use of family metaphors, such as “son of heaven. The family was the most important group for Confucian ethics, and devotion to family could strengthen the society surrounding it.

There is an on-going debate as to whether Confucianism is a religion. There are no Confucian gods, and Confucius himself is worshipped as a spirit rather than a god. However, there are temples of Confucianism, which are places where important community and civic rituals happen. Accordingly, the debate remains unresolved and many people refer to Confucianism as both a religion and a philosophy.

WHERE IS CONFUCIANISM PRACTICED?

Confucianism remains one of the most influential philosophies in China. During the Han Dynasty, emperor Wu Di made Confucianism the official state ideology. During this time, Confucius schools were established to teach Confucian ethics. As other Eastern religions grew, Confucianism existed alongside Buddhism and Taoism for several centuries as one of the most important Chinese philosophies.

At the time of the first Opium War (1839–42), East Asian societies had been Confucianized for centuries. The continuous growth of Buddhism throughout Asia and the presence of Daoism in China, shamanism in Korea, and Shintōism in Japan did not undermine the power of Confucianism in government, education, family rituals, and social ethics. In fact, Buddhist monks were often messengers of Confucian values, and the coexistence of Confucianism with Daoism, shamanism, and Shintōism characterized East Asian religious life. 

Beginning in the 19th century, Confucian culture started to erode due to Western impact on society. The modern Chinese intelligentsia, however, maintained continuities with the Confucian tradition at every level of life—behaviour, attitude, belief, and commitment and Confucianism remains an integral part of both the contemporary Chinese intellectual as well as of the Chinese farmer.  Although some intellectuals in the People’s Republic of China criticize their Confucian heritage as the embodiment of authoritarianism, bureaucratism, nepotism, conservatism, and male chauvinism, others in China, Taiwan, Singapore, and North America have linked the relevance of Confucian humanism to China’s modernization. Further, Confucianism’s emphasis on human nature and interpersonal relationships in human life also make it amenable to feminism. 

Today, cultures and countries in East Asia are strongly influenced by Confucianism, including mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.  It has been credited for shaping East Asian societies and overseas Chinese communities. In the last decades there have been talks of a "Confucian Revival" in the academic and the scholarly community, and there has been a grassroots proliferation of various types of Confucian churches. In late 2015 many Confucian practitioners established a national Holy Confucian Church in China to unify Confucian congregations and civil society organisations.

HOW TO PRACTICE CONFUCIANISM

Like enlightenment in Buddhism, Confucius teaches how man can become a “Chun-Tzu” or the perfect gentlemen. In order for man to cultivate virtue and moral perfection, there are six commandments, or rules of life, similar to the eightfold path or the ten commandments. 

1. Li - Ritual propriety and etiquette - Li is better referred to as politeness and social etiquette rather than religious ritual. 

2. Hsiao - Love within the family, love of parents and love of children - Every Confucian should love their parents and their parents should love them, unconditionally, no matter what happens. There are five bonds of Hsiao which every Confucian must follow:

   1. Ruler to Ruled

   2. Father to Son

   3. Husband to Wife

   4. Elder Brother to Younger Brother

   5. Friend to Friend.

3. Yi - Righteousness - Righteousness should be practiced by every Confucian. It is the moral disposition to do good. People should always do what is right, which is why bravery and wisdom are often associated with Yi as it takes a wise man to know good from evil and a brave man to carry it out despite fear of death, imprisonment or humiliation.

4. Xin - Honesty and trustworthiness - All people should be honest and trustworthy. However Confucian Xin goes further, advocating integrity whereby a Conficuan should be someone who is respectable. Confucians are never allowed to lie, though there is a grey area when it comes to white lies.

5. Jen (pronounced Ren) - Benevolence, humaneness towards others - Be benevolent and humane towards others. This is the highest Confucian virtue and forms the golden rule of Confucius, 'do for others what you would like to be done to you'.

6. Chung - Loyalty to the state - The citizenry should be humble, productive and obedient, while the ruler should be humane, just and kind to his people. Confucius allowed citizens to overthrow rulers who were incompetent or evil, considered by many as the first form of democracy. 

Practices and Rituals - Those who practice Confucianism have a strong belief in rituals. They believe that participation in ritual serves to unite people, and strengthen the community. Instead of regular practices or rituals however, there are four important times in one’s life - (1) birth, (2) reaching maturity, (3) marriage and (4) death. 

1. Birth  - The Tai-Shen (spirit of the fetus) protects the expectant mother, and deals harshly with anything that harasses or harms the woman. She receives a special diet and is given one month to rest after the delivery of the baby. Her parents are responsible for everything that is needed to support the child.

2. Marriage - There are six separate things that happen during the marriage rituals:

   1. Proposal:  Both sides of the relationship share the hour, day, month, and year of their birth. If any upsetting events occur within the bride-to-be's family within the next three days, it is believed that she has rejected the proposal. 

   2. Engagement: After the couple decides the date of the wedding, the bride announces the wedding with invitations and gifts of cookies shaped like the moon.

   3. Dowry: A dowry is a transfer of parental belongings when their daughter is getting married. Gifts equal in value are often given to the bride and groom.

   4. Procession: The groom proceeds to the brides home, and brings her back to his place, with much happiness and excitement.

   5. Marriage: The couple recites their vows that will bond them together for a lifetime, toast each other with wine, and then take center stage at a banquet consisting of friends, and the families of both bride and groom.

   6. Morning After: The bride serves breakfast to the groom’s parents, and then the parents do the same.

3. Death - After the death of a loved one, the family cry aloud to inform the neighbors of the tragic news. The family begin to mourn by making clothes made of course material, and wearing them. The corpse is placed in a coffin, and many family and friends bring money to help with the cost of the funeral. Food and objects important to the deceased are placed into the coffin with him/her. A priest or minister of any religion performs the burial ritual. The guests follow the coffin carrying a large willow tree branch. This is meant to symbolize the soul of the person who has died. Later on, the branch is carried back to the family altar where it is used to "install" the spirit of the deceased. A public worship is performed on the seventh, ninth, and forty-ninth days after the burial, along with the first and third year anniversary of the death.

WHY PRACTICE CONFUCIANISM?

Confucianism is similar to western Humanism. You should not have a pessimistic view of people, but rather should always be optimistic. It also means you must never chastise people for their mistakes or their ignorance, but rather show them the way and guide them without the use of force. Accept that all people, no matter what, are capable of perfection and are teachable as well as improvable. Confucius said, "Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes."

Here are several reasons to practice Confucianism:

1. On the individual level, Confucianism provides a rational basis for why people should improve their moral character and encourages them to do so

2. Confucianism links individual morality to the wider social structure and therefore encourages leaders to be good in order to create a harmonious society

3. Although many might see hierarchy and inequality as bad, Confucianism suggests these things give people a sense of purpose and if it is operating within a framework of morally-good superiors and subordinates then people will feel satisfied with their position

4. Confucianism encourages education and strong work-ethic for the greater good

It is believed there were some ‘good’ Chinese Emperors who adopted these principles and enriched the lives of their people. Other countries that adopted Confucian principles, such as Japan and Singapore, have seen great economic success and they are world-renowned for their social etiquette. China’s economic success has also been attributed to a remnant of the hard-working ethos of Confucianism. 

Family ties are still strong in China, however, the Communist and Capitalist experiments of the last century have weakened much of Confucianism’s influence, particularly the virtuous morality aspect. This loss may even show the benefit of Confucianism, as the Chinese government is starting to look again to Confucian principles to help solve various moral problems within China.

A recent international study showed that four of the top five societies whose students scored highest in math, science and reading practiced Confucianism. Shanghai was at the top of the list, followed by Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea, respectively. In stark contrast, the United States came in 15th place in reading, 23rd in science, and 31st in math.

One aspect of Confucianism is harmony. People are to treat each other respectfully, resulting in a harmonious existence. In the Confucian tradition, there is a term called filial piety, which means that children, even adult ones are to respect and obey their parents and adults in general. Parents are indeed the first teachers of their children. If more parents stressed the importance of youth respecting adults, humanity would be much further along towards the creation of a global community based on love and compassion.

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