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The Key Beliefs of Confucianism (Excerpts from “Confucianism,” by Dong Sull Choi in Religions of the World: a Latter-Day Saint View

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The Key Beliefs of Confucianism (Excerpts from “Confucianism,” by Dong Sull Choi in Religions of the World: a Latter-Day Saint View The Key Beliefs of Confucianism (Excerpts from “Confucianism,” by Dong Sull Choi in Religions of the World: a Latter-day Saint View. 2nd Edition. (1997) P. 99-109) The ultimate goal implicit in all that in the Analects, and scholars still argue over Confucius taught is the realization of a its various etymologies and translations of peaceful world. According to the Great the term into English. In Chinese writing, Learning, one of the Four Books of the character for jen is composed of Confucianism, the pursuit of personal "person" and "two," signifying the virtue—or moral self-realization—is the relationship between man and man, man and foundational step toward the attainment of woman, or humans and the divine. Lin universal peace. The worthy behavior of the Yutang rendered it in English as "true ancient sage-kings is a model for humankind manhood" and occasionally as "kindness." in modern times: Waley interpreted it as "good" or "goodness." Other scholars have translated it Their hearts being rectified, their as "human-heartedness," "benevolence," persons were cultivated. Their "goodness," "humaneness," or "love"—even persons being cultivated, their meaning sexual love, though this sense families were regulated. Their almost never appears in Confucian literature. families being regulated, their States In sum, jen is regarded as the most were rightly governed. Their States important attribute of the chun tzu, the being rightly governed, the whole superior man; its attainment is, therefore, the kingdom was made tranquil and object of education. happy. From the Son of Heaven [the emperor] down to the mass of the Li people, all must consider the cultivation of the person the root of Jen is realized, according to Analects 12:1, everything besides…. through the practice of li. The term is used 71 times in the Analects and 489 times in the Tso Oman in contexts that identify it as CONFUCIAN THOUGHT "the standard for political, social, and individual affairs"; but, like jen, it has no Moral Teachings exact equivalent in English. Attempts at translation have included "rites," "rituals," Confucius's teachings on the subject of "propriety," "courtesy," "ceremonies," "good morality cluster around four principal manners," and "politeness." Taken in the themes: jen, li, hsiao, and chung yung. broadest sense, the term encompasses all Following his death, faithful disciples such moral codes; ethics, and social behavior. as Mcncius (372-289 B.C.E.) and Hsun Tzu More narrowly, it means the forms of (298-238 B.C.E.) continued teaching socially acceptable conduct, or the way adherence to these four cardinal virtues, and things should be done. In general, li is the they still characterize Confucian philosophy blueprint for a well-conducted life. as understood today. Confucius taught that five basic social Jen relationships existed in life and that the presence of li in these relationships would Jen (pronounced "ren") is so central a ensure an ideal society. These relationships concept in Confucius's thought that illustrate the importance of the family in Confucianism is sometimes called the Confucianism. As listed by Lewis Hopfe, philosophy of jen. The term recurs 108 times they are: 1 1. Father to son. There should be belief in the hierarchy of all human kindness in the father and filial piety relationships. As he explains, the son is in the son. inferior to his father and owes hsiao— 2. Elder brother to younger brother. respect and obedience—to him. So, too, the There should be gentility in the elder wife is inferior to her husband and owes him brother and humility in the younger. corresponding hsiao. Younger brother, 3. Husband to wife. There should be servant, and citizen owe hsiao to elder righteous behavior in the husband brother, master, and emperor. Thompson and obedience in the wife. cites both Mencius, the Confucian authority 4. Elder to junior. There should be second only to Confucius, and Confucius consideration among the elders and himself to confirm the essential importance deference among the juniors. of hsiao in Chinese thought. "[Mencius] 5. Ruler to subject. There should be said, 'Which is the greatest duty? Duty to benevolence among the rulers and parents is the greatest.... Among our many loyalty among the subjects. duties, the duty of serving the parents is fundamental.'" Then, in this famous passage As this list makes clear, Confucius did not from the Hsiao Ching, attributed to perceive the individual as an isolated entity, Confucius: but rather as one surrounded by human relationships. In essence, there is no Filiality is the root of virtue, and that individual; each living being is defined by from which civilization derives.... his or her relationships with other beings. The body, the hair and skin are The purpose of li is to set parameters for received from our parents, and we those relationships. As Confucius said in dare not injure them: this is the Analects 6:28, "[T]o turn your own merits to beginning of filiality. (We should) account ... help others to turn theirs to establish ourselves in the practice of account." In other words, the reciprocal the true Way [Tao], making a name give-and-take required by living in human for ourselves for future generations, society is a necessary factor in individual and thereby bringing glory to our development; correct adherence to li leads, parents: this is the end of filiality. therefore, to the attainment of jen. Filiality begins with the serving of our parents, continues with the Hsiao serving of our prince, and is completed with the establishing of From the earliest beginnings of their long our own character. history, the Chinese have valued the virtue Confucius described as hsiao—usually Thus, Thompson concludes, hsiao forms the rendered in English as "filial piety" or basis of family unity, is the primary quality "filiality." Chen describes it as "the root of of the ideal person, and acts as the most all virtues, [which] serves as the moving influential force in maintaining the force for action in accordance with moral orderliness of the state. standards. It permeates all virtues, and gives life and strength for their translation into As mentioned previously, Confucius is said actions." to have mourned the death of his mother for three years. This practice is an expression of Laurence Thompson notes that the written hsiao dating far back into Chinese antiquity. character for hsiao is the character for "old" The Shu Ching reports that upon the death supported from underneath by the character of the sage-king Yao (traditionally ca. 2358- for "son," in a succinct yet eloquent 2357 B.C.E.) "people mourned for him three summary of its meaning. He further suggests years, as if for the death of their own that this concept forms the basis for Chinese parents." An Old Testament story 2 reminiscent of hsiao is that of Joseph, the Chung Yung son of Jacob, whose jealous older brothers sold him into Egypt as a slave. Although he The fourth main topic of Confucian moral passed the remainder of his life in this land teachings was chung yung, which has among a foreign people with foreign ways, sometimes been translated as "central and although he rose high in their esteem, he harmony" but usually as "golden mean or always remembered with love and concern "doctrine of the mean," resembling as it does the parents and family he had lost. When his the Greek philosopher Aristotle's doctrine of brothers came to Egypt for food during a the mean. Confucius felt that many of the great famine, he wept for joy at seeing them troubles of his day stemmed from the fact again, though he did not at once make that this virtue had been neglected; it himself known to them. When at last therefore held a central place in his moral reunited with his father, Joseph "fell on his instruction. In accordance with it, he himself neck, and wept on his neck a good while" rejected extremes of any kind, keeping (Gen. 46:29); this tenderness very much instead to a course of moderation. For impressed the pharaoh and the Egyptian instance, his social theory endorsed neither people. Upon Jacob's death, Joseph communal primacy nor individualism. entreated the pharaoh: "My father made me Instead, he taught—and exemplified— swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I balance in life through jen, li, and hsiao, have digged for me in the land of Canaan, with emphasis on both individual and social there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let responsibilities as well as on the me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, interrelationships between thoughts and and I will come again" (Gen. 50:5). actions, motives and consequences, or innate Impressed with this desire Joseph showed to tendencies and acquired experiences. honor his father's last request, the pharaoh agreed; and Joseph traveled with his family POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY to Jacob's grave site in Canaan. There, after conducting the customary funeral rites, As previously stated, the projected end of a "they mourned with a great and very sore Confucian education was service in a lamentation: and he made a mourning for his political office. The moral teachings of father seven days" (Gen. 50:10). Confucius, therefore, constitute the direct source of the political philosophy he taught; Since the 1911 revolution, the traditional the applications were simply made specific acceptance and practice of hsiao has been to the business of promoting a harmonious increasingly criticized in mainland China. society. In accordance with the concept of However, its efficacy in strengthening chung yung, his philosophy may be peaceful societal relations is still defended examined in two contexts: the role of the by many Confucian scholars today.
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