The Main Beliefs of Confucianism

The “Golden Rule” of Leviticus 19:18 was quoted by Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 7:12; see also Luke 6:31) during his Sermon on the Mount and described by him as the second great commandment. The common English phrasing is “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.

The three key concepts of Confucianism include: humanity, duty, ritual. The Confucian worldview includes many ideas and principles but these offer a starting point. The chapter recognizes Daoism’s playful ambiguity and discusses the three concepts: Way (Dao), integrity (de), and non‐action (wuwei).

• Yi – Righteousness.
• Xin – Honesty and Trustworthiness.
• Chung – Loyalty to the state, etc.
• Li – includes ritual, propriety, etiquette, etc.
• Hsiao – love within the family, love of parents for their children, and love of children for their parents.

Though closer to a philosophy than a true religion, Confucianism was a way of life for ancient Chinese people, and it continues to influence Chinese culture today. This is why Confucianism is considered a philosophy rather than a religion, even though it is often lumped in with other major religions.

Which is the strongest argument that Confucianism is a religion? Confucian goals of self-transcendence are what theologian Paul Tillich called “an ultimate concern.”

Confucianism is based on the philosophies of Confucius and how to live a correct life. Confucianism is an ethnic religion and has not traveled very far from its hearth in China. Buddhism is a universalizing religion, meaning that it is open to anyone from anywhere, it does not require any cultural background.

No, the Buddha and Confucius did not know each other and were not aware of each other. As others point out, they lived at the same time, around 550 BCE. And yes, there was some communication, by trade, between China and India by sea.

While Hinduism is centered around a supreme being, Buddhism and Confucianism are centered around the teachings of a man and Daoism is centered around a concept, the religions share similarities. Each encourages moral behavior, charity and respect for the universe.