It is possible to count many names that have influenced the world in the thousands of years of history of the Chinese, one of the most ancient nations of history, but it must be admitted that Confucius is the most important among them. Confucius was a philosopher, but a religion called Confucianism emerged after his teachings, and there are those who believe in him as a prophet or even as a god.
Although he lived thousands of years ago, his thoughts were later put into a system by his students and have survived to this day. In fact, it is not quite right to call Confucianism a complete religion, because there is not exactly a god, but rather a traditional philosophy. It’s a bit confusing, best let’s take a closer look at who Confucius is and see his teachings that countless people still adhere to.
Son of a poor but respected family: Who is Confucius?
Although not certain, Confucius was born on September 28, 551 CE, in the city of Lu, which is located in the Shandong province of China today. Although there are different stories about his childhood and youth, he is thought to be the son of an aristocratic but poor family of respected ancestry. He lost his father at a very young age.
Since his family was aristocratic, he learned to read and write at an early age. Later, he went to his grandfather and received training in numerous subjects such as art, tradition, customs, music, using a gun, and driving a car. Confucius, who carried out official duties in the Lu principality, married during this period and opened a school for himself.
Confucius tried to apply his school’s philosophy throughout the region:
Confucius, who started to train students in the school he opened in 522 BC, was giving them lessons on history and culture. In the following years, meeting with the thoughts of Lazoi, the founder of Taoism philosophy, opened the doors of a new world to him. The philosophy he told his students had now found a new direction.
The fact that he became the vice vizier at the age of 51 showed that it was time to implement his thoughts. It ensured equal education for all without gender and class distinctions, and limited the powers of the nobility. However, as the lord Lu did not think much like him, he finally left his position as the vice-vizier and fell on the roads.
He traveled throughout the country for many years and both understood and explained:
After leaving his post as vice vizier, he tried his luck in other duties, but the bureaucratic system did not allow him to implement his thoughts. Confucius, who was not looking for a position anyway, fell on the roads in 497 BC and wandered the land of China for 14 years.
This journey of his was not only to tell, but also to understand. Everywhere he went, he found new students, understood the local world, and shared his thoughts with them. His tired body could not stand all this for long and he died in 479 BC. Confucius, who was buried on the banks of the Sa Shui River, built a hut around his tomb, and his disciples mourned his death for three full years.
But how did Confucius become such an influential figure?
When we look at his life story, we see that he did not do things that would reveal a religion that millions of people believed in, such as Confucianism. True, it was his students, not Confucius, who made his thoughts a religion. After he died, many of his students, especially his two disciples Mencius and Xunzi, compiled his thoughts and began to teach other people.
Thanks to the books written by his students, Confucius’ thoughts began to spread more and more. Wu Di, the emperor of the Han Dynasty period, who ruled between 141 and 87 BC, made Confucian philosophy the official ideology of the state, although some of his books were burned and even his existence was forgotten during the Ch’in Dynasty, which ruled between 221 and 205 BC.
For hundreds of years, Confucianism has been the philosophy that has the most followers, along with Buddhism and Taoism, in the Asian continent, centered in China. In fact, these three beliefs were combined during the Song Dynasty, which reigned between 960 and 1276. In recent history, the ideas of Confucianism have been revived by being seen as suitable for science.
So what exactly does Confucius advocate?
Interestingly, Confucius wasn’t exactly a philosopher who came up with new ideas. On the contrary, it defends Chinese traditions. At the core of Confucian thought is the idea of attachment to mother, father and family. Person; he must submit to the emperor, the government, his parents, and worship the spirit of his ancestors.
The basic idea of Confucianism is to try to be a good moral person. If a person has good morals, he will find a cosmic harmony with the world around him. If this person is an emperor, he will follow a peaceful and benevolent rule. If there are frequent natural disasters, conflicts and similar negative events around, it is because the person has moved away from ancient teachings.
First of all, one must have the virtue of being human. Then come the virtues of respect, altruism, and humility. According to Confucius, every human being is inherently good, but deviated. The purpose of the rituals, which are still performed in Confucius temples even today, is to turn the person back from the path he deviated.
Confucianism rules are pretty strict:
Confucianism is based on four basic concepts; respect for parents, humanity, justice, rituals. According to Confucius, if you want to be a good person, you must strictly adhere to these four basic rules. The way to be connected to them is through knowledge. Confucius, who is also a teacher, attaches great importance to education.
We said that Confucianism is based on Chinese traditions. According to these traditions, there is a hierarchy that regulates human relations, even if there is no complete class distinction. Namely; rulers must obey the earth and the sky, the citizen must obey the ruler, the young must obey the old, the wife must follow her husband, and the children must follow the parents.
Confucianism is not if we say religion, not if we say philosophy:
It is still unclear whether Confucianism is actually a religion or a philosophical view. Because there is no god, and Confucius is worshiped, not his spirit. But there are huge Confucian temples and religious rituals. Perhaps it would be best to call it a way of life.
We talked about important details you need to know about Confucianism by answering questions such as who is Confucius, one of the most important philosophers in Chinese history, and what he defends.
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