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Essence of World Religions
classics are studied to discover the ancient way of virtue. Spiritual nobility is attainable by all men. It is perceived as a moral achievement. Confucius accepted the Tao (see Taoism), but placed emphasis on the return to an idealized age and the cultivation of the superior man and on the pragmatic rather than the mystical. The superior man's greatest virtues are benevolent love, duty, wisdom, truth, and propriety. Salvation is seen as realizing and living one's natural goodness, which is endowed by heaven through education. The superior man always knows what is right and follows his knowledge.
Path of Attainment Besides virtue, the five relationships offer the follower of Confucianism a means for progressing. These five relationships are ruler and ruled, father and child, husband and wife, older sibling and younger sibling, and friend and friend. Ancestors are revered in Confucianism, and it is assumed that their spirit survives death. With respect to a deity, Confucius himself was an agnostic, preferring to place emphasis on the ethical life here rather than to speak of a spiritual life beyond earthly existence; while guiding men's minds not to the future, but to the present and the past. Synopsis Confucianism, the philosophical system founded on the teaching of Confucius (551 - 479 BC), dominated Chinese socio-political life for most of Chinese history and largely influenced the cultures of Korea, Japan, and Indochina. Confucianism is and has been for over 25 centuries, the dominant philosophical system in China and the guiding light in almost every aspect of Chinese life. Confucius and his followers traveled throughout many feudal states of the Chinese empire persuading rulers to adopt his social reforms. They did not offer a point by point program but stressed instead the way or "one thread" Jen, which is translated as humanity or love, that runs through all of Confucius' teachings. They urged individuals to strive for perfect virtue, righteousness (called i), and improvement of character. Confucius was dedicated to the preservation of traditional ritual practices with an almost spiritual delight in its performance.
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