Confucius is perhaps the greatest philosopher, teacher, ordinary person preceptor to the kings, all combined in one. There are more than 2,000 temples of Confucius in China itself which is a record for any human being turned saint. Even temples for Buddha are not there in that number. In India temples for Siva and Vishnu are built in good numbers but they are Gods. That is the influence Confucius made on the posterity.
Confucius was born in 551 BC in today's Shantung province. At the time of his birth he had a protuberance on his head and he was called Chiju meaning “a hill”. This name was latinised into Confucius and this name became more important. When he was just three – years - old, his father died and was taken care of by his step - mother. At the age of 15, he began learning philosophy and literature. As he himself has said "At 15, I set my heart on learning; at 30, I was firmly established; at 40, I cleared my doubts regarding life; at 50, I learnt the secrets of heaven; at 60, inner voice began to speak; at 70, I began to work according to my inner voice." His magical personality attracted thousands of people in China and thus he became famous.
Confucius preached that knowledge is not bookish; it is wisdom which makes the life of an individual and society noble. He propagated avoidance of war, reduction in taxation (to help common people) and mitigation of severe punishment. The government appointed him as a Minister, but jealousy of corrupt men made him resign his post. He wandered throughout China preaching his principles and atleast 30,000 persons became his disciples. He spent remaining period of his life in teaching and died at the age of 72.
The teachings of Confucius were collected by his disciples and were published after his death. A grandson of Confucius codified his teachings and they became famous as Four Books and Five Classics. It is surprising that these volumes became reading materials in schools and colleges. The Four Books were prescribed as text books for study at primary schools and Five Classics were the texts for secondary levels. In contrast, Ramayana & Mahabharata have not been prescribed as text books in our country.
Confucius was basically a teacher. In China, education has become a privilege of the nobility and teachers were government officers and taught what the government wanted. Confucius was the first private teacher in China who elevated teaching to the position of a tool of reform. It also provided him his livelihood. Thus he was the first to take up the cause of the ordinary oppressed people of China.
He announced that there are no class distinctions in education and by birth all men are equal but customs and manners make them high and low which is wrong. He opened his school to one and all, low and high. His method of teaching was informal and he made students think over and find the answers for themselves. He said one – fourth was the teacher's responsibility and the remaining was the responsibility of students. He had one student who was poorest of the poor and Confucius respected him most and mourned his death. Thus China considered Confucius as a teacher par excellence and honoured him by making him a national teacher. China declared Sept. 28 as Teacher's Day. Confucius died in 478 BC at the age of 72 and was buried in Chufu. This has become a sacred place where hundreds of people visit and pay homage to a great teacher cum philosopher.
The philosophy and thinking of Confucius has made a great impact on China. The greatest contribution of Confucius is his humanitarian approach. He called it “Jen” in Chinese meaning to love men, benevolence or kindness. He took this to the level of philosophy. One day when he was walking through a place, the officers were beating a man who was a robber. When asked for details the officer said he is a robber and has been punished six times but has not changed. Confucius said that "if your law has not changed him, it means your law is ineffective. Send him to me and I will convert him into good man." He joined Confucius and became a disciple. That was the power of Jen, Confucius told.
Many Chinese believed in ghosts and were anxious to appease them by rituals. Confucius did not approve this. "We have not understood the man who is amongst us; how can you understand a ghost whom we have not seen? We do not know about our own present life, then how can we understand life after death?"
Confucius declared that he was neither a prophet nor a messenger of God nor a propounder of a new religion. Confucius was also against worshipping God in anthropomorphic forms. Confucius always talked of the concept of Chuntzu meaning superior man. Superior man is not a king or prince or a nobleman, but a person who always thought of helping human beings. This does not depend upon his birth or status. He is always clam and contented; he always thinks of right things but the inferior man thinks of profit. The superior man makes demands on himself while the inferior man makes demands on others.
Confucius also commented upon government. To govern is to set things right by following the right path. Individual is most important in governing: he is more important than the king himself.
The influence of Confucius over China is amazing. Confucianism was regarded as the official religion of China for over 2,000 years. It also crossed the borders of China and influenced people in Korea, Japan, Vietnam etc. Though Buddhism gave a tough competition to Confucianism, the latter survived and progressed. Many scholars have noted the similarity of the teachings of Confucius and Upanishats. Hence some think that Confucius was greatly influenced by Upanishadic thought as there were cultural contacts between ancient India and China. That apart Confucianism does not seem to have made any appreciable influence on Indian thought. Thus Confucianism has played a major role in Asian religious history.
