Who was Confucius?
Kong Fu Zi (c 551-479 BC) known in the west as Confucius
Confucius was born around 551 BC in Zhou times. Although there was one ruling family, the real power was in the hands of local warlords. Each warlord ruled a feudal state. Aristocrat-scholars, called shi, traveled from one feudal state to another, offering advice on everything from politics to weddings to war. The most famous shi was Confucius.
His parents were nobility, but had become poor when the empire fallen apart into feudal states. When he was about 15 years old, he became quite interested in learning. In those days, only the nobility and royals were allowed education. All the teachers were government officials. It was hard for him to find a way to learn. To solve this, he went to work for a nobleman. This gave him the opportunity to travel to the imperial capital.
Confucius studied and learned until he probably was the most learned man of his day. People heard of his knowledge and sent their sons to study with him. He was the first private teacher in China. Confucius taught anyone who was eager to learn. His ideas, called Confucianism, stressed the need to develop responsibility and moral character through rigid rules of behavior. Confucianism is not a religion; it’s a way of behaving, so you’ll do the right things.
What is Confucianism?
In ancient China, Confucianism became both a philosophy and a religion. It was the state-sponsored “religion” of many Chinese dynasties. It was the favorite philosophy of many Chinese rulers. People today still quote and study the many sayings and ideas (rules) that Confucius taught to his students about 2,500 years ago.
The teachings of Confucius focused on building a peaceful and friendly community through daily actions. He believed that building character is like tending a garden–it takes daily effort. He taught five main virtues to practice:
Kindness: Caring for others, being empathetic, and treating family, friends, and even strangers with compassion.
Justice: Knowing right from wrong and doing the right thing, even when it is difficult or when no one is watching.
Respect: Using good manners, showing respect to teachers and elders, and following positive traditions.
Wisdom: Studying hard, asking questions, and understanding how to apply knowledge in real life.
Honesty: Being sincere, keeping you promises, and be a reliable friend.
Analects of Confucius, c. 400 BCE
Do not do unto others, what you would not want others to do to you
If you make a mistake and do not correct it, that is called a mistake
Do not plan the policies of an office you do not hold
Never give a sword to a man who can’t dance
Definitions:
- What is the Analects? (prounouced: ah-nug-lekts) The Analects is a famous, ancient book filled with containing teachings and wise sayings of Confucius.
- What is philosophy? Philosophy is the study of knowledge, reality, and existence. The word comes from the Greek words for love and wisdom. Simply, philosophy is the love of wisdom. Philosophers ask really big questions that have no clear answers or that have more than one answer.
Who is Tao?
At about the same time in history that the great teacher, Confucius, was busy teaching people about the right way to do things, 2,500 years ago in ancient China, there was another young man who was also a teacher. His name was Lao-Tzu. The teachings of Taoism are his teachings. Lao-Tzu believed that physical actions had a spiritual effect. If the body and mind were in good health, the body’s spirit would be in good health. Many people in ancient China followed both the teachings of Confucius, whose rules told you how to do things in the right way, and of Lao-Tzu, whose teachings taught you how to think about things in the right way. Many people around the world are still following these teachings today.
What is Taoism?
Tao (pronounced Dow) means “The Way” (to happiness). Taoism is not a religion. Taoism is a philosophy, a way of looking at life and a way of thinking about things. Taoists believe if you look at life and think about things in the right way, you’ll be much happier. To do this, it’s very important to understand The Way Things Are. This does not mean that there are not things we need to change about ourselves, but it’s important to recognize and trust our own Inner Nature, and discover who we are. In the story of “The Ugly Duckling” by Hans Christian Andersen, when does the duckling stop feeling ugly? – when he discovers he’s a swan. When he recognizes who he really is, a beautiful swan, he finds his Way to happiness.
Taoist Philosophy
A clever mind is not a heart
There is more to knowing than just being correct
The wise know their limitations; the foolish do not
Who is Buddha?
A very long time ago, in ancient India, a new baby was born in the royal palace, a boy. His parents named him Prince Siddhartha Gautama. His parents loved him very much. All his life, growing up, his parents gave the prince excellent food to eat, fine clothes to wear, and good servants to wait on him. When he became a man, his parents gave him a different palace for each season of the year. The prince and his wife were blessed with the birth of a baby, a new son, who was strong and healthy. You might say the prince had everything!
But all the prince could see was suffering. It had bothered him greatly, all his life, that pain and old age, and sickness and death were all part of life. The thought of this had always made him very unhappy.
One day, the prince met a monk. That changed his world. He could not believe the monk could find happiness in a world that held such misery. The prince made a startling decision. He decided to leave his parents, his wife, and his newborn son, and become a monk.
The prince traveled ancient India, in search of peace and calm in the face of suffering and sadness. He traveled for six years, as a monk. He was beginning to despair. Perhaps there was no answer. Perhaps all his life he would be unhappy. It was a miserable thought.
It was when he was resting under a fig tree that the way to end all suffering occurred to him! That was the day the monks began to call him “the Buddha”, or the Awakened One.
What is Buddhism?
Four Noble Truths: What Buddha realized, while resting under the fig tree, is that life is ruled by four truths, truths the Buddha call the Four Noble Truths: Those truths are:
- Life is filled with suffering
- Suffering is caused by people’s wants
- Suffering can be ended if people stop wanting things, like more pleasure or more power
- To stop wanting things, people must follow 8 basic laws, called the Eightfold Path
Eightfold Path: These are the eight basic laws that all people must follow if they wish to end suffering:
- To know the truth
- To intend to resist evil
- To not say anything to hurt others
- To respect life, property, and morality
- To work at a job that does not inure others
- To try to free one’s mind from evil
- To be in control of one’s feelings and thoughts
- To practice appropriate forms of concentration
The Middle Way: Buddha realized that people could not follow rules if the rules were too strict. That’s why the Eightfold Path is also called The Middle Way. The rules demand a certain behavior, but it is behavior that costs nothing except effort and care.
Proverbs: To help people better understand and remember the rules, Buddha’s teachings were written down as proverbs many years ago. Here are two proverbs written down over 1000 years ago:
As a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, even so the wise are not ruffled by praise or blame.
Hatreds never cease by hatred in this world; by love alone they cease. This is an ancient law.
The Laughing Buddha: Many statues of the Buddha show him laughing. The Buddha is laughing to remind us that we need to greet each day with joy.
The Best Person You Can Be: Another goal of Buddhism is to become the greatest person in the world. This teaching is often misunderstood. It does not mean that you are better than everyone else. It means that you are the best person you can be. The famous example that Buddhists use is the story of the ant. When an ant puts his best effort into carrying a grain of rice, the ant is no longer just an ant; he is the best ant he can be, and thus the greatest ant in the world. But, when a horse carries a grain of rice, it is not much of an achievement.
Buddhism Becomes a World Religion: After a time, many people began calling the prince “the Buddha”. Buddhism spread rapidly throughout Southern and Eastern Asia. Today, Buddhism is a world religion. People who follow Buddha’s teachings are called Buddhists. There are over 500 million Buddhists in the world. Buddhists value goodness, self-control, wisdom, calm, and love.
