Confucius: Philosopher, Reformer and Architect of Confucianism

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The literary works by Confucius, who was a teacher, politician, philosopher, and a social reformer helped developing Confucianism, often regarded as a religion. Confucianism is often believed as a system of social and ethical philosophy. When Confucius was born, the Chinese central government had lost power and there were numerous warring states. The violence, social instability, and cruel governance were some of the reasons why Confucius chose to be a teacher and a social reformer. His influence is greatly felt in China, Japan, and other parts of the world. His teachings were accepted as state dogma. The books he edited, namely the books of Changes, Poetry, History, and Rites, and the one he compiled, the Spring and Autumn are used as study material in both private and public schools in China. These subjects were also studied for civil service examination (Wu-Chi). His …show more content…

The book is based on the conversation between Arjuna who was one of the greatest warrior of his time and Krishna who was a charioteer of Arjuna. Studying Bhagavad Gita teaches us about Dharma, Karma, reincarnation and salvation. Dharma is defined as duty and Karma is a belief that each and every action we do have consequences which has to be suffered by reincarnating through various lives. Bhagavad Gita informs us that Karma guarantees that every individual will be able to reap the benefits of his/her good work and have to suffer the consequences for the actions, good actions brings benefits whereas bad actions brings costs (Chatterjee). Taking base of the facts about Dharma, Karma, reincarnation, and salvation, the book teaches us to be wise and faithful with our duties. With an irony that salvation can only be attained by keeping track of Dharma, the book motivates us to rethink about the consequences of every action we take. This has helped developing good morality in individuals and has helped developing a better

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