(Originally written February 18, 2007 in Book 14)
Pocket Guide to World Religions
Win Corduan
Chapter 5 - Confucianism
Name
Confucianism is named after its founder, Confucius.
Confucianism is often a way of life incorporated with other religions like Daoism and Buddhism.
Numbers and Distribution
Confucianism is not a stand alone religion, so its practitioners are nearly impossible to number.
Symbols
There are no official symbols for Confucianism.
History
Confucius lived in China from 551-479 BC.
Confucius lived in tumultuous times in China.
His father died when he was young, leaving him impoverished.
Through hard work he amazingly rose to the position of advisor to the prince of the province of Lu.
While advisor to the prince, he fell victim to the court's intrigue and spent the last 30 years of his life unemployed. He traveled throughout China his last 30 years and accumulated a vast number of disciples.
His ideas were seen as a way to restore Chinese stability.
Confucius wrote his ideas down, but were blocked by the Qin dynasty. The Han dynasty, which replaced the Qin dynasty, used Confucius' philosophy as the official philosophy of the Chinese Empire.
Confucius the man was venerated after death and became a part of China's long-standing ancestral worship practices.
Confucius' ideals have survived as the structure of Chinese society even until today.
Scriptures
Confucianism venerates all the Confucian classics, but the Analects are the most important.
Major Beliefs
"Confucianism is about how to create a flourishing society" (Corduan, 52).
Confucianism does not promote any supernatural beliefs, but does encourage people to fulfill religious obligations as a part of their moral duties.
Confucianism provides a blueprint for relationships.
Each individual has many roles in a given society. Each role has a virtue attached to it.
The most important virtue in Confucianism is filial piety. Filial piety is maintaining the honor of one's parents. Filial piety is as important in life as it is in death. There are numerous rituals to be performed by children of deceased parents.
Subgroups
There are differences in interpretation of Confucius, but there are no real subgroups in Confucianism.
Worship
There are no gods or salvation in Confucius' teachings.
He saw heaven as being the source of virtue.
Confucianism endorsed ancestor veneration and all its rituals.
Religious Buildings
The Han dynasty built temples to Confucius, but temples to Confucius were replaced by the polytheistic religion Daoism.
Today it is common to find a statue of Confucius in a Chinese temple.
Home Practices
Filial piety is rooted in the homes so the home is important in Confucianism.
The relationships are taught in the home.
Clothing
Confucianism advocates that what one wears should reflect a person's standing in his/her society.
Diet
Food is offered to dead ancestors on a regular basis.
The Qing-Ming festival is a gathering where food is offered to the spirits who in turn consume the essence of the food. The food is then eaten by the gatherers. Not to eat it is a breach of filial piety.
Calendar
Confucianism maintains a traditional Chinese Calendar. It uses a lunar calendar.
The Chinese Calendar began at the onset of the Xia Dynasty, the first Chinese Dynasty. This was in 2698 BC. Thus, the year 2000 AD is year 4698 in China.
Each year is represented by an animal. There are twelve animals:
1) Rooster
2) Dog
3) Pig
4) Rat
5) Ox
6) Tiger
7) Rabbit
8) Dragon
9) Snake
10) Horse
11) Goat
12) Monkey
Chinese New Year, which falls in late January or early February, is the most important holiday.
Confucianism holds that everyone turns one year older on New Year's Day.
The Qing-Ming (spring festival) is the second most important holiday in China. It celebrates the solidarity of the family.
Confucianism has been outwardly eradicated by Westernization and the Communist State. But, Confucius' principles of submission to authority and propriety in relationships still provides the framework for Chinese culture.
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