Runt
Well-Known Member
From "Confucian Ways of Being", p. 180
"The Analects (literally, "Sayings") are a collection of aphoristic sayings recorded and collected by Confusius's students. Some of his students are mentioned by name, and he is often referred to by the title "Master". It contains material that probably dates to Confucius himself mixed with other material.
Confucius claims that people who genuinely seek to cultivate their humanity in a social context of appropriate relationships can become chun-tzu, a word sometimes translated as "honorable person", "superior man", "noble man", or "gentleman". Literally, chun-tzu means "scion of a ruling family". In Confucius's day, it was widely believed that one is a chun-tzu by birth, but Confucius lays the groundwork for a new and radical idea: A person can become noble and honorable by effort. In particular, one can achieve this status by cultivating such virtues as kindness (jen), mutual consideration (shu), loyalty (chung), and understanding (chih). The tao, or way to live properly, is not to retreat from society as some kind of recluse, but, rather, to engage society properly and live one's life as an example for others. This is particularly important for government officials and rulers: If peace, harmony, and good will are to arise in a state, the rulers must set good examples for the people to follow."
"The Analects (literally, "Sayings") are a collection of aphoristic sayings recorded and collected by Confusius's students. Some of his students are mentioned by name, and he is often referred to by the title "Master". It contains material that probably dates to Confucius himself mixed with other material.
Confucius claims that people who genuinely seek to cultivate their humanity in a social context of appropriate relationships can become chun-tzu, a word sometimes translated as "honorable person", "superior man", "noble man", or "gentleman". Literally, chun-tzu means "scion of a ruling family". In Confucius's day, it was widely believed that one is a chun-tzu by birth, but Confucius lays the groundwork for a new and radical idea: A person can become noble and honorable by effort. In particular, one can achieve this status by cultivating such virtues as kindness (jen), mutual consideration (shu), loyalty (chung), and understanding (chih). The tao, or way to live properly, is not to retreat from society as some kind of recluse, but, rather, to engage society properly and live one's life as an example for others. This is particularly important for government officials and rulers: If peace, harmony, and good will are to arise in a state, the rulers must set good examples for the people to follow."
