Founder of Chinese religion: Who is Confucius?

The world-famous Chinese philosopher is also an educator and writer. The basis of Confucian teaching is the man and his relations with society. Confucius saw people as "good" beings by nature and believed that they could become superior beings thanks to the four moral virtues they would have. Confucius is a thinker who follows the middle path, who is not only moral but also guides others, and who devoted his life to educating people in order to reach a kind, cultured and superior person.

The teachings of Confucius became a system of thought over time and turned into a religion with the name Confucianism. Confucius, who does not include religious subjects in his teachings, but reveals the god approach with the belief of T'ien, is actually a moral teacher, not a religious one.

Let's get to know this valuable Chinese philosopher better.

Who is Confucius?

The thinker, who lived between 551 and 479 BC, is thought to have lived during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

His real name is Qui Kong. The Chinese know him as Kong-Fuzi. Fuzi means “master, sage, teacher, philosopher”. That's why the description of his name is referred to as "The Wise-Philosopher Kong".

Confucius, the son of a poor but respected aristocratic family, lost his father when he was only three years old. Confucius, who learned how to write from his mother, learned six different skills from his grandfather for six years after the age of thirteen. These are Chinese customs, music, archery, driving, writing, and calculating skills.

Confucius married at the age of nineteen and had a son and two daughters. Since the ideal is to transfer the teachings of the old generations to the new generations, he opens a school and begins to train students. After working in various positions in the state administration, he quit his job in order to spread his ideas to the public and devoted himself to educating the people.

Confucius fell ill and died in 479 BC. After his death, Confucius' ideas were written down by his students and published under the name Lun Yu.

What is the basis of Confucian teaching?

Confucius' intellectual life begins when he discovers the ideas of Laozi, the founder of Taoism.

The basis of Confucian teaching is the man and his relations with society. Confucius believes that man is basically "good" and gathers moral values ​​that make man human under four main virtues. These are briefly as follows:

• Respect for parents (孝)
• Being humane and compassionate (仁),
• Justice (义)
• Inscriptions/Traditions (礼)

According to Confucius, being a good person is possible by having these four virtues. In order to acquire these virtues, it is necessary to have knowledge. According to him, every person should have access to information without any limitation or discrimination.

Confucius also includes a hierarchical order in his teaching. According to this;

In the relationship between the administrator and the public; The rulers should be helpful and the people respectful and loyal.

In the Parent-Child relationship; parents became love, children should be respectful and obedient.

In the relationship of husband and wife; The husband should be just and the wife should be understanding.

In brother/sister and sibling relations; the Big brother should be kind, the younger brother should be respectful.

In the relations of friends with each other; The older one should be considerate, and the younger one should be respectful.

Chinese culture is a culture that has put the family at the top of moral values ​​for centuries until the Confucian period. Confucius puts political and social issues aside and concentrates on faltering family values.

His teaching does not include elements such as life after death, god, spirits, and supernatural beings. In this respect, their approach is similar to Socrates. Confucius finds it pointless to turn to questions about metaphysical elements before he is fully mature about human subjects.

How does a virtuous person act according to Confucius?

According to Confucius, a virtuous person not only proceeds on the right path but also strives to direct those around him to the right path. According to him, the virtuous person;

Listens carefully and well when listening to someone,

He is friendly to people,

Handles problems with a clear mind,

Treats himself and people with respect,

He is always truthful,

He takes his job seriously.

When in doubt, he asks his questions by thinking,

When he is angry, he acts by thinking about the problems,

When he finds an opportunity to earn, he thinks of justice above all else.

What titles were given to Confucius in different periods?

After his death, Confucius is first given the title of "Prince", then he is consecrated as "The Perfect Judge" and "The Uncrowned King" and temples are built in his name.

Confucius, who was honored with the title of "Duke" in the first century AD, is given the title of "Honourable Ni, Well-Grained Sage" in 492.

Confucius, who was given the title of "Well-bred Wise King" by Emperor Yuan Tsung in 713, is honored with the title of "Perfect Great Man and Greatest Sage" in 1308.

The respect shown to Confucius became so high that in 1382, pictures of Confucius were banned from hanging in temples.

Selections from Confucius' words

Confucius has many well-known sayings that should be inspired not only by the Chinese but by all humanity. All of them have different meanings in life. When you examine it, you will see that you know most of them, or at least you have heard.

“It is not the well that is deep, it is the rope that is short.”

“When little people have big shadows in one place, the sun is setting in that place.”

“Learning without thinking is useless. Thinking without learning is dangerous.”

“He who does not know what he is looking for cannot understand when he finds it.”

“People underestimate what they have and care about what they don't have.”

What is Confucianism?

Confucianism is the name of the system of thought created by Confucius. It is also one of the national religions of China. Also known as Confucianism.

While Confucianism is used as a political system in some periods of Chinese history, it is banned in some periods because it is thought to hinder China's modernization.

Confucian teachings do not contain religious issues, but Confucius also respects the beliefs of that period. Confucius uses the concept of god as Tian (天). Tian is a creator who is in the sky, punishes the bad, rewards the good, directs natural events, and is above everything.

Although Confucius revealed his belief in T'ien by accepting the understanding of the religion of his time, Confucius is not a religious, but a moral teacher, and his goal is to reach a kind, cultured, superior person who follows the middle path and guides others.