Customer Reviews

Simple Confucianism (Simple Series)

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Confucianism has all too often been left out from the countless books on Eastern wisdom that flood the book market today, presumably because of the mistaken yet widespread impression that Confucianism was little more than a bunch of dry ethical homilies by a stodgy old man named Confucius. Even among the Chinese themselves today, there is a sad tendency to view Confucianism as outdated and irrelevant. Nothing could be further from the truth -- Confucians actually practice certain forms of meditation not unlike Raja Yoga and have certain very interesting things to say about the nature of the universe, possibly even Confucius himself -- yet most books that discuss these lesser-known aspects of Confucianism tend to be of an academic nature, with limited attention being paid to the application of the teachings to daily life. In this respect SIMPLE CONFUCIANISM is a delightful breakthrough. Not only does it provide the reader with a knowledge of the above mentioned lesser-known side of Confucianism, it also shows you how to apply the many ideas and teachings to your life (including the more obscure ones), and how to explore them. Recommended -- if only as a necessary supplement to SIMPLE TAOISM. Hey, we all need to balance the Yin and the Yang, right? To be sure, the book could have discussed a bit more on the GREAT LEARNING and the DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN, two of the Four Books of Confucianism, as well as further developments of Confucianism since Wang Yang-Ming and into the 20th Century. Still, this book already breaks a lot of new ground, so one should be more charitable towards it!

Simple Confucianism is written clearly and engagingly enough to intice a beginner to learn more about Confucianism. Confucius isn't quoted as much as many other books but after reading Simple Confucianism, it can give someone the drive to seek out more work (such as the Analects) and come up with their own interpretations, based on the conceptual approach offered by Simple Confucianism.

Overall, an excellent start for someone interested in the man and the philosophy, without getting heavy right off the bat.

Incredible book describing confucian concepts and their application to ones life. Must read.

Confucianism is a great philosophy and this book really makes it clear. I enjoyed the historical background that gave fascinating descriptions of the important contributers to Confucianism including Confucius, Mencius, and the neo-Confucianists. The themes of Confucianism in Part II of benevolence, central harmony, the mean, and the sage helped me to deepen my understandings. But the best part was Part III where Confucianism is applied to many facets of living. I have incorporated Confucianism into my life, and it has been a very positive addition.

This book is a mish-mash of new-age concepts. Here's a new-age quote from the book: "You only need to look within to find the best self undiscovered." This is not a reliable guide to Confucianism. If you are interested in seeing how to apply Confucianism in your life I recommend another book: "Achieve Lasting Happiness, Timeless Secrets to Transform Your Life" by Robert Canright.