Confucius Chapter 7 Summary

Confucianism has been a part of Chinese culture for over a thousand years. Many who have studied Confucianism would say that it is not a religion. It is better described as a philosophy or moral code. The philosophy of Confucianism comes mainly from the speeches and writings of Confucius, a great Chinese thinker and educator. He believed that Humanity, Rite, Neutrality, Virtue, Education, and Cultivation were the basis of human behavior. In addition, Confucius felt that this philosophy was the best way for people to behave and interact with others in society.

Well this book report will be one of the hardest one’s for me to write for the book was so boring I literally fell asleep every couple of pages and had to drink a huge amount of caffeine just so I would not be put to sleep. However I learned that if a pick up this book and read I’ll be able to put myself to sleep even if I’m struggling to fall asleep. For Confucius Lives Next Door: What Living In The East Teaches Us About Living In the West is like listening to a monotone speaker that makes everyone want to be anywhere else than suffer anymore to their ramblings.

Confucius’ high emphasis on morality instead of profit was one of his major political ideals that he tried to persuade the the rulers of the kingdoms to pursue. However, his failure to convince any of those rulers reflected the prevalent pragmatic political culture at that period. After all, the kingdoms were at war with each other so that Confucius’ idea was inevitably less popular than those battle-winning strategies in favor of “profit.”

“He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.” - Confucius

Reading T. R. Reid's new book brought me back to that conversation. ''Confucius Lives Next Door'' is aptly named. Reid, a longtime reporter and Asia correspondent for The Washington Post, has nailed his copy of the Analects to the mast. Drawing on the experience of his own and his family's life in Tokyo and other east Asian points, he has written a paean to what he terms ''east Asia's social miracle -- how the Asians have built modern industrial societies characterized by the safest streets, the best schools and the most stable families in the world.'' Asians, he holds, have ''a sense of civility and harmony that you can feel,'' and they ''achieved their social miracle primarily by holding to a

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

1c) One example From the Analects readings that illustrate some biographical point From his life in practice or within his explicit teachings can be Found in Chapter 1 Verse 5.ConFucius states, “In leading a state of a thousand chariots, respect the once and be trustworthy; economize in the use of resources and love the people, and employ the people when it is timely.”

Reid, T. R. Confucius Lives Next Door: What Leaving In The East Teaches Us About Living In the West. United States: Random House Publishing Group, 1999. Print.

As the Korean old proverb goes, “Read the Analects of Confucius when you are young and read the Tao Te Ching when you get older.” Personally, the Analects of Confucius appeared to me because its ideas are very down to earth. Many people believed that two texts are complementary and do not replace one another. The reason why is that two texts have different ideas. The Analects of Confucius is dealing with more practical things but Tao Te Ching pursue ideal things. Therefore, I strongly believe that we have to read both of texts in life so that we can have a better life.

     Confucius’s counsel and guidance recorded in The Analects instilled wisdom when they were first recorded and continue to provide a thought provoking analysis of life and the checkpoints that guide it. The Master’s commentary on restraint, diligence, decency, and citizenship are well intended and relevant. Politics and the role of government also come under scrutiny as Confucius offers his insights in bettering the organization of power. His proverb-like admonitions use clear examples of everyday life allowing them to be understood and easily digested. Confucius’s own eagerness and willingness to share goodness he experienced makes it easier to apply and practice in one’s own life.

The novel Confucius Lives Next Door: What Living in the East Teaches Us About Living in the West, the author T. R. Reid recounts him and his families experience of their time living in Tokyo, Japan. Reid originally moved to Tokyo to write for the Washington Post, however, shortly after moving there he fell in love with the social miracles that the Japanese culture possessed. When Reid first brought up the idea of moving to Tokyo in the mid-1980s to his family, they immediately shut him down, this was during the period when Americans thought that the Japanese were going to bomb the United States and possibly take over the country, however, after some convincing the Reid, his wife and

Confucius, who lived from 551-479 BCE, was a Chinese philosopher, teacher, and politician. Confucius had written a set of books or ideas and concepts called The Analects. These were different collections of sayings that Confucius had written to reflect his ideas about different things like politics, family, morality, and many more. Confucius is also the creator of the commonly used “Golden Rule” of “do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.” Through his teachings, books, and his followers, the philosophy of Confucianism was created. In Doctrine of the Mean, Confucius explains how to perfect oneself and how to become a morally righteous person. He explains how one must maintain a balance into a constant state of equilibrium.

Confucius created a system of thinking called Confucianism. If only one word could be used to summarize the Chinese way of life for the last two thousand years, that word would be Confucian. No other person has had as great an effect on the life and thought of the Chinese people as Confucius. He is the most adored person in Chinese history. Confucius claimed no greatness, instead he looked to a past time that he saw as the golden age. He told one of his disciples, "I transmit but I do not create. I am sincerely fond of the ancient. I would compare myself to Old P'eng who was fond of talking about the good old days." Confucius was a transmitter of the wisdom of the past. From his study of Chinese tradition, he gathered the

     Confucius and Plato are two of the most respected and most widely studied teachers of history. There philosophies of how people should be governed and what characteristics make for a good leader. Both men’s ideas are good for the civilizations that they lived in, and they shared many similarities in their ideas. My own ideas of an ideal leader are a mixture of these two men’s ideas. The personal experiences of both men also play a key role in how they shape their ideas.

One of the most famous people in ancient China was a wise philosopher named Confucius (circa