zen buddhist wisdom confucius chinese classic wisdom not confusion

zen buddhist wisdom confucius chinese classic wisdom not confusion, from the sayings of ancient chinese master confucius.

1:1 Confucius said: "Isn't it a pleasure to study and practice what you have learned? Isn't it also great when friends visit from distant places? If people do not recognize me and it doesn't bother me, am I not a Superior Man?"

1:2 Yu Tzu said: "There are few who have developed themselves filially and fraternally who enjoy offending their superiors. Those who do not enjoy offending superiors are never troublemakers. The Superior Man concerns himself with the fundamentals. Once the fundamentals are established, the proper way (tao) appears. Are not filial piety and obedience to elders fundamental to the enactment of jen?"

1:3 Confucius said: "Someone who is a clever speaker and maintains a 'too-smiley' face is seldom considered a person of jen."

1:4 Tseng Tzu said: "Each day I examine myself in three ways: in doing things for others, have I been disloyal? In my interactions with friends, have I been untrustworthy? Have not practiced what I have preached?"

1:5 Confucius said: "If you would govern a state of a thousand chariots (a small-to-middle-size state), you must pay strict attention to business, be true to your word, be economical in expenditure and love the people. You should use them according to the seasons."

1:6 Confucius said: "A young man should serve his parents at home and be respectful to elders outside his home. He should be earnest and truthful, loving all, but become intimate with jen. After doing this, if he has energy to spare, he can study literature and the arts."

1:7 Tzu Hsia said: "If you can treat the worthy as worthy without strain, exert your utmost in serving your parents, devote your whole self in serving your prince, and be honest in speech when dealing with your friends. Then even if someone says you are not learned (hsüeh), I would say that you are definitely learned."

1:8 Confucius said: "If the Superior Man is not 'heavy,' then he will not inspire awe in others. If he is not learned, then he will not be on firm ground. He takes loyalty and good faith to be of primary importance, and has no friends who are not of equal (moral) caliber. When he makes a mistake, he doesn't hesitate to correct it."

1:9 Tseng Tzu said: "When they are careful (about their parents) to the end and continue in reverence after (their parents) are long gone, the virtue of the people will return to its natural depth."

1:10 Tzu Ch'in asked Tzu Kung: "When our teacher (Confucius) arrives in any country, he invariably finds out everything about its government. Does he seek this information? Or is it given to him?"

1:11 Confucius said: "When your father is alive, observe his will. When your father is dead observe his former actions. If, for three years you do not change from the ways of your father, you can be called a 'real son (hsiao).'"

1:12 Yu Tzu said: "In the actual practice of propriety, flexibility is important. This is what the ancient kings did so well--both the greater and the lesser used flexibility. Yet you should be aware: If you understand flexibility and use it, but don't structure yourself with propriety, things won't go well."

1:13 Tzu Yu said: "When your own trustworthiness is close to Righteousness, your words can be followed. When your show of respect is according to propriety, you will be far from shame and disgrace. If you have genuine affection within your family, you can become an ancestor."

1:14 Confucius said: "When the Superior Man eats he does not try to stuff himself; at rest he does not seek perfect comfort; he is diligent in his work and careful in speech. He avails himself to people of the Tao and thereby corrects himself. This is the kind of person of whom you can say, 'he loves learning.'"

1:15 Tzu Kung asked: "What do you think of a poor man who doesn't grovel or a rich man who isn't proud?" Confucius said, "They are good, but not as good as a poor man who is satisfied and a rich man who loves propriety." Tzu Kung said, "The Book of Odes says:

1:16 Confucius said: "I am not bothered by the fact that I am unknown. I am bothered when I do not know others."

2:1 Confucius said: "If you govern with the power of your virtue, you will be like the North Star. It just stays in its place while all the other stars position themselves around it."

2:2 Confucius said: "The 300 verses of the Book of Odes can be summed up in a single phrase: 'Don't think in an evil way.'"

2:3 Confucius said: "If you govern the people legalistically and control them by punishment, they will avoid crime, but have no personal sense of shame. If you govern them by means of virtue and control them with propriety, they will gain their own sense of shame, and thus correct themselves."

2:4 Confucius said: "At fifteen my heart was set on learning; at thirty I stood firm; at forty I had no more doubts; at fifty I knew the mandate of heaven; at sixty my ear was obedient; at seventy I could follow my heart's desire without transgressing the norm."

2:5 Meng I Tzu asked about the meaning of filial piety. Confucius said, "It means 'not diverging (from your parents).'"" Later, when Fan Chih was driving him, Confucius told Fan Chih, "Meng Sun asked me about the meaning of filial piety, and I told him 'not diverging.'" Fan Chih said, "What did you mean by that?" Confucius said, "When your parents are alive, serve them with propriety; when they die, bury them with propriety, and then worship them with propriety."

2:6 Meng Wu Po asked about the meaning of filial piety. Confucius said, "The main concern of your parents is about your health."

2:7 Tzu Lu asked about the meaning of filial piety. Confucius said, "Nowadays filial piety means being able to feed your parents. But everyone does this for even horses and dogs. Without respect, what's the difference?"

2:8 Tzu Hsia asked about filial piety. Confucius said, "What is important is the expression you show in your face. You should not understand 'filial' to mean merely the young doing physical tasks for their parents, or giving them food and wine when it is available."

2:9 Confucius said: "I can talk with Hui for a whole day without him differing with me in any way--as if he is stupid. But when he retires and I observe his personal affairs, it is quite clear that he is not stupid."

[Comment] Hui (Yen Yüan) is Confucius' favorite disciple, who is praised in many passages of the Analects. He died at a young age, probably around thirty, a fact which Confucius lamented.


2:10 Confucius said: "See a person's means (of getting things). Observe his motives. Examine that in which he rests. How can a person conceal his character? How can a person conceal his character?"

2:11 Confucius said: "Reviewing what you have learned and learning anew, you are fit to be a teacher."

2:12 Confucius said: "The Superior Man is not a utensil."

2:13 Tzu Kung asked about the character of the Superior Man. Confucius said, "First he practices what he preaches and then he follows it."

2:14 Confucius said: "The Superior Man is all-embracing and not partial. The inferior man is partial and not all-embracing."

2:15 Confucius said: "To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous."

2:16 Confucius said: "To throw oneself into strange teachings is quite dangerous."

2:17 Confucius said: "Yu, shall I teach you about knowledge? What you know, you know, what you don't know, you don't know. This is knowledge."

2:18 Tzu Chang was studying to get an upgrade in status. Confucius said, "Listen widely to remove your doubts and be careful when speaking about the rest and your mistakes will be few. See much and get rid of what is dangerous and be careful in acting on the rest and your causes for regret will be few. Speaking without fault, acting without causing regret: 'upgrading' consists in this."

2:19 The Duke of Ai asked: "How can I make the people follow me?" Confucius replied: "Advance the upright and set aside the crooked, and the people will follow you. Advance the crooked and set aside the upright, and the people will not follow you."

2:20 Chi K'ang Tzu asked: "How can I make the people reverent and loyal, so they will work positively for me?" Confucius said, "Approach them with dignity, and they will be reverent. Be filial and compassionate and they will be loyal. Promote the able and teach the incompetent, and they will work positively for you."

2:21 Someone asked Confucius: "Why are you not involved in government?" Confucius said, "What does the Book of History say about filial piety? 'Righteous by being a good son and friendly to ones brothers and sisters you can have an effect on government.' Since this is also 'doing government,' why do I need to do 'doing government?'"

2:22 Confucius said: "If a person lacks trustworthiness, I don't know what s/he can be good for. When a pin is missing from the yoke-bar of a large wagon, or from the collar-bar of a small wagon, how can it go?"

2:23 Tzu Chang asked whether the state of affairs ten generations hence could be known. Confucius said, "The Shang based its propriety on that of the Yin, and what it added and subtracted is knowable. The Chou has based its propriety on that of the Shang and what it added and subtracted is knowable. In this way, what continues from the Chou, even if 100 generations hence, is knowable."

2:24 Confucius said: "To worship to other than one's own ancestral spirits is brown-nosing. If you see what is right and fail to act on it, you lack courage."

3:1 Confucius, speaking about the head of the Ch'i family said, "He has eight rows of dancers in his court. If he does this, what will he not do?"

3:2 The Three Families used the Yung Songs at the clearing of the sacrificial vessels. Confucius said,

Attended on by Lords and Princes:
How magnificent is the Son of Heaven!
How could these words be used in the halls of the Three Families?

3:3 Confucius said: "If a man has no jen what can his propriety be like? If a man has no jen what can his music be like?"

3:4 Lin Fang asked about the fundamentals of ritual. Confucius said, "What an excellent question! In ritual, it is better to be frugal than extravagant; in funerals deep sorrow is better than ease."

3:5 Confucius said: "The tribes of the East and North (Koreans and Mongolians), though having kings, are not equal to our people, even when lacking kings,"

3:7 Confucius said: "The Superior Man has nothing to compete for. But if he must compete, he does it in an archery match, wherein he ascends to his position, bowing in deference. Descending, he drinks the ritual cup. This is the competition of the Superior Man."

3:8 Tzu Hsia quoted the following:

Her tactful smile charms;
Her eyes, fine and clear,
Beautiful without accessories.

And asked its meaning. Confucius said, "A painting is done on plain white paper." Tzu Hsia said, "Then are rituals a secondary thing?" Confucius said, "Ah, Shang, you uplift me. Now we can really begin to discuss the Book of Odes."

3:10 Confucius said: "At the Great Sacrifice, after the pouring of the libation, I have no further desire to watch."

3:11 Someone asked for an explanation of the Great Sacrifice. Confucius said, "I don't know. If there were someone who knew this, he could see the whole world as if it were this": He pointed to the palm of his hand.

3:12 "Sacrificing as if present" means sacrificing to the spirits as if they were present. Confucius said, "If I do not personally offer the sacrifice, it is the same as not having sacrificed at all."

3:13 Wang Sun Chia asked: "What do you think about the saying 'It is better to sacrifice to the god of the stove than to the god of the family shrine.'?" Confucius said, "Not so. If you offend Heaven, there is no one you can pray to."

3:14 Confucius said: "The people of the Chou were able to observe the prior two dynasties and thus their culture flourished. I now follow the Chou."

3:15 When Confucius entered the Grand Temple, he asked about everything. Someone said, "Who said Confucius is a master of ritual? He enters the Grand Temple and asks about everything!"

Confucius, hearing this, said, "This is the ritual."

3:16 Confucius said: "In archery it is not important to pierce through the leather covering of the target, since not all men have the same strength. This is the Way of the ancients."

3:17 Tzu Kung wanted to do away with the sacrifice of the sheep on the first of the month. Confucius said, "Tz'u, you love the sheep; I love the ceremony."

3:18 Confucius said: "If you use every single courtesy while serving your prince, the people will call you a brown-noser."

3:19 Duke Ting asked how a ruler should employ his ministers and how a minister should serve his ruler. Confucius replied, saying: "The prince employs his ministers with propriety; the ministers serve their prince with good faith."

3:20 Confucius said: "The Kuan Tzu The Kuan Tzu ("The Cry of the Ospreys") is the first poem in the Book of Odes. It begins by describing a lover's grief at being separated from his lady and ends by describing their joyful union. (Waley, 99) allows for pleasure without being lewd and allows for grief without being too painful."

3:21 The Duke of Ai asked Tsai Wo about sacred temple grounds. Tsai Wo said, "The Hsia emperor planted them with pines; the Hsiang people planted them with cypress and the Chou people planted them with chestnut, thinking to cause people to be in awe of these trees."

Confucius, hearing this, said, "Don't bother explaining that which has already been done; don't bother criticizing that which is already gone; don't bother blaming that which is already past."

3:22 Confucius said: "Kuan Chung was quite limited in capacity."

Someone asked: "Wasn't Kuan Chung frugal?"

Confucius said, "Kuan had three sets of wives and his officers never did overtime. How can he be considered to have been frugal?"

"But then did Kuan Chung understand propriety?" Confucius said, "The princes of the states have a special ritual screen at their door, and so did Kuan Chung (even though he was not of the proper rank to do this). When the princes of state had a friendly meeting, they would ritually turn their cups over on the table. -Kuan also turned his cups over on the table. If Kuan Chung understood propriety, then who doesn't?"

3:23 Confucius, when talking with the Grand Music Master of Lu, said, "In my understanding of music, the piece should be begun in unison. Afterwards, if it is pure, clear and without break, it will be perfect."

3:24 The border guard at Yi requested an audience with the Master, saying: "Whenever a Superior Man comes here, I never miss the opportunity to see him." The disciples sent him in. When he came out, he said, "Friends, don't have any doubts about your master failing. The world has certainly lacked the Tao for a long time now, but Heaven will use your master to awaken everyone."

3:26 Confucius said: "Men of high office who are narrow-minded; propriety without respect and funerals without grief: how can I bear to look at such things?!"

4:1 Confucius said: "As for a neighborhood, it is its jen that makes it beautiful. If you choose to live in a place that lacks jen, how can you grow in wisdom?"



4:2 Confucius said: "If you lack jen you can't handle long periods of difficulty or long periods of comfortability. Jen men are comfortable in jen. The wise take advantage of jen."

4:3 Confucius said: "Only the jen person is able to really like others or to really dislike them."

4:4 Confucius said: "If you are really committed to jen, you will have no evil in you."

4:5 Confucius said, "Riches and honors are what all men desire. But if they cannot be attained in accordance with the Tao they should not be kept. Poverty and low status are what all men hate. But if they cannot avoided in while staying in accordance with the Tao, you should not avoid them. If a Superior Man departs from jen, how can he be worthy of that name? A Superior Man never leaves jen for even the time of a single meal. In moments of haste he acts according to it. In times of difficulty or confusion he acts according to it."

4:6 Confucius said: "I have never seen one who really loves jen or really hates non-jen. If you really loved jen you would not place anything above it. If you really hated the non-jen, you would not let it near you. Is there anyone who has devoted their strength to jen for a single day? I have not seen anyone who has lacked the strength to do so. Perhaps there has been such a case, but I have never seen it."

4:7 Confucius said: "People err according to their own level. It is by observing a person's mistakes that you can know his/her goodness."

4:8 Confucius said: "If I can hear the Tao in the morning, in the evening I can die content."

4:9 "A shih who is set on the way, but is ashamed of old clothes and coarse food, is not worth consulting."

4:10 Confucius said: "When the Superior Man deals with the world he is not prejudiced for or against anything. He does what is Right."

4:11 Confucius said: "The Superior Man cares about virtue; the inferior man cares about material things. The Superior Man seeks discipline; the inferior man seeks favors."

4:12 Confucius said: "If you do everything with a concern for your own advantage, you will be resented by many people."

4:13 Confucius said: "If you can govern the country by putting propriety first, what else will you need to do? If you can't govern your country by putting propriety first, how could you even call it propriety?"

4:14 Confucius said: "I don't worry abut not having a good position; I worry about the means I use to gain position. I don't worry about being unknown; I seek to be known in the right way."

4:15 Confucius said: "Shan, my Tao is penetrated by a single thread." Tseng Tzu said, "Yes." When the Master left, some disciples asked what he meant. Tseng Tzu said, "Our master's Tao is to be sincere and fair, and that's it."

4:16 Confucius said: "The Superior Man is aware of Righteousness, the inferior man is aware of advantage."

4:17 Confucius said: "When you see a good person, think of becoming like her/him. When you see someone not so good, reflect on your own weak points."

4:18 Confucius said: "When you serve your mother and father it is okay to try to correct them once in a while. But if you see that they are not going to listen to you, keep your respect for them and don't distance yourself from them. Work without complaining."

4:19 Confucius said: "While your parents are alive, it is better not to travel far away. If you do travel, you should have a precise destination."

4:20 Confucius said: "If, for three years (after your father's death) you don't alter his ways of doing things, you can certainly be called 'filial.'"

4:21 Confucius said: "Your parents' age should not be ignored. Sometimes it will be a source of joy, and sometimes it will be a source of apprehension."

4:22 Confucius said: "The ancients were hesitant to speak, fearing that their actions would not do justice to their words."

4:23 Confucius said: "If you are strict with yourself, your mistakes will be few."

4:24 Confucius said: "The Superior Man desires to be hesitant in speech, but sharp in action."

4:25 Confucius said: "If you are virtuous, you will not be lonely. You will always have friends."

4:26 Tzu Yu said: "In serving your prince, frequent remonstrance will lead to disgrace. With friends, frequent remonstrance will lead to separation."