| As a young man
Confucius was very poor, and at one time he made his
living by keeping accounts. He seems to have never
attended school and was largerly self educated and
eventually became the most learned man of his day. As a
young man he was, as he said, "without rank and in
humble circumstances." He had to make his own living
at an early age, at tasks that were more or less menial.
Working with the common people gave him a closer view of
their sufferings about which he became deeply concerned.
He felt that world had "gone to the dogs" and
that some drastic changes had to be made. He had a very
poor opinion of the rulers of his day. He said, about the
parasitic nobles of his time, "It is difficult to
expect anything from men who stuff themselves with food
the whole day, while never using their minds in any way
at all. Even gamblers do something, and to that degree
are better than these idlers." But, these "idlers"
were not always idle. These nobles practiced the art of
war. They rediculed those who concerned themselves with
the need for good government and orderly administration. However, Confucius was not a
pacifist. There are time, he believed, that moral men
must use force in order to prevent the world from being
enslaved by those for whom force is the only argument
settler. He considered war as a last resort to enforce
the power of justice. But on the personal level he said:
"If I feel in my heart that I am wrong, I must stand
in fear even though my opponent is the least formidable
of men. But if my own heart tells me I am right, I shall
go forward even against thousands and tens of thousand.
" He believed that an army could not fight
effectively unless its private or common soldiers knew
why they were fighting and were convinced in the justice
of their cause. Morale, he believed, was dependent on
moral conviction. He said: "To lead a people who
have not been educated to war, is to throw them away."
Such ideas as these were completely at variance with
those of the ruling class. He realized this and tried to
do something about it. From the point of view of the
rulers these ideas must have seemed dangerous. But,
undaunted, he dedicated his life to the attempt to
relieve the sufferings of the common people. It was the
custom of the aristocrats to make it a pastime to tax
their subjects and exhaust the common people with forced
labor. In years when crops were bad, starvation was
common.
Confucius believed
that the solution to the problem should be reform of the
government that would make its objective not the pleasure
of the rulers but the happiness of their subjects.
Therefore, his lifelong objective was to occupy a
commanding administrative post in which he would have the
power to put his radical ideas into practice. As an
humble subject, the rulers of his native state, Lu, paid
little attention to his ideas.
But, his
opportunity never came. He was considered as an enemy of
the state, but he never ceased to talk to younger men
about his principles. Gradually a group of them formed
about him, as disciples who recognized him as their
teacher. since he was powerless to apply his principles
himself, he paid increasing emphasis on teaching them to
younger men for whom he sought posts in the government.
He was successful in placing some of his students in
positions of authority. But their teacher, and his
doctrines had little effect in his day. At the age of
fifty he set off on what was to be a decade or more of
ardous and dangerous travels through various states,
seeking a ruler who would help him put his ideas into
effect. Finally, at age 67 he returned to Lu where he
continued teaching until his death at 72.
Confucianism has
been called a religion. However, Confucius was not a
religious leader in the usual sense of the word. He was
undoubtedly a religious man, in that he felt that
somewhere in the universe there was a force on the side
of right. He liked religious ritual, but he considered a
large part of the religious practice of his day to be
sheer superstition. His philosophy was not founded upon
supernaturalism. Humanity was central in his philosophy.
"Virtue," he said, "is to love men. And
wisdom is to understand men." Confucius regarded
humankind as one large family. One of his disciples said:
"Within the four seas all men are brothers."
Sincerity and reciprocity in human relationships should
be one's guiding principles. Confucius said: "The
truly virtuous man, desiring to establish himself, seeks
to establish others; desiring success for himself, he
strives to help others succeed. To find in the wishes of
one's own heart the principle for his conduct toward
others is the method of true virtue."
The teachings of
Confucius became known as "tao" usually
translated as "The Way." "Tao" means
"road" or "path." To Confucius "tao"
did not mean anything mystical. It was simply the Way,
with a capital W, or in other words, the way above all
other ways that men should follow. The goal was not after
life but in this life here and now, for all humankind.
The Way included the ethical code of the individual and
also the pattern of government that should bring the
fullest measure of well-being for every human being. The
Way was not mystical, but it was regarded with enthusiasm
by Confucius' disciples. Confucius said: "The
measure of a man's life is not how long but how good?"
It was not desirable that a man should die the same
evening after hearing the Way, but if he must, it could
be borne.
To Confucius the
doctrine of the Way was not a mystical thing. He made
this clear when he said: "Men can enlarge the Way,
but the Way, by itself, does not enlarge the man."
Even though Confucius did not regard his teachings as a
cosmic absolute, he was nonetheless exacting in his
demands that his disciples adhere to its unswervingly. He
demanded loyalty to the principle of the Way. Despite the
fact that his principles were not based on religious
beliefs he was able to inspire young men with the most
complete devotion to his ideals.
The function of
Confucius' teaching has been much like that of the faith
of Christians. he demanded the utmost zeal of his
followers. He expected them to be prepared to lay down
their lives for their principles. And many did so. Over
the centuries Confucians have produced many martyrs.
The problem of
Confucius' relationship to religion is a difficult one.
He was not primarily a religious teacher or prophet. He
talked much about the way men should follow; he did not
discuss the way to heaven. When a disciple asked how one
should serve spirits, Confucius told him: "You are
not yet able to serve men; how can you serve spirits?"
The disciple asked about death. Confucius replied: "You
do not yet understand life; how can you understand death?"
The religion of his day had little to say about life
after death.
The main thrust of
Confucius' teaching concerned the present. He was deeply
distressed by the misery he saw on every hand. China was
only nominally united. The king merely a puppet and the
feudal states were divided between powerful nobles who
did as they pleased.
Confucius's
ancestry is unknown, but it has been said that he was
descended from the Chinese nobility. It is known that his
family was poor and belonged to the coolie class. He said:
"It is better to be poor and yet happy; rich and yet
fond of your fellowmen;" and, "To eat
vegetables and drink only water, with bent arms for a
pillow, I am still happy in such a life."
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