Confucianism - Filial Piety in Chinese Religion Essay

“It is often said that, aside from the impact of Marxism on twentieth-century China, the only other time when the Chinese looked beyond their own borders for intellectual sustenance was during the period when Buddhism was absorbed from India” (LaFleur 23). Why did this religion appeal to the Chinese when they disregarded so many other external influences? After all, being tied to the rest of the world by the Silk Road meant they were constantly inundated with novel concepts from far and wide. The answer must lie in how Buddhism interacted with the other faiths already established in the country, namely Confucianism and Daoism (sometimes spelled Taoism). While at first glance it may appear that Confucian China would be the last place

Confucian worshiping of ancestors and norms “Xiao” stimulated the blooming of the family and clan

Confucian reinforced the need for people to respect their family and encouraged them to work hard

Founded by Confucius, Confucianism followers highly valued education as well as respect for ancestors. According to Document 1, disorder will not be created if followers remain respectful to their superiors, for filial piety is one aspect that is the root of humanity. Filial

The region of China is extensive and profound. “In China lay people did not belong to an institutionalized sect, nor did their religious life have anything to do with signing articles of faint. Religion in China was so woven into the broad fabric of family and social life that there was not even a special word for it until modern times, when one was coined to match the Western term” (Thompson, 1). In China, Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism are all blended. In the earliest period, Shang Dynasty (2000 BC), people in China had worshipped a lot of different gods (polytheism) such as weather god, river god. People in the Shang Dynasty believed that their ancestors become like gods after they died, so people worshipped their

Filial piety requires children to give their parents the respect that they owe them.Filial piety requires full obedience to parents in one’s lifetime, and is also required for children to perform certain rituals after death of

The ancient Chinese introduced three major religious views—Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism—during the “hundred schools” era, but Confucianism was by far the most influential upon the Chinese population. The major belief of Confucianism was that an individual’s affairs would prosper if they acted in accordance with their Dao, which was unique to each person depending on their individual role in life. An individual’s Dao was centered around the concept of duty and the idea of humanity. It was thought that there was a responsibility of all humans to base their own aspirations and interests upon the broader need of their family and/or community. Therefore, each individual would not only prosper themselves, but also prosper the other individuals surrounding them as well, creating a more stable community. It was also thought that each individual should have compassion and empathy towards one another, promoting good behavior from all individuals and fostering tolerance among communities. The concept of duty and idea of humanity brought about by the Confucian beliefs had a powerful influence on not only individuals, but the community as a whole through individual actions, having a great impact upon Chinese society and stabilizing it as a whole.

Ever since the Han Dynasty, Confucianism has been a cornerstone in Chinese culture. Established by the scholar Confucius, this belief system focused on achieving a "…perfect society in which all people devoted themselves to fulfilling their roles… (and) all wholeheartedly did what was expected of them." (PMEA, 32) This included all individuals knowing and enacting their responsibilities in order to create a world of harmony. During the Song, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, Confucian principles, were intertwined throughout the Chinese government, culture and everyday lives of subjects. Advancements made during this timeframe allowed Confucianism to develop and grow with the Chinese population, making this belief system a mainstay in Chinese society.

Children in Ancient China had different expectations laid out for them, mostly dependent on gender and age. One of the most important values instilled in children was respect. Children were expected to respect authority figures above all, but also to respect those in their immediate family. Religion and philosophies in Ancient China played a major role in what was expected of Chinese children. Expectations also varied depending on the child’s social status. Confucianism in particular is acknowledged as the major influence in the daily lives of Chinese people, but especially children.

The first point in Confucius 's three main points is the importance of family. Confucius stressed that family is composed of many types of relationships within the family. These relationships are: parent and child, husband and wife, and elder brother and younger brother. The relationship between the elder brother and younger brother is a simple one, but it can easily be overlooked. The relationship between parent and child is one of the ones most emphasized by Confucius. Confucius uses the idea of Filial Piety, the respect of a child for his or her parents, to stress the importance of this relationship. Confucius is also known for the idea that “if the interests of one’s ruler and one’s parents conflicted, one’s support of the parent came first” this is according to the book, page 48. Confucius also has the belief that everyone is born into the world as good. Last but not least, is the relationship between husband and wife. In Lessons for Women by Ban Zhao, Ban Zhao lists many different maxims that led to a

As I illustrate above, there is a need to observe the rituals of the Zhu Xi's family for pleasing the spirit that guide life on Earth and in Heaven. Leading a moral life and offering sacrifices will protect you and minimize the occurrence of monsters that disturb the peace among evil people. Consequently, observing the procedure of sacrifices is necessary so that the ancestors can respond to your needs as intended. Also, making a ledger of merit and demerit will help you to support your morality; daily log motivates you to be pure and honest. People might do good things for getting a reward, but you need to know that it is important to be refined but not greedy so that you will feel good when you do good things, and that would be the reward.

Confucianism and Daoism are two influential schools of thoughts that have existed in ancient China around the 6th century BCE. The former, led by the politician and philosopher Confucius, proposed that humans live in society according to a set of predefined rules and that they transform society through political action. Whereas the latter, led by the philosopher Lao-Tzu, promoted the idea of inaction; people should go with the flow instead of taking action to control their lives and dominate their surroundings. Although, at first glance Daoism and Confucianism seem to be two opposing philosophies, a more in depth analysis of two of their key ideas –filial piety and education—reveals that they do share some similarities.

Confucianism is a time enduring philosophy that has stood up to invading clans, war, resentment, enforcement and infringement of new philosophies, and eventually, revival. For almost 80 years, up until the late 1970’s, Confucianism and its ideas and values have been all but wiped away from China. Though effort was made to remove Confucianism for good from China by the Communist leader Mao Zedong in 1949, the ideas and values were so deeply embedded into peoples mind and the culture that even suppression could not keep it out of the culture and practices. The main factor that has brought Confucianism back into the limelight in China and other East Asian countries is the recent

Confucianism was orchestrated and created by Master Kong who was later named Confucius by missionaries from Jesuit when visiting China. Nevertheless, the basic principles of Confucianism preceded his birth during the Zhan Empire. During that time, the concepts of respect and the considerations for others flourished but there was as well emphasis given to spiritual concerns- specifically, the divine’s goodness and supremacy. Such concepts focused on uniting the people, establishing stability and monitoring rebellion against existing authorities.

was the education for China for 2,000 years. Confucius had few simple morals, to honor one?s parents and