Confucius: Doctrine of the Mean

“In the The Doctrine of the Mean, one of the writings attributed to Confucius, many of the central doctrines of Confucianism are elaborated. The characteristic of jen is articulated in terms of a cluster of related moral terms including the Five Relationships, the principle of reciprocity (the Golden Rule), and various forms of virtue. The heart of Confucianism is explained here as the adoption of the policies of inculcating virtue in people by the example of tradition and the jen of the superior person. Confucius (551-479 B.C.) sought to impose an integrated socio-ethical order in an attempt to secure the peace among warring states in China. Several talented and influential disciples adopted Confucius’ philosophy during his time, but apparently Confucius, himself, never obtained the opportunity to apply his cultural changes from high office. Confucius thought the foundation of social order is to be based on the jen or “human-heartedness” of the chun tzu or “superior man.” The path to jen, the highest virtue, is reached through the practice of li, the principles of social order. The ruler is an ideal man or superior man, a chun tzu, who governs by jen. Confucius’ ideas gained influence through successive generations of his students and were finally adopted during the Han dynasty six centuries later.” (Quote from philosophy.lander.edu)

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“K’ung-fu Tzu – Confucius, lit. “Master Kung,” (551 BCE – 479 BCE) was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese thought and life.

His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity. These values gained prominence in China over other doctrines, such as Legalism or Taoism during the Han Dynasty. Confucius’ thoughts have been developed into a system of philosophy known as Confucianism. It was introduced to Europe by the Jesuit Matteo Ricci, who was the first to Latinise the name as “Confucius.”

His teachings may be found in the Analects of Confucius, a collection of “brief aphoristic fragments”, which was compiled many years after his death. Modern historians do not believe that any specific documents can be said to have been written by Confucius, but for nearly 2,000 years he was thought to be the editor or author of all the Five Classics such as the Classic of Rites (editor), and the Spring and Autumn Annals (author).” (Quote from wikipedia.org)

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Confucius: The Great Learning

“The Great Learning is the first of the Four books which were selected by Zhu Xi during the Song Dynasty as a foundational introduction to Confucianism. It was originally one chapter in Classic of Rites.

The book consists of a short main text, attributed to Confucius and nine commentaries chapters by Zeng Zi, one of Confucius’ disciples. Its importance is illustrated by Zeng Zi’s foreword that this is the gateway of learning.

Some of the terms within the text form an important part of both classical and modern Chinese political discourse. For example, the concept of world peace has been the stated goal of Chinese statecraft from the Zhou dynasty to the Kuomintang to the Communist Party of China. Another term used in the text qin-min which Legge translates as renovating the people is the name of the People First Party, one of the minor parties in Taiwan. The Great Learning is significant because it expresses many themes of Chinese philosophy and political thinking, and has therefore been extremely influential both in classical and modern Chinese thought. Government, self cultivation and investigation of things are linked. It links together individual action in the form of self-cultivation with higher goals such as ultimate world peace as well as linking together the spiritual and the material. By defining the path of learning (tao) in governmental and social terms, the Great Learning both links the spiritual with the practical, and creates a vision of tao that is radically different than that presented by Taoism. In particular, the Great Learning sets Confucianism as being this-worldly rather than other-worldly. Instead of basing its authority on an external deity, the Great Learning bases its authority on the practices of ancient kings.

The text also sets up a number of controversies that have underlain Chinese philosophy and political thinking. For example, one major controversy has been to define exactly the investigation of things. What things are to be investigated and how has been one of the crucial issues of Chinese philosophy.” (Quote from wikipedia.org)

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Rubaiyat – Omar Khayyam

In Persia, Omar Khayyam has always been recognized as a highly advanced mystic and spiritual teacher. His rubaiyat have been revered as an inspired Sufi scripture. “The first great Sufi writer was Omar Khayyam,” writes Professor Charles F. Horne in the Introduction to the Rubaiyat, which appears in Vol. VIII of “The Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East” series. (Parke, Austin and Lipscomb, London, 1917.) “Unfortunately,” he continues, “Omar, by a very large number of Western readers, has come to be regarded as a rather erotic pagan poet, a drunkard interested only in wine and earthly pleasure. This is typical of the confusion that exists on the entire subject of Sufism. The West has insisted on judging Omar from its own viewpoint. But if we are to understand the East at all, we must try to see how its own people look upon its writings. It comes as a surprise to many Westerners when they are told that in Persia itself there is no dispute whatever about Omar’s verses and the spiritual depth of their meaning. He is accepted quite simply as a great religious poet.

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The Communist Manifesto – Karl Marx & Frederick Engels

The Communist Manifesto is the classic work by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels that founded the idea of a communist type government. This publication has been used widely in political science courses and by individuals studying comparative government and various forms of political movements. The Communist Manifesto is highly recommended for those interested in learning about communism and those who are fans of the writings of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels.

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The Kingdom of God Is Within You – Leo Tolstoy

The Kingdom of God Is Within You is the non-fiction magnum opus of Leo Tolstoy and was initially banned in his home country of Russia. It is the culmination of thirty years of Tolstoy’s Christian thinking, and lays out a new organization for society based on a literal Christian interpretation of the Bible. Here Tolstoy introduces the world to the concept of Christian non-violent resistance. A classic in modern Christian and Western thinking.

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http://www.ziddu.com/download/6744241/LeoTolstoy-The.Kingdom.of.God.is.within.you.rar.html

War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy

Epic historical novel by Leo Tolstoy, originally published as Voyna i mir in 1865-69. This panoramic study of early 19th-century Russian society, noted for its mastery of realistic detail and variety of psychological analysis, is generally regarded as one of the world’s greatest novels. War and Peace is primarily concerned with the histories of five aristocratic families–particularly the Bezukhovs, the Bolkonskys, and the Rostovs–the members of which are portrayed against a vivid background of Russian social life during the war against Napoleon (1805-14). The theme of war, however, is subordinate to the story of family existence, which involves Tolstoy’s optimistic belief in the life-asserting pattern of human existence. The heroine, Natasha Rostova, for example, reaches her greatest fulfillment through her marriage to Pierre Bezukhov and her motherhood. The novel also sets forth a theory of history, concluding that there is a minimum of free choice; all is ruled by an inexorable historical determinism.

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http://www.ziddu.com/download/6744151/LeoTolstoy-War.and.Peace.rar.html