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The Chinese religious traditions of Daoism and Confucianism were interwoven together in the souls of the people, whose reverence for ancestors and striving for harmony with nature were elevated by the ethics and ideals of them both. Kong Fuzi (Confucius) and Lao Zi (Lao Tzu) were contemporaries in sixth century BCE China. The two traditions coexist peacefully, even within the individual follower. Lao Zi founded Daoism in an effort to end the constant feudal warfare. His writings describe the way to peace and how a ruler should led his life. According to legend, Kong Fuzi visited with Lao Zi and was very impressed with his superior intellect, comparing him to a mysterious dragon. The teachings of Kong Fuzi (Confucianism), dealt mostly with ethics and education. Born in the state of Lu, Kong Fuzi (551-479 BCE) was a reformer. He endeavored to elevate the most refined elements in the prevailing societal and governmental traditions by traveling throughout China, giving advice to its rulers, and teaching morality and ethics. The teachings of Kong Fuzi known as Confucianism was a philosophy of a way of life that was mainly about ethical relations that define the standards for family life and the administration of the state. According to the teachings of Kong Fuzi, the motive for change must be right. It must be good for the whole, as well as, the self. A moral self was cultivated through a path of virtue where Yi-Jen-Li were integrated into righteous benevolent propriety. Kong Fuzi's teachings also have a deep reverence for the powers of Heaven and Earth that regulate nature and effect the course of human events.
Kong Fuzi's ethical teachings included the following values and virtues: Chung,
loyalty to the state; Li, ritual, propriety, etiquette; Hsiao, love within
the family; Jen, benevolence, humaneness towards others; Yi,
righteousness; and Xin, honesty and trustworthiness. Four of life's passages
were regulated by tradition: birth; reaching maturity; marriage (with the six
stages of proposal, engagement, dowry, procession, marriage, reception); and death.
Known as the "Virtuous Teacher Kong", the profound thinking of Kong Fuzi, as well as, the centuries of commentary that it inspired are both central and integral to the cultural system of the Chinese. Kong Fuzi taught philosophy, the classics, poetry, music, and his views on governmental reform to about three thousand young male students during his lifetime. Of these, he chose the seventy-two best and brightest to become known as his disciples. For centuries, his four major classics the Analects of Confucius, Doctrine of the Mean, Mencius, and The Great Learning shaped the foundation of Chinese education. Besides China, the works of Kong Fuzi have also been an inspiration influence on the cultures of several other countries in the area. There are about six million followers of the teachings of Kong Fuzi in the world with most of them living in China and Asia (about 26,000 live in North America). On September 30, 2004, for the first time since the People's Republic of China was established in 1949, an official memorial ceremony was conducted to honor the birthday of Kong Fuzi (Confucius). Thousands of people from around the world including Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, the United States, attended the celebration of the renowned ethicist and scholar's 2, 555th birth anniversary in his hometown of Qufu City in east China's Shandong Province. His descendants, government officials, and envoys from diverse walks of life saluted the altar in turn. Flowers were offered before a stature of Kong Fuzi (Confucius), and, people dressed in traditional ancient costumes reenacted ceremonies from the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
Kong Fuzi (Kongzi, Kong Zi, Venerable Master Kong, Virtuous Teacher Kong,
Confucius) continues to serve the peoples of China. For further information
about the teachings of Kong Fuzi please see the Daoism Confucian Background Beliefs Overview and Traditions.
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