Confucius - The Man and the Way of Gongfu

Peimin Ni

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

2016

190 páginas

6h 20m

ISBN-13: 9781442257429

Through a systematic introduction of Confucius as a historical figure, a spiritual leader, a philosopher, a political reformer, an educator, and a person, this book offers a comprehensive, lucid, and in-depth articulation of Confucius and his teachings for Western students. It explains how his ideas are different from their Western counterparts as well as challenging the orthodox Western understandings of Confucianism. The book reveals clearly how Confucius’s insights can be a rich resource for addressing contemporary problems and re-enchanting the world and the contemporary life.

Resenhas (1)

5 (Perfeito)

An introduction to the way of kung fu

As a western, it is not so easy to understand Chinese ancient wisdom or even the Chinese indirect way of speech and thinks. In this book, the author conducts us into the life and philosophy heritage of Confucius, one of the greatest thinkers of human history, in an understandable form for common readers. Using many passages of the Analects, an ancient Chinese book composed of a large collection of sayings and ideas attributed to Confucius and his contemporaries traditionally believed to have been compiled and written by Confucius's followers, the author helps us to understand who was the man considered until nowaday the foremost teacher of all China. In his teachings, Confucius emphasizes
the person's transformation through the gongfu perspective - the art of living through practice and self-discipline instead of rules pre-determined. The gongfu master-disciple relationship from the Confucian tradition starts from the assumption that true knowledge is much more than that words can convey, and it requires much more than the intellect to perceive, to understand, and to appropriate. One's reason must be aided by cultivated intuition, and by the awareness accessible only through diligent practice.
Despite his important heritage, however, Confucianism is, sometimes misunderstood. If we consider that he lives 500 years before Christ, this is understandable. What is not be denied it is his legacy for humankind and its fundamental importance to understand Chinese culture.