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Confucianism

Confucianism January 30, 2006 Layers of Chinese Religion Buddhism Confucianism Taoism Nameless religion Ancestor worship Divination (astrology, I Ching ) (from c. 100 C.E.) “Hundred Schools” during Warring States Period (c. 500-221 B.C.E) Early Kings (by 1500 B.C.E.)

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Confucianism

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  1. Confucianism January 30, 2006

  2. Layers of Chinese Religion • Buddhism • Confucianism • Taoism • Nameless religion • Ancestor worship • Divination (astrology, I Ching) (from c. 100 C.E.) “Hundred Schools” during Warring States Period (c. 500-221 B.C.E) Early Kings (by 1500 B.C.E.)

  3. Shang Dynasty Religion(c.1700-1045 BCE) • Oracle Bones: Divination • Consultation with Shang ancestors • Bronzes: Worship of ancestors • Keep Di and Ancestor Spirits, happy • No creation myth • Instead, sage kings • Yao & Shun • Moralization of political events

  4. The Zhou Take Power from the Shang (c. 1045 BCE) • Zhou, under Shang, felt themselves more deserving of rule • King Wu and the Battle at Anyang • “Duke of Zhou” is Wu’s uncle • Establish doctrine of “mandate of heaven” • Moral and religious justification of the king/state • Heaven (tian) withdraws the mandate from the unjust • Supports strong, continuing historical/divination/ritual traditions

  5. Spring & Autumn (c. 800-480) and Warring States (c. 480-221) Periods • Fragmentation and Chaos • Local Strongmen call themselves “king” • Set up separate centers for divination and ritual • Increase in shi (“sure”), elite specialists in history/divination/administration • Eventually they form a new professional class of independent specialists—political “consultants” • Suggests Loss of Mandate • Shi try to answer the basic problem: What went wrong, and what can be done? • Lots of answers: “The Hundred Schools of Thought”

  6. The Hundred Schools of Thought • Linguistic & Cosmological speculation • Sunzi, on the Conduct of War • Mozi, on Universal Love & Defensive War • Legalists, on Absolute Rule • Based on this, the Qin win • Confucianism • Taoism

  7. Confucius (c. 550-480 B.C.E) • From Lu, home of the Duke of Zhou (p. 175, 7.5) • Early life: Travels, offers services as shi (p. 177, 1.1) • Later life: Returns home and teaches (p. 175, 7.7)

  8. Confucius’ Response to the Decline of the Chou • Government is rectification—making right. (p. 187, 12.17) • You can’t rectify if you aren’t good (p. 187, 13.6) and don’t support the good (p. 187, 2.19) • Decisions and rituals of state should issue from the highest authority (p. 182, 16.2)

  9. Ritual, Propriety, Filiality, Benevolence • Nobody else knows or cares about ritual & propriety (p. 182, 3.15, 17, & 18) • Confucius was punctilious (p. 176, 10.2, 4, 8) • Propriety and music are higher level skills—but humaneness and filiality come first (p. 181, 3.3) • Filiality/respect is a cultivated skill, a practiced attitude (p. 180-181, 2.6-7) • Respect is the source of benevolence (p. 177, 1.2)

  10. The Five Relationships:Hierarchy and Reciprocity • Father and son • Older brother and younger brother • Husband and wife • Friend and friend • Ruler and subject

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