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Religion and Non-Violence
Chinese society because they could guide the moral and social development of their disciples and fellow beings. They believed more in ‘this-worldliness' than in other-worldliness. There was no eagerness on their part to leave this world as a realm of deceitful appearance (the Māyā of the Hindus). They advocated making the most of the promising values that man and society here and now exhibit. They never allowed their thoughts to obscure the positive virtues, the rich opportunities, and high responsibilities that the world presented before them. They accepted this world with cheer and hope saying 'one should accept the world as it is and find what measure of poise and happiness and strength can be found in it. It is only during the last fifty years that this traditional Chinese society has started changing.
Two hundred years after the founding of the Chou dynasty, i.e., beginning from 850 BC, aggressive wars between different chieftains in China became frequent, the prestige of central authority having fallen quite low. Maintenance of law and order was precarious, insecurity was on the increase and anxiety was deepening. Such moral coherence as had apparently been won in earlier days was disintegrating, while irresponsibility and selfish indifference was widespread among the leaders of society at all levels. This provocative situation produced in China a number of teacher-sages such as Confucius, Mo Tse, Lao Tse and Mencius. The common problem before them was “how to save society'; and it was in this connection that non-violence took shape and significance.
Confucius: He was born in 551 BC in the state of Lu, now a part of Shantung province. His father died early, and he was brought up by his mother. Confucius was very interested in his studies. Later in his life he held several responsible ministerial positions but these could not satisfy him. He saw that the society around him needed political and social reforms. He went about the different provinces meeting men in positions of authority, and propagating his ideas with a view to reforming the society of his time. Later, he took up teaching-a job which he thought was most important for the regeneration of society.
His disciple Tselu was once asked by the Duke of Ch’u to give him a description of Confucius, and Tselu, too baffled to reply, came and reported to the master. Confucius at once said,
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