Module CONFUCIANISM

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What I need to Know

Hello? How are you? Do you want to learn something new? In this
module, you will study the following:

Objectives
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
 Discuss the brief history of Confucianism, its fundamental beliefs and
practices
 Explain the core teachings of Confucianism (HUMSS_WRB12-II/IVe-
12.3)
 Give examples of acts showing filial piety in the family, community
and society (HUMSS_WRB12-II/IVe-12.2)
 Describe the five basic relationships of Confucianism
(HUMSS_WRB12-II/IVe-12.1)

LET’S ENJOY AND DISCOVER!

What I know

Let us check what you already know about this topic by

answering the activities below.

Many of us have heard the biblical phrase, 'Do unto others as

you would have them do unto you.' The Chinese philosophy of
Confucianism puts it this way: 'Do not do to others what you would
have them not do to you.' Unlike Christianity, Confucianism is
technically not a religion. But it does share the Christian approach of

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loving others. In fact, that is the foundation of the philosophy.
Confucianism is based entirely on kindness, mutual respect and an
appreciation for character virtues. It is founded on the belief that
society can flourish only when people learn to interact positively with
each other.

Test 1. Copy and answer the following questions in your test

notebook.
1.1. Answer the following:
A. What is wisdom?
B. War does not determine who is right; war determines who is
left. ( Confucius)
Rubrics in checking the written output
Content 50%
Organization of Ideas 30%
Grammar 20%
Total 100%

Test II. Fill in the blanks

Direction: Fill in the blanks with the correct answer. Write
your author’s choice on the space provided.

Jejomar Binay Dr. Jose Rizal Manny Pacquiao

Julius Ceasar Pres. Rudy Duterte Confucius

1. The youth is the hope of our future ________________.

2. The important thing as a leader is our relationship to God
__________________.
3. I came, I saw, I conquer __________________.
4. Courage knows no limit, bur cowardice does ____________________.
5. Believe it or not, I say my prayers in the morning and in the
evening ______________________.
6 Do not do to others what you would have them not do to
you.’__________________.

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 What’s In

The next topic is very important for you. This time, your task is to
write something you’ve learned from the previous topic that we have
discussed. Write your learning’s from your test notebook.

What’s New

Are you ready now to know about Confucianism? Here are some
things that you are going to do and discover.
The story of Confucianism does not really begin with
Confucius, nor was Confucius the founder of Confucianism in the
same way that Buddha was the founder of Buddhism. Rather,
Confucius considered himself a transmitter who consciously tried to
retrieve the meaning of the past by breathing vitality into seemingly
outmoded rituals.
Confucius' love of antiquity was motivated by his strong desire
to understand why certain rituals, such as the ancestral cult,
reverence for Heaven, and mourning ceremonies, had survived for
centuries. He had faith in the cumulative power of culture. Confucius'
sense of history was so strong that he saw himself as a
conservationist responsible for the continuity of the cultural values
and the social norms that had worked so well for the civilization of the
Chou dynasty.
Mencius, Xunzi, and others sustained Confucianism after
Confucius, but it was not influential until Dong Zhongshu emerged in
the 2nd century BCE. Confucianism was then recognized as the Han
state cult (introducing religious elements and sacrifices to Confucius),
and the Five Classics became the core of education.

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 In addition to its significant influences on Taoism and Chinese
Buddhism, Confucianianism has had the strongest influence on the
moral fabric of Chinese society. A revival of Confucian thought in the
11th century produced Neo-Confucianism, a major influence in Korea
during the Choson dynasty and in Japan during the Tokugawa
period.
http://www.religionfacts.com/confucianism/history

Activity I. In your own understanding, narrate the background or

history of Confucianism. Write it in you test notebook.

Congratulations! You’ve got it. Good job!

What is it

Founding and Overview

Confucianism was developed in China by Master Kong in 551-
479 BC, who was given the name Confucius by Jesuit missionaries
who were visiting there. However, the fundamental principles of
Confucianism began before his birth, during the Zhou Dynasty. At
that time, the ideas of respect and the well-being of others were
prevalent, but there was also an emphasis on spiritual matters -
specifically, the goodness of the divine and the mandate to rule given
to those in power. These ideas were meant to unite the people, create
stability and prevent rebellion.
Confucius believed his philosophy was also a route toward a
civil society. However, he shifted attention away from ruling
authorities, the divine or one's future after death, focusing instead on
the importance of daily life and human interactions. This new, refined
version of the philosophy did not completely take root until the next
dynasty, the Han (140-87 BC). It is the Confucianism that many
people are familiar with today. The foundation of Confucianism is an

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appreciation for one's character and the well-being of others. Now we
will discuss the main features that reflect this aim.
https://study.com/academy/lesson/confucianism-definition-beliefs-
history.html

Religion and Spirituality

There are differences between religion and spirituality. Religion
usually refers to an organized set of beliefs by a group of people who
see themselves as different from others.
Spiritually deals with individual beliefs and practices and attempts to
relate to a God, the universe, others and oneself.
https://www.google.com/search?
q=hOW+DOES+RELIGION+DIFFER+TO+SPIRITUALLY
%3F&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjfkanM3J

Activity 2. Answer the following questions directly. Write your

answer in your test notebook.
1.Do you agree that Confucianism is both a religion and a
philosophy? Why or why not?

Confucianism Beliefs
Confucianism is not a religion, although some have tried to
imbue it with rituals and religious qualities, but rather a philosophy
and system of ethical conduct that since the fifth century B.C. has
guided China's society. Kong Fuzi (Confucius in Latinized form) is
honored in China as a great sage of antiquity whose writings
promoted peace and harmony and good morals in family life and
society in general. Ritualized reverence for one's ancestors, sometimes
referred to as ancestor worship, has been a tradition in China since at
least the Shang Dynasty (1750---1040 B.C.). [Source: Library of
Congress]
Confucianism stresses the importance of avoiding conflict and
emphasizes correct behavior. Desire is suppressed and people are
expected to live by an elevated moral code. In many cases no
justification or reason is given for Confucian beliefs or morality other

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 than “This is how it has always been done” or “This is how it was done
in the Golden Age."
HTTP://FACTSANDDETAILS.COM/CHINA/CAT3/SUB9/ITEM88.HT
ML

 Confucius gave advice that was precise and wise

 Encouraged people to act with virtue, with empathy and justice
 Confucius took no credit for his wisdom.  He said he got it from
studying the ancients.
 Nature and acting within it’s laws is encouraged (like Taoism)
 Self-improvement and learning from the ancestors are encouraged
(way of heaven)
 Humans have a duty to act as guardians of heaven’s creation

Activity 3. Write your answers in your test notebook.

1. Do you think the Confucian value of ethics in government is
the ultimate solution to the problem of corruption in the
Philippine? If yes, how?

Fundamental Principles of Confucianism

1. Li: Li is the principle of self-restraint and sense of propriety
that should be inculcated in a person. A person should always act in
a honorable way and respect his elders, his ancestors, and his family
members. He shall not be selfish in his acts. It does not mean that he
should not have personal ambitions and aspirations but he should
not achieve them by being unjust to others. It includes following
social etiquette and mannerisms.
2. Hsiao: Hsiao is love for the immediate family and then
society. It’s the principle of love of parents for their children and of
children for their parents. If every family is united and happy, the
society will prosper.
3. Yi: Yi is the principle of righteousness. It is upholding what
is right above everything else and sacrificing oneself for it, if need be.
4. Xin: Xin is the principle of honesty in life. Being honest with
oneself and being honest with the people around you builds trust and
confidence.

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 5. Jen: Jen is the most important of all principles. It means
being kind and humane to your fellow beings. Sharing and
understanding each other without being overtly judgmental. Even if a
person behaves badly with you, think about the condition he is in and
what is making him behave this way. It is about helping out others.
6. Chung: The last but not the least important
principle, chung is loyalty to one’s family and to one’s country. It is a
quality which binds a country strongly together.
https://spiritualray.com/introduction-to-confucianism-five-
relationships

The Five Virtues

1.Jen – goodwill, empathy, generosity and benevolence,
humanness towards one another ( the most important Confucianism
virtue).
2.Yi – rightness, duty as guardians of nature and humanity,
righteousness
3.Li – right conduct and propriety, demonstrating your inner
attitude with your outward expressions. includes ritual, propriety,
etiquette
4.Chih – wisdom and love within the family, love of parents for
their children.
5.Hsin – faithfulness and trustworthiness

Activity 4. Do it in your test notebook

Directions: Distinguish the following main beliefs of
Confucianism. Write your answers on the space provided before the
number.
__________1. Faithfulness and trustworthiness
__________2.Wisdom and love within the family, love of parents for
their children
__________3. Right conduct and propriety, demonstrating your inner
attitude with your outward expressions. includes ritual, propriety,
etiquette
__________4. Rightness, duty as guardians of nature and humanity,
righteousness

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 __________5. Goodwill, empathy, generosity and benevolence,
humanness towards one another ( the most important Confucianism
virtue).
The Five Basic Relationships of Confucianism
 Father/Son
 Ruler/Citizen
 Husband/Wife
 Older Brother/Younger Brother
 Friend/Friend
 Each relationship must contain mutual respect and recognition in
order for the relationship to work
 Each of us has a moral obligation to perform our role to the best of
our ability
 Ancestor Veneration – honouring and remembering the members of
one’s family who have died.  Ancestors are not seen as gods.  Instead,
remembering is seen as an important act of  Hsin (faithfulness)

Filial piety is an integral part of Chinese culture, which can be

expressed both through words and actions. The Beijing youth walked
3,359 kilometers to cover the distance from Beijing and
Xishuangbanna, and the physical and metal exertion that he
underwent during his arduous journey is more than proof of his filial
piety.
Grown-up children can show filial piety by meeting their parents'
material, emotional and spiritual needs. The youth met all these
needs of his mother when he pushed her on a wheelchair from the
capital to the city in Yunnan to realize her dream.
But since nowadays it is comparatively easy for many grown-up
children to meet their parents' material needs, they ought to pay more
attention to their emotional and spiritual needs. Ways to meet the
emotional needs of parents has been highlighted in the "New 24
Paragons of Filial Piety", which includes taking parents on excursions
and accompanying them to visit their old friends. Grown-up children
should realize that it's not enough to just meet their parents' material
needs. It is equally important for them to take care of their parents'
emotional and spiritual needs. What makes the youth's effort more

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important is that he spread the message of filial piety among the
people he met on his journey. No wonder, many people helped him
and his mother during their long trip.
What's more, he has decided to establish a scooter traveling group for
physically disabled parents when he returns to Beijing to help more
people like his mother to travel across the country. Hopefully, he will
inspire other people to take good care of their parents.
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2012-
10/18/content_15826859.htm
In general, filial piety requires children to offer love, respect,
support, and deference to their parents and other elders in the family,
such as grandparents or older siblings. Acts of filial piety include
obeying one's parent's wishes, taking care of them when they are old,
and working hard to provide them with material comforts, such as
food, money, or pampering. 
The idea follows from the fact that parents give life to their children,
and support them throughout their developing years, providing food,
education, and material needs. After receiving all these benefits,
children are thus forever in debt to their parents. In order to
acknowledge this eternal debt, children must respect and serve their
parents all their lives.
https://www.thoughtco.com/filial-piety-in-chinese-688386

Activity 6. Do it in your test notebook.

1. What are the three concepts of filial piety?
2. How are characters shown in each concept? Select three
and explain.

What’s more

It is now your time to do your task. You will compose a creative

presentation of this phrase “ I was created from a combination of
different beliefs and practices’’.

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 Rubrics for Grading:
Criteria:
Relevance of the topic
(15 points)
Creativity
(25 points)
Mastery
(10 points)
Total
50 points

Great job! Proceed to the next activity.

Good Luck!

What I have learned

Now that you’ve learned a lot from the very start of our module, let’s
summarize our lesson from the very start by answering the following questions.

1. How do religions come about?

2. How does religion differ from spirituality?

What I can do
Good Job! Are you ready now to do it your assigned tasks?
Apply into real life situation two scenarios about the basic
relationships of Confucianism. Make a creative presentation.
Example:
 Father/Son

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 Ruler/Citizen
 Husband/Wife
 Older Brother/Younger Brother
 Friend/Friend
Rubrics for Grading:
Criteria:
Relevance of the topic (15
points)
Creativity (25
points)
Mastery (10
points)

Wow! You’re getting inspired of doing this activity.

Congratulations!

Assessment

You did a good job! Let’s test what you have learned from the very
start of our lesson. Now, I want you to read carefully and answer the
questions below.

77365543418061 usa 0123456789

Multiple-Choice

1. Who was considered as a transmitter who consciously tried to retrieve

the meaning of the past?
a. Confucius
b. K'ung Ch'iu

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c. K'ung Fu-tzu
d. Master K'ung

2. Confucianism was then recognized as the_____________.

a. beings
b. dwellings
c. Han State Cult
d. Relationships
3. Who had the strongest influence in the moral fabric of Chinese
society?
a. Confucianism
b. K'ung Ch'iu
c. K'ung Fu-tzu
d. Master Quix
4. Confucianism was developed in China by Master Kung
in___________BC.
a. 551-472
b. 551-476
c. 551-479
d. 554-478
5. Through Confucianism, human ________ are arranged so they
harmonize with the workings of the cosmos, so the cosmos
harmonizes society, so society returns harmony to the cosmos.
a. beings
b. dwellings
c. politics
d. relationships
6. Which of these is NOT one of the meanings of li?
a. etiquette
b. propriety
c. ritual
d. virtue

Test II. Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.

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Distinguish the beliefs of Confucianism written in the box below.
Write your answers on the space provided before the number.

Zen Li Hsin
Yi Chih

______1. Faithfulness and trustworthiness.

______2.Wisdom and love within the family, love of parents for their
children.
______3. Right conduct and propriety, demonstrating your inner
attitude with your outward expressions. Includes ritual, propriety,
etiquette.
_______4. Rightness, duty as guardians of nature and humanity,
righteousness.
_______5. Goodwill, empathy, generosity and benevolence, humanness
towards one another (the most important Confucianism virtue).

Test III. True or False

Directions: Below, you will find several statements about
Confucianism. If the statement is factual, write ‘T’ or true. However if
the statement is false, write ‘F’ or false about Confucianism. Your
answers should written in your activity notebook.
Statements:
1_______Loving others is the foundation of Confucianism.
2.______Confucianism is one of the most popular religions in the
world.
3.______Confucianism was originally developed in Japan.
4.______Confucius was given his name by Jesuit missionaries who
were visiting the region.
5.______Confucius taught others the four main relationships in life:
husband and wife, father and son, elder brother and younger brother,
and friend and friend.
6.______The idea that every person and living thing deserves kindness
and respect is a common belief of Confucianism.
7._______The principle of doing what we are supposed to be doing is
called ‘ Ren’.

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8._______Confucianism saw life as a way to reach inner perfection.

Additional Activities

We have studied the core teaching of Confucianism which is to

be a gentle man by following the ways consisting of the virtues of love,
righteousness, wisdom, propriety, and loyalty to promote harmony in
society.
Congratulations! Job well done! Keep it Up!

References:
Books:

Ong, Jose (2016). World Religions and Beliefs Systems. Vival

Group Inc.

Online Resources:
https://study.com/academy/lesson/confucianism-definition-
beliefs-history.html
HTTP://FACTSANDDETAILS.COM/CHINA/CAT3/SUB9/ITEM8
8.HTML
https://spiritualray.com/introduction-to-confucianism-five-
relationships
https://www.thoughtco.com/filial-piety-in-chinese-688386
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2012-
10/18/content_15826859.htm
http://www.religionfacts.com/confucianism/history

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 ANSWER KEYS:

WHAT I KNOW
Test I. Answers may vary
Test II.
1. Dr. Jose Rizal
2. Pres Rudy Duterte
3. Julius Ceasar
4. Pres Rudy Duterte
5. Manny Pacquiao
6. Confucius

ASSESSMENT
Test I. Multiple Choice
1. a
2. c
3. a
4. c
5. d
6. d
Test II. Fill in the Blanks
1.Hsin
2.Chih
3. Li
4.Yi
5.Jen
Test III. True or False
1.True.
2.False
3.False
4.Ttrue.
5. False.

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 6. True.
7.False.
8. True.

Filed and Edited by: Grace C. Pelagio

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