Confucianism
)
Doorways of a Confucian temple, Japan. Confucian philosophy was introduced from China in the 5th century. Part of its doctrine advocates ancestor worship, a practice also included in the Shinto religion indigenous to Japan.
Body of beliefs and practices based on the Chinese classics and supported by the authority of the philosopher Confucius. The origin of things is seen in the union of yin and yang, the passive and active principles. Human relationships follow the patriarchal pattern. For more than 2,000 years Chinese political government, social organization, and individual conduct was shaped by Confucian principles. In 1912, Confucian philosophy, as a basis for government, was dropped by the state.
The writings on which Confucianism is based include the ideas of a group of traditional books edited by Confucius, as well as his own works, such as the Analects, and those of some of his pupils. The I Ching is included among the Confucianist texts.
Doctrine
Until 1912 the emperor of China was regarded as the father of his people, appointed by heaven to rule. The Superior Man was the ideal human and filial piety was the chief virtue. Accompanying a high morality was a kind of ancestor worship.Practices
Under the emperor, sacrifices were offered to heaven and earth, the heavenly bodies, the imperial ancestors, various nature gods, and Confucius himself. These were abolished at the Revolution in 1912, but ancestor worship (better expressed as reverence and remembrance) remained a regular practice in the home. Under communism Confucianism continued. The defence minister Lin Biao was associated with the religion, and although the communist leader Mao Zedong undertook an anti-Confucius campaign from 1974 to 1976, this was not pursued by the succeeding regime.How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|
?Sign in  |
|---|