20170104

Bring peace to the Middle East! 57: when religions were born 5: Confucianism

中東に平和を! 57: 宗教が誕生する時 5: 儒教



 <1. Confucius>
< 1. 孔子 >

This time, I investigate the birth of Confucianism.

今回は儒教の誕生を追います。

The times when Confucius was born
A first Chinese dynasty was born in the 17th century B.C., but it was divided in approximately 200 countries since the 8th century B.C., and the unification of a country was completed after wars for 500 years.
Since the middle period, the farming had advanced by ironware and the trade had developed, and many city states grew up.
At that time, the wars among nations and the internal trouble of royal families continued, and it occurred frequently that a person of lower rank overthrew a superior either politically or militarily, and then supplanted the superior's position in society.
On the other hand, the royalty and the aristocracy employed a talented and wise person than a blood relative and tried to get predominance .
Under such circumstances, various thinker groups "The Various Masters of the 100 Schools" having an independent opinion were born.
Most of them serve the royalty and the aristocracy, and proposed a policy and an  stratagem.
The Confucius was born in such situation in China in the sixth century B.C.


孔子が生まれた時代
中国の最初の王朝は黄河中流域に紀元前17世紀に生まれていたが、紀元前8世紀には二百カ国ほどに分裂し、五百年間の戦争を経て統一に至る。
この中期頃から、鉄器による農耕と交易が進み、都市国家は成長していった。
国家間の戦争と王家の内紛は絶えることなく、下位の者が上位の者を脅かす下剋上がはびこっていた。
一方で、王侯貴族は血縁よりも才能や知恵ある者を採用し強勢を計るようになった。
こうした中、独自の主張を持つ多様な思想家集団「諸子百家」が生まれた。
彼らの多くは王侯貴族に仕官し政策や術策を提言した。
このような紀元前6世紀に孔子は生まれた。




<  2.  The Confucius traveling on foot  >
< 2. 孔子の遊説行脚 >

The act of the Confucius
He worked his way through school, served a historic state ”Lu”and became a prime minister.
However, he was balked of his hope and opened a private school to common people.
After that, he visited states in each places with disciples, preached his ideal politics, and requested to get into the government service.
After all, he couldn't realize his dream, came back to his hometown, and devoted myself to organize old documents that had been handed down to the state, and to educate people.


孔子の行い
孔子は苦学して由緒ある王家(魯)に仕え、宰相まで登りつめた。
しかし、彼は夢破れ職を辞し、民衆相手に私塾を開いた。
その後、弟子達と共に各地の王家を訪ね、理想の政治を説いて回り、仕官を願った。
結局、夢叶わず故郷に戻り、王家に伝わる古文献の整理と教育に専念した。


Afterwards
After the death of Confucius, his teaching was spread out by disciples, it was as popular to common people as Bokka at that time.
Bokka advocated a love of humanity, pacifism, faith, and a simplification of rites
, and conflicted with a scholar of Confucianism, after that it was ruined.
The Confucianism became the state religion of the Han empire in the second century B.C., and existed as an indispensable for the most of governments afterwards.
It was introduced into Korean Peninsula and Japan before long, and the Confucianism took root in the East Asia as morality to keeping social order.
Sacred books of Confucianism(the Four Books and Five Classics of Confucianism) consisted about old documents on the history and formality of the states that Confucius imitated.
“The Analects of Confucius” is one of the sacred books, and is a book that his disciples wrote down the words and acts of Confucius in.
Mental attitude and how to get along in life are written in the book.


その後
孔子の死後、その教えは弟子達によって広まり、民衆の人気を墨家と二分した。
墨家は人類愛、戦争反対、信心、祭儀の簡素化を訴え儒家と対立し、後に滅んだ。

紀元前2世紀、儒教は漢帝国の国教となり、その後も国政に不可欠なものとして存続した。
やがて朝鮮半島や日本に伝わり、儒教は東アジアに社会秩序をもたらす道徳として定着した。

儒教の経典(四書五経)は孔子が模範とした王家の歴史や儀礼や易(占い)の古文献が集められたものです。
論語ものその一つで、弟子達が孔子の問答や言行を記したものです。
そこには心構えや処世術が書かれている。




< 3. a Confucian temple >
< 3. 孔子廟 >

Thought of the Confucius
He thought policymakers must become better to end the turbulent age.
Therefore, he said it was important that the policymaker doesn't depend on strict penalty and machinations, treats people with a good heart, and must be worshiped by people.
He thought that the model for this is a dynasty " Zhou " approximately 500 years ago.

The basics are "Ren" and "Li".
"Ren" means benevolence or humaneness, and then it was necessary that policymakers seek after virtue and common people have morals.
"Li" means formality or rites, and then it aimed at the succession of the social order (patriarchy, ancestor worship).

He reproved that disciples depended on God, on the other hand, he thought succeeding to the rites make sense.
He didn't deny royal politics, avoided religious things, advocated the revival of traditional mind and norm daringly in the turbulent age.


孔子の思想
彼は、この戦乱の世を終わらせるには為政者が良くならなければならないと考えた。
その為には、為政者は厳格な罰則や謀略に頼るのではなく、善良な心で民に接し、民から敬われることが重要とした。
その手本は、五百年ほど前の周王朝にあるとした。

基本は「仁」と「礼」です。
「仁」とは、自己抑制と思いやりを指し、為政者には「徳」、民には「道徳」を求めた。
「礼」とは、礼儀や祭儀を指し、社会秩序(家父長制、祖先崇拝)の継承を目指した。

彼は、弟子に神を頼ることをたしなめたが、一方で、祭儀を守ることは天の意志に叶うとした。
彼は王家を否定せず、宗教的なものを避け、戦乱の世に敢えて伝統的な精神と規範の復活を訴えた。

Point of the Confucianism
Confucius disfavored the politics that puts emphasis on law of punishment and reward, and put emphasis on conscience.
On the other hand, he thought that policymaker (king) with virtue was indispensable for good politics.
This thought was not accepted in the times of the war, but the situation changed when a unified country appeared.
In other words, the doctrine that taught people to have to obey morality,  succession of social order, and politics (King), administered to national stability rightly. 

This continues the next time.


儒教のポイント
孔子は、人々を功利的にさせる法重視(信賞必罰)の政治を嫌い、良心を重視した。
一方で、良い政治には徳を持った王こそが不可欠と考えた。
この考えは、戦乱の時代には受け入れられなかったが、統一国家が出現すると状況は変わった。
つまり、人々に道徳や社会秩序の継承、政治(王)に従うべきと説く教義は、国家の安定にまさに合致するものでした。


次回に続く。




No comments:

Post a Comment

どうぞご意見をお書き下さい。Please write an opinion.