Confucius Images
In the previous issue, we approached and learned about the character life of the sage Mr. Confucius. For example, we first understand that the birth of the master can be said to be blessed by the nobility, and then understand the story of the master's early experience and the twists and turns of entering the career. Then we followed in the footsteps of the Master and together with him we had a brilliant life experience of traveling around the world and finally returning to Luguo. However, on February 11 of the sixteenth year of the Duke of Lu 'ai (April 11, 479 BC), the master died of illness at the age of seventy-three and was buried on the shore of Surabaya, north of Lucheng. It was also from then on that the former residence of the master was converted into a temple and was worshipped by the people.
So in this issue, let's first put down the heavy package on the funeral of the ancestor Confucius and further enter the world of the master. Together, we will walk into and understand the main achievements in the master's life, the evaluation of the master by people at home and abroad, and anecdotes and other content.
We say that the master's main achievements are very extensive, whether in morality, politics, economics, education, or in history, aesthetics, there are the footsteps of the master's hard work. Next, let's introduce them one by one.
In terms of moral doctrine, the Master constructed a complete system of "moral tao" thinking: advocating the virtue and virtue of "benevolence and courtesy" at the individual level. The moral tao ideology is based on the theory of sexual goodness ("one yin and one yang is the Tao, followed by the good, and the nature of the person who becomes") is based on the purpose of establishing the human pole ("the way of the three poles"), with humanity meeting with the heavenly path and the tunnel, and the humane meanness and timely becoming a complete ideological system of methodology.
The Master founded the moral doctrine with benevolence at its core, and he himself was a very kind person, compassionate, helpful, sincere and generous. "Do not do to others what you do not want to do to others", "The beauty of a gentleman as an adult, the evil of not becoming an adult", "Bowing to oneself and blaming others" and so on are all his standards of conduct. "I have five out of ten and am determined to learn, thirty and standing, forty and not confused, fifty and knowing the destiny, sixty and obedient, seventy and doing what the heart desires, not exceeding the rules." This is the Master's summary of the various stages of his life. Master Ren said that it embodies the spirit of humanity. The Master's etiquette reflects the spirit of etiquette, that is, order and system in the modern sense. Humanitarianism is the eternal theme of mankind, which is applicable to any society, any era, and any government, and the order and institutional society is the basic requirement for the establishment of a civilized society of mankind. This humanitarian and orderly spirit of the Master is the essence of ancient Chinese social and political thought.
In terms of political theory, the core content of Master's political thought is "etiquette" and "benevolence", and in the strategy of governing the country, he advocates "virtue for the government", and using morality and etiquette to govern the country is the noblest way to govern the country. This strategy of governance is also called "rule by virtue" or "rule by etiquette". This strategy applies virtue and courtesy to the people, strictly follows the hierarchical system, and divides the nobles and commoners into the rulers and the ruled. An important boundary between the nobility and the common people was broken.
The master lived in the State of Lu, where the tradition of patriarchal ritual system in western Zhou was deep, at this time the ruling power of the Zhou Dynasty had already existed in name only, the princes were constantly fighting each other, and the social reality of "the king mourned, the etiquette was abolished, the regime was lost, and the family was special", and "the king is not a king, the subject is not a subject, the father is not a father, and the son is not a son" has become the characteristic of that era. The intensification of social contradictions has hindered the development of productive forces, and the human spirit and conviction have also been destroyed as never before. Together, these constitute the historical origin and social conditions for the emergence of Confucius's political thought, and "benevolence" and "courtesy" are the basic spirit of his political thought.
Confucius's highest political ideal was to build a cosmopolitan society in which "the whole world is just." The basic characteristics of the "Datong" society are: the avenue is smooth, "the whole world is just," so that it can "select the wise and the able, preach faith and cultivate harmony," and "people do not kiss their relatives alone, do not have only sons and sons, so that the old will have an end, the strong will be useful, the young will have growth, and the widows, lonely, and the sick will all be nourished." In the world of datong, the people of the world do not only take their own families as their relatives, not only love their parents and children, but also love each other and love all the people in the world. So that the old have a good end, the strong have useful, the children can get warmth and care, the lonely and the disabled have something to rely on, men have their own things, women have a satisfactory home. Conspiracies and frauds are not flourishing, theft is not in trouble, roads are not left behind, households are not closed at night, everyone preaches faith and cultivates harmony, and the selection of talents can be done. This is an idealized and legendary primitive social scene of the Yao Shun era, and it is also the highest ideal society envisioned by Confucius. Confucius's ideals of a cosmopolitan society and a moderately prosperous society had a profound impact on future generations in China. Later, in different historical periods, thinkers at different stages put forward different contents of the blueprint and the goal of struggle, which also inspired progressive thinkers and reformers, and Hong Xiuquan, Kang Youwei, Tan Sitong and Sun Yat-sen were all influenced by it.
In terms of economic theory, the most important economic thought of Confucius is the concept of righteousness and profit, the concept of righteousness and profit, and the idea of "enriching the people". This is also the main content of Confucian economic thought, which has a greater impact on future generations. Confucius's so-called "righteousness" is a social moral norm, and "profit" refers to people's pursuit of material benefits. In the relationship between "righteousness" and "profit", Confucius put "righteousness" in the first place. He said, "See Lisiyi." In the face of material interests, people should first consider how to conform to "righteousness." He believes that "righteousness is then taken", that is, only if it conforms to "righteousness" can it be obtained. Confucius even advocated "rare words and benefits" in the Analects of Zihan, that is, to say less "benefits", but not not to "benefits".
Confucius said, "The unrighteous and the rich and the expensive are like floating clouds to me." "To attain riches by doing things that are immoral is like a floating cloud, and disdains to obtain wealth by unjust means." In his mind, righteousness is the highest value of life, and when there is a contradiction between rich and poor and morality, he would rather be poor than give up morality. Confucius also believed that the attitude toward "righteousness" and "profit" can distinguish between "gentleman" and "villain". Moral "gentlemen" tend to understand the importance of "righteousness," while "villains" who lack moral cultivation only know "profit" and do not know "righteousness." This is what Confucius said in the Analects of Li Ren, "A gentleman is a righteous man, and a villain is a benefit." The Analects record that he was very dissatisfied with fan chi, a disciple who wanted to learn to be a farmer, and called him a "villain", because Confucius believed that people should have greater ideals and pursuits, and they should bear greater responsibilities. He wants his students to be value bearers rather than a farmer. In this regard, there are many examples of our present society, such as Mr. Zhang Guimei's teachings to his students.
However, due to Confucius's conservative political attitude, the reform of the economic system also reflected conservative ideas. For example, in the fifteenth year of Lu Xuangong (594 BC), the implementation of the "initial tax mu", legally recognizing the legal status of private land, was a major economic reform in the Spring and Autumn Period; but according to the "Zuo Chuan", Confucius recorded the "initial tax mu" when he revised the "Spring and Autumn" in order to criticize its "indecent". And if the people are not rich, the monarch will not be rich. It is also recorded in the Analects of Yao Yue that Confucius advocated "benefiting the people", that is, doing what is beneficial to the people. On the other hand, he also advocated that taxes should be lighter and that the apportionment of conscription should not delay the agricultural time. The Analects of Shuer records that Confucius also preached to those who were in power at that time, asking those who were in charge not to be too extravagant and to pay attention to frugality. He said: "Luxury is not inferior, frugality is solid." Rather than being inferior also, Ning Gu. At the same time, it also advocates "thrifty and loving people". This includes applying Confucius's idea of "benevolence" to the economic field.
In terms of educational thought, Confucius was the first in Chinese history to put forward the idea that people's natural qualities are similar. Personality differences are mainly due to acquired education and social environmental influences ("sex is similar, habit is far away"). Thus everyone can be educated, and everyone should be educated. He advocated "teaching without class", founded private schools, recruited students widely, broke the monopoly of slave owners and aristocrats on school education, and expanded the scope of education to the common people, conforming to the trend of social development at that time.
Confucius advocated "learning and excellence", and after learning and having spare strength, he became an official. The purpose of his education was to cultivate gentlemen in politics, and gentlemen must have a high moral character cultivation, so Confucius emphasized that school education must put moral education in the first place ("Disciples are filial piety when they enter, they are compassionate when they go out, they are sincere and faithful, they love the people, and they are kind, and if they have spare strength, they learn literature").
The main contents of Confucius's moral education are "etiquette" and "benevolence". Among them, "etiquette" is the moral code, and "benevolence" is the highest moral code. "Etiquette" is the form of "benevolence", "benevolence" is the content of "etiquette", with the spirit of "benevolence", "etiquette" is truly enriched. In terms of moral cultivation, he proposed methods such as setting up ambitions, self-denial, practicing deeds, introspection, and having the courage to change. "Learning and knowing" is the leading idea of Confucius's teaching thought. While advocating not being ashamed to ask questions and being open-minded and eager to learn, he emphasized the combination of learning and thinking ("learning without thinking is reckless, thinking without learning is ruined"), and at the same time, it is necessary to "apply what we have learned" and apply the knowledge we have learned to social practice.
In terms of teaching methods, Confucius required teachers to "teach without class" and "through the state of the world" educational concept, "teaching according to aptitude" and "heuristic" methodology, focusing on children's education and enlightenment. He taught students to have an honest and honest learning attitude, to be modest and studious, and to review the knowledge they have learned from time to time, so that they can "learn new from the past", broaden and deepen new knowledge, and "take one example and reverse the other". He was the first to propose heuristic teaching. He said: "No anger, no anger, no shame, no hair." This means that teachers should be just right to inspire and enlighten students when they are thinking carefully and have reached a certain level.
He is also the first educator to adopt the method of teaching according to aptitude in teaching practice, and he is a brilliant example of teachers in ancient China. Confucius's educational activities not only trained many students, but also laid the theoretical foundation for ancient Chinese education based on his educational theories based on practice.
In terms of historical thought, an important proposition of Confucius's thought on governing history is "straightness", that is, in studying history, we must seek truth from facts, we must not only attach importance to the basis, but also "know what we know, and do not know what we do not know" ("Analects for Government"), and he vigorously opposed those who were arrogant and not straight, saying: "Crazy but not straight, Dong is unwilling, sad and unbelieving, I do not know." (Analects of Tabor) His consistent propositions were also reflected in his attitude toward history.
Confucius's view of governing history is not only reflected in the attitude and proposition of governing history, but also reflected in the concept of historical development. Confucius believed that history is constantly "profiting and losing", he said: "Yin because of Xia Li, the profit and loss can be known; Zhou because of Yin Li, the profit and loss can also be known." ("Analects for Government") The Zhou Dynasty reached an unprecedented civilization on the basis of summarizing the Xia and Yin dynasties. History is not a retrogression, but a backward catch-up, and it is advancing and developing. Although this kind of thinking is very obscure, it is a valuable beginning of evolutionary theory in the history of Chinese historiography.
In terms of aesthetic thought, the core of Confucius's aesthetic thought is the unity of "beauty" and "goodness", and it is also the unity of form and content. Confucius advocated "poetic teaching", that is, the combination of literature and art and political morality, and the use of literature and art as a means to change society and politics, and an important way to cultivate sentiments. And Confucius believed that a perfect person should cultivate himself in poetry, rituals, and music. Confucius's aesthetic thought had a great influence on the literary and artistic theories of later generations.
Of course, in addition to the achievements mentioned above, the master's remarks and writings have been widely circulated and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
Confucius's remarks are mainly recorded in the Analects. The Analects is one of the classic works of the Confucian school, compiled by the disciples of Confucius and his successors. It mainly records the words and deeds of Confucius and his disciples in the form of quotations and dialogues, and embodies Confucius's political ideas, ethical thoughts, moral concepts and educational principles.
In terms of educational practice, the achievements of the master are even more amazing, and it can be said that they have never been seen before! Political unhappiness led Confucius to devote a large part of his energy to education. Confucius served as the Sikou of the State of Lu and later traveled around the world with his disciples. Eventually, he returned to Luguo and concentrated on teaching. Confucius broke the monopoly of education and pioneered private learning, with as many as 3,000 disciples, the famous of whom was the "Seventy-two Sages". Many of the seventy-two were high-ranking officials of various countries and continued the glory of the Confucian school. Confucius number "three thousand disciples, seventy-two sages" Among these more than seventy people, there was Yan Hui, the master's favorite disciple, as well as Zilu, Ziyou, Zixia, Boniu...
So then again, how do people evaluate the Master?
At the domestic level. Confucius disciple Yan Yuan said that the yang is high, the drill is strong, the look is in front, the neglect is in the back, and the master follows the temptation. Bo me with the text, ask me to be polite, can't stop. Mencius, a thinker of the Warring States, said that since there were people, there has been no Confucius. Tang Taizong Li Shimin also said that the only good thing for the present is the way of Yao Shun and the teachings of Zhou Kong. Think like a bird with wings, like a fish clinging to the water. If you lose it, you must die, and you must not be earless for a while. In modern times, the modern bourgeois reformist Liang Qichao said that Confucius showed his greatness in personality and in blandness, and he could not fail here, and his learning place was also here... Without Confucius, China would not be the China of the past two thousand years. ...... After Socrates, there was Socrates; and after Confucius, there was no Confucius. Our great Chairman Mao also said that from Confucius to Sun Yat-sen, we should sum up and inherit this precious heritage. This is important for guiding the great movements of the day. ("The Anti-Japanese National War and the New Stage of the Development of the Anti-Japanese National United Front")
At a foreign level. North Korean scholar Kim Yi-so said that Confucius was a sage of eternity and the ancestor of Oriental philosophical thought. The American poet, philosopher, and thinker Emerson also said, "Confucius is the philosophical Washington" and "Confucius is the center of Chinese culture, and Confucius is the glory of all the peoples of the world." The French scholar Voltaire even said that the East found a wise man. I read these works of Confucius with all my attention, and I drew the essence from them, all of which are the purest morals, the happiest and most respectable times on earth, that is, the era of people respecting Confucius's laws, and morally Europeans should become Chinese disciples. The German philosopher Leibniz said more directly, "Warmly praising Confucianism."
In terms of the master's anecdotes, let's first talk about these stories that are very close to the current society!
One is Confucius's attitude towards righteousness and profit. Let's take a look at the story!
There is a law in the country that if the People of The Lu State see their compatriots in foreign countries suffering misfortune and becoming slaves, as long as they can redeem these people and help them restore their freedom, they can receive monetary compensation and rewards from the state. Confucius's student Zigong redeemed the Lu people from abroad, but did not receive money from the state. Confucius said, "You are wrong! What the saints do can be used to change the customs of the people, and the teachings can be passed on to the people, not just in favor of their own actions. Now there are fewer people in Luguo and more poor people, and receiving compensation from the state will have nothing to lose to you; but without receiving compensation, there will be no one in Luguo to redeem his compatriots who have been killed. Another student of Confucius, Zilu, rescued a drowning man, and the rescued gave him a cow to show his gratitude, and Zilu accepted it. Confucius said happily: "The people of Lu will certainly have the courage to save those who have fallen into the water from now on." And this is similar to the rewards for positive energy behaviors such as seeing righteousness and courage in our current society.
The second is Confucius's understanding of learning. Let's take a break from a few pictures!
"The Sacred Relics of Confucius" of "Learning the Violin Master Xiang"
The Book of Retreat Poems of confucius
Confucius was very humble in his studies, especially assiduous. Once Confucius learned to play the drum and piano with his teacher. The title of the song is "Wen Wang Cao". Confucius practiced hard for many days, and Shi Xiangzi said, "It's okay." Confucius said, "I have mastered the playing method of this piece, but I have not yet counted it." After practicing for many more days, Shi Xiangzi said again, "Okay, you are already counting." But Confucius still said, "No, I haven't gotten his will." After a considerable amount of time, Shi Xiangzi thought that this time it was really possible, but Confucius still thought that he had not played this piece of music well. Finally, Confucius experienced the connotation of the piano music through repeated research, until he saw the image of King Wen expressed in the music, and then he stopped. And that's a certain inspiration for our education industry today!
There are many, many more similar stories to cite. From this point of view, the reason why the classic is called a classic, its warning effect on the time and for future generations occupies a large part!
Finally, on the commemoration of the Master in later generations. From the Eastern Zhou Dynasty to the Republic of China, later people successively gave many titles to their masters, such as Ni Father, First Master, First Saint, Most Holy First Master, Dacheng Most Holy First Master... In addition, we also have a Confucius Temple, Confucius Forest, Confucius House, Ancestral Hall, etc. to further commemorate the ancestors of Confucius. (As shown in the figure below)
The Dacheng Hall of Qufu Kongfu
Kong Lin
Statue of Confucius
Well, dear readers and friends, our content today is over, feel free to welcome friends to leave comments, like you can forward the attention! In the next issue we will learn about an extremely simple numerical example, are you ready? We'll see you next time! Bye!
General Journal: No. 3
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