K’ung Fu Tzu, or as he is known in the West, Confucius, was born in 551 or 552 BC in the small Chinese state of Lu. He established one of the greatest systems of religious and philosophical thought, and his influence on Chinese civilization is so great that it can freely be called Confucian.
Confucius’ teachings primarily focus on what is right and appropriate, in accordance with li, the moral law. His ideal is a person of noble character who selflessly and dedicatedly carries out their duties for the benefit of the community. The noble person is not a perfect sage, but they differ from ordinary people in that they are tireless in their learning and striving to cultivate their own nature. As a social and ethical reformer, Confucius sought to realize his ethical ideal at the level of society as a whole, aiming to establish a state order based on ethics.
He died in 479 BC at the age of 74. Although he said towards the end of his life, “No wise ruler appears and no one in the courtiers understands me,” his teachings continued to profoundly impact Chinese culture for centuries. “I will not be appointed as a teacher. The hour of my death has struck.” His teachings during the Han dynasty (end of the 3rd century BC) were adopted at the state level and have since become the official teaching of ancient China. Lun Yu (The Analects), a work in which Confucius’ disciples collected his teachings, became the main text of Confucianism and a kind of manual for correct behavior. In ancient China, this book was considered almost sacred. Instructions for everyday life were drawn from it, and anyone who wanted to enter government service had to know Lun Yu.
Confucius’ Analects are also the basis for understanding Confucian ethics, which is based on several key concepts such as li, ren, and …
The principle of social order – li
As a way to achieve heavenly order on earth, li is the principle of social order and the measure of correct behavior. Li is like a dam that protects against the floods of social disorder and confusion. “If you want to destroy an empire, ruin a family, destroy a person…” “Echo, first you must take away their sense of self.” Confucius said: “The duty of a young person is to behave properly towards their parents and elders, to be careful in making promises and precise in fulfilling them, to cultivate kind feelings towards everyone, but to seek the company of the good…” Szu Ma Niu, worried, said: “Everyone has brothers except me, who have none.” Tzu Hsia said: “‘Life and death are the will of Heaven, wealth and position are the will of Heaven.’ If a noble person is full of respect and treats others according to li, then all within the four seas will be their brothers. Why would a noble person worry about not having brothers?” Nobility – jen The concept of jen can also be translated as humanity, benevolence, humanness,… It is what characterizes the true nature of a human being, that which gives meaning to everything else. Nobility is not just one virtue, it is the combination of all virtues – the perfect virtue.” Fan Ch’ih asked what nobility is. Confucius said: ” “Love towards others.”
Fan Ch’ih asked what nobility is. Confucius replied: “If someone is the first to take on a difficult task, and the last to think about reward, then it can be said that they are noble.”
Confucius said: “People feel greater respect for nobility than for water and fire. I have seen people die while walking through water and fire, but I have never seen anyone die while walking the path of nobility.”
Righteousness – and
The concept that is also translated as justice means that a person does what is right in every situation, what is in accordance with li, because it is morally so. If a person’s inner nature is motivated by nobility (jen), their outward actions are completely determined by li.
When Tsu Kung once asked Confucius which word encapsulates the principle for a righteous life, Confucius replied: “Perhaps the word shu (reciprocity): Do not do to others what you would not want them to do to you.”
Confucius said : “The noble person values righteousness, while the small person values utility.”
Confucius said, “I am not concerned with having a good position, but rather with the means by which I attained that position. I am not concerned with being famous, but rather with being known in the right way.”
Confucius said, “Simple food, drinking water, a bent arm as a pillow: that is where happiness lies. Wealth and position without righteousness are like clouds drifting in the sky for me.”
Confucius said, “Can you love someone without being demanding towards them? Can you be loyal to someone without teaching them?”
Noble person – chun tzu
Chun tzu is the ideal of a noble person. On the path to achieving this ideal, two virtues guide individuals: righteousness (i) and benevolence (jen).
Confucius said, “The noble person in their actions does not hesitate between ‘for’ or ‘against’; they simply strive to be in harmony with what is right.”
Confucius said, “The noble person encourages the good in others. They do not encourage the evil within them. The small person does the opposite.” “Regarding this,” Confucius said, “A noble person hesitates in speech but acts with haste.”
Confucius said, “A noble person possesses humility without arrogance. An ordinary person possesses arrogance without humility.”
Confucius said, “A noble person is inclined towards peace but does not sacrifice their principles. An ordinary person sacrifices their principles but is not inclined towards peace.”
Confucius said, “A noble person demands everything from themselves. An ordinary person demands everything from others.”
On the art of governance:
A state is well governed when each individual performs their duties well. The example set by the ruler plays a crucial role in this. An ideal ruler acts through the strength of their own virtues, without resorting to threats and punishments.”
Confucius said, “If a ruler himself acts correctly, everything will be done even without his commands. If a ruler himself does not act correctly, he can issue commands, but they will not be carried out.”
Confucius said, “Wasn’t Shun an example of rule without excessive effort? What about Yao? heškođenezno oblikovana, onda će Nebeska volja djelovati u korist vladara. Ako moja načela nisu ispravna, tada će Nebeska volja proturječiti vladaru.”
Konfucije reče: “Niti jedan čovjek nije sposoban do kraja spoznati volju Neba. Ono što je najvažnije je da se čovjek trudi i nastoji težiti ka ispravnosti i pravednosti. U tom nastojanju, on će biti usklađen s voljom Neba.”
Konfucije reče: “Svijet se može promijeniti izvorima svijetlog djelovanja. Ako se kaže da je jedna osoba sposobna prosvijetliti svijet, tada je ta osoba mudrac.”
Konfucije reče: “Ispravnost može biti shvaćena kao skladnost između ljudi i volje Neba. Ako je čovjek harmoniziran s voljom Neba, tada će svi aspekti njegovog života biti ispunjeni prosperitetom i skladom.”
“In the world, things happen according to the will of Heaven; and if they fall to the ground, that is also the will of Heaven.”
Once, when someone told Tzu Kung, one of his disciples, that he himself was a better man than Confucius, Tzu Kung replied, “Let’s make a comparison with the walls around a house. My wall is about shoulder height, so it’s easy to look over and see the good sides of the house on the other side. Our teacher’s wall is several times taller than a person, so no one who hasn’t passed through the gate can comprehend the beauty and wealth of the palace, with its ancestral temple and hundreds of attendants hidden within the walls. Furthermore, while other people resemble hills and small mountains that are easy to walk over, ‘…to level oneself with our teacher is as difficult as climbing a ladder to the sky.'”