Confucius Institute

Confucius Sculpture on South Bank

admin — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 08:09:04 +0000

Brisbane’s South Bank is one of the most varied cultural spaces in Queensland, but along with the beach, the Wheel and the museums it offers one relatively small statue of particular significance to relations between Australia and China. In 2009 the people of China presented a 2.7 metre bronze statue of the fifth century Chinese scholar Confucius, or Qiu Zhong Ni. Confucius, whose thinking emphasised personal and governmental morality and rectitude in social interaction, verbalised one of the earliest versions of the Golden Rule: “Do not do unto other people what you would not wish to be done to you.” The statue’s purpose is to foster a greater degree of mutual understanding between the peoples of China and Australia.

Confucius Personal Life

admin — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 09:00:23 +0000

Confucius, a Chinese philosopher, was born in Lu–modern Shantung. He was a self educated man, married at the age of 19 and was a teacher early in his career. Later in his career he became minister of justice. Because his ideas of social reform were popular with the people, many praised and honored him; however, be developed many enemies and had to leave Lu. During his travels, many followed him and became known as his disciples. Years later he edited the ancient writings and after his death the Confucian Anaects were created and within them are his doings and sayings. His teachings basically focused on filial piety and respect for one another. His thoughts and teachings later inspired many followers. Cunfucianism became the religion of China but later he was thought of as an exploiter of the masses during the Cultural Revolution—(1955-76). Today some think that there are over 6 million Confucians.

Confucius’s ambition was to share his philosophy with the ruling class; hoping that the ruling class would lead the people with virtue, instead of leading with control, power or ego. His hope and desire was that the ruling class would do right by the people and lead by an example of selflessness. Some of his quotes that was true and respected by the people were, “He who does not understand the Will of God can never be a man of the higher type. He who does not understand the inner law of self-control can never stand firm. He who does not understand the force of words can never know his fellow-men.”

Confucius’s Philosophy & Teachings

admin — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:58:16 +0000

Confucius was a Chinese philosopher and educator who lived from 551-479 B.C. He promoted political peace and orderliness and his teachings stressed the importance of perfecting oneself through learning. Confucius publicly expressed his thoughts on the power of virtuous social interaction to encourage political calm. He also shared his beliefs on learning as a means of personal development. Confucius developed a following and influenced the lives of many.

Philosophy

Confucius believed in honoring the traditional value of benevolence as a means of achieving peace and order. He encouraged his followers to be virtuous according to these values, taking responsibility for their own actions and treating others well. Developing humility and self-restraint were important to Confucius, as was honoring the ancient spirits. According to Confucius, respecting the traditional concept of heaven and recognizing the patterns of the past made rituals and the practice of virtuous action, even on occasions when it seemed impractical, essential to living a good life.

Teachings

Although Confucius was an ordinary Chinese citizen who briefly worked in politics, he gained followers who listened to him speak on his beliefs, engaged in discussions with him, observed his actions and later recorded what they learned. His beliefs in the necessity of respecting tradition, espousing compassionate moral values and developing positively through learning have been shared with many.

According to a document created by his students, “Lunyu,” Confucius said, “He who learns but does not think is lost. He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.” He expected his students to put their own effort into learning rather than relying on their teacher to do all the work. He encouraged the disciplined pursuit of knowledge and of the ideal ways of living.

Confucius’s sayings and beliefs have continued to influence modern ways of thinking, and there remains interest in his ideas. Many courses have been developed to explore his school of thought and Confucius Institutes, such as Confucius Institute Australia, have arisen to promote Chinese culture, of which Confucius’s philosophies have become an integral part. By adhering to and encouraging the continuation of ancient Chinese traditions and values, Confucius and his philosophies on learning and living well have become recognized as an important part of China’s cultural influence.