Confucius. 2010

“To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous”

CONFUCIUS –  ancient thinker and philosopher of China, whose teachings had a profound impact on the lives of China and East Asia, becoming the basis of a philosophical system known as Confucianism (c. 551-479 BCE).

Confucius discerned the prototype of a normal social order in good family relations. The teacher encouraged the traditional for China ancestral cult as a means of maintaining loyalty to parents, clan and state. The wise Teacher believed that morality is the main basis of human behavior, and therefore people are considered and evaluated from a moral standpoint. Confucius believed that noble people should protect and disseminate moral values among the rest. In our world, the true purpose of people is to be human, and therefore compassionate and generous.

Based on the statements and conversations of the Teacher, the disciples of Confucius compiled the book “Lunyu” (Analects), which became a particularly revered book of Confucianism. It consists of short transcripts of the Master’s conversations with followers, his laconic aphorisms, and descriptions of important episodes of his life.