CONFUSIANISM

A Portrait
Dr. Douglas K. Chung
Professor, Grand Valley State University School of Social Work

Confucianism is a philosophy of a way of life, although many people also consider it a religion. The tradition derives its name from Kung Fu Tzu, or Confucius, (551-479 B.C.) who is renowned as a philosopher and educator. He is less known for his roles as a researcher, statesman, social planner, social innovator, and advocate. Confucius was a generalist with a universal vision. The philosophical method he developed offers a means to transform individuals, families, communities, and nations into a harmonious international society.

The overall goal of Confucianism is to educate people to be self-motivated, self-controlled, and able to assume responsibilities; it has the dual aims of cultivating the individual self and contributing to the attainment of an ideal, harmonious society. Confucius based his method on the assumption that lawlessness and social problems result from the combination of unenlightened individuals and a social structure without norms.

The Confucian system is based on several principles:

1. In the beginning, there is nothing.
    
2. The Great Ultimate (Tao) exists in the I (change). The Great Ultimate is the cause of change and generates the two primary forms: the Great Yang (a great energy) and its counterforce, the Great Yin (a passive form). Yang and Yin symbolize the energy within any system of counterforces: positive and negative, day and night, male and female, rational and intuitive. Yang and Yin are complementary; in their interaction, everything -- from quanta to galaxies -- comes to be. Everything that exists -- all systems -- coexist in an interdependent network with all other systems.
    
3. The dynamic tension between Yin and Yang forces results in an endless process of change -- of production and reproduction and the transformation of energy. This is a natural order, an order in which we can see basic moral values. Human nature is inherently good. If a human being goes along with the Great Ultimate and engages in rigorous self-discipline, that person will discover the real self (the nature of Tao) and enjoy the principle of change. And since all systems exist in an interdependent network, one who knows this truth also cares.
    
4. There are four principles of change:
   a. Change is easy.
   b. Change is a transforming process due to the dynamics between Yin and Yang. Any change in either part will lead to a change in the system and related systems. This process has its own cycle of expansion and contraction.
   c. Change carries with it the notion of changelessness; that there is change is a fact that is itself unchanging.
   d. The best transformation promotes the growth and development of the individual and the whole simultaneously-it strives for excellence for all systems in the network.
    
5. Any search for change should consider the following:
   a. The status of the object in the interdependent network -- that is, what is the system and what are this object's role, position, rights, and duties in the system?
   b. Timing within the interrelated network -- that is, is this the right time to initiate change?
   c. The mean position or the Golden Path in the interrelated network situation; the mean position is regarded as the most strategic position from which one can deal with change. Tao (Truth) exists in the mean (Chung).
   d. The respondence of Yin and Yang forces -- that is, are the counterforces willing to dialogue or compromise ?
   e. The integration between the parts and the whole -- that is, the system in its economic, political and cultural realms.
    
6. There is an interconnected network of individual existence, and this pattern of interdependent relationships exists in all levels of systems, from individual, through family and state, to the whole world. The whole is dependent upon the harmonious integration of all the parts, or subsystems, while the parts require the nurture of the whole. The ultimate unit within this framework is the universe itself. Self is a here-and-now link in a chain of existence stretching both into the past and into a future to be shaped by the way an individual performs his or her roles in daily life. One's humanity is achieved only with and through others.

   Individual and social transformations are based on self-cultivation, the personal effort to search for truth and to become a life-giving person. Searching for and finding the truth will lead to originality, the creative ability to solve problems, and development. The process will also enable individuals and systems to be life-giving and life-sharing-to possess a Jen (love) personality. Wisdom, love, and courage are inseparable concepts.
    

7. Organizational effectiveness and efficiency are reached when systematically interconnected individuals or subsystems find the truth -- and stay with it. Existence consists of the interconnected whole. Methods that assume and take account of connections work better than methods that focus on isolated elements. Organizational effectiveness can be improved through a rearrangement of the relationships between the parts and the whole.
   In other words, a balanced and harmonious development within the interdependent network is the most beneficial state for all. Self-actualizing and collective goals should always be integrated.

These principles of Confucian social transformation are drawn primarily from I Ching, The Great Leaming, Confucian Analects, and The Doctrine of the Mean. In contemporary terms, Confucianism can be defined as a school of social transformation that is research oriented and that employs a multidimensional, cross-cultural, and comprehensive approach that is applicable to both micro and macro systems. It is a way of life -- or an art of living -- that aims to synchronize the systems of the universe to achieve both individual and collective fulfillment.
Two major schools of Neo-Confucianism eventually emerged: the rationalists, who emphasized the "inner world" (philosophy), and the idealists, who emphasized practical learning in the "outer world" (social science). The leading exponent of the rationalists was Chu Hsi ( 1033-1107 C.E.) and that of the idealists was Wang Yang-Ming (1472-1529 C.E.). The rationalists held that reason is inherent in nature and that the mind and reason are not the same thing. The idealists held that reason is not to be sought from without; it is nothing other than the mind itself. In ethical application, the rationalists considered the flesh to be a stumbling block to the soul. The idealists, on the other hand, considered the flesh to be as the soul makes it. Neo-Confucianism in Korea was led by Lee T'oegye (1501- 1570), who taught a philosophy of inner life and moral subjectivity.

Confucianism in the World Today

Confucianism is a strong influence in China, Korea, Japan, and the countries of Southeast Asia as well as among people of Far Eastern descent living around the world. Western people are able to appreciate Confucianism through international contacts and through its literature.

Yet post-industrial social change has led to human crisis in social networks. Post-industrial Confucians today are carrying the vision forward by applying the Confucian model of social transformation to reach the goal of a Great Harmonious Society. The effects of this are seen in volunteerism, social support, social care, and the self-help movement.

In Great Learning, Confucius prescribed seven steps in a general strategy of social transformation to achieve the ideal society:

1. The investigation of things (variables). Find out the way things are and how they are related.
    
2. The completion of knowledge. Find out why things are the way they are; that is, why the dependent variable was related to other variables. This is the reality of things, the truth, Tao. And since everything exists in an interrelated network, discovering this truth empowers a person to transform his or her attitude.
    
3. The sincerity of thought. One should be sincere in wanting to change or to set goals that are a commitment to excellence and the truth, Tao, which is the source of self-motivation, the root of self-actualization and the cornerstone of adequate I-Thou and I-Thing relationships. The most complete sincerity is the ability to foreknow.
    
4. The rectifying of the heart. The motivation for change must be the right one, good for the self as well as for the whole. It is a cultivation aimed at virtue, a moral self achieved through the intuitive integration of Jen (humanity, benevolence, perfect virtue, compassion, and love), Yi (righteousness), Li (politeness, respect), and wisdom (from steps 1, 2 & 3). Only such a self has real freedom-from evil, and to have moral courage and the ability to be good.
    
5. The cultivation of the person. There must be lifelong integration between the "knowledge self" (steps 1 & 2) and the "moral self' (steps 3 & 4) through self- discipline (education) and self-improvement. This is the key to helping self and others.
    
6. The regulation of the family. One should use self-discipline within the family by honoring parents, respecting and caring for siblings, and loving children. One should understand the weaknesses of those one likes and appreciate the strength of those one dislikes to avoid rejudice and disharmony in the family.
    
7. The governance of the state. The state must provide public education, set policies to care for vulnerable people, root policies in public opinions, appoint and elect capable and moral persons as public officials, and apply management principles based on the Mean and the Golden Path. This sort of public administration should lead to the harmonious state.

The practice of these seven steps is a self-cultivated discipline that seeks the truth, Tao, as the practitioner enacts individual and social changes for an improved and more harmonious world. The most persistent form of the Confucian worldview sees the person as an integral part of a cosmos dominated by nature. Contentment and material success come only through acceptance of the rightness of the person adjusting himself or herself to the greater natural world to which that person belongs.

Under the impetus of a contemporary revitalization of Confucianism, Confucian ethics has become an important force for initiating social transformation and economic change in much of eastern Asia, including China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan. Confucius described the ideal welfare state in Li Chi (The Book of Rites) as follows:

When the Grand course was pursued, a public and common spirit ruled all under the sky; they chose people of talents, virtue, and ability; their words were sincere, and what they cultivated was harmony.

Thus people did not love their parents only, nor treat as children only their own. An effective provision was secured for the aged till their death, employment for the able-bodied, and the means of growing up to the young.

They showed kindness and compassion to widows/ers, orphans, childless people, and those who were disabled by disease, so that they were all sufficiently maintained. Males had their proper work, and females had their homes.

(They accumulated) articles (of value), disliking that they should be thrown away upon the ground, but not wishing to keep them for their own gratification.

(They labored) with their strength, disliking that it should not be exerted, but not exerting it (only) with a view to their own advantage. In this way (selfish) scheming was repressed and found no development. Robbers, filchers, and rebellious traitors did not show themselves, and hence the outer doors remained open, and were not shut. This was (the period of) what we call the Grand Union (pp. 365-66).

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Integration of Confucianism with Other Traditions
Dr. Douglas K. Chung

Chinese, Korean, and Japanese philosophical systems have each synthesized elements from several traditions. The Chinese came in contact with Indian thought, in the form of Buddhism, around the 1st century C.E. This event, comparable to the spread of Christianity in the West, was marked by three characteristics in particular:

First, the translation of the Buddhist sutras stimulated Chinese philosophers and led them to interpret the teachings of the Buddha in the light of their own philosophies. The impact of this study led to the establishment of the Hua-yen and Tien-tai schools of Buddhism in China and the Kegon school in Japan.

Second, under the influence of their familiar, pragmatic Confucian ways of thought, the Chinese creatively responded most to the practical aspects of Buddhism's spiritual discipline, which the Chinese called Ch'an (meditation). The Ch'an philosophy was eventually adopted by Japan around 1200 C.E. under the Japanese term Zen. Zen is thus a well-integrated blend of mystical Buddhism of India, the natural philosophy of Taoism, and the pragmatism of the Confucian mentality.

Third, traditional Chinese scholars, both Confucian and Taoist, felt that their cultural foundation had been shaken by the challenge of Buddhism. They re-examined their own philosophies and worked out a way to apply the I-Ching -- and thus Yin-Yang theory -- to integrate Buddhism into a new Chinese culture. The I-Ching, or Book of Changes, describes a universal ontology, the processes by which things evolve, principles of change, and guidelines for choosing among alternatives of change. This ancient book of omens and advice is the oldest of the Chinese classics. Confucius used it as an important text in instructing in methods of personal and social transformation.

Different interpretations of the I-Ching demonstrate how Buddhism, Taoism, and traditional Confucianism were blended into the Neo-Confucianism that profoundly affected the premodern Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese dynasties. These include interpretations by Cheng Yi (1050), I-Ching, the Tao of Organization; Chih-hsu Qu-i (1599-1655), The Buddhist I-Ching; and Liu I-ming (1796), The Taoist I-Ching; I-Ching Mandalas, A Program of Study for the Book of Changes, translated by Cleary. Under the influence of the I-Ching the Chinese are equipped with a both-and mentality that seems to integrate relilgious diversity with less difficulty than the either-or tendency of Western mentality.

The Chinese Neo-Confucian school's synthesis of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism culminated in the philosophy of Chu Hsi (1033-1107 C.E.), one of the greatest of all Chinese thinkers. It guides people to learn the truth (Tao) in order to solve problems, which leads one in turn to be harmonious with Tao, or truth (unification), the core of Confucianism and Taoism.

Both Confucianism and Taoism share the same ontology from the I-Ching, while Buddhism also came to use I-Ching to interpret Buddhist thought. The three philosophies use different approaches, however, to reach the unification with Tao/Brahman. Confucians emphasize a rational approach, Taoists focus on an intuitive approach and Buddhists favor a psychological approach. Confucianism favors education and the intellectual approach, while Taoism tends to look down on education in favor of intuitive insight into Nature. Buddhists are interested in changing human perception and thus stress detach ment; each tends to participate in world affairs accordingly.

Huang Te-Hui (1644-1661 C.E.) of the Ching Dynasty integrated the three main belief systems of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism to form the Hsien-Tien-Tao. I-Kuan-Tao (Integrated Tao) evolved from the Hsien-Tien-Tao. Chang Tien-Jan was recognized as a master of I-Kuan-Tao in 1930. Various I-Kuan-Tao groups moved to Taiwan in 1946 and 1947, and today, I-Kuan-Tao priests teach an integrated religion drawn from Confucian, Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, and Islamic canons. The concept of oneness of all religions is the major theme, and its mission is to integrate all religions into one.

This group was among the first in contemporary society to start interfaith dialogue and interfaith integration. However, many people in Taiwan viewed the I-Kuan-Tao religion as a heresy, and it was banned for many years by the government. Since being granted official recognition in 1987, I-Kuan-Tao of Taiwan has expanded internationally. It now has organizations in South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Building on the successful integration of Buddhism into Neo-Confucianism, many contemporary Confucians have issued a challenge for another religious integration among Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Islam, and Taoism. For this to come about, more Asians need to read the Bible and the Qur'an, and more Westerners need to know about the I-Ching and the Qur'an. Such a global dialogue would certainly help facilitate a new understanding of religions.

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"The moral law begins in the relationship between man and woman, but ends in the vast reaches of the universe .
CONFUCIUS, The Doctrine of the Mean, 12

"If you want to nourish a bird, you should let it live any way it chooses. Creatures differ because they have different likes and dislikes. Therefore the sages never require the same ability from all creatures...concepts of right should be founded on what is suitable. The true saint leaves wisdom to the ants , takes a cue from the fishes, and leaves willfulness to the sheep."

CHANG TZU