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What were the teachings of Confucius (summarized)?

blulotus29blulotus29
edited January 2011 in Buddhism Basics
I know this isn't about Buddhism but i'm writing a paper and i'd like some information from a real person if possible. What did Confucius teach? I googled it but I don't understand what Jen is and all that. If someone could kinda break it down for me what he taught in layman's terms, i'd really appreciate it...that is if anyone here happens to know anything about Confucianism.

Comments

  • [DeletedUser][DeletedUser]
    edited January 2011
    According to three-Character Classic: A Confucian Roadmap for Kids, it revealed that since the beginning, beings are naturally supremely pristine, their natures are the same but their habits become different. Due to negligent and not taught, their nature deteriorate, and the right way to teach, is with absolute concentration :thumbsup:
  • ShiftPlusOneShiftPlusOne Veteran
    I've only studied Confucius from a management perspective, so this might not be helpful at all. He was all about merit and developing people. He said people who have earned merit should be the ones to take government posts. The Han dynasty put that into affect with 'merit exams'. The system didn't work at all, due to corruption and manipulation. He also advocated developing and cultivating people's natural morals to secure cooperation. It's also why China has a history of following 'authority' without questioning anyone higher up in the hierarchy, because they have earned the merit and know better.
  • sukhitasukhita
    I think this is a simple article to start with. :)
  • CinorjerCinorjer Veteran
    edited January 2011
    Confucius basically preached there was a natural order in society that should be followed for people to live in harmony with each other and nature, but was an obsessive micromanager who took it down to every waking and sleeping moment. Think I'm exaggerating? He and his disciples insisted there was a correct posture one should assume in bed when sleeping ("not like a corpse", if you want to know). How you lived and acted depended on your situation in life, of course. How many rooms you were allowed to build on a house depended on your station, that sort of thing.

    He taught strict, unquestioned obedience to the highly authoritarian bureaucratic government and was always trying to get a cushy court advisor position for himself, so was very popular with the ruling class. While his philosophy did include an admonition that rulers should be self-disciplined, avoid excess and rule fairly, when did any king or boss care about the rules when it came to their own behavior? In other words, he turned bureaucracy into a religion and the paper pushers went wild over it.

    If it seems strange that his philosophy had such a huge impact on Eastern cultures, remember those are homogeneous, ancient cultures with a history of ancestor and Emperor worship. That means tradition and family roles and a pressure to fit into society have a force that people in the West just can't fathom. So, a philosophy that enshrines this social structure into a moral imperative was bound to be widely effective. It was your moral duty to fit in, for the sake of your family, society, and the nation.


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