Confucianism

By: Alex Girardi
 * Confucianism **

- Confucius lived during the Spring and Autumn period (551-479 B.C.E.) - No uniform religion, unorganized, no uniform military. - Chinese name is Kong Qiu, he was born in the village of Lu. - Admired the Duke of Zhou. - Teacher to the sons of nobility, traveled with disciples.
 * Origins: **



- Five Important Virtues: Righteousness, wisdom, trustworthiness, propriety, benevolence. - Highly valued education - People were born perfectly good, but self-cultivation would take a lifetime. - Filial piety-Relationships with the living and the dead. Ruler to ruler, wife to husband, children to parents, younger to older sibling, friend to friend. - Mistakes are not sins, but chances to correct wrongdoing. - Mencius was his strong follower who helped promote social harmony and moral thought.
 * Beliefs: **



- <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">None were directly written by Confucius, but he was attributed to them. - <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Five Classics: Book of Poetry, Book of History, Book of Rights, Spring and Autumn Annals. - <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Four Books: The Doctrine of the Mean, Analects of Confucius, the Great Learning, Meng Tzu.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">Literature: **

- <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Birth: The spirit of the fetus protects the expectant mother. A harsh consequence is given to anyone who tries to trouble the mother to be. A special diet is given to the mother, she is at rest for a month after the baby is born. - <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Marriage: The couple exchanges the 8 characters, (day, month, hour, year of birth), engagement, dowry, procession, (husband returns to town and invites wife to life with him), marriage and reception, morning after, (serves breakfast to groom’s parents). - <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Death: Mourning begins immediately; significant items are placed in the coffin. At the burial, a willow branch is there which symbolizes the soul of the person who died. Rituals are performed on the 7th, 9th, and 49th day after burial on recent anniversaries of death.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">Practices: **

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">

Chinese ideogram for water; represents "source of life" in Confucianism