Welcome to the Tuesday Coffee Hour here on Street Prophets. This is an open thread where we can hang out and talk about what’s going on in our worlds. I thought we might start today’s discussion by looking at Kong Qiu (551-479 BCE) aka Confucius (孔子).
First of all, let me begin by saying that I bring up the subject of Confucianism with some hesitation. For many Americans the sayings of Confucius are simply jokes which have no bearing on the man himself or the religion which he inspired. Secondly, I teach Comparative Religion in several different contexts and often run across Americans, both Christians and atheists, who vehemently refuse to consider Confucianism as a religion. In so doing, they blind themselves to an understanding of China and Chinese culture.
Let us start by placing Confucius in historic context. In the sixth century BCE, China was a feudal system that depended upon everybody keeping his place—sort of like the current Republican vision of the future of America. If a vassal became too powerful, he could endanger the delicate equilibrium of the state.
While Confucius had been brought up in poverty, by the time he was 40 he had become a learned man. He was not a solitary ascetic: he was a man of the world, who enjoyed a good dinner, fine wine, a song, a joke, and stimulating conversation. He did not lock himself away in an ivory tower, did not practice introspection or meditation, but always developed his insights in conversation with other people.
Confucius did not pontificate; he gave no long lectures or sermons. Karen Armstrong, in her book The Great Transformation: The Beginnings of Our Religious Traditions, writes:
“He was convinced that the root cause of the current disorder in China was neglect of the traditional rites that had governed the conduct of the principalities for so long.”
“Instead of concerning themselves about the afterlife, people must learn to be good here below. His disciples did not study with him in order to acquire esoteric information about the gods and spirits. Their ultimate concern was not Heaven but the Way.”
Confucius wanted people to become fully conscious of what they were doing. He felt that ego was the source of human pettiness and cruelty and thus losing selfishness would transform one’s life. He wanted people to trust in the power of an enhanced humanity instead of coercion. His focus was not on death, the afterlife, or metaphysics: it was, instead, on living in the world. His teachings are a guide to personal morality, interpersonal relations, social responsibility, and good government.
The teachings of Confucius, the Analects, were put together by his disciples long after Confucius’ death. We cannot be sure that all of the maxims attributed to him are authentic. There are hundreds of short, unconnected remarks with no attempt to produce a clearly defined vision. Readers are supposed to search for what is not said, to look between the lines for the full meaning and to connect one idea with another. His moral teachings emphasize self-cultivation, emulation of moral exemplars, and the attainment of skilled judgment rather than knowledge of rules.
The tomb of Confucius is shown above.
This is an open thread, so feel free to share what’s on your mind. And, perhaps most important, what’s for dinner?