Confucius - great scholar and teacher

Confucius Birth

Confucius was born in the year 551 B.C. in the state of Lu (present Quju), a little town in today’s Shandong province. He grew up during the time of war and chaos, in the eastern Zhou dynasty (770-221 B.C.) a period of intense political turmoil and civil unrest. His father, Kong Shu Lianghe, was a well known military official in the army of Lu and had a reputation of being courageous and loyal. However, it is believed that the family of Confucius, though of noble lineage, was poor and lived in poverty.

 

In the early age, Confucius loved books and learning. Some historians are of the opinion that he did not attend school but learnt everything by himself. He grew up to become an avid scholar of Chinese traditional culture, particularly of the history, literature, music and rituals of the earlier Western Zhou dynasty (1050-770 B.C), an earlier golden age when rulers where generally kind and subjects were happy and law-abiding. Based on this research into the past and his own observations of the present, he developed a philosophy that emphasized compassion and respect at all levels of society and promoted education as a means to develop the mind and cultivated the character. He hoped that the ruler would adopt this approach to social political morality and interpersonal behavior and use it to spread harmony and peace.

His teachings attracted large number of students but the rulers of the country ignored it. His principles were not applied during his life time. After the death of Confucius, his principles were kept alive and spread by his disciples. Within centuries, the Chinese rulers started adopting his principles; his philosophy became the foundation of Chinese government, education and social structure.

 

Confucius did not succeed as a political advisor during his lifetime but was highly successful as a teacher which can be understood by the loyalty of his students and their attempt to carry on his lessons after his death.

Confucius teachings spread beyond China. Part of his philosophy spread throughout East Asia, greatly influencing the cultures of Korea, Vietnam, Japan and wherever Chinese communities settled.

He changed and shaped Chinese culture. His teachings have influenced people for a long time. During his lifetime, Confucius made his way round the various kingdoms of eastern China, spreading his own theory of government. He became the most influential person in Chinese history.

Teachings of Confucius

Confucius emphasized the concept of the “Junzi” an ideal man or gentleman who was superior because of his great moral caliber. The gentleman, according to Confucius, practiced benevolence and followed rituals that included honoring his ancestors. He preserved the elements of China’s ancient religion of ancestor worship and refined the words of earlier thinkers.

Today Confucius teachings have survived for twenty five centuries and have shaped over a quarter of the world’s population. His image appears not only in the temples across China, but also above the entrance to the US Supreme Court.

Confucius established first schools

Confucius is often credited with establishing the first school – accepting fees from his students in return for his teachings. He taught his students the classical learning that included the things that he himself had learned as a boy and as a young man – poetry, history, literature, rituals and music.

Emperors respected him

Since his death, Confucius has widely been perceived as the quintessential gentleman scholar, a man of great learning who generously shared his knowledge with others, and a man of remarkable integrity who refused to compromise his values and become corrupted by the world around him.

By the eleventh century AD his legendary erudition and moral superiority earned him the posthumous rank of emperor. The emperors were required to show him respect, for example by dismounting from their horses to honor him when they entered Confucian temples.

Confucius was worshipped

Throughout the history there have been those who have chosen to worship Confucius as a deity, specifically a god of learning or knowledge. As early as the second century B.C., Han dynasty emperors offered animal sacrifices at the tomb of Confucius.

The Confucius Temple in Qufu, the town of his birth and death, was built on the site of Confucius home shortly after he died, and has become a place of pilgrimage for many of his followers for centuries.

Confucian temples have also been established in Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.

During the 18^th century, worship of Confucius was so pervasive that in 1715 Pope Clement XI considered it a threat to the spread of Christianity in China.

In depth detail in Wikipedia