Sometimes viewed as a philosophy and sometimes as a religion, confucianism may be understood as an allencompassing way of thinking and living that entails ancestor reverence and a profound humancentred religiousness. Confucian beliefs have constantly changed and developed over the past 2,500 years. Confucianism, confucian beliefs, confucian teachers. Referring to buddhism, confucianism, and taoism, a writer on china says. What are the top ten religions and what is the holy book. Confucianism emphasizes family and ethics and not gaining salvation via a transcendent divine being.
Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or simply a way of life, confucianism developed from what was later called the hundred schools of thought from the teachings of the chinese philosopher confucius 551479 bce. These are some of the few chinese texts which survived a disasterous book burning in 2 b. This is achieved by everyone having well defined roles and acting. Kung fu tzu, better known as confucius, was a chinese philosopher of the sixth century b. This sacred text is divided into two main sections, the old testament and the new testament which are then further divided into various books. Confucianism deals primarily with moral conduct and ethical living and is often categorized as an. Due to the emphasis on selfcultivation and developing moral perfection, confucius students where likely to be found learning rituals, studying ancient wise teachings, and all. There is one element in christianity which was not borrowed from paganism religious intolerance. What are the top ten religions and what is the holy book for. Sometimes viewed as a philosophy, sometimes as a religion, confucianism is perhaps best understood as an allencompassing humanism that is compatible with other forms of religion. Confucianism, a western term that has no counterpart in chinese, is a worldview, a social ethic, a political ideology, a scholarly tradition, and a way of life. They disagree on the basic teachings of islam and are often in conflict with one another. Confucius taught a philosophy for bringing harmony to individuals and to society as a whole. Sep 26, 2018 confucianism is a philosophical belief system that originated in china in about 500 b.
Is the religion confucianism monotheistic or polytheistic. Confucianism a philosophy system of ideas to ensure social order and better rulers that was founded in china by confucius. The four books sishu are chinese classic texts illustrating the core value and belief systems in confucianism. Confucius was primarily known in china for giving moral advice to the leaders of the country. Confucianism, the teachings of confucius during 500 bc, has played an important role in forming chinese character, behavior and way of living. Confucianism is depending on one s perspective either a religion, philosophical movement, cultural way of life, or governmental system. Zhu placed this text last among the four books because, having studied the other three, the student could here study the intricacies of confucian philosophy. Education was one of the cornerstones of confucian belief, but was more about cultivating yourself as a person and member of society than learning advanced algebra. Chinese ethical and philosophical teachings of confucius which emphasized education, family, peace, and justice. Thus, selfexamination and selfcultivation are fundamentally religious activities in the. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or simply a way of life, confucianism developed from what was later called the hundred schools of thought from the teachings of the chinese philosopher. Belief systems confucianism, hinduism, buddhism flashcards.
Guo 1995 its primary purpose is to achieve harmony, the most important social value. The four books is a collection of confucian root texts. Confucianism has been the code of ethics adopted by most of the great chinese empires 206 bc 1912 ad. The great learning, the analects of confucius, the book of mencius and the doctrine of the mean. If one book must be the holy book of confucianism it would be analects of confucius. There is no personal god or monotheistic creator god in buddhism, as there is in christianity, judaism or islam. Mencius also spelled mengzi or mengtzu, a book of his conversations with kings of the time, is one of the four books which form the core of orthodox confucian thinking. There are five pillars of islam that form the core of this religion. You should read enough of the materials presented in this section concerning the tradition of confucianism in order to understand how this tradition displays the characteristics or elements that make a tradition one that would be termed a religion. Confucius was a chinese philosopher who was born in 551 b. It makes no statements over worship and spirituality.
Confucianism is a philosophical belief system that originated in china in about 500 b. Preserving one s mind and nourishing one s nature is how one serves tian mengzi 7a1. Confucianism does not even exclude belief in other deities, which has made it a common philosophy among believers of many religions throughout history. They were selected by zhu xi in the song dynasty to serve as general introduction to confucian thought, and they were, in the ming and qing dynasties, made the core of the official curriculum for the civil service. The four books and five classics were the authoritative books of. Sep 15, 2017 basic beliefs islam is the second most followed religion in the world. I thought that jennifer oldstonemoores confucianism was a useful, beginning guide to understanding the origins and background of the religious tradition of confucianism. Oct 19, 2017 do all religions have a holy book 10yqts. Confucianism, also known as ruism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient china. Finally, hsin is faithfulness and dependability, keeping one s word. Apr 03, 2019 just like any religion in the world, confucianism has its own holy places for worshipping or practicing. However, the four books, are considered the closest we come to the original teaching of confucious.
They have a holy book called the quran, which they believe is the word of allah handed down by the angel. Confucianism is a philosophical system that was developed from chinese politician, theorist and teacher confucius, or kong qiu. Origin and founder, characteristics, beliefs, religion, sacred books. Actually, the tao te ching is completely unlike the holy books you have studied. This fascinating volume provides a concise, illustrated introduction to five of the great religious traditions of the worldbuddhism, hinduism, taoism, confucianism, and shinto.
It is nothing more than a collection, filled with nuggets of wisdom that the ancient chinese felt were very effective when applied to life. In the 12th century, zhu xi codified the sacred texts of confucianism, calling them simply the four books. It implicitly embodies key aspects of chinese culture. The founding of the religion goes back to one man, known as confucius, born 500 years before christ. Confucianism is the main ancient philosophy of china. Read more confucianism beliefs, symbols and practices.
The concept of confucianism is derived from the beliefs and teachings of a chinese philosopher named confucius. The main concepts of confucianism lander university. The li ki part i the li ki part ii the book of rites. Neoconfucianism could have been an attempt to create a more rationalist and secular form of confucianism by rejecting superstitious and mystical elements of taoism and buddhism that had influenced confucianism during and after the han dynasty. Between the followers of the three national religions there is not only a total absence of persecution and bitter feeling, but a very great indifference as to which of. Confucianism at its core is a highly sophisticated philosophy of morality, governance and custom, rather than a religion. The first principle of confucianism is to act according. Confucius himself said that it is well to praise other deities other than the supremenaturalie, god, as long as appropriate rites are used to avoid paganism. Master kong, the creator of confucianism, didnt devise it as a new religion.
Confucius believed that the key to the successful organization of society is that individuals should know and do what is expected of them. A key point of the doctrine of the mean is the importance of a unified purpose between principle and mind, whereby one might achieve, within oneself, a manifestation of heaven. The first principle of confucianism is to act according to jen. Confucianism is depending on one s perspective either a religion, philosophical movement, cultural way of. These books are the book of history, the book of poetry, the book of changes, the book of rites, and the spring and autumn annals. The key book of taoism was compiled around the 3rd century bce. The buddha was not a god or prophet but an ordinary man who taught the path to awakening. The most followed and studied book through the religion. Thus one side of confucianism was the affirmation of accepted values and norms of behavior in primary social institutions and basic human relationships. Buddhism, one of the worlds great religious traditions, attracts millions of modernday followers.
He wrote deeply, mostly about individual morality and ethics, and the proper use of political power by the rulers of the world. As a religion, buddhism is neither monotheistic nor polytheistic. Although confucianism isnt strictly a religion, it does have a number of prominent texts, considered by many followers, to be sacred. Quran is the holy book which regulates and teaches every segment.
The older brother is the one who has more responsibilities within the family environment. Confucianism, a religion of optimistic humanism, has had a monumental impact upon the life, social structure, and political philosophy of china. Some philosophers, such as herbert fingarette, conceptualized the religion as one that actually places divinity on secular things. Confucianism rujiao is a way of life taught by confucius kong fuzi in china in the 6th5th century bce and the rituals and traditions associated with him. The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world. Buddhism 376 million followers tripitaka pali canon 5. Confucianism beliefs, symbols and practices savage facts. Hence, he rejects the way of human action where one satisfies likes and avoids dislikes. Attributed to confucius grandson, kong ji, the doctrine of the mean also originated as a chapter of the book of rites. The chinese classics these are key texts of confucianism, the traditional state religion of feudal china.
Basic beliefs islam is the second most followed religion in the world. Based on the teachings of the prophet mohammed which stresses belief in one god allah, paradise and hell, and a body of law written in the quran. It has been established that none of them has been written by confucious kungtzu, 551479 b. About one fourth of the worlds population pursues islam that was revealed to the prophet muhammad. Mencius interpretation of confucianism has generally been considered the orthodox version by subsequent chinese philosophers, especially the neoconfucians of the song dynasty.
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