Confucianism - Research Paper Example

Confucianism and Its Practices Introduction Variations of religions are now present among different countries. The materialization of these religions arises from the practices and needs of the humans, most particularly in the aspects of spiritual and physical needs. Its conception runs long way back from early civilization. One of the most common practices is the teachings of Confucius which is called Confucianism. Confucianism greatly influenced the practices and traditions of its neighboring countries.

It originated in China and abruptly disseminated around the world. It became the basis of foundation of another religion such as Buddhism. Confucianism is a form of idea that is basically founded on the teachings of Confucius (D. Hoobler & T. Hoobler, 2009, p. 10). Confucius is a Chinese philosopher who believes that a human being must aim to develop his primary goodness. One of his famous works is the concept of golden rule: “Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself” (Matthews, 2010, p. 185). Confucius believed that in order for a person to nurture its goodness, the five virtues must be practiced.

These are the virtue of “courtesy, magnanimity, good faith, diligence and kindness” (University of Northern Colorado, 2007). These virtues must become an application to the life of a person for this is the basis concerning its life and death. The particular destiny of a person is reflected on the actions and practices he made. Entering Heaven relies whether a person is doing the right thing or not. The actions he made while he was living will always count, may it be for goodness sake or for personal satisfaction (Yao, 2000, p. 146). In this context, a man is expected to make himself righteous and appropriate on all occasions as his deeds must always be good.

Confucianism does not ponder so much about death by considering it as a plain rest of a person, while the conception of life is believe to start when one person has learned to become honorable individual (Tan, 2004, p. 128). The tradition of the Confucianism includes the offering of sacrifices which is considered as common practices to develop its virtues. The birthing of a child constitutes to the significance of preserving the bloodline while the joining of couple is a duty in conception of a new being.

The “capping” signals the transformation from a childhood to adulthood (Taylor, 2004, p. 99). These rituals were also made for the improvement of the health of the Confucians. Artistry is also performed to effectively alleviate the wellness of the members (Mullis, n.d.). Confucian members look for ways to maintain and improve the element of their health. Several discussions took place regarding the concept of euthanasia on Confucianism. Confucius heavily stressed that a human body is a present from Heaven and must maintain its integrity.

A human body should not be taken apart even in death (Becker, 1990, p. 543).ConclusionThe idea of Confucianism is widely known throughout the world. Arguments in religions are present among the scholars, as well. Hence, every person is entitled for any choice he is going to make if he believes it is best for him. So, it is acceptable to say that Confucianism is a decent practice as long as it aims for the integral goodness of a person; otherwise, it is subject for question. ReferencesBecker, C. B. (1990).

Buddhist views of suicide and euthanasia. Philosophy East andWest, 40 (4), 543-555. Hoobler, D., & Hoobler T. (2009). Confucianism. New York: Infobase Publishing.Matthews, W., (2010). World religions. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.Mullis, E. (n.d.). The ethics of Confucian artistry. Retrieved from http://www.queens.edu/Documents/Ethics%20and%20Religion/CalligRev.pdfTan, S. (2004). Confucian democracy: A Deweyan reconstruction. New York, USA: State University of New York Press, Albany.Taylor, R. (2004). Confucianism.

USA: Chelsea House Publishers.University of Northern Colorado (2007). Center for Ethical Deliberation. Retrievedfrom http://mcb.unco.edu/ced/perspectives/confucius.cfmYao, X. (2000). An introduction to Confucianism. Cambridge, United Kingdom:Cambridge University Press.