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The Bible and Confucianism

Confucianism Images by Google

 
    Confucianism is a "code of conduct" to live this life, and it has had a tremendous impact on how the Chinese live their lives... with a great influence in Chinese government, education, and attitudes toward correct personal behavior and the individual duties to society.

    - No church nor clergy; no teaching on the worship of God or gods, or life after death. Confucianism is actually a philosophy of life, not a Religion... like Buddhism.
    Founded in China by Kung-futze, "master Kung", known as Confucius (551-479 AC). Confucius - Confucius - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Confucius wanted to be a politician, even a Prime Minister, but he failed... and dedicated to preach good moral conduct... after his death he is the Chinese most influential in the history of China, and had all the honors he never had in life: The Government ordered the "worship of Confucius", and named him the "Co-Assessor with the deities of Heaven and Earth". His precepts and principles were incorporated into the Chinese Law in 210 BC.

    His way to please God or the gods is through a "good conduct" with your family, neighbors, and society... if you are a good person, God is going to like you, as we already commented in Taoism.

    Some say that Confucianism is no religion in reality, because Confucius is a philosopher, moralist, statesman and educationist, but no religionist. They say that the thoughts and teachings of Confucius are ethical philosophy, political and educational principle, but not religious philosophy.

    The "Jen": The essence of all his teachings may be summed up under this one word ‘Jen’. The nearest equivalent to this difficult word is "social virtue". All those virtues which help to maintain social harmony and peace like benevolence, charity, magnanimity, sincerity, respectfulness, altruism, diligence, loving kindness, goodness are included in Jen.

    His "Golden Rule" is: "What you do not want done to yourself, do not do unto others". "The injuries done to you by an enemy should be returned with a combination of love and justice".

The Symbol means total harmony, righteousness, in your own life and in your relations with your neighbor.

    The "universal virtues" are: Wisdom, Benevolence, and Fortitude... Asked about what is "Benevolence", he answered: "It is to love all men"; what is "knowledge?: "It is to know all men"... The "perfect virtue": "Gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness".

    Confucius said: A virtuous man has three awes:
    1- Awe for Heaven’s decree,
    2- Awe for great men.
    3- Awe for saints’ words... When worshipping God, one must feel as if He were visibly present.

    Confucius laid great stress on the cultivation of character, purity of heart and conduct. He exhorted the people to develop a good character first, which is a priceless jewel and which is the best of all virtues.

    The nature of man, according to Confucius, is fundamentally good inclined towards goodness. Perfection of goodness can be found in sages and saints. Every man should attempt to reach the ideal by leading a virtuous life, by possessing a very noble character, and by doing his duty unselfishly with sincerity and truthfulness. He who is endowed with a good character and divine virtue is a princely type of man. The princely man sticks to virtue, and the inferior man clings to material comfort. The princely man is just while the inferior man expects rewards and favours. The princely man is dignified, noble, magnanimous, and humble while the inferior man is mean, proud, crooked, and arrogant.

    In the "Great Learning" Confucius revealed the process, step by step, by which self-development is attained and by which it flows over into the common life to serve the state and bless mankind. The order of development which Confucius set forth is as follows:
        Investigation of phenomena,
        Learning,
        Sincerity,
        Rectitude of purpose,
        Self-development,
        Family-discipline,
        Local self-government, and
        Universal self-government.

    His teaching was largely concerned with the problems of good government. He said, "The Ruler himself should be virtuous, just, honest and dutiful. A virtuous ruler is like the Pole-star which, by keeping its place, makes all other stars to evolve round it. As is the Ruler, so will be the subjects."

    Confucius held that Society was made up of five relationships: Those of husband and wife, of parent and child, of elder and younger brother, or generally of elders and youngsters, of Ruler and Minister or subject, and of friend and friend.
    A country would be well-governed when all the parties performed their parts aright in these relationships.
    Confucius said: "There was Tao (a way or road of righteousness) only when fathers were fathers, when sons were sons, when Rulers were Rulers and when ministers were ministers."

    He was a disciple of Lao-Tze, and after a meeting with the founder of Taoism, Confucius said: "I know how the birds fly, how the fishes swim, haw animals run. But there is the Dragon. I cannot tell how it mounts on the winds through the clouds and flies through heaven. Today I have seen the Dragon". More on Confucius, see Taoism.

    - Confucianism is lived in syncretism with any other religion in China... any Confucianist would be very happy to become a Christian!.

Scriptures, Books:

Teachings of Confucius
   The following four books are intimately concerned with the principles of Confucianism:
    1- The Confucian Analects in twenty books. Written by his pupils, is the Bible of Confucianism. The Confucian Analects, contains sayings and conversations between the Teacher and his disciples.
    2- Lun Yu, and Meng Tzu, the Philosophy of Mencius, is written by an ardent Confucianist. It deals with various questions raised by his disciples. It gives advice to rulers of feudal states. It treats of psychology, political theory and economics.
    3- Ta-Hsueh, the Great Learning or learning for adults, it is a politico-ethical treatise
    4- Chung Yung, The Doctrine of the Mean, it was written by Kung Chi, a grandson of Confucius. It is a purely philosophical book. It treats of some general principles that concern the nature of mean and right conduct. Confucian Analects, Mencius, Doctrine of the Mean,  The Great Learning  The Confucian Canon in Chinese and English

The Bible and Confucianism:

    The Gen and the sayings of Confucius are very much parallel to the virtues and commandments of the Bible.

    Actually, we all want to love, to do good, but, since Adam, we all end up loving ourselves, doing good unto ourselves, and that's "selfishness", exactly the opposite of "love".

    The essence of Christianity is not "to know" about Christ but "to be" another Christ, with Christ in the Christian and the Christian in Christ, in his Mystical Body, in his church... and Christ is God, the Absolute, the real "Tao" who became a real human person. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. (Galatians 2:20).

    With God in me, I am going to feed the hungry and give water to the thirsty, and not me, but Christ who lives in me. A Christian is the hands and feet of Christ on earth, and the brain and heart of Christ to bring unto others understanding and respect and love... and not me, but Christ who lives in me.

    Confucianism , like original Buddhism, does not mention God. But  every human being needs God, every person is a religious animal. That's why even the Government of China wanted to make a God out of Confucius, which would be an Anti-Confucianism, like many Buddhist traditions have made a God out of Buddha, which is an Anti-Buddhism, Anti-Buddhism, Traditions     

Death:
    Every human needs "religion", even in Confucianism!.
    At death, the relatives cry out aloud to inform the neighbors. The family starts mourning and puts on clothes made of a coarse material. The corpse is washed and placed in a coffin. Mourners bring incense and money to offset the cost of the funeral. Food and significant objects of the deceased are placed into the coffin.
    A Buddhist or Taoist priest, or even a Christian minister performs the burial ritual. Friends and family follow the coffin to the cemetery, along with a willow branch which symbolizes the soul of the person who has died. The latter is carried back to the family altar where it is used to "install" the spirit of the deceased.
    Liturgies are performed on the 7th, 9th and 49th day after the burial and on the first and third anniversaries of the death.

Links:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/confuciu.htm
http://www.confucius.org/main01.htm
http://www.friesian.com/
http://www.cifnet.com/
http://www.human.toyogakuen-u.ac.jp/
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04223b.htm