Confucianism

Adieu, the final farewell, an exploration of death!

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Quick Links:

Definition	Chung
Abolished	Death
Kong Qui	Customs
Ruism	Funeral
‘Scripture’	Mourning
Harmonious and Humane	Organ donation

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Some 6.5m people, 0.09% of global population follow this philosophy, tradition or religion. It began in China but is also followed in Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Officially Confucianism was abolished in 1905, it was blamed for the weakness of China. But it has survived and was revived in the twenty-tens with a national Confucian Church being established to unite the various bodies that serve Confucianism.

Confucius (551-479 BCE), was born in Qufu (now Shandong province) as Kong Qiu, a Chinese philosopher and political theorist of the Spring and Autumn period (770–481 BCE). He lived during the Zhou dynasty, and is traditionally considered as the paragon of Chinese sages. His notions profoundly influenced the civilizations of China and other East Asian countries.

The Chinese do not use the term Confucianism but apply the word ‘ru’ and ‘ruism’, today meaning scholar or learned, but in the past this had the sense of to educate, to refine or to mould.

Its ‘scripture’ is the four books and five classics all written before 300 BCE. It is believed that Confucius wrote, edited or commented on these. During the Han dynasty they formed part of the Imperial examination process. The four books are ‘Great Learning’ and ‘Doctrine of the Mean’ that were chapters of the ‘Book of Rites’. ‘Analects’ is a compilation of speeches made by Confucius. Mencius is a collection of discussion that the scholar Mencius, aka Mengxi, had with various kings of his time; he is known as the ‘second Sage’.

The five classics are the ‘Classic of Poetry’ which contains 160 folk songs, 105 festival songs and 40 hymns. The ‘Book of Documents’ collects the documents and speeches of Zhou rulers and officials. The ‘Book of Rites’ details the rites and ceremonies, although this was reworked in the 3^rd c BCE. The ‘I Ching’, or Book of Changes, details a system of divination. The ‘Spring and Autumn Annals’ is a history of Lu, the home state of Confucius.

Confucianism’s main tenet is to live harmoniously and ethically by practicising humaneness, ritual and filial piety. It has five constant virtues – Ren (or Jen) based on human nature and benevolence, Yi or righteousness, the principle of right and wrong, Li or propriety and respect, Zhi or wisdom and Xin or fidelity.

Chung, is another important Confucian belief, which upholds that loyalty strengthens the bond between the rulers and the citizens of the country. It is founded on the principle that full development of the virtuous self is vital.

The news of a death is greeted by loud wailing and setting off fireworks. There are complex rules about mourning wear that is different for close relatives and it varies according to age. Confucians are inclined to provide a lavish funeral.

The body is washed and dressed in new clothes. Their favourite items are placed with them. It is held at the deceased’s home for three days to allow viewings by family and friends. Incense is burned as the close family sit with the body day and night. Their used to be a lot of rules about the body, the coffin and the burial, but today the Chinese authorities insist on cremation. In rural areas the urn is placed into a coffin and the coffin is still buried.

It is believed that the soul leaves the body and wanders for a short time. Mourners are encouraged to provide the deceased with things that will help with its journey. The coffin is transported together with a spirit tablet and a picture; both of which are later sacrificed. The order of the procession has rules too. Burial tends to be officiated by an experienced person.

After the burial there is a funeral feast to celebrate the deceased person. Because longevity is admired, many deceased families add three years or five years to their death age.

The relatives have special mourning obligations for the next seven days, because it is at that point that the soul is believed to return to its home. Memorial key moments are then held by the family on the three-times seventh day. at the fifth-times seventh day and seventh-times seventh day, when they burn paper money and burn incense near the tomb. Most family members will practise vegetarianism until this 49^th day, when they honour the five precepts – there is no verbal misconduct, no stealing, no alcohol, no sexual misconduct and no killing.

There are in fact five grades of mourning in the Confucian Code. A person is expected to honour most of those descended from their great-great-grandfather, and includes wives. Grade one is for the death of a person’s father and mother and requires twenty-seven months of mourning. Grade two is the death of a person’s grandfather on the male side, as well as their grandfather’s wife and involves twelve months of mourning. Grade three is for a paternal uncle and is observed for nine months. Grade four is for one’s father’s first cousin, maternal grandparents, siblings and sister’s children ( and runs for five months. Grade five is for first cousins once removed, second cousins and the parents of a man’s wife’s are considered grade five, these have three months of mourning. {Given all of those requirements is a Confucian ever to be not mourning?]