Confucius

[winston]

It has been a while since I read the works of Confucius.

Time to reread it again..

I will be quoting from the following book, "The Illustrated Book of the Analects" by Zhou Chun Cai.

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"It is the mark of a gentleman that he's not fussy about his food and drink, nor is he overly concerned about living in a comfortable house".

"That others dont understand you is not a calamity. That you dont understand others is a calaminty".

"Using laws to govern and seeking obedience by means of punishment, results in people avoiding punishments with no sense of shame. But governing people with virtue and seeking to obtain their obedience thru Rites, will give people a sense of shame and lead them to proper conduct".

[winston]

Meng Wubo: What is Filial Piety ?
Confucius: It means parents worrying about their children's ailments

( It's only when children are obedient and respectful, that their parents worry about their ailments )

Providing food and nurture is not filial piety. Food and nurture are given to dogs and horses too. It has be accompanied by reverence.

Keeping a pleasant demeanor in front of one's parents is the hardest part of filial piety.

[winston]

"A gentleman does not boast about something he cant do"

"The gentleman is tolerant and not partisan"

"Among gentlemen, there's nothing to quarrel over"

[winston]

"Dont resent being out of office but being anxious about being fit for office"

"Dont resent lack of recognition, but seek to be worthy of being known"

"The gentleman comprehends righteousness. The petty man only understand gain"

[winston]

"Man is born into the world to rely on uprightness"

"If a man is not upright, but conrinues to live, it's the result of mere chance that he has avoided calamity"

[winston]

The gentleman is:-
1) mild mannered yet dignified
2) authoritative but not pompous
3) majestic yet not fierce
4) respectful yet at ease
5) courteous yet serene

[winston]

1) Be wise and you would be free from perplexity
2) Be virtuous and you would be free from anxiety
3) Be bold and you would be free from fear

[kennynah]

The gentleman is:-
1) mild mannered yet dignified
2) authoritative but not pompous
3) majestic yet not fierce
4) respectful yet at ease
5) courteous yet serene

and the above sounds like a boring person too....

[winston]

Ji Lu: How do I serve ghosts and spirits ?
Confucius: As long as you dont know how to serve the living properly, how do you expect to serve the dead ?

Ji Lu: May I ask about death ?
Confucius: You do not yet know life, so how can you know about death ?

[winston]

"The gentleman seeks to perfect a man's good points, not to enhance his bad ones".