Early Chinese religion was essentially a worship of spirits and ancestors, but there was a tendency towards monotheism in the form of worship of the supreme ruler of the spirit of heaven. Heaven was the chief nature-spirit, the forefather of the emperor, and chief of the ancestor spirits. Heaven was not considered a place.
Confucius was not the founder of any religion nor was he even a religious reformer. In his own words, he was "not a maker but a transmitter, believing in and loving the ancients". Like Gautama, he at first lived a life of luxury. His restless and penetrating mind would not allow him to remain in active. Like Socrates, Confucius was a great teacher. He established a school, in which he taught history, poetry and rules of propriety. "A man's character", he said, "is formed by the odes, developed by the rites (ceremony and courtesy), and perfected by music".
He spoke very little of gods and religious rituals, but spoke of disciplined society and healthy social relations. Truthfulness and obedience had to regulate social relations. Those who were in superior positions as father, teacher, husband or king had the responsibility of providing protection and fair treatment to the dependents; and if they failed in their responsibility, revolt would become unavoidable.
Thus Confucius (Kung-Fu-Tse) was advocating a fair social order based on discipline and fairness to all. It would be difficult to overestimate the influence of Confucius on the Chinese people. Most Chinese scholars took pride in being his disciplines. For more than 2,000 years, the philosophy of Confucius moulded and dominated the Chinese mind. Confucianism, Christianity and Buddhism furnish the most conspicuous examples in the history of civilization, of efforts to convert into idealism the natural brutality of mankind.
Confucius was not the founder of any religion nor was he even a religious reformer. In his own words, he was "not a maker but a transmitter, believing in and loving the ancients". Like Gautama, he at first lived a life of luxury. His restless and penetrating mind would not allow him to remain in active. Like Socrates, Confucius was a great teacher. He established a school, in which he taught history, poetry and rules of propriety. "A man's character", he said, "is formed by the odes, developed by the rites (ceremony and courtesy), and perfected by music".
Thus Confucius (Kung-Fu-Tse) was advocating a fair social order based on discipline and fairness to all. It would be difficult to overestimate the influence of Confucius on the Chinese people. Most Chinese scholars took pride in being his disciplines. For more than 2,000 years, the philosophy of Confucius moulded and dominated the Chinese mind. Confucianism, Christianity and Buddhism furnish the most conspicuous examples in the history of civilization, of efforts to convert into idealism the natural brutality of mankind.
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