Confucius and Confucianism Monmouth College孔子和儒家的蒙茅斯大学.pptVIP

Confucius and Confucianism Introduction to World Religions Fall 2007 Dr. Hannah Schell Outline of class Religion philosophy in China before Confucius Confucius and his historical context The key doctrines: The ideal of the Superior Person Human-heartedness The Five Constant Relationships The role of ritual, the role of culture The rectification of names Cosmic Implications Preliminary consideration…. “Confucius did not create ‘a religion’ in the sense that the Buddha, Jesus, or Mohammed did, a movement for the masses….His doctrines assume the framework of traditional Chinese religion… Chinese religion was a function of government, the governing class was the nearest thing to a priesthood, and so the philosophy of the governing class was an integral part of the religion. Confucius created a philosophy and a set of values which in its broad outlines was adopted by the Chinese scholarly and administrative class for some 2,000 years.” - T. Patrick Burke, The Major Religions: An Introduction with Texts (Blackwells, 1996) 107. I. Religion and philosophy in China before Confucius Ancient Chinese religion Dynasties that go back to 21 centuries before Jesus Christ: Xia, Shang, Western Zhou, Eastern Zhou dynasties– Spring and Autumn Annals period A world full of spirits, gods and ghosts Oracle bone divination A world full of deities, spirits and ghosts Shang-di (Lord on high). Remote, impersonal, creator God. Tian – heaven. At first, like an ancestral deity… became more pantheistic – the universe itself Nature deities Mother goddesses: Western Mother; Eastern Mother; Nuwa Ancestral Spirits e.g. Sage Kings: Yao, Shun, Yu Guei (ghosts) Domestic deities: kitchen god; wandering ghosts, etc. Earth god. City Gods. II. The historical context of Confucius Historical Context The Warring States period (c. 500-221 B.C.E.) Social anarchy; collapse of the central government Kingdom broken up into many independent states; time of constant war Time of various calamit