Emperor, and First Grand Secretary, I would like to praise you both in your quick, and industrious actions taken for the welfare of the Empire. I would also like to thank you both for taking such meticulous consideration of our memorials. Your fervent attempts are well respected and I can see the ways of Confucius guiding these principles. I urge you now to take the next step, dear Emperor, and address the issue of succession here in the Forbidden City. Choose Changlou, your firstborn, to ascend to the throne after your departure, and remove Lazy Zheng from the Forbidden City. If you are to do this, you, Emperor Wan Li, will solidify your position here as a man of Confucius ideal, and as a powerful efficient ruler. This will establish most trust among ourselves here, and therefore create a more unified government.
Confucius clearly states the string of command in relationships: husband commands wife, parent commands son, and in this case specifically, older sibling commands younger sibling. Hence, Changlou governs over Changxun! Master once said, “The ruler should employ the services of his subjects in accordance with the rites…” By not choosing Changxun as your successor, you are intentionally ignoring the Confucius principle that clearly states precedence over the older. How can you, almighty Emperor Wan Li, serve your people properly if you choose not to be in accordance with Confucian principles? It is important to keep in mind that we all follow in your footsteps. If you stray from the Confucian principles, so will your people. Crooked roots will lead to a bended tree. Therefore, it is important to keep these roots straight by choosing Changlou as your successor, Wan Li.
Under your influence, great Wan Li, Changlou wi...
... middle of paper ...
...he Confucius Way. The secretaries will trust in him again, and thus, good relations amongst the Emperor and the secretaries will be positive again. This unity will allow more focus on other important issues, and therefore better decisions will be made for the people of China. This will lead to happiness among the people and prosperity in our government. Master once said, “If a man sets his heart on benevolence, he will be free from evil.” I have set my heart on benevolence by grounding my viewpoints from the depths of Confucius’s teachings. Confucius’ teachings clearly show that choosing Changlou as an heir and removing Lady Zheng and Kang Hua will clear the dangerous cloud of evil covering our city. If I have insulted you in any way, great Wan Li, I apologize. I only hope to advise you in the best way possible. Emperor, I hope you find benevolence in my memorial.
Confucius was a philosopher, political intellect and an educator whose philosophies have significantly prejudiced not only the Chinese principles but the entire world evolution. He lived through the “Spring” and “Autumn” epoch of Chinese history, when east central China was separated over a dozen fighting states. The inordinate ailment and grief he saw swayed his political thoughts, which highlighted command, grading and the rule of a compassionate self-governing state.
Chapter 1: The Wan-Li Emperor, begins by explaining the major premise of the work: The concept of looking at a single year in the history of the leadership of China and evaluating the implications for understanding other aspects of history, including the decline of the Ming Dynasty. In this initial chapter, Huang provides an anecdotal history of some of the events that occurred, and includes within it a discussion of the set up of the leadership, the repercussions that occurred in the event of certain actions, including the prospects of an audience with the emperor. Huang reviews these issues as he considers that actions taken by the Wan-li emperor, who was only twenty-four in 1587 and who had been a veteran of ceremonial proceedings, and considers his history as an element of understanding the progression of leadership.
(Qian 26) Through his support of who he thought was the best man to lead China, Li portrayed another Confucian virtue; "'What should I do to win the hearts of the people?'
The relationship between ruler and subject is that the ruler must work to protect and govern, while subjects must provide their ruler with loyalty. The father is responsible for caring for his son and providing him an education, while the son must show his father obedience and honor. In the husband and wife relationship, the husband is to provide for his wife, while the wife shows obedience and takes care of the home. The older brother has the responsibility to take care of his younger brother and look after him, while the younger brother must show obedience. Lastly, the relationship between elder and younger places the elder with the responsibility of taking care of the younger. The younger must then show respect and obedience toward the elder. In the even that the elder is unable to care for themselves, as in the case of aging parents, it is the younger’s responsibility to care for the elder. The idea is that when each person is doing their duty in each relationship, society will run much more smoothly and harmoniously. While Confucianism focuses on social aspects, it does not consider the
Confucianism became popular during the Han Dynasty as it was the state religion and had a great impact on East Asia (Confucianism 1, pg. 7). Born in 551 BCE in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Confucius himself absorbed the teachings of Mahavira and the Buddha (Confucianism 1, pg. 2) He had a set of virtues that he believed a functioning society should stand by such as benevolence, love and rites. Confucius wanted China to return to the old days when people were loyal to their rulers and rulers were polite and caring towards their people. He believed rulers s...
...ering the recent changes in China’s politics. Many are wondering what the future holds for Chinese politics and the idea of a democracy with Confucian characteristics is something many have been looking at since Confucianism holds an important place in Chinese traditions. We have witnessed on many occasions the failure of trying to implement a democratic system in a country that either wasn’t “ready” for democracy or a country where the political culture wasn’t compatible with the democracy models we are used to. This idea is very relevant when you talk about China since it’s easy to see how democracy might not fit right with the Chinese political culture. In such a case, the best solution would be a democracy with Confucian characteristics. So we can see here how the relationship between Confucianism and democracy is something worth reflecting on in current times.
There has been much talk about various issues in the Grand Secretariat. The issues range from the Emperor’s virtue to the issue of succession and finally to eunuchs. The Emperor is a just and virtuous man who is full of ren. An analects depicting the Master’s character describes the Emperor, “The Master was warm, yet severe; awesome, yet never harsh; reverent, yet calm.” With this being the Emperor’s character who would dare question his virtue? Did he punish those who dare disobey him, no instead he offered up a chance for self-betterment, is this not virtue? If any members still question the Emperor’s virtue, I offer up this Confucius quote as clarification, “The Master said, ‘…there are few who recognize virtue.’ If very few recognize
I was born in a working-class family, my father was the victim of China 's reform and opening up, I witnessed a half-feudal society on its half way to modernization, conducted its primitive accumulation under the banner of advanced, democratic and just socialism during my childhood. I feel deeply aggrieved about the reality, there was a fantasy in my heart: if I am an emperor, how would I make my world and people better. The discontent of the reality is the
In the late 1700s, Sin Hudam asserted the Neo-Confucian moral obligations imposed on the five hierarchal relationships are the basic ethical guidelines for the nation in proper order. In the late 1800s, the Neo-Confucian cardinal virtues still remained as a source of innovation, self-definition, and structuring the organization in Korea, based on which the elites and non-elites designed the reform agendas. In particular, Yi Hangno in 1866 in his memorials, Pak Yŏnghyo in 1888 in the memorial on domestic political reforms, and Chŏn Pongjun in 1895 in the declaration and his interrogation, identified the corruption of the relationships on trust between the ruler and the ruled as the evidence of the national decline. All three
For one thing, it is hard to know what is morally right in certain situations. Also, what is morally right is left up to an individual. Everyone has different definitions of what is moral. So, a ruler could make a decision that is morally right in his eyes, but morally wrong in the eyes of others. It is impossible to make a decision that would be morally right in everyone’s eyes. Even more, it would be impossible to find of ruler who fits everyone’s definition of morally right. What is morally right is left up to interpretation, and this is a significant reason why Confucius’s ideas are idealistic. To continue, his ideas also state that when a ruler feels he can no longer govern right, he should retire. Sometimes people do not even realize they are wrong because they are right in their own eyes. So, a ruler who is doing wrong may never come to the conclusion that he should retire. Even if rulers did come to this conclusion, rulers would be retiring frequently. A ruler may feel as soon as he makes one mistake he should retire. People make mistakes all the time, and one mistake should not be end of a ruler’s reign, unless it is detrimental. All in
Confucius was born into a time when the feudal system of China had collapsed. He was raised a scholar by his mother and worked in the Chinese government. After his mother passed away, he become a teacher. Confucius was a witness to the chaos of his time and resolved to aid those who were suffering from the social disorder. Confucius believed that the production of strongly educated individuals could become great leaders and that they in turn would create a harmonious society. In order to achieve this, the cultivation of one’s intellect and virtues were necessary. This could be done through education, which included poetry, the arts, and philosophical teachings. Believing that the past con...
These virtues according to Confucius enables the leader to retain individual's ruling position “he who rules by his virtues is like the pole-star that remains in its designated place as others stars continue to homage around it.” According to Foust (p.195), the last teaching raised by Confucius and individuals disciples and that connects to political ideal argues that rulers should not use force or threatening statement to maintain their position. In conclusion, Confucianism teaches that leaders should adhere and observe proper rituals to maintain their position within a society political setting. Examples of rituals that rulers should adhere are for instance giving proper sacrifices to the ancestors an act that bounds the acting rulers with their ancestors thus protecting their position of
Ultimately, Confucianism is about social matters and how to lead the people with rites, while Lao Tzu’s ideas stem from a more subjective view of life. For example, it is said that, ‘the Tao that can be spoken is not the true Tao.’ Also, there is a distinction in Confucius and Lao Tzu’s ideas’ about identifying things. In book XIII, Tzu-lu asks Confucius, ‘If the Lord of Wei left the administration (cheng) of his state to you, who would you put first?’ Confucius answers with, ‘If something has to be put first, it is, perhaps, the rectification of names.’ Problems in a state cannot be solved until they are called by the proper name, and the importance of saying the right thing is stressed on page 118. A ruler isn’t to speak unless it is appropriate, and if he doesn’t speak the right words, then disorder will ensue as people ‘won’t know where to put hand and foot.’ This contrasts directly with ideas of Lao Tzu’s idea that less is
The teachings of Confucius put order, hierarchy and social harmony over individual egoism, that is, the person is subject to the strict system of laws, obligations and rituals. Social relations are based on the criteria of age, sex and generation: in the political sphere, the governed render their maximum loyalty to the governor, while in the family, the children obey the father, the younger brother obeys the older one and, finally, the wife obeys the husband. In the different stages of life, women are always under masculine authority. As a young girl, she must obey her father, when she marries, her husband, and finally, when she becomes a widow, her
For many centuries, Confucianism has been widely revered by the Chinese for its emphasis on morality. Confucius, who lived from 551 to 479 BCE, is different to most philosophers in that he showed no interest questioning his existence, the possibility of a God, or the reality that he seemed to live in; instead he focused on the human relations side of philosophy as it was his belief that people should “give (themselves) earnestly to the duties due to men … (and) keep aloof from (spiritual beings)” (Confucius 195). By negating the metaphysical side of philosophy, he was able to devote himself to mold his disciples into ideal gentleman who were morally righteous, and were able to benefit society. He believed in the importance of individuals who knew their roles in an well-structured society, that was a feudal system. In his opinion, the ideal gentleman should be obedient to his elders, have humanness and be morally righteous. Through his teachings, he was able to reform an entire country; the Chinese found Confucianism to embody practices of humaneness that they could apply in their daily lives through his religion.