Confucianism A Chinese teaching of morality, right action and right education.
The various schools of Confucianism following Confucius‘ death in 479 BCE are often contrasted with the more mystical aspects of Taoism. Confucianism is usually associated with precise rules of behavior and the State education which persisted in China early into this century. Taoism is usually regarded in terms of the free-floating, unregulated ideas of Lao-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu, as popularized by Alan Watts and others.
But such a contrast is arguably overemphasized due to Western misunderstanding.
The rites of Confucianism (li) are meant to guide our natural and inherently good human potential, they are not intended to oppress or stultify. Rules ideally are like stakes guiding a growing plant. Oppression arises when li are distorted or corrupted because a ruler is out of sync with cosmic harmony.
This fundamental idea belongs to both Confucianism and Taoism. The Neo-Confucian Mencius placed more emphasis on following personal intuition instead of adhering to external rules.
Mo Tzu emphasized universal love. Mencius stressed the importance of love within one’s immediate circle.
While earlier Chinese religion practiced divination through oracle bones and the belief in a great cosmic being, Confucianism generally tried to steer thinking away from the transcendent toward the humanistic. This trend is found in the main Confucian texts of the Analects, The Book of Rites, The Great Learning and The Doctrine of the Mean.
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