Analects of Confucius Revolves Around the Thoughts

Analects of Confucius revolves around the thoughts and teachings of Chinese philosopher Confucius and it is the foundation for Confucianism that is followed by millions of people in East Asia today. This important text was written around 500 BC by the pupils of Confucius and a good part of it was written within a period of 30 to 50 years after his death. Confucius was born in the province of Lu at a time when the Chinese culture and way of life was at its nascent stages.

He wanted to impact the Chinese way of life politically and intellectually through his philosophy and teachings. He tried to pass on to his students the guiding principles of ancient sage kings who worked to maintain harmony in the community and by emphasizing on spiritual well-being over material wealth (Confucius, Ames and Rosemont, 1998). The Analects do not contain any prose, poem or argument.

It is rather a set of statements said by Confucius to his disciples and it is upto the readers to tune into the voice of Confucius to understand his strong and complex style of teaching. Contents and Teachings This book is a compilation of speeches given by Confucius and the conversation he had with his disciples.

It talks about different aspects of living like understanding one's responsibility, living a peaceful and meaningful life, forming and running a Government and living a life of self-cultivation so that the disciple can be a moral role-leader for others to follow in his path.

The book is divided into 20 chapters and they are: Xue Er, Wei Zheng, Ba Yi, Li Ren, Gong Ye Chang, Yong Ye, Shu Er, Tai Bo, Zi Han, Xiang Dang, Xian Jin, Yan Yuan, Zi Lu, Xian Wen, Wei Ling Gong, Ji Shi, Yang Huo, Wei Zi, Zi Zhang and Yao Yue (Confucius.org, no date). Self-learning Confucius wanted his students to be good learners and show a natural talent and interest in learning.

This is why many of the teachings were open-ended because he wanted his students to do their own research and apply their thoughts to complete it. He gave them only one corner and wanted them to come back with the other three before he moved on to the next lesson (Analects 7:8). Love and Brotherhood He also wanted his students to live and behave in a moral and virtuous manner so that they can become a humane person or a prince of virtue.

This idea of humanity is the crux of the entire book and it is mentioned at least a hundred times throughout the chapters. Another central idea is love and universal brotherhood and it was considered to be one of the best forms of moral behavior. The steps that one should take to achieve this end is mentioned in chapter 12: Yan Yuan (Analects 12). Also, Confucius believed that it should taught from childhood so that as one grows up, love and brotherhood comes naturally.

About Confucius The book describes the personality and appearance of Confucius in a subtle way. As against the popular convention that Confucius was a fat and boring preacher, this book shows him in a different light. "Analects reveals a living Confucius that constantly surprises.

In one passage, for instance, the Master provides an intriguing self-portrait: the governor of a certain town had asked one of the disciples what sort of man Confucius was and the disciple did not know how to reply, which provoked Confucius' reaction: 'Why did you not tell him that Confucius is a man driven by so much passion that, in his enthusiasm, he often forgets to eat and remains unaware of the onset of old age?'" (Confucius, Simon Leys, 1997, p.xvii).

This goes to show that the Master considered himself to be an energetic person who was physically thin and old. An in-depth analysis of Analects brings a new perspective on Confucius -- his personality and teachings. Loyalty in Government Service Confucius emphasized on honesty and loyalty in Government service and he believed that this will happen when the individual is taught to not do something that he would not want to get from others.

In other words, the Master said that reciprocity is the key to being a good Government official because the disciple will not do to others what he does not want for himself (Analects, 15:24). Virtuous Behavior One of the core teachings of Confucius is to have a virtuous behavior that will lead to a moral and fulfilling life.

In Analects (15:35), the Master says that virtue is a lot more than water or fire because people who walk on water or fire may die, but a man will never die by walking on the path of virtue. Such a strong emphasis on virtue and moral behavior is also important to attain knowledge and retain it for the future. He also taught his disciples that such virtues are required to attain excellence in all aspects of life.

The Master taught his disciples the right way to live and this attracted a lot of people to his principles. He provided them a basis or curriculum that encouraged refinement in all aspects of life. Students who followed his teachings enjoyed a higher quality of life and this is probably what inspires hundreds of thousands of people to follow them even today.

Influence on East Asian society "Recognized as China's first great teacher chronologically and in importance, Confucius ideas have been the fertile soil in which the Chinese cultural tradition has been cultivated and has flourished. In fact, whatever we meant by "Chineseness" today, some two and a half millenia after his death, is inseparable from the example of personal character that Confucius provided for posterity" (Confucius, Ames and Rosemont, 1998, p. 1). This book is one of the four important.