Confucianism

Confucianism, a western term that has no counterpart in Chinese is a world-view, a social ethic, a political ideology, a scholarly tradition and a way of life. Sometimes viewed as a philosophy and sometimes viewed as a religion, Confucianism may be understood as an all-encompassing humanism that either denies more slights heaven. East Asians may profess themselves to be Shintoists, Taoists, Buddhists, Muslims or Christians, but by announcing their religious affiliations, seldom do they cease to be Confucians. Although often grouped with the major historical religions. Confucianism differs from them by not being an organized religion. Nonetheless, it spread to all East Asian Countries under the influence of Chinese Literate culture and exerted a profound influence on East Asian countries under the influence of Chinese Literate culture and exerted a profound influence on east Asian Spiritual life as well as on East Asian political life. Both the theory and practice of Confucianism have indelibly marked the patterns of government, society, education, and family of East Asia. It is an exaggeration to characterize tradition Chinese life and culture as Confucian but Confucians ethical values have for well over 2,000 years served as the source of inspiration as well as the court of appeal for human interaction between individuals, communities, and nations in the world.

The story of Confucianism does not begin with Confucius which is the Latinized form of K’ung-fu-tzu, Master k’ung whose era was from 551 BC to 479 BC. Nor was Confucius was the founder of Confucianism in the sense that Buddha was he founder of Buddhism and Jesus was the founder of Christianity. Rather Confucius considered him as a transmitter who consciously tried to reanimate the ole in order to attain the new. He proposed retrieving the meaning of the past by breathing vitality into seemingly out molded rituals. Confucius love for antiquity was motivated by his strong desire to understand why certain rituals, such as the ancestral cult, reverence for heavens, and mourning ceremonies had survived for centuries. His journey into the past was a search for the roots, which was perceived as grounded in humanities deepest needs for belonging and communicating. He had faith in the cumulative power of culture. The fact that traditional ways has lost vitality did not for him diminish their potentials for regeneration in the future. In fact, Confucius sense of history was so strong that he saw himself as a convertionist responsible for the continuity of the cultural values and the social norms that he had worked so well for the verbalization of the Chou dynasty. The life of Confucius n contrast to his tremendous importance, seems starkly un-dramatic or as a Chinese expression had it “plain and real”. When Confucius demanded of his students was the willingness to learn “I do not enlighten anyone who is not eager to learn, nor encourage anyone who is not eager to learn, nor encourage anyone who is not anxious to pert his ideas into words”. It was dammed that Confucius was born on 28th September 551 BC. It is observed as a national holiday in china and a national holiday in china and a national holiday in Taiwan as Teacher’s day. After the death of Confucius his eight disciples spread out into eight different schools. Among them mercies: The Paradigmatic Confucian Intellectual and Hsun-tsu: the transmitter of Confucian scholarship. The five classics of Confucius are worldly famous. They can be called as metaphysical, political, social, poetic and historical. The study of Confucius and Confucians, not only as a historical significant inquiry but also as a philosophically meaningful and challenging endeavor.