The Painting of the Sacred Saga of Confucius is an illustrated biography of the Most Sacred Teacher. Confucius' formal name is Qiu and his courtesy name is Zhongni. This painting depicts his ideal of a world for all; his virtues of gentleness, kindness, respectfulness, thriftiness, and humility; and his spirit of learning and teaching tirelessly. For more than 2,000 years, Confucius' deeds have been admired by both government officials and the general public, and his character constantly emulated. His philosophy has become the mainstream of traditional Chinese culture and the basis of moral norms. We can say that Confucius' virtues are compatible with heaven and earth, and his teachings are of the utmost virtue at all times. The ancient Chinese said: Had Zhongni not been born, the world would be like an eternal dark night. Today, what lesson will we learn when we look at the Painting of the Sacred Saga of Confucius?
Morality and Virtues Are Immutable at All Times
Question: Confucius was born in the Spring and Autumn period, more than 2,500 years ago. Today is the age of technology and electronics. Wouldn't Confucius' philosophy be antiquated for people today? Is its guidance still meaningful?
Answer: The rules of nature are immutable, such as the constant revolution of the moon and the stars, the cyclical changes of the four seasons, and so on. Ancient Chinese called the rules of nature "dao" and behaving in accordance with the rules of nature "de".
For example, one works when the sun rises and rests when the sun sets. Farmers plant in spring, grow in summer, harvest in autumn, and store in winter. With regards to human relationships, there are the relationships between parents and children, rulers and subjects, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, and between friends. Behaving properly in these relationships is de. There is a natural love between parents and children, there are mutual obligations between leaders and their followers, there are distinct responsibilities for husbands and wives, there is a natural order between old and young, and there is trust between friends. Book of Rites talks about the Ten Obligations of a person.
These are parents should love their children, and children should be filial to their parents; elder siblings should be friendly to younger siblings, and younger siblings should respect elder siblings; husbands are responsible, and wives are attentive; elders are giving, and young ones are dutiful; rulers should be benevolent to their subjects, and the subjects should be loyal to their rulers.
If we say that these ideas are antiquated and not suitable for people today, it is equivalent to saying that we do not want love and filial piety between parents and children, fraternal love among siblings, or respect and cooperation between husbands and wives. Is this the kind of life we want? Blindly criticizing and rejecting Confucius' philosophy will eventually lead to a warped human nature and to social disturbance.
In his lifetime, Confucius emulated the ancient sages and taught accordingly. His teachings were a combination and continuation of the teachings of the ancient sages such as Kings Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu, and the Duke of Zhou. He only cited the teachings of others and did not create his own. His philosophy was revered by Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty. It thus became the lifeblood of Chinese culture and has sustained the peace and unity of the Chinese people for more than 2,000 years. The well-known English historian, Dr Arnold Toynbee said that in order to resolve the social problems of the twenty-first century, we must rely on the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, and on Mahayana Buddhism. If we wish to establish a harmonious society today, China needs the appearance of another Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty to revive traditional Chinese culture the teachings of Confucius and Mencius everywhere. Only in this way can we enjoy long-lasting stability and peace.
The Sages' Teaching Centers on Benevolence
Question: The core of Confucius' philosophy is benevolence. A person should be benevolent, and a government should also be benevolent. How do we practice benevolence today?
Answer: Benevolence means loving people. When we think of ourselves, we should also think of others. "Do not do to others what you do not want done to you"and "One who wishes to be established should help others be established, and one who wishes to succeed should help others succeed" are golden rules that exist everywhere. To practice benevolence, one should start with humility. One should respect and love others. A government should love its people and be honest and not be corrupt, and it should get along with other countries harmoniously and help them. Only through education can all this be realized.
The basic principle of education is what the Three-Character Classic teaches: "All people are innately good. Although they have similar nature, they acquire different habits. If they are not taught, their nature will change for the worse. In teaching, single-minded concentration is of utmost importance." This passage is the only true teaching heritage of the five thousand years of Chinese education. It first affirms the innate goodness of human nature. People become bad because they are polluted by the environment. That is why it is said: "If they are not taught, their nature will change for the worse." Through education, people will return to their innate goodness. Education should start when children are at a very young age. Parents should set good examples with their own behavior and be positive models for young children. When these young children have received the basic family education and are older, teachers continue their education. Like parents, teachers should also set good examples with their own behaviors and be positive models for the students. Ancient Chinese children completed their elementary school education at the age of twelve or thirteen. They then go on to taixue and focus on one field. After they thoroughly comprehended one field, they would become conversant in everything and become sages. Therefore, a sage is nurtured through education.
Teaching Leads to World Harmony
Question: The world today is very much like the one in the Spring and Autumn period. People are interested only in material gains, and wars occur frequently. Confucius, despite all his virtues, could not resolve the chaos in the Spring and Autumn period. What then can we do today to effectively improve public morality and achieve social harmony?
Answer: Confucius established himself at the age of thirty. He wholeheartedly hoped to obtain a position in the government of any one of the states in order to carry out his political ideals. But no state would give him an important position. In his old age, he returned to his native state, the State of Lu, to teach. He passed down his philosophy on how to cultivate oneself, how to run a family, how to properly rule a country, and how to achieve world peace to future generations. He devoted the last five years of his life to teaching and became the Most Sacred Teacher. His philosophy has positively influenced future generations. Sakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, lived at about the same time as Confucius. The Buddha attained enlightenment, also at the age of thirty. Unlike Confucius who sought to go into politics, the Buddha renounced his throne and focused on teaching. He taught for forty-nine years. He was much wiser than Confucius in this respect and his influence also exceeded that of Confucius.
We should emulate ancient sages and devote our lives to promoting the teachings of the sages. We should firmly believe that it is possible to teach people to be good and that we can successfully resolve conflict, improve public morality, and achieve world harmony.
Confucius taught students regardless of their backgrounds. He was highly successful in his teaching. Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty revered only Confucianism. With the support of the government, the teachings of Confucius and Mencius have become the mainstream of traditional Chinese education for more than 2,000 years. From here we can see that if the education can start from private academic institutions and then have the support and advocacy of the government, the desirable result of spreading education to all people will be achieved. Venerable Master Chin Kung established, in his hometown in Anhui Province, Lujiang Chinese Culture Education Centre to promote basic Confucian teaching and to attest to the ancient maxim; "Education is essential in building a country and in guiding its people" and "It is possible to teach people to be good." The result of the center's teaching has received great attention and admiration from UNESCO.
As Venerable Master Chin Kung has succeeded in this teaching experiment, he hopes that the government will take over and promote Confucian teaching. If the government can train fifty virtuous and knowledgeable teachers to teach people moral education and the law of cause and effect via the Internet and satellite television, their power to achieve social stability will far exceed that of 5,000,000 troops and policemen. If each country promotes and teaches its own excellent moral education to its people and then achieves cultural fusion through communication with other countries, Confucius' ideal of a world for all, a world of harmony can definitely be realized.
Chung Hua Culture Education Centre
Morality and Virtues Are Immutable at All Times
Question: Confucius was born in the Spring and Autumn period, more than 2,500 years ago. Today is the age of technology and electronics. Wouldn't Confucius' philosophy be antiquated for people today? Is its guidance still meaningful?
Answer: The rules of nature are immutable, such as the constant revolution of the moon and the stars, the cyclical changes of the four seasons, and so on. Ancient Chinese called the rules of nature "dao" and behaving in accordance with the rules of nature "de".
For example, one works when the sun rises and rests when the sun sets. Farmers plant in spring, grow in summer, harvest in autumn, and store in winter. With regards to human relationships, there are the relationships between parents and children, rulers and subjects, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, and between friends. Behaving properly in these relationships is de. There is a natural love between parents and children, there are mutual obligations between leaders and their followers, there are distinct responsibilities for husbands and wives, there is a natural order between old and young, and there is trust between friends. Book of Rites talks about the Ten Obligations of a person.
These are parents should love their children, and children should be filial to their parents; elder siblings should be friendly to younger siblings, and younger siblings should respect elder siblings; husbands are responsible, and wives are attentive; elders are giving, and young ones are dutiful; rulers should be benevolent to their subjects, and the subjects should be loyal to their rulers.
If we say that these ideas are antiquated and not suitable for people today, it is equivalent to saying that we do not want love and filial piety between parents and children, fraternal love among siblings, or respect and cooperation between husbands and wives. Is this the kind of life we want? Blindly criticizing and rejecting Confucius' philosophy will eventually lead to a warped human nature and to social disturbance.
In his lifetime, Confucius emulated the ancient sages and taught accordingly. His teachings were a combination and continuation of the teachings of the ancient sages such as Kings Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu, and the Duke of Zhou. He only cited the teachings of others and did not create his own. His philosophy was revered by Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty. It thus became the lifeblood of Chinese culture and has sustained the peace and unity of the Chinese people for more than 2,000 years. The well-known English historian, Dr Arnold Toynbee said that in order to resolve the social problems of the twenty-first century, we must rely on the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, and on Mahayana Buddhism. If we wish to establish a harmonious society today, China needs the appearance of another Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty to revive traditional Chinese culture the teachings of Confucius and Mencius everywhere. Only in this way can we enjoy long-lasting stability and peace.
The Sages' Teaching Centers on Benevolence
Question: The core of Confucius' philosophy is benevolence. A person should be benevolent, and a government should also be benevolent. How do we practice benevolence today?
Answer: Benevolence means loving people. When we think of ourselves, we should also think of others. "Do not do to others what you do not want done to you"and "One who wishes to be established should help others be established, and one who wishes to succeed should help others succeed" are golden rules that exist everywhere. To practice benevolence, one should start with humility. One should respect and love others. A government should love its people and be honest and not be corrupt, and it should get along with other countries harmoniously and help them. Only through education can all this be realized.
The basic principle of education is what the Three-Character Classic teaches: "All people are innately good. Although they have similar nature, they acquire different habits. If they are not taught, their nature will change for the worse. In teaching, single-minded concentration is of utmost importance." This passage is the only true teaching heritage of the five thousand years of Chinese education. It first affirms the innate goodness of human nature. People become bad because they are polluted by the environment. That is why it is said: "If they are not taught, their nature will change for the worse." Through education, people will return to their innate goodness. Education should start when children are at a very young age. Parents should set good examples with their own behavior and be positive models for young children. When these young children have received the basic family education and are older, teachers continue their education. Like parents, teachers should also set good examples with their own behaviors and be positive models for the students. Ancient Chinese children completed their elementary school education at the age of twelve or thirteen. They then go on to taixue and focus on one field. After they thoroughly comprehended one field, they would become conversant in everything and become sages. Therefore, a sage is nurtured through education.
Teaching Leads to World Harmony
Question: The world today is very much like the one in the Spring and Autumn period. People are interested only in material gains, and wars occur frequently. Confucius, despite all his virtues, could not resolve the chaos in the Spring and Autumn period. What then can we do today to effectively improve public morality and achieve social harmony?
Answer: Confucius established himself at the age of thirty. He wholeheartedly hoped to obtain a position in the government of any one of the states in order to carry out his political ideals. But no state would give him an important position. In his old age, he returned to his native state, the State of Lu, to teach. He passed down his philosophy on how to cultivate oneself, how to run a family, how to properly rule a country, and how to achieve world peace to future generations. He devoted the last five years of his life to teaching and became the Most Sacred Teacher. His philosophy has positively influenced future generations. Sakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, lived at about the same time as Confucius. The Buddha attained enlightenment, also at the age of thirty. Unlike Confucius who sought to go into politics, the Buddha renounced his throne and focused on teaching. He taught for forty-nine years. He was much wiser than Confucius in this respect and his influence also exceeded that of Confucius.
We should emulate ancient sages and devote our lives to promoting the teachings of the sages. We should firmly believe that it is possible to teach people to be good and that we can successfully resolve conflict, improve public morality, and achieve world harmony.
Confucius taught students regardless of their backgrounds. He was highly successful in his teaching. Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty revered only Confucianism. With the support of the government, the teachings of Confucius and Mencius have become the mainstream of traditional Chinese education for more than 2,000 years. From here we can see that if the education can start from private academic institutions and then have the support and advocacy of the government, the desirable result of spreading education to all people will be achieved. Venerable Master Chin Kung established, in his hometown in Anhui Province, Lujiang Chinese Culture Education Centre to promote basic Confucian teaching and to attest to the ancient maxim; "Education is essential in building a country and in guiding its people" and "It is possible to teach people to be good." The result of the center's teaching has received great attention and admiration from UNESCO.
As Venerable Master Chin Kung has succeeded in this teaching experiment, he hopes that the government will take over and promote Confucian teaching. If the government can train fifty virtuous and knowledgeable teachers to teach people moral education and the law of cause and effect via the Internet and satellite television, their power to achieve social stability will far exceed that of 5,000,000 troops and policemen. If each country promotes and teaches its own excellent moral education to its people and then achieves cultural fusion through communication with other countries, Confucius' ideal of a world for all, a world of harmony can definitely be realized.
Chung Hua Culture Education Centre
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