Tao Te Ching

The Power of Goodness, the Wisdom Beyond Words
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Confucian (儒家) Lineage

In different places and times in history, called either a simple way of life, a religion, a philosophy, a way of governing, or simply a tradition; Confucianism became well known because of Confucius who only thought of himself as transmitting wisdom from the past, from a golden age of China during the Zhou dynasty. It came in and out of favor during the centuries, competed against Taoism and Buddhism, complemented them, and merged in significant ways to form the Neo-Confucianism becoming a major influence under Zhu Xi during the 12th century. A tradition of the words over the sense and the dominant influence on Chinese culture and politics until 1905, it was at first blamed for China’s weaknesses and now credited for establishing the work ethic that’s created the rapidly rising Asian economies of today.

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People (19)

Emperor Shun 帝舜 (Dìshùn)
2294 – 2184 BCE
The highest model of a good ruler

(1 quotes)

Famous as a compassionate, natural ruler who inspired the best from people without coercion or force, Chinese culture credits Shun with establishing the Xia dynasty, numerous social and technological advancements and creating a golden age of prosperity and peace. Confucius presented him as the highest model of a good ruler always putting the good of the people above personal gain. Although receiving great wealth, power and fame, he remained humble and lived simply with deep integrity.

Confucius 孔丘 (Kongzi, Kǒng Zǐ)
551 – 479 BCE
History's most influential "failure"

(66 quotes)

Probably the most influential failure in history, Confucius wanted to be a political advisor, found only one job doing that but unsuccessfully as was the rest of his life attempts at being an administrator. Early Confucian scholars were killed and their books burned. After he died though, his teaching shaped the next 2300 years of Chinese educational, governmental, and cultural practice. He was the first in recorded history to set up an educational program to train people for governmental roles. Calling himself a "transmitter who invented nothing,” his tradition did not become a religion but instead a non-theistic, humanistic understanding of secular morality that stressed having rulers appointed based on merit rather than birth, rule by personal example rather than fiat, acting out of awareness and experience rather than only following rules.

Duanmu Ci 端木赐 (Tzu Kung, Zigong)
520 – 456 BCE
Confucius’ most important disciple

(1 quotes)

Third of the Twelve Confucian Wise Ones, successful and wealthy businessman, diplomat, and most important of Confucius’ disciples; Duanmu Ci became one of the most accomplished Confucian speakers and the one most mention in the Analects. His accomplishments however led to an arrogance that Confucius criticized along with his lack of empathy and harshness. When he claimed achieving the Confucian ideal, the Master dismissed him from his posts. Confucius later gave him the task of saving their state of Lu from the more powerful army of Qi that was preparing to attack and take over. His strategy and diplomacy saved Lu, significantly change the history of 5 states, and much of that time’s Chinese history. His memorial tablet is traditionally placed on the east side of Confucian temples.

Zisi 子思 (Kong Ji or Tzu-Ssu)
481 – 402 BCE
Confucius' grandson and early influence on Neo-Confucianism

(17 quotes)

The only grandson of Confucius, writer of the influential Doctrine of the Mean, and teacher of Confucian thought to Mencius; Kong Ji evolved his grandfather’s insights into the difference between real and believed truth, the relativity of understanding, and the possibilities of learning lessons from nature and applying them to everything from politics to daily life. His writings were a deep influence on Zhu Xi and the Neo-Confucian movement becoming one of “The Four Books” that set the educational and political framework in China and throughout Asia for more than 700 years, from c. 1150 to 1905.

Mencius 孟子 (Mengzi)
372 – 289 BCE

(38 quotes)

Itinerant sage, most famous Confucian and more influential than Confucius himself; Zhu Xi included Mencius as one of the Four Books used as the Chinese official curriculum for over 700 years until the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1912. He emphasized the innate goodness of each person and attributed corruption and crime to bad leadership and social values. He promoted education based on understanding instead of memorization and like Socrates taught that people have the right and even mandate to overthrow a harsh ruler who disregards the people’s needs.

Xun Kuang 荀況 (Xún Kuàng, Xúnzǐ)
310 – 235 BCE
Early Confucian philosopher of "basic badness"

(9 quotes)

An early Confucian philosopher, Xunzi had a big influence on the translation of Confucian ideas into governmental policy until Mencius assumed that role. He was one of the first to talk about Lao Tzu and used Taoist descriptions while arguing against the Taoist interpretations. Unlike most Chinese philosophers who began with a foundation of basic goodness, Xunzi—much like the Judeo-Christian traditions—taught that humans were basically evil, that strict ethical rules were necessary to prevent their natural tendencies, and that only an elite few could accomplish much. He rejected the idea of positive change in favor of a conservative return to the past's wisdom; but—perhaps in contradiction—recommended promotions based on merit instead of hereditary titles.

Sima Qian 司馬遷 (Ssu-ma Ch'ien)
145 – 86 BCE
Father of Chinese historians

(13 quotes)

Father of Chinese historians, Court Astrologer, and and for centuries considered author of the greatest history book ever written; Sima Qian—although imprisoned, castrated, and enslaved—managed to write a monumental and innovative history of China including a series of biographies that went back more than 2000 years. His writings and writing style had a deep influence on Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese cultures. Sorting through myth and imagination, he went beyond the tradition of only writing about the emperors and generals, used more than 75 books to cross-check for accuracy, refused to include information he couldn’t verify, and traveled extensively interviewing people about their personal experience of events. He wrote the earliest known biography of Lao Tzu.

Yang Xiong 揚雄
53 BCE – 18 CE

(8 quotes)

"Confucius from the western parts,” poet, philosopher, I Ching scholar, and politician; Yang Xiong became one of the most famous people of the entire Han dynasty. His most well-known and influential book was Exemplary Sayings (法言) which includes him in our lineage of aphorists. He took a middle-ground approach between Xunzi and Mencius describing basic human nature as neither basic goodness or basic badness characterizing it as a complex combination.

Taizong of Tang 唐太宗 唐太宗 (Li Shimin)
598 – 649 CE

(2 quotes)

One of China’s greatest emperors, co-founder of the Tang Dynasty which became the world’s most civilized power, and architect of a golden age—China’s most creative period; Taizong’s reign became the standard and measure for all future leaders. A scientific and Confucian scholar, he began by killing his brothers and expanding the empire but soon devoted himself to increasing peace and prosperity. Without personal dogma and prejudice, he welcomed Buddhist monks, Nestorian Christians, Zoroastrians, and made the capital so beautiful that it attracted hordes of tourists from as far away as India and Europe. He wrote a book reconciling Buddhism and Taoism, another one on government that became a popular reference for leaders in many different countries, promoted the arts, and it was said of people during that time, “whoever was a man, was poet.” Over 1000 years later, a Manchu emperor commissioned an anthology of Tang poems that included 48,900 poems by 2,300 poets.

Du Fu 杜甫 杜甫
712 – 770 CE

(11 quotes)

Though Li Bai in the West is most often considered China's greatest poet, in the East, that honor most often falls to Du Fu, "the Chinese Shakespeare." Historian, sage, and compared to Milton, Burns, and Wordsworth; Du Fu failed the Chinese examinations for public office although the subject was poetry but became one of China's most influential writers. A close friend and traveling companion of Li Bai during a time of intense political change, his fortunes rose and fell from the highest honors to the depths of misery finally to be robbed of the straw in his bed while he was too weak to resist. In Japan considered the "Saint of Poetry" and the major influence on the greatest haiku poet, Matsuo Bashō; Du Fu excelled at reconciling opposites, considered "everything in this world is poetry," and became one of the greatest writers in any language.

Sima Guang 司马光
1019 – 1086 CE
"Greatest of all Chinese historians”

(5 quotes)

“The greatest of all Chinese historians,” politician, scholar-official, and major cat-breeder; Sima Guang opposed Wang Anshi's reforms to help the poor against the rich but wrote a pioneering, universal history of China that influenced the world’s political evolution. Also a lexicographer, he spent decades writing his time’s most comprehensive dictionary that included 31,319 Chinese characters. His book, Family Precepts (司馬溫公家訓) became a powerful influence on both Chinese and Japanese culture. A genius with a monumental memory, Sima’s quick thinking when he was only 7 famously saved the life of his friend. He loved reading "to the point of not recognizing hunger, thirst, coldness or heat” and when involved with a complicated writing project, he slept on a wooden log so he would sleep less and be able to work more. His scholarship—far from just intellectual speculation—became a guiding force for emperors but during his life and after his death.

Su Che 呂洞 (Su Zhe)
1039 – 1112 CE
Great writer of the Tang and Sung dynasties

(12 quotes)

Famous politician and essayist, one of "The Eight Great Men of Letters of the Tang and Song Dynasties,” exiled for his political criticisms; Su Zhe skillfully criticized social conditions in an effort to influence the emperor into creating better living situations for the common person. Champion of reforms to help the poor and protect them from the rich and powerful and also to help the rich realize that their hoarding and selfishness only made them more vulnerable to revolt, robbery, and revolution. The temple where he lived and taught is now a museum and one of China’s more famous cultural attractions.

Cheng Zhu 程俱 (Ch‘eng, Chü, Zheng, Ru, Ju Cheng)
1078 – 1144 CE
Neo-Confucian founding uncle

(1 quotes)

Political critic and scholar-official, Cheng Zhu became a major critic of the political policies of his era and an important influence on the development of neo-Confucianism. A philosophical school named after him became a strong influence advocating morality as the foundation for political leadership.

Zhu Xi 朱熹 (Zhū Xī)
1130 – 1200 CE

(5 quotes)

Called by historians the “second most influential thinker in Chinese history” and “one of the most influential people” in the last millennium, Zhu Xi blended Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism into a tradition called Neo-Confucianism. He synthesized ancient teachings into The Four Books which became the heart of the educational, bureaucratic, and governmental system for over 700 years in China as well as Japan, Korea and other countries. More Confucian than Buddhist or Taoist, the emphasis is on practical wisdom rather than the wisdom beyond words but still set a foundation for wise and compassionate government leading to peace and prosperity.

Lù Jiǔyuān 陸九淵 (Lu Xiangshan)
1139 – 1192 CE

(8 quotes)

Professor, magistrate, and half of the most famous debate in Chinese history during a time when the influence between Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism was being re-balanced; Lu Hsiang Shan led a simple but profound life. His philosophy of Universal Mind was forgotten for almost 300 years but then—revived by Wang Yangming—became the second most influential school and a major influence on neo-Confucianism. He developed Mencius' concept of the basic goodness of original mind and brought the simplicity and spontaneity of Daoism and the problems with desire from Buddhism into the blend with Confucianism that became neo-Confucianism.

Wu Cheng 吴澄
1249 – 1333 CE
"Mr. Grass Hut"

(21 quotes)

Important scholar, poet, and professor; Wu Cheng supported and continued the Neo-Confucian movement begun by Zhu Xi. He went further than Zhu Xi’s emphasis on synthesizing the different traditions, included more Taoism, and worked to extend the standard curriculum beyond just the Four Books. He opposed superstitious beliefs and criticized the way scholars understood and practiced divination techniques. He wrote popular commentaries on the Tao Te Ching and most of the classic Chinese texts but his biggest influence was as a teacher and through his students who developed the School of the Mind and Heart during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1912) dynasties.

Li Hungfu
1574 – 1574 CE

(2 quotes)

Sun Qifeng 孫奇逢
1583 – 1675 CE

(1 quotes)

孫奇逢 (1583–1675)
Professor, poet, respected scholar who passed the imperial exams at only 13 years old, and one of the most famous masters of Confucian ethics; Sun Qifeng helped China transition from the Ming to the Ching dynasties. Critical of the Ming control by eunuchs, he followed the neo-Confucian philosophy but emphasized its practicality, the concept of basic goodness, and the importance of nourishing goodness. Often invited to take prestigious governmental offices, he refused preferring a quite life of study. A precursor of—and inspiration for?—Arnold Toynbee, he looked at the rise and fall of dynasties (as well as individual success and failure) through the lens of the I Ching and left a treasury of books including popular commentaries on the Four Books, biographies of 11 famous, Confucian masters, and the history of 146 philosophers and their teachings.

​Zhang Xuecheng 章学诚 章学诚 (Chang Hsüeh-ch'eng)
1738 – 1801 CE

(5 quotes)

A famous historian, philosopher, and writer who was mainly unknown during his lifetime dying in poverty with few friends; Zhang Xuecheng's fame only began almost 100 years after he died. A revolutionary thinker, he crossed the status quo view that Confucianism is based on timeless principles and described it as an evolving set of realizations deepening as it faced and explained contemporary changes. He condemned self-serving partisanship, encouraged diversity, and individuation. A true advocate for the words over the sense, he emphasized the need to transcend language rather than becoming a slave to concepts. His focus on China's difficult struggle to blend the strong Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian traditions into what's called now neo-Confucianism; has a powerful relevance to our own time of intense cultural, political, and religious amalgamation.

Related Sources (6 sources)

Chiao Hung and the restructuring of in the late Ming by Edward T Chʻien

Our Oriental Heritage by Will Durant

Penetrating the Book of Changes by Zhou Dunyi

Book of Mencius 孟子 by Mencius

Analects by Confucius

Book of Rites by Confucius

Quotes about the Confucian Lineage (9 quotes)

“It is humiliating to watch the brutal insolence of white men received by the Chinese with a quiet dignity which cannot demean itself to answer rudeness with rudeness. Europeans often regard this as weakness, but it is really strength, the strength by which the Chinese have hitherto conquered all their conquerors.”

Bertrand Russell 1872 – 1970 CE
“20th century Voltaire”

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“To Confucianism, the final principle of an undivided One is the Tai Chi (the great ridge-beam)... the word Tao here has an inner-world significance and means the 'right way;' on one hand the way of Heaven, on the other, the way of man.”

Richard Wilhelm 1873 – 1930 CE
Translator bridging East and West
from Introduction to Secret of the Golden Flower

Themes: Confucianism

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“This burst of spiritual activity... the Confucian humanism of the 5th century BCE... was ephemeral. It degenerated from a study of human nature into a system of ritualized etiquette. In the administrative sphere it became a tradition that every administrative act required the sanction of historical precedent.”

Arnold Toynbee 1889 – 1975 CE
from A Study of History

Themes: Confucianism

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“Confucians worship culture and reason; Taoists reject them in favor of nature and intuition, and the one who rejects anything always seems to stand on a higher level and therefore always seems more attractive than the one who accepts it... Lao Tzu's aphorisms communicate an excitement which Confucian humdrum good sense cannot. Confucian philosophy is a philosophy of social order, and order is seldom exciting.”

Lín Yǔtáng 林語堂 1895 – 1976 CE
from Wisdom of Laotse

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“The principles of the I Ching apply at the highest levels to the great planets and stars wheeling in their courses and, at another level, to each individual person like you and me... We use the I Ching to trace arising situations back to their origin and/or forward to their completion; in this way, we learn the ways of life and death... This book is too sacred to be used for trivial purposes.”

John Blofeld 1913 – 1987 CE
from Talk (1978)

Themes: Continuity

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“Because the Great Wall of China and the ancient cities in the Middle East and along the Silk Road were all made of bricks, trees disappeared from these areas and the soil died—a great deal of firewood is needed to make bricks. This destruction of nature brought about the decline of human civilization.”

Masanobu Fukuoka 福岡 正信 1913 – 2008 CE via Shan Dao
from Road Back to Nature

Themes: Civilization

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“Unlike the Western world of surprising Creation, of man at war with nature; the world of Confucius transformed by Taoist and Buddhist currents saw man at home among transformations, procreations, and recreations.”

Daniel J. Boorstin 1914 – 2004 CE
American intellectual Paul Revere
from Creators: Heroes of the Imagination

Themes: Confucianism

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“Confucianism preoccupies itself with conventional knowledge... presides over the socially necessary task of forcing the original spontaneity of life into the rigid rules of convention...The individual defines himself and his place in society in terms of the Confucian formulae... a task that involves not only conflict and pain, but also the loss of that peculiar naturalness and un-self-consciousness for which little children are so much loved, and which is sometimes regained by saints and sages.”

Alan Watts 1915 – 1973 CE

Themes: Confucianism

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“As a species, humans prefer power to truth... Truth and power can travel together only so far. If you want power, at some point you will have to spread fictions... whether Christian priests, Confucian mandarins, or Communist ideologues—placed unity above truth. That's why they were so powerful.”

Yuval Harari יובל נח הררי‎ 1976 CE –
Israeli historian, professor, and philosopher

from 21 Lessons for the 21st Century

Themes: Power

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