StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Confucianism (Analects) - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Analect of Goodness Name Institution Course Analect of Goodness Religious studies reveal that china adhered to Confucianism in the 6th century. This religious group had its basis on the teachings and texts of Master Kong, who held the title of ‘Confucius’…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93.3% of users find it useful
Confucianism (Analects)
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Confucianism (Analects)"

Analect of Goodness Analect of Goodness Religious studies reveal that china adhered to Confucianism in the 6th century. This religious group had its basis on the teachings and texts of Master Kong, who held the title of ‘Confucius’. He exhibited philosophical knowledge concerning life and governance. He sought to establish a way of life that exhibited a high morality level in his efforts to bring about a restoration of the moral code that a preceding leader Zhou had established. This master did not regard himself as an individual possessing a higher level of intelligence.

However, he expressed his commitment to adhere to a past moral code that he admired. He became an ardent teacher of sayings that defined Confucianism. Although none of the primary inscription of the master has existed until today, his followers compiled some of his sayings, and such compilations have been preserved. This paper will consider one of those sayings that have been accorded the name ‘Analects’. These Analects had their basis on the Chinese culture. Kong constructed moral principles that supported the values and virtues that the Chinese culture had emphasized.

Master Kong believed that human beings had the potential of making themselves better, people who adhered to a higher set of moral values. One of the moral principles that he set out was coded as 4.3 and stated that ‘only one who is good can be able to truly love others or despise others’ (Confucius & Slingerland, 2006). This utterance of the master emphasized on the significance of ‘goodness’. Master Kong made reference to three critical terms namely ‘li’, ‘ren’, and ‘de’.

The word ‘de’ denoted power, while ‘li’ denoted tradition. Ren referred to goodness. Since this principle had a philosophical basis, deciphering its meaning was very critical to its application (Yu, 2009). Philosopher Kong sought to emphasize on the significance of acquiring the value of goodness. The context appears to be very broad, and includes numerous virtues that would qualify an individual as good (Nagai-Berthrong, 2005). Kong was well aware of the virtues that the Chinese culture had advocated for, and he admonished the people to adopt such virtues, as that would foster their becoming ‘good’.

Moreover, philosopher Kong tied up the idea of being good to tradition (Kong, & Slingerland, 2003). Observers of the Chinese tradition qualified themselves as good people. Kong highlighted tradition in this context because he wanted to revive the Chinese tradition defined by Zhou in previous times. In his reflection of the old times when the Chinese society adhered to The Zhou moral code, he realized that society was better (Gardner, & Confucius, 2003). Therefore, he urged his followers to strive towards achieving the goodness that existed.

Apparently, being good presents the benefit of ‘de’ which translates to power. When an individual is good, he or she possesses the capacity to use the freedom of choice wisely. A virtuous person has the capacity to choose between attributes that are good and those regarded as bad. Evidently, philosopher Kong implied that being good would elevate an individual to a different level (Selover, & Wei-ming, 2005). At this different level, the individual has access to exercising power contrary to people who lack any goodness.

Since being good presents this unique prospect to an individual, Master Kong had all the reasons to urge society to acquire qualities that can make them good. As Kong the master of Confucianism highlighted, only those who are good stand in the position of being able to love others or despise them. The commentary provided by many authors about this shows that only good people can play the role of judging impartially. As described, a good person exhibits the capacity to use perceptive powers in distinctly differentiating between good and bad (Confucius, Taylor, & Legge, 2011).

Exercising such potential of choosing between good and bad can present an individual with the capacity to identify positive attributes in an individual. Moreover, a good person can identify despicable attributes exhibited by others. Good people have the privilege of playing the role of moral judges representing the ‘de’ that Kong mentioned. They understand societal moral standards and can make impartial judgments about others in society. Being good enables an individual to overcome the barriers that often lead to partial judgements.

For example, a good person can overcome the compelling spirit of jealousy and admire the positive attributes in other people. Such admiration may prompt a good person to love people who exhibit positive attributes (Confucius, & Legge, 2009). Through their power and ability to make impartial judgments, good people can identify the negative traits in others and despise them. Since bad people do not possess the power of making impartial judgments, they cannot love or despise others. As described above, philosopher Kong exhibited philosophical knowledge concerning life and governance.

He sought to establish a way of life that exhibited a high morality level in his efforts to bring about a restoration of the moral code that a preceding leader Zhou had established. One of the Analects that he constructed emphasized on the value of being good. According to him, being good comes with the privilege of being able to love or despise others in society. References Confucius & Slingerland, E. G. (2006). The essential analects: Selected passages with traditional commentary. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub. Co. Confucius.

& Legge, J. (2009). The Confucian analects, the great learning, & The doctrine of the mean. New York: Cosimo Classics. Confucius. Taylor, R. L., & Legge, J. (2011). Confucius, the analects: The path of the sage : selections annotated & explained. Woodstock, Vt: SkyLight Paths Pub. Gardner, D. K., & Confucius, . (2003). Zhu Xi's Reading of the Analects: Canon, commentary, and the classical tradition. New York: Columbia University Press. Kong, Q., & Slingerland, E. G. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditonal commentaries.

Indianapolis, IN [u.a.: Hackett. Nagai-Berthrong, E. (2005). What would Confucius do?: Wisdom and advice on achieving success and getting along with others. New York: Marlowe. Selover, T. W., & Wei-ming, T. (2005). Hsieh Liang-tso and the Analects of Confucius: Humane Learning as a Religious Quest. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Yu, D. (2009). Confucius from the heart: Ancient wisdom for today's world. Sydney: Pan Macmillan.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Confucianism (Analects) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words”, n.d.)
Confucianism (Analects) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/religion-and-theology/1471790-confucianism-analects
(Confucianism (Analects) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words)
Confucianism (Analects) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words. https://studentshare.org/religion-and-theology/1471790-confucianism-analects.
“Confucianism (Analects) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/religion-and-theology/1471790-confucianism-analects.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Confucianism (Analects)

Ballantine Books

Name: Instructor: Course: Date: analects of Confucius Ames & Rosemont present a summarized preview to the writings, which are believed to be the postulates of one of the most celebrated and recognized thinkers in Asia and increasingly in the world.... The authors of the book, The analects of Confucius, believe that those who read this book will be embarking on a journey along the Confucian path or way (Ames 3).... analects of Confucius Ames & Rosemont present a summarized preview to the writings, which are believed to be the postulates of one of the most celebrated and recognized thinkers in Asia and increasingly in the world....
3 Pages (750 words) Book Report/Review

The Chinese Way of Life Is the Confucian Way

For instance, when one disciple queried him about the afterlife, he quickly retorted that because man does not yet fully understand the mortal world, it is very unlikely that he can contemplate on such concepts as heaven and god (The analects).... He did also express the notion that men do not need any god because men are capable of living a harmonious existence without any help from any supernatural being The Confucian analects, which is a document comprising all his sayings and discourses, conversations and travels, is no Bible or Koran or any kind of scripture (Legge 2006, p....
14 Pages (3500 words) Term Paper

Role of Confucian Scholars and Tang Dynasty

To understand the influence of Confucian Teachings on family and society, it is necessary for us to know something in brief about confucianism.... Wing-tsit Chan writes, “confucianism did not begin with a tradition.... How rulers of the Tang Dynasty were able to create a strong centralized government and work towards unifying the political and cultural divisions between its people and were able to maintain excellent administrative efficiency in the entire country on the strength of classical… The people during the reign of Tang Dynasty (618 AD-907 AD) were basically sound and industrious and basic conditions were created by the rulers for the people to enable them to become basically sound and industrious....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

The Ethical Systems of Hinduism and Confucianism

confucianism espouses a more humanistic, temporal view that emphasizes the improvement of human nature through teaching and personal experience.... confucianism is not a Deist religion in the same sense as Hinduism.... confucianism is a fairly elastic term for a belief system that has been present in China “from time immemorial” (Sarkar, 1916).... Therefore, Sarkar writes that confucianism, as it is now known, had actually pervaded China long before Confucius was born....
11 Pages (2750 words) Essay

The Confucian Generations Four Dimensions

The paper "The Confucian Generation's Four Dimensions" states that burial and continual obeisance are important dimensions of the veneration in confucianism and are basically a single thread that binds the way.... confucianism holds that a person has multiple souls which are basically grouped into hun, which is associated with yang, and PO, which is often linked to yin.... confucianism's accentuation of the sanctified nature of the secular realm of human relations cannot be underrated....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Confucianism Philosophical System

"confucianism Philosophical System" focuses on the system that has significantly influenced the structure of East Asian society.... nbsp;… In conclusion, it's clear that confucianism is a complex Philosophical System with religious elements.... nbsp; confucianism lacks a significant explanation of either death or an afterlife and is behaviorally hard to distinguish from a mere ethical institution.... In gaining a more thorough understanding of this philosophical system, this essay considers the fundamental concepts of confucianism, specifically ultimate reality, the nature of the self, death, and ethics....
9 Pages (2250 words) Coursework

Analects of Confucius

The Confucius assert that “Heaven” or Tian is The paper "Philosophy of analects by Confucius" is an exceptional example of a book review on philosophy.... Confucianism, on the other hand, traces itself to the biographical fragments and sayings recorded to the text called the analects.... Several philosophical views and themes can be extracted from the analects and they are ethical rather than metaphysical or analytical in nature.... Confucian analects teach that human discrimination like morality (bad or good) and aesthetics (ugly, beauty) generate the problems and troubles of existence....
2 Pages (500 words) Book Report/Review

The Confucian Notion of Heaven - Tian vs the Daoist Notion of the Way - Dao

Several philosophical views and themes can be extracted from the analects and they are ethical rather than metaphysical or analytical in nature.... The author of this paper "The Confucian Notion of Heaven - Tian vs the Daoist Notion of the Way - Dao" provides the comparison of the philosophical principles and concepts of Daoism and confucianism as respects their application to the Financial Crisis of 2008.... rdquo; confucianism regards these truths or ways as concordant with a specific approach to politics, tradition, and life held as equally important and well looked upon as virtue and humanity....
11 Pages (2750 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us