Confucianism

1. Confucianism 3 T AM Alexander Sun Kenneth Wong Johnny Ho

2. What is Confucianism? • Confucianism- “The School of Scholars” • A system developed from the teachings of Confucius in early Chinese history. • moral • Social • Political • Religious thought • Confucius belief was studied in • China • Japan • Korea • Vietnam • Taiwan • Hong Kong • Macao • Singapore Kenneth Wong

3. Tenets – Jen • Human Heartedness, Goodness, Benevolence • What makes man distinctively human • Do not do anything to others that you would not have them do to you • The highest virtue according to the Confucian way of life Alexander Sun

4. Tenets – Li • Concrete guide to human relationships or rules of proper action that genuinely embody jen • General principle of social order or the general ordering of life • Can carry different meanings: • Propriety • Reverence • Courtesy • Ritual • Ideal standard of conduct Alexander Sun

5. Tenets – Yi • A moral sense: the ability to recognize what is right and good; the ability to feel, under the circumstances what is the right thing to do. • Not chih, moral wisdom per se, but intuition • Believe that the value in the act is the rightness of the action regardless of the intention or the consequences of the act. Alexander Sun

6. Filial Piety • Generally used to refer to religion, spirituality, or the combination of both • Different meanings: • Behavior towards seniors • Be good towards parents • Take care of one’s parents • Engage in good conduct as to bring a good name to one’s parents and ancestors • Considered the first virtue in Chinese culture Alexander Sun

7. Ming: The Mandate of Heaven • The virtuous person is thus able to act in terms of a middle way, avoiding all extremes in either thought or action. • The order of the universe • For Confucius, ming is simply the way things are in the course of things. • Humans cannot control unfolding events Alexander Sun

8. Doctrine of the Mean • Guidance to perfecting one’s self • The person who follows the mean is on a path of duty, but should abandon it once and awhile for the sake of indulgence. • Even common men and women can carry the mean into their practices, and this is highly recommended if you wish to obtain "the good.“ • Divided into three parts: • The Axis - They Why • The Process - The How • The Perfect Word/Sincerity - The Where and What Alexander Sun

9. Confucianism – Religion, Code of Ethics or Philosophy? • It is debatable whether Confucianism is actually considered as a religion. • Many religions have been influenced by Confucianism. • Considered as an ethical tradition and not a religion. Kenneth Wong

10. The Philosophy of Confucianism provides a great deal of rituals and gives a complete explanation of the world, human nature. • Some religions in the Chinese culture still possess features of Confucianism. • Taoism • Christianity • Muslim • Buddhism • Shintoism Kenneth Wong

11. It’s not a religion although many religions are influenced by this system. • It can be considered as a code of ethics that many of its followers follow. • It may also be seen as a philosophy because it investigates the way of thought, knowledge, and principles of being. Kenneth Wong

12. Eros and Agape - Religion • Confucianism is of the eros tradition, while Christianity is of the agape one • Eros-religion is in the language of this thesis, a religion that focuses on human beings and human efforts to achieve eternity. This is more related to Confucianism rather then Christianity. • Agape-religion is a religion in which god is the center. • The relationship between Eros-religion and agape-religion is similar to the relationship between Confucian jen as the principle of humanistic religion and Christian agape as the ideal of theistic religion. Johnny Ho

13. Similarities and Differences between Confucianism and Christianity Johnny Ho