Confucianism and its teaching

Confucianism and its teaching

Confucianism and its teaching was first introduced by Confucius around (770-476 BCE). It began as a way of bringing in old traditional pedagogy based on peace and harmony by guiding the moral compass of the society. The core basis and foundation of Confucianism is the establishment of proper morality and codes of conduct in the community. It suggested that once the moral compass of the society is streamlined, the behavior of people change towards a better good of society. This old tradition was to be passed on from older generations to new ones, making it a way of life. Despite its original teachings, it continued to observe the strict rules of the ancient society as a way of incorporating both the old and the new ideas. These moral conducts do not only revolve around specific societal values but also applies to politics, education, psychology, religion, and metaphysics. Hence, Confucianism has created a moral theory based on five constant virtues of humaneness (ren), righteousness (yi), ritual/propriety (li), wisdom (zhi), and faithfulness (xin).

The moral theory practice of Confucianism was based on the understanding of the character from inner motives. Its teachings emphasize on the development of the inner self to nurture character. According to Xinzhong Yao in the book An Introduction to Confucianism, he states that “both inner motive and its external results must be taken into account when we evaluate a person or his/her conduct” (Yao 32). To judge one’s character, we must take into account what their real motives are because it eventually showcases in their outward personality. It was a holistic view that Confucius himself took to understand the real character of a person. He believed that a person could not hide his or her character just from examining their reasons and attitudes (Yao 32). Therefore, character was a way of identifying the moral stability of a person according to Confucianism teachings.

Morality grounds of Confucianism revolve around family relationships. Family is the most basic unit where the earliest form of relationships develops. This means the relation and connection between husband, wife, and children. Morality comes in how we fulfill typical responsibilities towards each other with a sincere heart. And in this case, the family is the cornerstone that manifests how true and genuine we can be. Xinzhong Yao states that “harmonious family relationships will inevitably lead to a harmonious society and a peaceful state” (Yao 33). When we are in harmony with ourselves and the people around us, it reflects on society because that is what we become. He further states that when family virtues are based on genuine love to our family members, our level of humanity to other people (Yao 33). Hence, the level of humanity, sincerity, and harmony derived from family relationship leads to a peaceful society.

The first ethical virtue acknowledged in Confucianism is Righteousness (yi). Righteousness was accorded as the right way. It is the act of being morally upright. The virtue of righteousness was valued in Confucianism and still practiced up to date. Mengzi, a Chinese Confucian philosopher, related righteousness closely to humanness. According to him, it comes from understanding a person’s behavior. He states that “virtues are the result of developing what we already have in the heart” (Yao 75). When we cultivate them, we can express it in a manner where feeling shameful towards certain things develops into righteousness. In addition to this, he believed that when we learn to cultivate our moral senses, it eventually increases the level of righteousness. Therefore, this act of virtue is viewed as humans being morally restrained to do things that are considered to dishonor one’s integrity.

Ritual and propriety (li) is the second ethical value of Confucianism. Propriety means abiding by the codes and conducts put down by society, while rituals are traditions practiced by different communities. In quest of exploring the cause of disorderly conduct and chaos in the society, Confucius believed that abuse of ritual and propriety was the main factor. To counter this, he decided to embark on a journey of restoring the value of rituals and rules of propriety. He concluded that good government is led by the power of good morals rather than punitive laws that are very cruel. In the book, he mentions, “Moral virtues could produce trust and faith

in the people, while punitive measures might stop wrongdoing only for a moment” (Yao 22). Using punitive laws to punish people who break the law is not the solution. But when people are led by propriety, they form an inbuilt character that prevents them from any wrongdoing. And the only way to ensure propriety is by performing rituals that enable its performers to remain sincere and loyal.

The third value of Confucianism is wisdom (zhi). Confucius developed the ethics of society under wisdom. He believed that if people are wise, peace and harmony can be achieved in any community. To acquire wisdom, one must always be willing to learn and expand his thinking to be able to solve issues with an unbiased approach. Confucianism states that “to become a sage, one must constantly accumulate wisdom” (Yao 80). A sage is someone who has acquired wisdom, and therefore, for one to attain it, you have to amass it. But to fully achieve a sage-like mind, the cultivation of character is paramount to preserve the goodness in ourselves. Once this is achieved as humans, we can prevent any selfish desires within us. In addition to this, it forms our nature because we make use of our humanness (ren) and righteousness. As a result, putting it to practice leads to the natural flow of everyone becoming virtuous and acquiring a sage-like mind and attitude. It creates a peaceful and harmonious society based on doing good within ourselves and to others.

The fourth constant virtue of Confucianism is faithfulness (xin). Faithfulness is driven by the act of being true to something you believe. According to Confucius, faithfulness was a fundamental virtue of being human. The principle of faithfulness is mostly guided by self-cultivation. Confucianism highlighted the importance of ritual and propriety and the measures of faithfulness to one’s behavior. When one abides by this, ethical conduct becomes part of every activity in the society. Confucianism emphasized the importance of moral virtues like humanness, righteousness, and faithfulness as a way of minimizing conflict. The conflict was mainly caused by uneven wealth distribution by the ruling class. In the book, the author states that “distribution could not be even and fair unless the ruler and the ruling class were moral, decent and virtuous” (Yao 185). Hence, when leaders acquire the virtue of faithfulness, it increases their love for the people. Apart from this, it makes them put the interest of the people above their own. Therefore, faithfulness is an essential foundation for any leadership as it leads to proper governance and unselfish acts from the ruling class.

The last and the most vital virtue of Confucianism is humanness (ren). Ren is the sole foundation of Confucian philosophical teachings. In the Confucian tradition, the virtue of humaneness became the ideological backbone of its structure. It was a result of trying to solve various human problems in society. Humaneness is the basis of the other four constant virtues because if you lack it, you will not have the will to perform the others. The author states that “if a person lacks humaneness (ren) within, what is the value of performing rituals?’ (Yao 32). According to Confucian teachings, if one lacks humaneness, then the value of rituals and propriety loses its meaning. Humaneness was closely associated with wisdom and righteousness. When one acquired the virtue of humaneness, the world would naturally be at peace. This is because we can be selfless, have a sage-like mind with ethical leadership values, and in turn, leads to a world where people coexist in harmony with minimal conflicts.

The concept of ren is characterized by promoting ethical behavior to guide the human community. Its moral foundation is based on creating a society where people are ethically mature to possess this virtue. Humaneness is firmly regarded as the external expression of human nature in us. The author states that “a person of humaneness (ren zhe), who is unbeatable because of his moral power” (Yao 73). It means that when we acquire moral powers, we learn a certain level of humaneness. This virtue is similar to having humanity. For us to achieve this, we need to have both righteousness and humaneness to have the most accurate definition of humanity. Confucian teachings further state that the basis of having this virtue is deeply engraved in the human heart. Humanity makes it hard for people to see others suffer. We will always feel the need to help those in need to the best of our ability. It then becomes the basis of all other virtues as it extends to one becoming both righteous and humane. Additionally, humaneness in government and leadership of any society boosts peace and tranquility because the ruling party caters to the needs of its citizens and treat them with kindness.

The concept of ren in Confucianism is multidimensional. This means that it applies to social, political, and religious levels. In the social dimension, which is family, this virtue is seen through the establishment of relationships between husband, wife, and children. When the virtue of humaneness is instilled at the family level, it shows how we are responsible and sincere in our actions. This concept manifests itself politically from the family aspect of the ruling class. Their family virtues are fundamental when it comes to the governance of the country. The author mentions that “When a ruler feels profound affection for his parents, the common people will naturally become humane” (Yao 33). Love often leads to one becoming humane, and when a leader projects it to his family, it can also be seen in how he treats ordinary citizens. When citizens feel love, their level of humanity naturally takes over. In a religious aspect, humaneness as a moral virtue is endowed by heaven, forming the original hearts of humans, which is humanity and righteousness.

In conclusion, all these five constant virtues are the core foundations of Confucianism. Humaneness (ren), faithfulness (xin), righteousness (yi), ritual/propriety (li), and wisdom (zhi), these values have been passed on from the older traditional society to the modern one. They are the immutable natural laws that have remained unchanged and untouched. As a result, they have guided all the other virtues that lead to a harmonious society. When one possesses all these virtues, it becomes natural to value and respect other members of the nation. These five principles are set to guide all aspects of the community, which include political, religious, family, and economy. Confucianism extended from social conformities to political by creating ideologies of judging morals and behaviors.