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Confucius says … Jeanne Bowers, M.A.
Government • “Among the ancients, he who wished to have the shining virtue illuminated throughout the world, first governed his nation well. Wishing to govern his nation well, he first managed his family in good order. Wishing to manage his family in good order, he first cultivated his person. Wishing to cultivate his person, he first rectified his heart. Wishing to rectify his heart, he first rendered his thoughts sincere. Wishing to render his thoughts sincere, he first let his innate intellect reveal itself. The way to reveal innate intellect is to eradicate the desire for things.” Confucius- The Great Learning
Golden Rule • Confucius is well known for subscribing to the Golden Rule, i.e., do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Inner Experience • To Confucius, learning is both much more than the acquisition of empirical knowledge and more than another method of internalizing the proper manner of behavior in society. • Confucius’ definition of learning focuses on the cultivation of the inner experience so that learners can deepen their knowledge about how to be human and transform their lives into meaningful existences (Wang & King, 2006).
Cultivation of Virtue • How does Confucius believe virtue is to be cultivated? • Study, practice, self-examination, and following the rites and principles are the ways to “get” or cultivate virtue. • It is in the doing that we learn, in our experiences that we grow, and in our relationship with and within the Tao that we evolve and expand.
Why Learn Anything? • To the Confucian, learning is something we must do as human beings; in effect, you could say that it is how we become WHO we are. • Later theorists use terms like “self-actualization” and “individuation” to explain how we find meaning and purpose through learning.
We cannot learn in a vacuum • According to Confucius, all of this learning takes place within the context of relationships. • “Self-cultivation can very well be understood as the broadening of the self to embody an ever-expanding circle of human relatedness” (Tu, 1985).
Junzi • “The junzi, as the exemplary person, is one who through disciplined practice sets in motion a sympathetic vibration for others to follow. • That path will be the way of yi, appropriateness, rightness, or morality” (Jones, 2000).
How do become a junzi What characteristics might this junzi exemplify? Here is a succinct list of important virtues to cultivate: • Ren is the virtue of benevolence, charity, and humanity; • Yi, of honesty and uprightness; Yì may be broken down into zhong, doing one's best, conscientiousness, loyalty; and • shù, reciprocity, altruism, consideration for others, and Confucius’ early version of the Golden Rule, “what you don't want yourself, don't do to others.“ • Zhi, knowledge; • Xin, the virtue of faithfulness and integrity; and, • Li, correct behavior, or propriety, good manners, politeness, ceremony, worship. (http://www.analects-ink.com/mission/Confucius_Five_Virtues.html)
Sphere of Influence • It is in this way that we have an effect on those within our sphere of influence. We have the power to influence the company we keep, for better or for worse, depending on our choices. • For each person who chooses to enter into this lifelong process of learning, self-actualization, individuation, awakening, transcendence, or whatever term best suits the initiate onto this Path, Way, Tao, or spiritual, emotional, psychological transformative metamorphosis, others in that initiate’s life are affected one way or the other.
Nature versus Nurture • What are the limitations to learning to be an exemplary human being according to Confucius? • Nature versus nurture is fundamental. We may be born the same, but how we are raised impacts not only what we learn, but how.
Confucius the Humanist • Confucius speaks to his students about authenticity, self, and social responsibility, touting the importance of silent reflection. • Confucius and humanistic theory share the basic tenet that human beings are born basically good and shaped according to their environment.
Authenticity • This Confucian ideal of learning to be human, understanding that it is a commitment that requires dedication, understanding, and a holistic inclusion of mind, body, and spirit, begins to sound decidedly humanistic in modern terms, specifically Maslow’s “self-actualization,” Rogers’ “process of becoming,” and Jung’s “individuation.”
Choice, Commitment, and History • We reach our full potential by choosing to learn, by deciding to commit and put forth effort, by understanding that our commitment to reaching our full human potential as a “lifelong task of becoming fully human” (Tu, 1982).
You are the company you keep • According to Confucianism, this type of learning is done within the context of relationship. You are the sum of your relationships. • Furthermore, to reach that self-actualized state of being, we must “go beyond our selfishness and self-centeredness” (Tu, 1982). For Confucius, this learning how to be human begins in the family and extends out into society a large.
The Tao of Community • According to Confucius, the Way, or the Tao, is a path to a righteous and virtuous life in which human beings develop an awareness of interconnections and their relationships with nature, family, community and self.
The Tao of Service • “Therefore, true realization of the self, which begins in the context of the family, requires that one also extend one’s relationships beyond the familial structure, and so beyond nepotism, in order to be able to relate meaningfully to a larger community” (Tu, 1982).
Confucius and GIM • Confucius comes to work with us each day and asks of us to be mindful and present in our own human condition, how to connect and serve, and to remain open to learning more about how to reach new levels within ourselves in our fidelity to our mission with our patients. • Integrative medicine is about relationship. It is about the relationship of mind, body, and spirit for each patient; it is about the interpersonal relationships in that patient’s life; it is about our relationship with that patient. Relationship is our medicine.
References • Chaodong, P. (2001). Humanistic and Chinese Culture. Association for Humanistic Psychology. (http://www.ahpweb.org/articles/chinesehumanism.html). • Jones, D. (2000). Teaching/learning through Confucius. Navigating our way through the Analects. Education about Asia. Volume 5, Number 2. • Tu, W. (1985). “A Confucian Perspective on Learning to be Human” from Confucian Thought: Selfhood as Creative Transformation (Albany: 51-66). • Wang, C.X., King, K.P. (2006). Understanding Mezirow’s theory of reflectivity from Confucian perspectives: a model and perspective. Radical Pedagogy, ISSN: 1524-6345.
