Spread and Adaptation of Neo-Confucianism in East Asia - Essay Example

History: East Asian Civilization Spread and adaptation of Neo-Confucianism Introduction Neo-Confucianism philosophy and principles had its origins inConfucianism that was made popular in the fifth century by the Chinese thinker Confucius. The Neo-Confucianism reflected the re-birth or the acceptance of the various teachings of the Confucian philosophy that had a deep influence on the existing political culture and social beliefs in China in the ninth century. The Neo-Confucian theory gained immense popularity and was responsible for promoting social intellect and creativity in the 11th century under the rule of the Northern Song dynasty. The subsequent years witnessed the spread of this philosophy to Korea and Japan. The essay explores the spread of Neo-Confucianism to Japan and Korea highlighting the social changes and birth of new philosophy that had deeper impacts on community development. Neo-Confucianism philosophy under Zhu Xi Zhu Xi was the legendary figure responsible for the growth and acceptance of Neo-Confucian theories in China. His contributions to the spread of Neo-Confucian philosophy lay in his ability to synthesize and articulate the ideas put forward by his Song predecessors. His powers and skills in articulating the thoughts with greater clarity to the common man the concepts of supreme ultimate, principle, material force, human nature, and the mind-and-heart (de Bary 351). The political and social regime of China was deeply influenced and guided by Zhu Xi’s teachings that provided the base for subsequent changes in the cultural practices and social beliefs of the people of China. The impacts of his teachings were felt across Chinese borders to Japan and Korea that were deeply influenced by his writings. His commentaries were widely accepted in these countries as the basic tenets of Confucian principles and contributed immensely to the birth and spread of cultural transformations during this period. Zhu Xi’s teachings were based on practical learning that mirrored realistic human emotions and sentiments guiding his actions in different situations. On his reflections on human nature Zhu Xi observes that “nature is like water. If it flows in a clean channel, it is clear; if it flows in a dirty channel, it becomes turbid” (de Bary 357). Material forces influence the turbidity or cleanliness of human nature and have the potential to obscure one’s power to think and act rationally. Zhu Xi asserted that the brightest of human beings may have clear material forces but their actions may not be in accordance with principles. “The reason is that their material force is not pure. There are others who are respectful, generous, loyal and truthful. Their material force is pure, but their knowledge is not clear” (de Bary 358). The simplistic logic and clarity in reflections formed the key to success of Zhu Xi’s teachings. These principles were well understood by the common man and hence formed the founding stone for the spread and popularity of Neo-Confucian beliefs to Japan and Korea. Spread of Neo-Confucian principles to Korea The credit of introducing Neo-Confucian philosophy to Korea goes to An Hyang who was deeply influenced by the writings of Zhu Xi. After reading the Complete Works of Zhu Xi, An Hyang made a copy of this work and brought it to Koryo in the year 1286. He made significant contributions to developing and spreading the principles of Neo-Confucian through promoting public awareness on Confucian ideas and Zhu Xi’s teachings. The Chinese classics formed the base for further work in this direction. Subsequently, Neo-Confucianism gained rapid popularity and acceptance in the political regime of Korea and formed a significant part of the academic curriculum in major institutions. The contributions of An Hyang were further shaped by Chong Tojon, a leading political figure who was responsible for transforming the social and political institutions of the new dynasty. He developed the ideas held by Neo-Confucian thinkers to provide new perspectives to the philosophy of material force, mind-and-heart and principle. His work Mind, Material Force and Principle exposed Chong’s views on these dimensions. “In the first two parts of this work, mind (for Buddhism) and material force (for Daoism) criticize each other, leading to the crucial third part, where principle, representing Nature and Principle Neo-Confucianism, exposes (in Chong’s view) the falseness in the underlying assumptions of both Buddhism and Daoism and presents Neo-Confucian principle as the only way that comprehends both mind and material force” (de Bary 559). Yi Saek, another leading Neo-Confucianists promoted the Confucian philosophy through academic institutions and debates that helped in sharing the perceptions and feelings of scholars after classes. This practice helped in the propagation of Neo-Confucianist principles in Korea. The Korean history and culture was widely shaped by Buddhist beliefs and Daoism philosophies till the emergence of Confucianist school of thought. The dominance of Confucian beliefs and ideals is reflected in the Historical Record of the Three Kingdoms, an official historical compilation of Korean history and heritage (de Bary 561). Neo-Confucianism and influence on political culture in Korea Kwon Kun, one of the spiritual founders of Choson Korea outlined the basic principles of Neo-Confucianism in his treaties and commentaries (de Bary 563). The basic tenets of his philosophy were deeply influenced by Confucian principles and emphasized the adoption of the Neo-Confucian theories to strengthen inter-personal relationships and promoting the development of a new social structure. Kwon Ku reflected “the importance of Confucian learning for activating people’s moral nature, a process of self-realization that was to culminate in the development of the proper human relationships between ruler and subject, father and son, elder and younger” (de Bary, 563). The works of Kwon Kun thus outlined the social and political practices to the ruling dynasties of Korea. Chong Tojon, one of the founders of the new dynasty, outlined the political structure and practices that formed the founding stone for future dynasties. In his works The Administrative Codes of Choson, Chong provided the constitutional practices for the ruling dynasty. The work emphasized the role of Prime Minister and various monitoring institutions in facilitating and improving the efficiency of King’s governance process. The Neo-Confucian philosophy was further explored by Yi Hwang who made significant contributions through his work, Memorial in Ten Thousand Words in the year 1574. This work formed one of the several important political documents submitted to King Sonjo and provides strictures on the adopting effective military, economic, and administrative practices by the ruler. Yi emphasized that the ruler must adopt flexibility while planning and implementing legislative measures. The Memorial in Ten Thousand Words outlined the duties and responsibilities of the king towards his state and how this can be made more effective through self cultivation of virtues and skills that must be possessed by a ruler – “If you make a genuine effort toward self-cultivation and put your sincere mind to pacifying the people, you will be able to find worthies and rule with them, you will be able to correct the abuses and salvage the situation” (de Bary 572). Impact of Neo-Confucianism on the social structure in Japan The spread of Neo-Confucian philosophy to Japan contributed immensely to its emerging social structure that was shaped by hierarchical authority and strict code of conduct among different levels of society. The social structure in Japan reflected a rigid form presided by samurais at the top and peasants at the bottom. The hierarchical order exposed the common man and officials to different conditions and rulings outlined by the samurais. According to these strictures, any farmer who left his dry and wet fields to work for any other trade or offer himself for hire would be punished for his negligence of the fields and the entire village would be punished. Similar fate met individuals who had served the military as retainer and sought employment without the permission of his master (Lu 194). The rigidity and extremities of this social structure is reflected in these words that framed the Edict on Change of Status in the year 1591 – “If this regulation is violated, and the offender is willfully set free, then three persons shall be beheaded in place of the one, and their heads sent to the offender’s original master” (Lu 194). Social implications of Neo-Confucianism in Korea In 1392, the new dynasty was formed and the social reform lead to the formation of the new Korean society. It initiated a phase of reconstruction and reforms. The sturdy followers of the Confucian society and those who opposed Buddhism, found the new order and a so called sophisticated school of thoughts that supported the Confucian moral principles. The platform and the base of the all the ritual action and rites that were promoted by this new social order were based on the work Family Rites of Zhu Xi that was regarded as the most important manual for rituals in the Choson period. The gradual changes over the period of time were influenced by various reformers who provided new thoughts and directions to the existing social culture and practices in Korea. The transformation to Confucian society was marked by the significance of rituals but these rituals could not be imposed on individuals as per Confucian beliefs. The four fundamental roles of these rituals were capping, wedding, funeral, and ancestor worship. It was widely believed by Confucians that “if properly observed, they determined the relationships within the domestic sphere and stabilized the social foundation of the public realm” (de Bary 583). The Confucians stressed the social life where the relationship between a man and woman was always looked down. It was very normal for the upper class men to have more than one wife. The wife’s were not considered to be the mark of the social ranking. The difference in the social system was because of the conflict between the wife and the concubine. The main wife was constantly humiliated and looked down. The social structure changed and the relation between the brothers and the entire family worsened. The state code of 1485 did not directly restrict the remarriage of a woman, but they ruled out that the sons and the grandson of the ones who remarried will not be allowed to join any lower or higher civil service exams. Conclusion The essay outlines the spread and adaptation of Neo-Confucian philosophy to China, Korea and Japan providing a deeper insight into the impact of this philosophy on their social and political culture. Zhu Xi through his thoughts and analysis of Confucian philosophy exposed the social and political culture in China, Japan and Korea to the power of mind in a human body and the thought and the analysis of the thoughts that constitutes it. While the works of Zhu Xi do provide interesting insights into the Neo-Confucian principles and philosophies, its gradual impact on political culture and social structure in Korea and Japan provides new perspectives on the Neo-Confucianism model. Japan exemplified a rigid social hierarchical order while in Korea the status of women was decreased. References 1. Theodore de Bary. Neo-Confucianism in Zhu Xi. Volume One. Sources of East Asian Tradition. 2. David J. Lu. Japan a Documentary History. Read More