I.

INTRODUCTION

CONFUCIANISM

Confucius was born over 2,500 years ago. Why would we want to know what he
said? How could someone from that long ago be of any importance to us now? Confucius
faced many of the same problems we do: governments telling lies; an enthusiasm for
military adventures; great social, economic, and technological changes; a society that
seemed to be losing any respect for education and for moral behavior; growing sleaziness
and ignorance. Confucius offers solutions to these problems. You will fi nd that what he has
to say applies to our dilemmas and to us today.

Confucius said that we can become responsible, adult people who behave properly.
If we can do that, we can change the world we live in. Unlike many people today, when
Confucius talks about morals and virtues, he does not do it to accuse others or to force his
thinking on anyone. Confucius tells us that we should become educated, not to get a job, but
to become better people. He, and his followers, talk about cultivating the self, just as one
grows a garden. Do that properly and you change your family, neighborhood, and country
Confucius, the common name of Confucianism's founder, is a Latinized form of the Chinese
K'ung-fu-tzu, "Master K'ung." The terms "Confucianism" and "Confucian," derived from the
Latinized Confucius, are not meaningful terms in Chinese. They are western terms, coined
in Europe as recently as the 18th century.

Confucius was born in 551 BC in the small feudal state of Lu in what is now
Shantung Province. Confucius' ancestors were probably members of the aristocracy who
had become virtual poverty-stricken commoners by the time of his birth. His father died
when Confucius was only three years old. Instructed first by his mother, Confucius then
distinguished himself as a passionate learner in his teens. Confucius had served in minor
government posts managing stables and keeping books for granaries before he married a
woman of similar background when he was 19. It is not known who Confucius' teachers
were, but his mastery of the six arts—ritual, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and
arithmetic—and his familiarity with the classical traditions, notably poetry and history,
enabled him to start a brilliant teaching career in his 30s.

Confucius developed concepts about education, society and government that he

hoped to put into practice in a political career. But his loyalty to the king alienated him
from the power holders of the time, the large Chi families, and his moral rectitude did not
sit well with the king's inner circle, who enraptured the king with sensuous delights. At 56,
when he realized that his superiors were uninterested in his policies, Confucius left the
country in an attempt to find another feudal state to which he could render his service.
Despite his political frustration he was accompanied by an expanding circle of students
during this self-imposed exile of almost 12 years. His reputation as a man of vision and
mission spread. At the age of 67 Confucius returned home to teach and to preserve his
cherished classical traditions by writing and editing. He died in 479 BC, at the age of 73.

II. DEFINITION

A. CONFUCIANISM

The story of Confucianism does not really begin with Confucius, nor was Confucius the
founder of Confucianism in the same way that Buddha was the founder of Buddhism.
Rather, Confucius considered himself a transmitter who consciously tried to retrieve the
meaning of the past by breathing vitality into seemingly outmoded rituals. Confucius' love
of antiquity was motivated by his strong desire to understand why certain rituals, such as
the ancestral cult, reverence for Heaven, and mourning ceremonies, had survived for
centuries. He had faith in the cumulative power of culture. Confucius' sense of history was
so strong that he saw himself as a conservationist responsible for the continuity of the
cultural values and the social norms that had worked so well for the civilization of the Chou
dynasty. Mencius, Xunzi, and others sustained Confucianism after Confucius, but it was not
influential until Dong Zhongshu emerged in the 2nd century BC. Confucianism was then
recognized as the Han state cult (introducing religious elements and sacrifices to
Confucius), and the Five Classics (see Texts, below) became the core of education. In spite
of the strong influence of Daoism and Buddhism, Confucian ethics have had the strongest
influence on the moral fabric of Chinese society. A revival of Confucian thought in the 11th
century produced Neo-Confucianism, a major influence in Korea during the Choson dynasty
and in Japan during the Tokugawa period. In 1530 AD, a Ming emperor reformed the
Confucian cult to focus more on Confucius' teachings than the sage himself (e.g. images of
Confucius were replaced with inscribed tablets). The cult of Confucius declined after the
founding of the Chinese Republic in 1912, but the influence of Confucianism continues.

The main principle of Confucianism is ren ("humaneness" or "benevolence"), signifying

excellent character in accord with li (ritual norms), zhong (loyalty to one's true nature), shu
(reciprocity), and xiao (filial piety). Together these constitute de (virtue). Confucianism is
characterized by a highly optmistic view of human nature. The faith in the possibility of
ordinary human beings to become awe-inspiring sages and worthies is deeply rooted in the
Confucian heritage (Confucius himself lived a rather ordinary life), and the insistence that
human beings are teachable, improvable, and perfectible through personal and communal
endeavour is typically Confucian. Confucius regarded Heaven (T'ien) as a positive and
personal force in the universe; he was not, as some have supposed, an agnostic or a skeptic.

Practices
 Aside from its important ethical principles, Confucianism does not prescribe any
specific rituals or practices. These are filled by the practices of Chinese religion, Taoism,
Buddhism, or other religion which Confucians follow.

Texts
The Lun-yü (Analects) are the most revered sacred scripture in the Confucian tradition.
It was probably compiled by the second generation of Confucius' disciples. Based primarily
on the Master's sayings, preserved in both oral and written transmissions, it captures the
Confucian spirit in the same way that the Platonic dialogues embody Socratic teachings.

The Confucian Canon achieved its present form in the Sung dynasty under the direction of
Chu Hsi (1130-1200). It consists of the Five Classics and the Four Books.

The Five Classics are:

Shu Ching (Classic of History) - collection of documents and speeches dating from the Later
Han Dynasty (23-220 CE)
Shih Ching (Classic of Odes) - collection of 300 poems and songs from the early Chou
Dynasty (1027-402 BC)
I Ching (Classic of Changes) - collection of texts on divination based on a set of 64
hexagrams that reflect the relationship between Yin and Yang in nature and society
Ch'un Ching (Spring and Autumn Annals) - extracts from the history of the state of Lu 722-
484, said to be compiled by Confucius
Li Ching (Classic of Rites) - consists of three books on the Li (Rites of Propriety)

The Four Books are:

Lun Yu (Analects) of Confucius

Chung Yung (Doctrine of the Mean)

Ta Hsueh (Great Learning)

Meng Tzu (Mencius)

Ritual
Nowadays when we use the word “ ritual, ” we use it in three ways. First, we talk
about religious ritual – baptism or funeral rituals, for example. Second, we often use the
word “ ritual ” in place of the word “ habit ” : so it is my morning ritual to fi rst drink a cup
of coffee before I do anything else. Here it is a habit, something I do every morning. No
prayer or incense need be involved. Finally, we often say something is just “ empty ritual, ”
meaning that the form has no content. For example, when someone asks how we are, we
ritually respond and say that we are fIne. We may not be fine at all, but we will,
nevertheless, make the ritual response. Most of us tend to think that this kind of empty
ritual is insincere and has no real meaning. As Confucius will show us, we are wrong to
think that.
In the stories about Confucius ’ life, we have seen that he closely associated with ritual. As a
child he was said to have played with ritual utensils and, as he grew, he studied with the
masters of ritual. These rituals were of two kinds: fi rst the religious rituals of the time,
such as ancestral veneration, and, second, the rituals of noble etiquette and proper
behavior.

There were many rituals involving supernatural powers carried out in Warring
States China. The rituals of ancestral veneration, for example, are described at length in
ancient texts, like The Book of Poetry . The ancestors, present in their ancestral tablets,
were offered food in proper bowls and cups; jade discs and scepters were also placed on
the altar. The texts describe the laying out of grain and wine, the invitations to the
ancestors, and the impersonator of the dead. The impersonator of the dead, a descendent of
the ancestor, took the place of the deceased and was thought to be possessed by the
ancestor ’ s spirit. The impersonator announced when the spirits had drunk their fill and
when the spirits returned to their place. Ritual specialists would need to know the proper
utensils, their placement, the times to make offerings, when to bow, and who stood where.
These were all things Confucius studied and taught. His students might then have gotten
jobs as ritual specialists at court, managing the ancestral rituals, noble marriages, and
funerals.

Confucius would also have taught all the proper forms of noble etiquette: that a lord
enters a room before a duke; proper salutations from one rank to another; how to carry on
diplomatic negotiations with another state, and so on. These were the two forms of ritual
that Confucius grew up with. Confucius combined these two senses of ritual, religious ritual
and noble etiquette, and then expanded on them for his definition of ritual. He noted that
carrying out rituals requires reverence, for the ancestors, for example, and respect, for a
duke or lord, and then expanded this to explain ritual as reverence and respect for all the
people one deals with in social situations. Confucius concluded that ritual is a moral action
that ensures a proper, civilized society.

If the Dao, the Way, is being followed in the world then show yourself;
if it is not, then retire in seclusion. In a state that has the Way,
to be poor and of low status is a reason for you to be ashamed; in a
state that does not follow the Way, to be rich and famous is equally
a cause for being ashamed of yourself.

B. CHRISTIANITY

Christianity is a worldwide religious tradition with diverse representations, beliefs and

practices. But its common source is one: the life, the teachings, the death, and the
resurrection of Jesus. This man, whom Christians call the Christ, the Messiah, or the
expected one, was born in Roman-occupied Palestine about 2,000 years ago. He lived his
life as a Jew in a region ruled by Roman authorities. Like many prophets before him, he
spoke of the urgent need to turn to God and he taught a message of love and justice. His
active ministry of teaching was, at most, about three years long. Still in his thirties, he was
charged with treason and put to death. His followers reported that he was resurrected from
the dead and that he appeared before them.

Jesus left no writings, nor did others write about him until decades after he died.
However, the small number of disciples that experienced his resurrection were inspired
with an energy that led to the creation of communities of faith throughout the
Mediterranean world and, eventually, throughout the whole world. It was in Antioch, now
in modern-day Turkey, that they were first called “Christians,” followers of the way of
Christ. In the first three centuries, Christianity spread throughout the Greco-Roman world,
which extended from the Iberian to the Indian coast. From the fifth to the seventh century,
Christian outreach spread throughout northern Europe. Syrian Christians even missionized
in China during this time. In the tenth century, missionaries from Constantinople brought
Christianity to Russia.

The story of Jesus, as Christians know and tell it, comes from that part of the Bible called
the “New Testament.” The first four books—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—are known as
the “gospels,” meaning “good news.” They were all written between approximately 70 and
100 CE, about two generations after the death of Jesus, and are based on stories of Jesus
told and retold by his followers. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the “synoptic” gospels,
because they present a “common view” of Jesus through many common sayings, parables,
and events. Both Matthew and Luke seem to have used Mark’s gospel in writing their own
accounts. John’s gospel has a distinctive voice, focusing more on the divinity of Christ in the
context of a cosmic worldview. The gospels come out of early communities still struggling
with their identity in a Jewish context. The Gospel of Matthew, for instance, is most
conscious of the debates within Judaism after the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, while
the Gospel of John shows signs of Christians being expelled from synagogues. Although the
gospels differ in their accounts of Jesus' life and ministry, sometimes in significant ways,
the early church did not blend them into one account but preserved these four distinct
gospels with their differences. Together they provide four views of the life and teachings of
Jesus.

According to the traditions of Luke and Matthew, Jesus was born in Bethlehem in
Judaea in the lineage of King David. Theirs is a story in which the ordinary and the
miraculous intertwine. The mother of Jesus is said to be Mary, who conceived Jesus by the
power of the Holy Spirit (an act of the divine) while she was still a young unmarried virgin;
Joseph, her betrothed, was a carpenter from Nazareth. Luke’s story is familiar to Christians
throughout the world: The couple traveled to Bethlehem to be counted in the census and,
finding no room at the inn, they had to stay in a stable. Jesus was born that night, his first
bed a manger filled with hay. Nearby shepherds with their flocks heard angels singing and
hurried to see the newborn child. Matthew says nothing of the stable or the shepherds, but
tells of wise men or astrologers, who saw the light of a star and came from the East
bringing gifts to honor the child. Mark and John omit the birth story altogether, Mark
beginning his account with the baptism of Jesus and John with the creation of the cosmos.
In his ministry, Jesus crossed many social barriers as well, mingling with the tax collector,
the adulterer, and the prostitute. He warned critics to remember their own imperfections
before condemning others and invited those who were wholly without sin to cast the first
stone of condemnation. The great commandment is not to judge one’s neighbor but rather
to love one’s neighbor, for judgment is God’s alone.

Jesus taught that the expected Kingdom of God was close at hand. It would not be an
earthly political kingdom, but rather a new reign of justice for the poor and liberation for
the oppressed. Those who would be included first in the Kingdom were not the elites and
the powerful, but the poor, the rejected, the outcasts. Jesus likened the coming of the
Kingdom of God to the growth of a tiny mustard seed, growing from within to create a new
reality. His disciples and many who heard him began to speak of Jesus as the long-awaited
redeemer, the Messiah, who would make the Kingdom of God a reality. When the term
“Messiah” was translated into Greek, the word they used was Christos, the Christ.

There is only one God.

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
Isaiah 44:6-8 [6] "This is what the LORD says-- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD
Almighty: I am the first
and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. [7] Who then is like me? Let him
proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established
my ancient people, and what is yet to come-- yes, let him foretell what will come. [8] Do not
tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my
witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."

Mark 12:28-30, 32 [28] One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating.
Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the
commandments, which is the most important?"
[29] "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: `Hear, O Israel, the Lord our
God, the Lord is one. [30] Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind and with all your strength.' [32] "Well said, teacher," the man
replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him."

III. COMPARISON

Comparing and Contrasting Confucianism with Christianity

Jesus and Confucius

 Jesus Christ is the Savior of humankind according to Christian belief. We human
beings cannot save ourselves, because all of our attempts to do so are caught up in the
sinfulness from which we need to be saved. Confucians, in contrast, do not see Confucius as
a savior figure at all. Confucius thought humankind is naturally good rather than sinful and
believed that with proper education and upright, skillful leadership, people are fully
capable of achieving a good and moral life. In other words, people need training,
encouragement, and education rather than salvation.

Religious Practice

Christians, including Catholic Christians, hold a variety of beliefs about the truth of
religions other than their own. When it comes to religious practice, however, the majority
of Christians practice only Christianity. This having been said, we must note that there are a
whole host of different ways in which Christianity is practiced, influenced by cultural
variables as well as by the interpretation of Sacred Scripture and Church Tradition, along
with people’s personal preferences. Confucians, however, assume that their religious
practice will be informed by the variety of religious traditions found in East Asia, including
folk religions, Taoism, Shinto, and Buddhism. They see no conflict between them,
understanding them as knit together into a cultural whole that transcends the discrete
religions.

The Bible and the Books of Confucius

Most Christians believe the Bible is a part of God’s Revelation and refer to it as the
Word of God. It has been, and continues to be, transmitted through the Christian Church.
Confucians also have books at the core of their tradition, including the Analects, the Book of
Mencius, and the Great Learning. These books, and others similar to them, are regarded as
having been written or assembled by wise human beings, or sages, rather than being
divinely inspired. The principal route of transmission through the ages has been through
the formal educational system. The strength of Confucius’s own character also informs the
Confucian way of religion. He is an example of the ideal human being, as is Jesus for
Christian faith.

What Is Worshipped

Finally, congregational worship and individual devotion in Christianity are directed

toward the triune God. Confucian worship includes the observance of ancestral rites and
rituals and participation in public rites and rituals that are much less focused on a deity.
Confucius, who apparently did not believe in a God, nonetheless believed that worship was
important for holding a society together and reinforcing morality and good citizenship. For
Christians, congregational and private worship are far more important than they are for
Confucians
In Christianity:

Holy Days and Celebrations

Different forms of Christianity celebrate different festivals and observe different holy days,
but all forms observe (though might not celebrate it in the same way) the following 6 holy
days:
Christmas: 25th December. Marks the birth of Jesus Christ.
Epiphany: 6 January. Marks the Journey of Three Kings to worship Jesus in Bethlehem
Good Friday: The Friday before Easter (March/April), it commemorates Jesus’ passion
(suffering) on the cross.
Easter: (March/April) Marks the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb.
Ascension: Forty days after Easter, the ascension of Christ to heaven is commemorated.
Pentecost: The seventh Sunday after Easter. Marks the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the
apostles, which began the work of the Church.

Traditions Beliefs
Abelief that there is only one God, Maker of Heaven and Earth, but that there are three
Persons in one God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)
Abelief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who for the salvation of humankind became a
human being, lived on earth, was crucified, died and was buried, but rose again from the
dead.
Abelief that through the faith in Jesus, his death and resurrection it is possible to have a
right relationship with the God.
Abelief in Life after Death on earth.
Abelief that Prayer is the vehicle to communicate with God. Prayers can be formal or
informal.
Abelief that Christians should receive a baptism for the remission of sins.
Abelief in the Eucharist (also called the Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, The Mass, the
Divine Liturgy and Blessed Sacrament). It consists in the ritual of repeating Christ’s actions
at his last supper with his disciples.

IV. SUMMARY

Confucianism is a way of life taught by Confucius in the 6th–5th century BC. Sometimes
viewed as a philosophy, sometimes as a religion, Confucianism is perhaps best understood
as an all-encompassing humanism that neither denies nor slights Heaven. Confucianism has
been followed by the Chinese for more than two millennia. It has deeply influenced
spiritual and political life in China; its influence has also extended to Korea, Japan, and
Vietnam. East Asians may profess themselves to be Shintoists, Taoists, Buddhists, Muslims,
or Christians - but seldom do they cease to be Confucians.

Confucianism is the core of the Chinese traditional culture. The major features of Zhang
Jian’ cultural character are “Zhong”, “Xin”, “Du”, “Jing”, “Ren”, “Yi”, “Li”, “Jian”, “Ren”, “Shen”.
Having read a lot of Confucian classics during his years of imperial examinations, Zhang
Jian was deeply influenced by the essence of Chinese traditional culture, the traditional
thought pattern, the Confucian doctrines and the orthodox ethics in his world outlook,
philosophy of life and values.
 “Culture” is a popular word with its frequent use, multiple explanations and high
controversies. Generally speaking, “culture” may be explained in broad and narrow sense.
In broad sense, it can be understood everything that human being creates. In narrow sense,
it is a meaning mode that hands down from one generation to another, and it embodies
traditional conception in symbol form. Chinese traditional culture is a great one that comes
from the long-term social life, and that is orientated by the dominators and aimed to instill
into people. For hundreds of thousands of years, the influence of Chinese culture is so
strong that it cannot be effaced from people’s mind. Confucianism is the core in the Chinese
traditional culture. In a certain sense, the Chinese traditional culture is Confucian culture.
Zhang Jian’s cultural character was deeply influenced by Confucianism.

V. REFERENCE
CHRISTIAN FOUNDATIONS:
BASIC TEACHINGS
BY
REV. DR. WILLIS C. NEWMAN
(B.A., M.Ed., M.Div., Ph.D., D.Min.)

World Religions: A Voyage of Discovery

© 2015 by Saint Mary’s Press

http://www.religionfacts.com/a-z-religion-index/confucianism.htm

Confucius & Confucianism The Essentials

Lee Dian Rainey

The Influence of Confucianism on Molding Zhang Jian’s Cultural Character

Nangtong University Wang Dunqin