Notes-Confucius Confucius 551-479BCE 1. What do we know about the life of Confucius? Born in the state of Lu. His father died young*. As a youth he imitated gestures of ritual. He was large and strong. At 19: superintendent of parks and schools. At 32 private tutor in ancient ritual. At 33 went to Lo Yang to study; met LaoTze. At 55 was the prime minister of Lu. From 55-68 wandered; became an itinerant preacher. Returned home and then died at age 73. 2. What was Confucius’ basic idea? The renewal of antiquity; past realities transformed by and transforming present reflection. A traditionalist; His ideal figures were: Yao, Shun, and Yu. Evil began with the Hsia dynasty and establishment of hereditary succession. He was not an advocate of imitating the past per se but of imitating the eternal principles that were articulated and illustrated in the past. He found a school. 3. What does Confucius teach about each of the following moral-political ethos? Li-imperatives of conduct; the good is the beautiful and the beautiful is the good; Music-a primary factor in education Nature and formation-everything has its order, measure, and place Human intercourse-parents; friends; authorities; subordinates; women; the five relationships. Government-combine li, music, nature, and human intercourse; is meant to provide confidence, security, food, a reliable army The superior man-Chun Tze; a superio man focuses upon justice (long term gain), an inferior man upon profit (immediate gain) 4. What is Confucius’ basic wisdom on: the great alternative-solitude or society the nature of man-jen (ren?); man & 2; man in communication the source is absolute, the manifestation relative the necessity of order words must be set right the one thing on which everything depends 5. What is meant by Confucius’ “awareness of limits”? one must separate what they know from what they don’t know Perfection is possible but not pervasive 6. Describe the personality of Confucius: aware of a mission; modest; self-reflective; open to criticism; cautious; reserved; responsible; inquisitive; founded a school; edited the classics; a man of the people; no religious experience; no revelation; no rebirth; no mystic. The consummate humanist. 7. What can be known of Confucius’ adversaries? Mainly Lao Tze; but there were others. 8. Summarize the influence of Confucius

The dominant force in Chinese thought from his time to 1915 when exams on Confucianism for public office were dispensed with. Read 62.7-73. End. Analects: Appendix 1. Events in the Life of Confucius Sources: Mencius in 4th century; Ssu-ma Chien 1st century; Ts’ui Shu 18th Cent. 161-63: Only 20% of Shih Chi accurate according to later biographers apocryphal legends abound, pro and con depending on slant of the writer Mencius is an important arbiter of Confucian traditions 163-64: Confucius’ ancestry traced to royalty and sagacity born either 21st or 22nd year of rule of Duke Hsiang=552 or 551 BCE named Kung Ch’iu of the state of Lu little known of father and mother performed menial labor as a youth 165-66: at age 27 arranged a meeting with a dignitary from another state implying that at that time Confucius was someone 166-67: visit to Ch’i; here we have an early summary of Confucius’ philosophy, his code of behavior, see 166.4 167-70: Return to Lu. Evidence of early non-involvement in government; see 167; then an exhortation to office; there is some dispute over Confucius leaving public office. See Mencius quote, 169.8 to 170.2 170: travel abroad to provinces of Shu, Wei and Sung; Confucius was persecuted, his life was in danger, and during the early years of his itineracy he lacked social and political support. He did hold office in some states other than Lu. Lu eventually recalled him and Confucius responded. 173-76: an incident of persecution; see 173.6, passing thru Sung (shades of Socrates here?) Another shade of Socrates may be seen in the following incident regarding the “rectification of names” (=definition of piety?; see 176). 177-80: Return to Lu and Last years. Confucius spoke out against religious and political corruption; died in the 4th month of the 16th year of Duke Ai=479 BCE.

Humn 315 schedule for Confucius: M #4 below

T-W-R F Analects X open for informal discussion and/or term paper work

M T-W-R Quiz on Confucius Here we begin studying Jesus; We will look at WATSA on Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount about a chapter a day and take about the same amount of time on this thinker. When finished we will do some comparative analysis Reading Guide for the Analects. All students focus on Books 1-10. 1. Identify literary forms and constructions. Rhetorical questions and question-response formats appear often. Descriptions and observations followed by admonitions and advice are also a common pattern. Confucius was into predicting the results of a given course of action. Look for these too. Confucius often employed simile, metaphor, or simple analogies to get his point across. Reflect on these as well. 2. Look for the basics of wisdom literature being addressed as well as the various contexts in which a given instruction is placed. Wisdom basics = truth; reflectivity; choice; closeness to nature; basic needs; relationships; giving; the big picture. Contexts=intrapersonal; domestic; social; religious; political.

3. Attempt to relate the passages to the Introductory matter of the Analects and/or the reflections offered by Jaspers. Utilize the map provided and the glossary at the back of the Analects to identify place and persons of interest. 4. Look for implicit and explicit expressions of the basic concepts of ancient Chinese thought: Shang Ti; Tien; ancestor worship; divination; the virtuous ruler; Yin-Yang; Tai-I; Wu-Chi; Tai-Chi; Tao; Ming; Te; Chiao; Fu; Hua; Pu; Good government; Li; Yi; Hsiao; Jen; Shu and Chun Tze. 5. Raise questions and comments and attempt comparisons among and between Socrates, Buddha, Confucius, and Jesus.

Further Notes on Confucius: (Some of the information repeats previous handouts but the organization here, I think, will help to conceptualize the system of thought called Confucianism). Confucian quiz focus: Rather than ask you to recall a number of Confucian facts, terms, and concepts, I am requiring an out of class exam that asks you to reflect on these facts, terms, and concepts in light of our discussions of the actual verses of the Analects. Students are asked to select ten verses of the Analects from books 1-10 (dipping into at least three different books) and to comment on the verse(s) in light of textbook and class clarifications regarding these verses. This will be our focus all week (maximum two page, single spaced typed or handwritten; due next Monday at start of class). A: Presuppositions: 1) There is an all encompassing spiritual world (Shang Ti; Tien; Tao; te; ming; yin-yang) within which human beings exist; it behooves one to pay attention and cooperate (wu wei) with the powers that be and the principles that seem to underlie those powers. Confucius was humble regarding his knowledge of heaven, the supernatural, and the afterlife preferring to concentrate on what was present to him rather than distant from him. He was the consummate humanist and somewhat of a pragmatist. 2) Human beings are social creatures, political animals using Aristotle’s language. Much of Confucius’ teaching focuses on how to exist in society, following not only codes of behavior (li and hsioa or xiao) but the spirit behind these codes. 3) The goal of good government is influence by means of example, the provision of basic needs for the common good, and provision of a proper education for individual and personal growth. 4) Human beings are responsible for the cultivation of their souls and all have great potential to be superior humans. The goal for individuals is self-development, fulfillment, and realization. All human beings have the same basic nature (chih) but are unique in their individual patterns (wen). Nobility comes not by birth or social status but effort in the cultivation of character (yi). Individuals should strive for their best (chung) and practice the golden mean (chungyung). B: Objective Spiritual Realities: 1) Shang Ti (Di)-the upper ruler, Supreme Ruler, somewhat of a distant and obscure deity that exists above, beyond, and behind all the lesser deities that ancient Chinese folk-religion was concerned with; 2) T’ien or Tian (pronounced Dian)=the abode or realm of Shang Ti; more of an impersonal way of referring to the Supreme ruler; 3) T’ien Ming=the will of Heaven; what one ought to do; requires difficult but attainable obedience; focuses upon understanding not just what one should do, but why, knowing the principles behind the rules; 4) Ming=Destiny; what happens; what is inevitable; requires acceptance that what happens is what happens; Ming is the interdependent outworking of Tao-te-yin-yang-li-and yi; at a deeper level requires awe and wonder; 5) Tao-the vital flowing force of the absolute, both a noun and a verb, the Way or path of the universe, the channel of the river of life, the course of things; 6) Wu Chi-the void from which the Tao emerges; 7) Tai-Chi-the first manifestation of the Tao as a dynamic duality; 8) Yin-Yang-the harmony of opposites; 9) fu-the law of return; similar to the idea of the cause and effect of karma; the flow of events are cyclical and ebb and flow and eventually return to their source; 10) hua-transformation; people change in and through the events of life; 11) te-(de)=virtue or the moral power inherent in the Tao; it exists both within individuals and independent of them as an aspect of reality;

C: Objective Social Realities:

1) li-this is the key concept in Confucianism. Li is an umbrella term for the broad phenomena of social and political culture in ancient China. It includes traditions, structures, codes, rules, customs, rituals and the protocols of relationships. Jaspers includes: “the right way of walking, greeting, behaving in company, always in accordance with the particular situation; the ways of conducting sacrifices and observing holidays; the rites of marriage, birth, death, and burial; the rules of administration; the customs governing work, war, the family, the priesthood, the court, the order of the days and seasons, the stages of life” (Socrates, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, page 45) Noss states: “In one connection or another, means ‘propriety,’ ‘courtesy,’ ‘reverence.’ ‘rites and ceremonies,’ ‘the correct forms of social ceremonies,’ ‘ritual and music,’ ‘the due order of public ceremony,’ ‘the ideal standard of social and religious conduct,’ and ‘the religious and moral way of life.” (A History of the World’s Religions, tenth edition, page 290). 2)Hsiao or xiao=filial piety. This was a key concept in Confucianism. The five major relationships were: Father-Son; Older-Younger brother; husband and wife; elder-younger; king-subject. Each relationship was characterized by a certain mode of behavior or attitude and it was not only the external observance but the observance in the true spirit of things; D: Subjective Personal Realities: 1) yi= character as a result of habit as a result of righteous actions according to one’s duties. Confucius stressed intention and disposition as well as the results of one’s actions. In other words, he covered both extremes of the moral imperative; 2) te (de)=virtuous power or excellence; excellence; a concept similar to Aristotle’s arête; 3) chung=excellence; doing one’s best; 4) hsin (xin)=integrity; trustworthiness; being true to one’s word; honesty is making words match reality (faithful reporting); hsin is making reality match words (keeping promises; faithful predicting) 5) chungyung=the golden mean; the middle path; avoiding extremes (this allows for the particular stage of growth an individual may be in at the moment) 6) jen (ren)=humanness; charity; goodness; benevolence; compassion; thoughtfulness; kindness; the jewel or root or “greatest” of Confucian virtues. At the foundation of jen (ren) is self-respect, self-affirmation, and self-evaluation. 7) shu=reciprocity; the key to interpersonal relationships; 8) ching=reverence; 9) kung=respectfulness 10) chun-tze=the “prince son” or “superior person” or “cultivated person”; the ultimate goal for individual development. “Great people know yi; small people know li” (?) E: Other categories: (our study this week may necessitate another category for Confucian concepts; so I’m leaving this open for now):

Page C 8: Sample Analects Exam: This is a sample of the type of analysis expected from you for the out of class exam. You are asked to analyze the Analects, ten verses from at least three different books. “Connections” between and among the Jaspers’ text (pp 41-63), the Penguin Classics Introduction (pp 1-55), and the Analects verses (pp 59-160) need to be made. You should find handouts C 1-7 and this one (C 8) of considerable help. Work in small groups is encouraged. In brief, these handouts highlight the key events in the life of Confucius (C 1-2), key terms (C 3, 6-7), and specific reading instructions (C 4). The map (C 5) may be of some help and the glossary of the Penguin Classics is useful (pp 236ff). Here is an example of the type of analysis I am hoping for: Book 1:4 (I am not typing the text here and you will not be expected to do anything other than cite the reference and appropriate words or phrases) *Literary analysis (as suggested from handout C 4:1): What we have here is an assertion followed by a series of rhetorical questions. Rhetorical questions are effective as a stimulus to thought and triply so in this

instance because the questions are posed to one’s self, in rapid succession, covering three areas of life experience (relationship to self, friends, others). *domain of experience (as suggested from handout C 4:2) is intra-personal, interpersonal, and social. *Tseng-Tzu=prominent disciple in early Confucianism (see Penguin Classics, 245-46). *self-examination is a basic presupposition of Confucianism (see C 6:A:3) and a part of subjective personal reality (see C 6:D:3). *my best=chung (see C 7:D 3), an aspect of subjective personal reality. One’s best is better than good and better than better. *trustworthy=hsin (see C 7: D 3), an aspect of subjective personal reality. It is clear in the context here that keeping one’s promises to one’s friends is meant. *In the context of Book 1, this verse appears to function as the catalyst or departure for a series of comments on the theme of being trustworthy (see verses 5, 6, 7, 8, and 13). *it is not immediately clear what is meant by “Have I passed on to others anything that I have not tried myself” but I speculate that what is meant is that one should be practicing the advise they are giving to others before exerting too much energy in giving it. * Overall thought: what a splendid verse for self-examination. What would the world be like if every one did their best for others, were trustworthy to their friends and practiced more of what they preach than preached more of what they practiced?