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Essay on Harmonic Religions
Confucianism and Taoism are indigenous to China -- both had been in existence for 500 years before the introduction of Buddhism from India. Both Confucianism and Taoism were, in origin, philosophical systems, which were devoid of any cult elements. Religious aspects grew out of it and then became more institutionalized. The central doctrine of Confucianism is ren, which means goodness, benevolence, humanity, and kind-heartedness. Related teachings include loyalty, respect and consideration, propriety, reciprocity, neighborliness, and love. The major work about Confucius is the Analects.
Confucius (K'ung Fu Tzu) was born in 551 BCE in China in what is now Shantung Province. He lived during the Chou dynasty, known for its moral laxity. Later in life, he wandered through China, giving advice to various rulers. He accumulated a small band of disciples and during the last years of his life he devoted himself to teaching. His ideas, called Confucianism, stress the need to develop responsibility and moral character through rigid rules of behavior. His writings deal primarily with individual morality and ethics, and the proper exercise of political power by the rulers. There are several sacred texts within Confucianism. These were assembled by Chu Hsi (1130-1200 CE). Confucian ethical teachings stress honesty and trustworthiness, righteousness, benevolence, humaneness towards others, and love of parents for their children and of children for their parents.
Confucianism combines a political theory and a theory of human nature, resulting in a prescriptive doctrine or way (Tao or Dao). The political theory is based on the idea that the legitimate ruler derives authority from heaven's command, or the mandate of heaven, and is responsible for the peoples' well being and for peace and order in the empire. In terms of human nature, humans are essentially social animals whose ways of interaction are shaped by convention or ritual (li), which prescribe proper behavior for a given situation......
