Confucian Vs. Confucian Classics - 1139 Words

In thinking about the Confucian Analects, one can come to a great many conclusions or interpretations regarding the meaning of each passage within his â€Å"Confucian Classics†. Given the historical context and background in which Confucian ideals were created during, there is one particular set of notions in which the authors hoped that a society would derive from this literary masterpiece. Within this essay, my attempt is to provide a detailed evaluation of one of the passages of the Analects, from within the framework of a Confucian society. In doing so, one must associate three key terms with Confucian ideology: that of â€Å"Ren†, which speaks to the goodness of an individual as well as at the societal level; †Li† which is represented by†¦show more content†¦It can be said that this sort of self-analysis speaks to the high degree of practical foresight and self-observation that one is required to attain in a Confucian sense of being. For Master Zeng and Confucians, the concept of â€Å"Ren† relates to the goodness within oneself and how that goodness is shared among society as a whole. Therefore, for Master Zeng, his internal observations and cognitive awareness leads him to a higher level of consciousness that enables him to be good to himself, as well as extending that kindness to the rest of society. Humanitarianism is a key element in Confucian thought. To best explain the concept â€Å"Ren†, in practice, one would need to focus on conveying compassion and understanding to all living things. Under Confucianism, doing any harm to oneself or their environment goes against what is termed as being â€Å"The Way†, or put in other words, if one were to inflict harm on anything they would not be following the path of righteousness. Master Zeng is urging his students to pay attention to their inner desires and to keep them under control. Moving to the next sentence, it is stated that, â€Å"When dealing on the behalf of others have I been trustworthy?† This question relates to the highest esteemed level of integrity and honor that a perfect gentleman has, displays, and is remembered by from the viewpoint of those which he interacts with.