Confucianism Sana Ben Mackenzie Nicole Tiffany Place

Confucianism Sana, Ben, Mackenzie, Nicole, Tiffany

Place of Origin/Timeframe Founders and Key Figures - Confucius § K'ung Fu Tzu (Confucius) 551 – 479 BCE § Born in province of Lu during the Chou dynasty § Mother taught him to master the six arts (ritual, music, archery, chariteering, calligraphy, arithmetic) § Father was a commander that died when he was three.

Place of Origin/Timeframe Founders and Key Figures - Confucius § Opened a school at 22 § Success led to appointment as magistrate of town of Chung-tu then minister of justice of Lu § After a conflict with the Marquis of Lu in 496 BCE, he left the state and travelled and taught for 11 years throughout China.

Place of Origin/Timeframe Founders and Key Figures - Confucius § He returned home at the age of 67 and taught and studied until his death § At the time of his death, he had 72 disciples whom all mastered the 6 arts and 3000 followers

Place of Origin/Timeframe Founders and Key Figures - Confucius § A year after his death, the Confucius temple was constructed in Qufu, China

Place of Origin/Timeframe Founders and Key Figures - Mencius § 390 – 305 BCE § Claimed people needed to remain grounded avoid the trap of dwelling on God § Believed people are naturally good and evil is learned

Place of Origin/Timeframe Founders and Key Figures – Hsun Tzu § 298 – 238 BCE § Challenged the teachings of Mencius and Confucius § Warned that human nature was inherently evil and easily corrupted unless taught otherwise § Wrote 32 essays that clarified the belief system

Key Beliefs Confucian ethical teachings include: § Li: Ritual, propriety, etiquette § Hsiao: Love within the family: love of parents for their children and of children for their parents § Yi: righteousness § Xin: honesty and trustworthiness § Ren: benevolence, humaneness towards others; the highest Confucian virtue § Chung: loyalty to the state, etc.

Key Beliefs The Five Relationship Bonds: From most important to least (however, all stand very equally) § Ruler to Subject § Father to Son § Husband to Wife § Elder Brother to Younger Brother § Friend to Friend.

Key Beliefs God? § never indicated doing anything for a "God" in his teachings § main prerogative was to promote a social system based on "good conduct" and virtue instead of the pervading class system of his time. § beliefs helped shape the intense meritocracies and filial loyalties of East Asian countries today

Key Practices, Rituals and Ceremonies Birth § The T’ai-shen (spirit of the fetus) is said to protect the mother § A special procedure is used to dispose the placenta

Key Practices, Rituals and Ceremonies Birth • Mother is given a special diet and allowed to rest for a month after delivery • Mother’s family of origin supplies all the items needed by the baby on the first, fourth, and twelfth monthly anniversary of the birth

Key Practices, Rituals and Ceremonies Marriage There are six stages: 1. Proposal: couple exchange the eight characters (year, month, day, and hour of each of their births) 2. Engagement: bride announces the wedding with invitations and a gift of cookies made in the shape of the moon

Key Practices, Rituals and Ceremonies Marriage 3. Dowry: Bride-price is sent to the bride by the groom’s parents. Gifts by the groom to the bride, equal in value to the dowry are sent 4. Procession: Groom visits bride’s home and brings her back to his place.

Key Practices, Rituals and Ceremonies Marriage 5. Marriage and Reception: Couple recite their vows and toast each other with wine 6. Morning after: The bride serves breakfast to the groom’s parents

Key Practices, Rituals and Ceremonies Death • Family puts on clothes made of course material while they mourn • Corpse is washed and placed in a coffin • Mourners bring incense and money to offset funeral cost • Food and significant objects of the deceased are placed into the coffin

Key Practices, Rituals and Ceremonies Death • A Buddhist/Taoist priest or Christian minister performs the burial ritual • Friends and family follow coffin to cemetery along with a willow branch which symbolizes the soul of the person • Rituals are performed on 7 th, 9 th, 49 th day after burial and 1 st and 3 rd anniversaries of the death

Symbols/ Images Yin and Yang § Although it is the primary symbol of Taoism, it is also used in Confucianism. § Means that everything in the universe is made of two conflicting forces: the yin and the yang. § Yin is the negative, depicted in black. § Yang is the positive, depicted in white. § Harmony can only be achieved when the two are perfectly balanced like in the circle.

Symbols/ Images Jen § human heartedness; goodness; benevolence.

Influence in the 21 st Century § Cultures and countries strongly influenced: China (mainland), Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore. § basic teachings stress the importance of moral development of the individual, so that the state can be governed by moral virtue, rather than by the use of coercive laws.

Influence in the 21 st Century § In 88 countries, there are 282 Confucius Institute around the world. § They are a non-profit organization that aims to promote the Chinese language and culture. § Its headquarters is in Beijing and is under the Office of Chinese Language Council International.

Influence in the 21 st Century § In the family tree (regarded as the world’s longest, recording more than 80 generations) two million people are now recognised as being descendants of the Chinese philosopher Confucius • Confucianism has traditionally given women a lower status than men in its strict hierarchy, so female descendants were not counted, but genealogists announced in 2006 that they had decided to "move with the times".

Religious Significance § Confucianism becomes the State ideology by the Han Dynasty in 136 B. C. § 960 - 1127 era of Confucianism dominance even after other religions have entered China such as Buddhism § 1127 the growth of Neo. Confucianism begins and is dominant till 1911 in China § Over time now, Confucianism has become a commonly practiced religion in many other East Asian countries such as Vietnam, and Korea