Indoctrination and brainwashing have not been able to erase the traditional humanitarianism of the gentle Sage from the minds of people on the mainland
People of Chinese culture bowed in veneration of their philosopher-sage Confucius last September 28. It was the 2523rd anniversary of the birth of K'ung Fu-tzu, or Master K'ung. On the Chinese mainland, the anniversary was an occasion for denigrating one of the world's immortals. The Chinese Communists have been attacking Confucius hammer and tongs this year after several years of relative silence on the subject.
Mao Tse-tung and Chou En-lai seem to have realized that Confucianism is still the ruling force in the hearts of the Chinese people and that Marxism is a veneer applied only for purposes of survival. Peiping pretends to a slight relaxation of religious suppression in order to further the cause of smiling diplomacy. There has been no such pretense on the subject of Confucianism which, although not a religion, has served quasi-religious purposes among the Chinese for more than two millennia.
The campaign against Confucianism amounts to admission that no amount of Marxism substitution can take the place of traditional teachings. The ideological spokesman of the anti-Confucist movement is Yang Jung-kuo, an obscure professor of philosophy at "Chungshan University" in Canton. His articles have been appearing in People's Daily and Red Flag and he spoke on Confucius at a meeting of the Kwangtung provincial party committee. The gist of his contention in books and articles has been that anyone who supports Confucius is against Marxism. Essentially this is so, and that has the Communists deeply worried.
While Yang Jung-kuo was lashing out at one of civilization's greatest humanitarians, Chinese communities all over the world were paying their respects to Confucius. The most elaborate ceremonies were held in Taipei, where 3,000 persons attended dawn services with Mayor Chang Feng-hsu presiding in the traditional way. Governor Hsieh Tung-ming was the chief officer at rites in Tainan, the ancient capital of the island and once occupied by the Dutch.
Because Confucius was teacher as well as philosopher, his day is also given over to the honoring of educators. Hundreds were recognized in Taipei. Madame Chiang Kai-shek gave a luncheon for 500 education leaders at the Chungshan Building on Yangmingshan. Those present to pay their respects to all who have followed Confucius' calling included Vice President Yen Chia-kan and Premier Chiang Ching-kuo.
The Chinese Communists have ample reason to fear Confucius and the Confucian influence. Master K'ung is as alive today as he was more than 2,500 years ago. He didn't contribute a religion and he didn't raise himself to the godhead, but he did shape a way of life for the world's most numerous people.
Before Confucius' time, education was a privilege of the aristocracy. Advocating that "in educating there should be no distinction of classes," Confucius was the first person to bring the knowledge previously reserved for the temples of the ruling class to the marketplace of the common man. This quotation shows the readiness of Confucius to impart instruction: "From the man bringing his bundle of dried flesh for my teaching upwards, I have never refused instruction to anyone." (It was the rule of ancient times that when one party waited on another, he should carry some present or offering. Pupils did so when they first waited on their teacher. Of such offerings, one of the lowest was a bundle of strips of dried flesh.) He had taught, over a period of 40 years, some 3,000 pupils, of whom 72 had mastered the "six arts" - ritual, music, archery, charioteering, history and mathematics. They came from all over China, not just the state of Lu, his native place, but from Wei, Chi, Chin, Cheng, Tsin, Sung, Wu and Yueh. This was something unheard of before him. The popularization of learning produced the unexpected effect of cultural unity for China, coming some 300 years before Chin Shih Huang, the first emperor of China, united the country. From the 2nd century B.C. to the present day, Confucianism has been synonymous with learning. Confucius was also revered by the illiterate millions who could not read his Classics but nonetheless practiced what he stood for. He was thus referred to as ta ch'eng chih sheng hsien shih - "the all-encompassing, supremely sagacious late master." Few civilizations of the ancient world had any scholastic or historical figure comparable to Confucius.
Confucius was from the state of Lu in today's Shantung province. He lived in the Spring and Autumn Period (722-481 B.C.), when the Chou dynasty had lost control over the feudal lords. Born on the 27th day of the Tenth Moon in the 22nd year of Duke Hsiang of Lu (551 B.C.), he was given the name of Ch'iu, meaning a hill, because there was a noticeable protuberance on his head. His literary name was Chung-ni.
His father died when Confucius was only three years old and the boy was brought up by his mother. Confucius matured early. From childhood, he liked to play at performing sacrificial ceremonies and offerings. At 15, he made up his mind to become a scholar. Confucius used these formative years to learn everything from everyone. When he got a job as a clerk in the memorial temple of the Duke of Chou, he attended all the ceremonies and would ask tirelessly about every detail of the ritual. Soon he acquired a reputation as an expert in ancient rituals. Disciples started to flock around him.
The original word for "ritual" is li, which means a sense of propriety, or the order of things. Some translate it as "moral and religious institutions" (of the Three Dynasties). Confucianism has been known in China through the centuries as li chiao, "the religion of li, or ritual." This conception of li, meaning much more than mere ritualism, is Confucius' central theme for an ideal social order. Throughout his life, he sought to restore a social order based on love for one's kind and respect for worship. Festivities of ritual and music should be outward symbols of this.
Confucius attributed all the ills of his day to the fact that the leaders of society had neglected the old rites, were performing them incorrectly, or usurping rites and ceremonies to which they were not entitled. He believed that the neglect and abuse of the rites reflected a deepening moral chaos and the beginning of spiritual darkness. This was the state of affairs in his home land of Lu. The world had fallen into decay and principles had faded away. Perverse speech and oppressive deeds were rife. There were instances of ministers who murdered their sovereigns and of sons who murdered their fathers. One of three officials of Lu, Chi Kang, once asked Confucius about government. Confucius replied, "To govern means to rectify. If you lead the people with correctness, who will dare not to be correct?" Distressed about the number of thieves in the state, Chi Kang inquired of Confucius how to do away with them. Confucius said, "If you, sir, were not covetous, although you should reward them to do it, they would not steal."
Only when he had reached the age of 50 was he able to put his ideals into practice. In 502 B.C. he was made szu k'ou, the secretary of justice, one of the six highest ranking official positions. In 497 B.C., he was promoted to prime minister. He was then 55 years old. He practiced what he had preached. In no time, his district became the wonder of his time.
Neighboring countries began to fear that under his administration Lu would dominate and subdue them all. To prevent this, the Duke of Ch'i sent a present of fine horses and 80 highly accomplished beauties to Lu. The Duke of Lu was induced to receive these. For three days no court was held. Confucius, indignant and sorrowful, quit his office and started on travels which took him and his disciples to many states during the next 14 years.
The wandering years bespoke better than anything else the character of Confucius. He was not only a scholar, but a man of positive political ideals and burning desire to see them materialized.
Many rulers sought his service, yet he would rather spurn their offer than grasp at any opportunity. He had little success in his search for the ideal ruler under whom he could put his political theories into practice. When he was 68, he packed up his political aspirations and went home to Lu.
For the next five years, he devoted himself to teaching and editing the Classics.
For use in teaching, Confucius edited the "Six Classics." They were:
Shih Ching (Book of Odes), a collection of 305 songs and sacred anthems, said to have been chosen from more than 3,000.
Li Chi (Book of Rites), supposedly a record of the government system and rituals of the early Chou dynasty.
Shu Ching (Book of History), composed of early historical documents, chiefly the proclamations of kings.
Ch'un Ch'iu (Annals of Spring and Autumn), written by Confucius, a chronicle of events from 722 to 481 B.C., based on the history of the state of Lu. The only work directly attributed to him.
I Ching (Book of Changes), the philosophy of mutations in human events, originally a divination system based on changing arrangements of the lines of an octogram which developed into a complete philosophy for human conduct under varying circumstances.
Yueh Ching (Book of Music), a book which has been lost.
Later, two chapters were taken from the Book of Rites and became two independent books: Ta Hsueh (The Great Learning) and Chung Yung (The Golden Mean). But the most popular of all was Lun Yü (Analects of Confucius), a collection of the master's sayings recorded by his disciples. A century later, Confucianism found its most effective spokesman in Mencius (372-289 B.C.), who has been regarded by the Chinese as their "second sage." Disciples collected his sayings into a book called Mencius. Together, these volumes form the treasure of Confucian teachings as well as classical Chinese learning and are known as the "Four Books and Five Classics."
Confucius died at the age of 72 in 479 B.C. He was buried in Lu, in the present city of Ch'üfu. His disciples observed the traditional mourning of three years by living in huts beside his grave. Endless dynasties in 25 centuries added to the buildings and garden at Ch'üfu.
According to Lin Yu-tang, Confucius identified politics with ethics. His definition of "ritual and music" embodied the entire aim of the Confucian social order. He was aiming at the moral basis for peace in society, out of which political peace should naturally ensue. His idea of government was "Guide the people by governmental measures and regulate them by the threat of punishment, and the people will try to keep out of jail but will have no sense of honor or shame. Guide the people by virtue and regulate them by li (sense of propriety), and the people will have a sense of honor and respect."
Confucius was trying to restore a social order, especially a rationalized feudal order, which was breaking down in his day. Replying to Duke Ching of Ch'i state about good government, Confucius said, "There is government when the prince is prince and the minister is minister; when the father is father and the son is son."His means were ritual and music. He also insisted on the rectification of names, i.e., calling a spade a spade.
Once Tzu Lu, one of his disciples, asked Confucius: "The ruler of Wei has been waiting for you to administer the government. What will you consider the first thing to be done?" "I would begin with the rectification of names," Confucius answered. "Do you really mean it? " asked Tzu Lu, "How impractical and wide of the mark you are! Why must there be such rectification?" "How uncultivated you are, Yiü! A superior man, in regard to what he does not know, shows a cautious reserve," Confucius replied. "If the name is not rectified, then the whole style of one's speech falls out of form; if one's speech is not in form, then orders cannot be carried out; if orders are not carried out, then the proper forms of worship and social intercourse (in ritual and music) cannot be restored; if the proper forms of worship and social intercourse are not restored, then justice will fail; when justice fails, then the people are at a loss to know what to do or what not to do."
Confucius advocated humanism. He recognized that "the measure of man is man." The central tenet of Confucian teaching is jen, humanity, benevolence, perfect virtue or "the moral sense," which is probably closest to it. The other tenet is shu, tolerance or reciprocity. Confucius repeatedly said: "Do not do unto others what you would not have others do unto you." In explaining jen, Confucius listed five virtues: "Courtesy, magnanimity, good faith, diligence and kindness. He who is courteous is not humiliated, he who is magnanimous wins the multitude, he who is of good faith is trusted by the people, he who is diligent attains his objective, and he who is kind can get service from the people." On another occasion, when asked about the meaning of jen, he replied in two words: "Love men."
Confucius stressed personal cultivation as the basis of a world order. Hsiao, or filial piety, is the basis of this. For having acquired the habits of love and respect in the home, one could not but extend this mental attitude of love and respect to other people's parents and elder brothers and to the authorities of the state. The idea is best expressed by the opening chapter of ''The Great Learning:" "The ancients who wished to preserve the fresh or clear character of the people of the world would first set about ordering their national life. Those who wished to order their national life would first set about regulating their family life. Those who wished to regulate their family life would first set about cultivating their personal life. Those who wished to cultivate their personal life would first set about setting their hearts right. Those who wished to set their hearts right would first set about making their wills sincere."
Confucius' ideal man is the chün tzu, or gentleman. He is not an aristocrat, but merely a kind and gentle man of moral principles. He is a man who loves learning, who is calm himself and perfectly at ease and constantly careful of his own conduct, believing that by example he has great influence over society in general. He is also perfectly at ease in his own station of life and has a certain contempt for the mere luxuries of living. Confucius said: "The gentleman makes demands on himself; the inferior man makes demands on others."
These ideas of Confucius have dictated the development of Chinese history for the last 25 centuries. They not only exerted a vital influence on the Chinese way of life, but also on those of Korea, Japan, the Ryukyus and Vietnam. For the last 800 years, the Confucian Classics have been the basic text in Chinese education, known to every schoolage boy or girl. As a system of humanist culture, as a fundamental viewpoint concerning the conduct of life and of society, and above all, as a way of life which has proved its value after 2,400 years, there is no doubt that it is still very much alive, and dear to the heart of every Chinese.
Although honored by later generations as the greatest sage, Confucius was by no means of a didactic disposition. To the contrary, he was mild and amiable.
Tzu Yiu, one of Confucius' disciples, was able by his courage to transform the people and make them change their mail and helmets for stringed instruments and singing. This made Confucius glad. Well pleased and smiling, the Master said jokingly, "Why use an ox knife to kill a fowl? " Taking it seriously, Tzu Yiu replied, "Formerly, Master, I heard you say, 'When the man of high station is well instructed, he loves men; when the man of low station is well instructed, he is easily ruled.'" The Master said, "My disciples, his words are right. What I said was only in sport."
Another day Tzu Lu, Tseng Hsi, Jan Yiu and Kung-hsi Hua were sitting by Confucius. He said to them, "Though I am older than you, do not think of that. From day to day you are saying, 'We are not known.' If some ruler were to know you, what would you like to do? " Instead of expressing the measures to administer the government as others did, Tseng Hsi said, "In the last month of spring, with the dress of the season all complete, along with five or six young men and six or seven boys, I would wash in the Yi (a stream), enjoy the breeze among the rain altars, and return home singing relaxed." The Master heaved a sigh and said, "I give my approval to you."
His pupils also recorded that: "When the Master was unoccupied with government business, his manner was easy and looked pleased." He certainly was by no means an admirer of power and absolutely not an "aide of the ruling class to enslave the masses," as the Chinese Communists have claimed. To the contrary, his enthusiasm for a ruler who would appreciate and practice his political ideals showed his unceasing love for men. He always kept the common people in mind and bore great sympathy.
Confucius' life was human and lacking in dramatic impact. He never laid claim to divinity. He was always eager to learn. When he encountered what he did not understand, he would inquire. Once he said, "In a hamlet of ten families, there may be found one honorable and sincere as I am, but not so fond of learning as I." This was his humble claim. He did not claim higher natural and moral qualities but sought to perfect himself by learning.
Chinese society remains Confucian. That is as true on the Chinese mainland as in Taiwan and the overseas Chinese communities. The Chinese Communists denigrate Confucius and try to ignore him. They cannot eradicate the Confucian way of life from the Chinese heart, however, because it is the essence of Chineseness.