Confucius

My life

My life has become more symbolic then fact. It has been said by scholar Ming Dong Gu, quoting scholar Brayn W. Van Norden,that "Since his death over two millennia ago, Confucius has ceased to be a historical figure. Indeed, as Van Norden puts it, he has become “a symbol for a variety of different (and often contrasting) things: meritocracy, aristocracy, traditionalism,rationalism, aestheticism, ‘feudalism,’ secularism, wisdom, ignorance, Chinese culture, virtue, hypocrisy, and ‘the Orient.’(Gu 34)” So little is known about me as a person, it is easy to see why I have become such a symbol. My words were recorded by others, allowing them to be open to such symbolic interpretations.

There are no known documents written by me. All that we have are the documents written by my disciples, which means that all the writing we have about my life is questionable. There is also little to no documentation about my life and how I lived. Many of your modern scholars have theories about my life, ranging from the fantastic to the simple. Some claim that I was even born to royalty, while others say I was really a malicious individual.

The most likely fact is that I was born in the small town of Zou in the ancient state of Lu(near modern day Qufu in what is now the Chinese Province of Shandong). It is said that I was born in answer to my parent's prayers and so I was given the surname Kong (which means literally an utterance of thankfulness when prayers have been answered). My family given name was Kong Qiu, and my courtesy name was Zhongni.(Riegel) Throughout the ages I have been given a number of other names and titles which include: Kong Fuzi (or Master Kong), The Great Sage, and The First Teacher of China. Most modern day Chinese call me Kongzi, which is another way of saying "Master Kong." Over time Kongzi was Latinized and has become Confucius, which is what English speakers call me today.

"The teaching Confucius" portrait by Wu Daozi. Photo of portrait by Louis le Grand. Click here for original source.

My father (Kong He) belonged to the Shi class and was a magistrate and soldier for the state of Lu. When I was about three years old, my father died, leaving me to grow up in poverty. At the age of 22, I started the first private school in China, teaching a philosophy of ideal personal conduct, benevolence, and justice by law. When I was about fifty, I became the Grand Official of Justice for the State of Lu. A common falsehood told about my life is that after leaving that position, many believe that I spent the last 13 years of my life traveling around China, teaching my philosophies. However, this is a fictional tale made up by Mencius (one of my later disciples) who was looking to better his own position. No matter what the truth about my life it, I have many followers, both then and now. It was my disciples who later wrote down the things I taught. These teachings later became known as the 5 great classics of China along with the Analects and other books.

In the Analects, it claims that I said, “At fifteen I was intent on learning; by thirty I was standing straight; by forty I was no longer confused; by fifty I knew heaven's commands; by sixty I was attuned; and at seventy, I could follow my heart's desires without transgressing what was right.” (Ebrey, p46)

I lived between the years 551-479 BC, according to your modern calendar. I never wanted to become a philosopher. My ambitions were in politics. I died thinking I had failed in my life goals. I had no idea that I had started, what would prove to be, a nationwide movement that would change China forever.

After My Death

I never had thought that I would become famous after I died. They even rebuilt my home as a temple as if I am some of kind of Diety!

Dacheng Hall at Kong Miao (the Confucian Temple) in Qufu. photo by Gisling‎. Click here for original source.

My teachings, or those teachings attributed to me, have been the basis for most of China's governments since the Han dynasty! In my life, I felt that few political leaders would listen to me. It was only until after I died that they began to pay attention.

Because I personally never wrote any of my thoughts or teachings, so after my death my disciples compiled my works into what is now called the Analects. The problem with this is that many works that I had no part in have been attributed to me. Early 20th century Chinese studies professor Homer H. Dubs said “…[T]he real teaching of Confucius became distorted anew each time a new Confucian philosophy appeared. Many sayings were put into his mouth which he never could have uttered…(Dubs 30)” And so such things make it difficult to tell what was from me or attributed to me after my death. Often times my name was used to validate someone else's philosophies.

The Analects

Along with the 5 classics, is a book called the Lunyu, or, as it is called in your language, The Analects. It is supposed to be a collection of my teachings, as recorded by my disciples. (I, myself, left no written record of my teachings.) It is probable that some of them (Mencius, is among the most likely) added their own ideas to my teachings and thus passed them off as my words. This book is a collection of short sayings and teachings; many of them have become proverbs in the years since it was written.

It is Sima Qian who first recorded that I wrote all the 5 classics in his great history (written, I might add, nearly 400 years after I lived!). I wonder if he thought he was being respectful- or perhaps he really believed I wrote them all? In any event, since then I have been credited with far more wisdom than I ever held.

My Teachings

I never claimed to have any of my own teachings. I simply was sharing ancient knowledge that had been forgotten. During my life in China, everyone was at war, and I saw many troubling things in humanity. This caused me to think and talk a lot about the proper way human beings should live their lives. I believed that if people acted according to these ancient principles, the wars and chaos would end. The Ancient principles I taught include:

--The Golden Rule: “Do not unto others what you would not wish for yourself.”

--Filial Piety: This was a principle of hierarchal, mutual respect. It included five bonds: ruler to subject, father to son, husband to wife, elder brother to younger brother, and friend to friend.

--Ren or humanism: This was concern for the welfare of others or simply being humane.

--Zhong or Loyalty: This principle was mainly for loyalty towards a ruler. However, if the ruler does not follow the virtue of Ren, the people are not obligated to be loyal.

--Li: This principle has many aspects. It is considered ancient ceremonial rites, but also acts as the basic rules of conduct in your everyday life.

--Junzi or Gentleman: The idea behind this principle is that anyone (regardless of social class) can become a Junzi if they conduct themselves morally and respectfully.

References

Ebrey, Patrica Buckley. "The Cambridge Illustrated History of China". New York, Cambridge University Press, 2010, 2d ed.

Riegel, Jeffrey, "Confucius", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2012 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2012/entries/confucius/>. Accessed April 18, 2012

Powerpoint presentations for classroom use

Confucius_by_Loren_S.ppt (File:Cunfucius.ppt) Confucius_by_Tara_F.pptx (File:Confucius and the Analects.pptx)