profound mystery never to be fully understood by mortals.It was not a supernatural, personified deity,but was the world of ever-generating life.As the most intelligent of all beings,humans should take to heart the purpose of Heaven by cherishing life. If one remained"ignorant and disrespectful of one's heavenly mission"by killing or maiming life,one would be punished by Heaven.Confucius said,"He who offends against Heaven has none to whom he can pray."The Confucian respect for and belief in Heaven represented a form of religious spiritualism of the ancient Chinese. In the 21st century.the Confucian caveat of"standing in awe of the ordinances of Heaven"still holds true,as human society begins to pay greater attention to ecological civilization.Humans should indeed listen to the voice of nature. respecting and loving it as the world of life.This is our sacred mission and gives value to all human life Confucius on People:ren(仁)andi(礼) Ren and li are the two core concepts of Confucius'doctrine about people When his student Fan Chi asked him about ren,Confucius replied,"Love of people."This is Confucius'most important interpretation of ren.Love for the people is universal love.Confucius further emphasized that this kind of love should"begin with the love of one's parents."He believed no one could love people in general if they did not even love their own parents.Confucius regarded"filial piety and fraternal duty"as the essence of ren.The Doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong)quotes Confucius as saying."The greatest love for people is the love of one's parents."He also said,"Children should not travel far while their parents are alive.If they have no choice but to do so,they must retain some restraint."He did not mean that children should not leave their parents at all.What he meant was that children should not make their parents anxious about them while away from home.Confucius said again,"Children should think often of the age of their parents.They should feel happy for the health and longevity of their parents.They should also feel concern for the aging of their parents
Cry of deer in a red maple forest (detail).unknown artist,Song Dynasty.a scene of contentment and harmony,as valued by Confucian scholars By ren,Confucius meant universal love based on love of one's parents.How should people love one another then?Confucius said,"One should be aware that other people may have similar desires as oneself.While fulfilling one's desires, allow others to fulfill their desires as well."He further said,"Do not do toward others anything you would not want to be done to you."Thus from oneself to one's family,from family to society.one should extend love to all people.Mencius(c 372-289 BC),a great Confucian scholar,best summarized ren as,"loving one's parents,loving the people,loving everything in the world." Today,the Confucian doctrine of"Do not do toward others anything you would not want to be done to you"still holds true for humankind. Li refers to rituals,traditions and norms in social life.Of these,Confucius regarded burial rituals and ancestral worship rituals as the most important. because they arose from human feelings.He said."A child should not leave his parents'bosom until he is three years old."He naturally loved his parents Imeighte into Chineee Cultur
The ritual of wearing mourning for a deceased parent for three years was an expression of the child's love and remembrance. Confucius placed emphasis on li with the aim of preserving social order. stability and harmony.The Analects says,"The role of li is to maintain harmony among people." Li also has philosophical implications.While individuals have a limited lifespan. life in nature is everlasting.Life is given by one's parents and extended through one's children.In this way,a limited,individual life becomes merged with the limitless life of nature;the individual dream of eternal life can thus come true.Through burial rituals and ancestral worship rituals,people are able to experience the everlasting continuity of life,appreciating the value and meaning of life.This gives people metaphorical solace. Confucius on the State of Life Before Confucius,only the nobility had the right to education.He was the first figure in Chinese history to initiate private education.According to historical records,Confucius taught for many years and trained 3,000 disciples.A total of 72 of them excelled in the"six arts,"i.e.,ritual,music,archery.(carriage) driving,calligraphy,and mathematics.A great educator.Confucius has been admired by later generations as the"sage of sages." Confucius believed the basic goal of education was to cultivate "persons of virtue,"who should have sound character and uplifted minds.Such persons should be able to shoulder important social responsibilities and to make contributions to society.Confucius regarded lofty ideals,great virtue,love of people,and the"six arts"as the general principles of education.Of these,virtue was the most important.His students were involved in a variety of professions, including politics,trade,education,diplomacy,ritual ceremony,and classifying ancient books.Whatever they did,they all wanted to improve their learning of the humanities and to enhance their virtue. Insights into Chinese Cuure7
ell olar and poet Tao Yuanming (c.365-427).and Daoist high priest Lu lingzhi(birth and death dates unknown).They are smiling as they walk along.though they have crossed Tiger Stream withou knowing it.Huiyuan has thus broken his own rule of not seeing quests off across Tiger Stream Confucius emphasized aesthetic education.He said."Studying The Book of Songs (Shijing)inspires the spirit and helps one appreciate beauty.Studying The Book of Rites (Zhouli)enables one to behave properly as a person of enlightenment.Studying music lifts the spirit and helps one to enjoy life."He also said,"Simply knowing the highest standard of virtue (i.e.,love of people) is not as good as setting it as one's goal.Setting it as one's goal is not as good as enjoying the practice of it." On one occasion,Confucius asked several of his disciples to talk about their aspirations.Zi Lu and Ran You wanted the opportunity to administer a state Gongsun Chi wanted to become a master of rituals.Zeng Dian said."My aspiration is different from theirs.”That is acceptable,.”said Confucius.“We are only talking about our own aspirations."Zeng Dian then said,"(My dream)
乎？ 子日：「道 與朋友交而不信乎？ 其為仁之本與 子日： 卷 - 干乘之國：敬事而信，節用而愛人 君子勝本，本立而道生。 『其為人也孝弟，而好犯上者，鮮矣 論語卷之一 『學而時習之，不亦說乎？ 而第 编舞智人不 而不惯 使民以時。」 吾日三省吾身 巧言令色，鲜矣仁 犯上，而好作亂者，未之 為人谋而不忠 孝弟也者 也。 不亦君子乎？ 不亦樂 集註 A page tr Th