Name 11th Grade Reading Comprehension
The main principle of Confucianism, ren, means
Confucianism
Confucianism is a religion based on the teachings
of Confucius. It was founded in China around the
6th/5th century, BCE, and today as nearly six million
adherents. Unlike many religions which are
characterized by specific traditional practices,
Confucianism has no practices; rather, it concerns
itself with ethical principles.
Prior to the birth of its founder, Confucius, China
was ruled by the Chou Empire for 500 years. When it
became threatened by civil unrest, which in turn
threatened the values of the traditional Chinese
culture, Confucius saw this time of ideological crisis as
an opportunity to reinforce declining societal values.
Raised in poverty, Confucius was a passionate learner,
and became a master of the Six Arts: archery,
calligraphy, computation, music, chariot-driving, and
ritual. He held several minor government posts and
hoped for a career in politics. But though loyal to the
King, his moral rectitude was distasteful to the king’s
inner circle, who preferred to focus on — and
influence the king towards — a more sensuous life.
Though his political desires were frustrated, he
nonetheless acquired a great following of students.
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humaneness or benevolence, and excellence of
character is in accordance to ritual norms, loyalty to
one’s true nature, reciprocity, and filial piety, which
together constitute virtue. Confucius believed in the
cumulative power of culture, and felt that there was
significance in the fact that rituals such as the
ancestral cult, reverence for Heaven, and mourning
ceremonies, had survived for centuries. He did not see
himself as advancing anything new; rather he
championed the conservation of the cultural values
and social norms which had sustained the Chou
dynasty. Thus, Confucius cannot rightly be said to have
“founded” Confucianism, but merely breathed new
life into beliefs and principles that had already been in
existence.
The sacred scripture of Confucianism is called the
Analects, and is thought to have been compiled by
Confucius’ disciples. It is based on the sayings of
Confucius, and has been preserved in both oral
tradition and as a written document. It is comparable
to the Dialogs of Plato with regards to its ability to
capture the spirit of Confucius, the teacher. In it,
Confucius describes himself as “the sort of man who
forgets to eat when he engages himself in vigorous
pursuit of learning, who is so full of joy that he forgets
his worries, and who does not notice that old age is
coming on.” (7:18)