It is debatable whether Confucianism is a religion in
the strictest sense. Confucius was worshiped as a deity, although he was
only officially made equal to the heavenly god by an imperial edict in 1906.
(Up until 1927, many Chinese offered him  sacrifices.)
Confucius came from an impoverished family of nobility that lived in the
state of Lu (near the village of Qufu, in the west of Shandong province.).
For years, Confucius, or Kong Fuzi (Master Kong), tried to secure office
with many of the feudal lords but he was dismissed again and again. Hetook
to traveling around with his disciples and instructed them in his ideas.
All in all, he is said to have had 3,000 disciples, 72 of them highly-gifted
ones that are still worshiped today.
Confucius taught mainly traditional literature, rites, and music and is
thus regarded as the founder of scholarly life in China. The Chinese word
Ru, which as a rule is translated as Confucian, actually means "someone
of a gentle nature" which was a trait that was attributed to a cultured
person. The thoughts of Confucius were collected in the Analects (Lunyu)
by his loyal disciples; some of the classic works on Confucianism are :Shijing,
the book of songs; Shujing, the book of charters; Liji, the book of rites;
Chunqiu, the spring and autumn annals; and Yijing, the book of changes.
All were required readings of students in the old times.
Confucianism is, in a sense, a religion of law and order. It provides a
framework of world order for a person to live within. This idea, in turn,
is based upon the assumption that people can be educated. |
