RELIGION OR ETHICAL SYSTEM?
CONFUCIANISM
BEGINNINGS:
CH’IU K’UNG WAS BORN IN 550 B.C. IN CHINA
IN POVERTY AND W/ NO RANK
 DIED ~ 70 YEARS LATER---REVERED
 EXCELLED AS A STUDENT IN TROUBLED TIMES
 SO HE WANTED TO DEVELOP SYSTEM OF
HONEST AND PEACEFUL GOV’T
 STUDIED A LOT & BEGAN TO BE CALLED K’UNGFU-TSE (KUNG THE PHILOSOPHER)

“FIRST SAGE”
STUDIES LED TO HIM BECOMING A SOUGHTAFTER TEACHER (IN 30’S OVER 3,000 PUPILS)
 MAN NEEDED TO QUESTION ANYTHING
UNCLEAR UNTIL IT BECAME CLEAR
 “STUDY W/O THOUGHT IS A SNARE, AS
THOUGHT W/O STUDY IS DANGER”
 STUDIED LOTS OF OLD MANUSCRIPTS
 COMPILED INTO FOUR BOOKS

BOOKS
THE “FOUR BOOKS”:
 ANNALS (HISTORY: W/O IT = IGNORANCE)
 ODES (POETRY: MAKES MAN NOBLE)
 CEREMONIES (HOW TO PERFORM RITUALS
CORRECTLY)

I CHING: “BOOK OF CHANGES”
MYSTICAL TEXT WHICH, WHEN UNDERSTOOD, IS
THE KEY TO THE UNIVERSE
 _______ _______
 ________________
 _______ _______
 _______ _______
 _______ _______
 ________________
 YOUTHFUL FOLLY

I-CHING
CH’UN CH’IN: “THE 5 RELATIONSHIPS”
THESE RELATIONSHIPS MAKE THE WORLD RUN
RIGHT
 FATHER/SON (MOST IMPORTANT)
 HUSBAND/WIFE
 OLDER BROTHER/YOUNGER BROTHER
 FRIEND/FRIEND
 RULER/SUBJECT
 ANYTHING MISSING?

IMPORTANT CONCEPTS
REN & LI SHOULD GOVERN ALL HUMAN
RELATIONSHIPS
 REN: INNER ATTITUDE OF BEING KIND, LOVING,
GOOD
 LI: PRACTICE OF OUTWARDLY DOING THE
RIGHT THING
 TRADITION/THE PAST: SHOULD BE DEEPLY
RESPECTED

IMP. CONCEPTS, CONT.
OLD AGE SHOULD BE DEEPLY RESPECTED,
EVEN TO ANCESTORS (WORSHIP THEM)
 EDUCATION IS ESSENTIAL FOR HUMANS
 CIVIL SERVICE EXAMS ONLY PATH TO MOBILITY
IN ANCIENT CHINA (BASED ON CONFUCIUS)
 “TO GOVERN OTHERS, ONE MUST FIRST
GOVERN ONESELF”

OTHER STUFF
WOMEN RANK LOWER THAN MEN TO
CONFUCIUS
 NO GOD: BUT A BELIEF IN A DIVINE
PERFECTION:
 “HEAVEN IS THE AUTHOR OF THE DIVINE IN
ME”
 NO SECTS, BUT INFLUENCED A LOT OF
THINKERS AND ALL OF CHINESE HISTORY
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