Culture Achievement of Confucius

Confucius was primarily a moral teacher. Love (Ren), the rules of proper conduct (Li), filial piety, and doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong) are the four main topics of moral teaching and part achievement of Confucius.
In the teaching on Love (Ren), Confucius emphasized the sanctity and value of the individual, and the importance of his motive and will in moral conduct; yet at the same time he did not neglect the social aspect of love. The motive of love only, without the act of love toward others, is not the love. A hallmark of Confucius thought throughout is his emphasis on just this balance of inner and outer virtue, where inner refinement and purity naturally expresses outward.
In the teaching of Li, Confucius emphasized the value of the cultural heritage of society and the accepted rules of proper conduct. But he was aware of the evils that might result from the over-emphasis on Li; formalism, hypocrisy, or arbitrariness. Morality would become an external thing; to abide by customary regulations or accepted rules only would regard as moral, and the beach of them would be regarded as sinful. In order to safeguard one against such dangers, on the one hand, Confucius emphasized the value of love such dangers, on the other hand, gave new interpretations on Li by putting the individual motive, especially sincerity and reverence, as the foundation of Li.
In the teaching on filial piety, Confucius emphasized the extension of the emotional power that derives from the love of one's parents to the wider moral and social applications. Filial piety was, to Confucius, a strong moving force, very similar to that of the religious passion, that drivers and attracts the individual to establish himself and walk according to the Way (Tao), so that the names of his parents might be glorified.
In the teaching on the doctrine of the Mean, Confucius emphasized a sort of balanced life, or a state of complacency in thought and in the shifting emphasis between social heritage and freedom. The Confucian Doctrine of the Mean can be regarded as the doctrine synthesis between any two extremes in these life arts.

Four Main Topics of Moral Teaching

• In the teaching on Love (Ren), Confucius emphasized the sanctity and value of the individual, and the importance of his motive and will in moral conduct; yet at the same time he did not neglect the social aspect of love. The motive of love only, without the act of love toward others, is not the love. A hallmark of Confucius thought throughout is his emphasis on just this balance of inner and outer virtue, where inner refinement and purity naturally expresses outward.
  In the teaching of Li, Confucius emphasized the value of the cultural heritage of society and the accepted rules of proper conduct. But he was aware of the evils that might result from the over-emphasis on Li; formalism, hypocrisy, or arbitrariness. Morality would become an external thing; to abide by customary regulations or accepted rules only would regard as moral, and the beach of them would be regarded as sinful. In order to safeguard one against such dangers, on the one hand, Confucius emphasized the value of love such dangers, on the other hand, gave new interpretations on Li by putting the individual motive, especially sincerity and reverence, as the foundation of Li.
  In the teaching on filial piety, Confucius emphasized the extension of the emotional power that derives from the love of one's parents to the wider moral and social applications. Filial piety was, to Confucius, a strong moving force, very similar to that of the religious passion, that drivers and attracts the individual to establish himself and walk according to the Way (Tao), so that the names of his parents might be glorified.
  In the teaching on the doctrine of the Mean, Confucius emphasized a sort of balanced life, or a state of complacency in thought and in the shifting emphasis between social heritage and freedom. The Confucian Doctrine of the Mean can be regarded as the doctrine synthesis between any two extremes in these life arts.
  

The works of Confucius

• Modern scholars regard Confucius as the author of some of the classics. The Following Order of arrangement of the Six Classics are part of achievement of Confucius.
  The Book of Poetry - Shi
  The Book of Rites - Shu
  The Book of Rites - Li
  The Book of Music - Yue
  The Book of Music - Yi
  The Book of Changes -Chunqiu
  Confucius is supposed to have arranged his own works in a sort of psychological order, from simple to complex, as a great teacher would do, Shi, Shu, Li and Yue constitute the general course of study, while Yi and Chunqiu are more of a technical nature and represent ancient concepts brought forward and captured in Confucius time, and constitute a higher course of study. Shi and Shu are used for reading or symbolic education; Li and Yue are for practice or moral education; Yi and Chunqiu represent the philosophy of Confucius. They contain his social and political theories and cannot be understood by ordinary students. They are the technical learning and belong to a higher form of education. That is why they are put at the end of the whole course of study. The Yi or The Book of Change has origins form ancient times rooted in the Yin-Yang and Five Agencies theory.
  

Discover more about Confucius

• The substance of the teaching of Confucius can be grouped under three headings, namely: moral, intellectual, and religious. Confucius was mainly interested in the moral life of men. The intellectual aim of his teaching was in general subordinate to his moral aim, and his religious teaching was chiefly reflective of the traditional beliefs. He had very few comments. Both intellectual knowledge and religious beliefs were, according to him, useless and not worth teaching if they could not contribute towards the betterment of the practical moral life of the individual. Again, we can recognize in this a balance of inner and outer refinement, with the outer values showing themselves in social expressions et always motivated by inner human spiritual development (and reflective of a person's true inner state.)