Confucianism is not a religion. It is a Philosophy about the way to live skillfully for the happiness of oneself （子曰：“古之学者为己，今之学者为人。”） and the people around him (修身齐家治国平天下). It emphasizes living in the present moment, no mourning about the past （“成事不说，遂事不谏，既往不咎。”）, and no worries about the future （君子有终身之忧，无一朝之患也）. Therefore, Confucius didn’t like to talk about gods and ghosts （子不语：怪、力、乱、神）, creation of the Heaven and Earth, or the afterlife （季路问事鬼神，子曰：“未能事人，焉能事鬼？”曰：“敢问死。”曰：“未知生，焉知死？”）.
When a true gentleman lives skillfully, he will be happy all the time （子曰: “君子坦荡荡，小人长戚戚。”） because he has no worries, fear, guilt, nor delusion （子曰：“君子道者三，我无能焉：仁者不忧，知者不惑，勇者不惧。”子贡曰：“夫子自道也。”）. A true gentleman is equanimous and energetic （子曰：“知者乐水，仁者乐山。知者动，仁者静。知者乐，仁者寿。”）.
子曰：“古之学者为己，今之学者为人。” Confucius said: “The scholars of the past generations learnt for the benefits of themselves. (They learnt for the perfection of their virtue, equanimity and wisdom which in turn brought them happiness.) Sadly, the scholars of today learn to be useful to their employers rather than themselves (i.e. true happiness from internal bliss). (They are easily moved by the seduction of sensual pleasures or external things such as money, women, colorful objects, fame, luxurious foods and drinks, and leisure lifestyle.)”
修身齐家治国平天下 Confucianism emphasizes self-cultivation through deep understanding of all knowledges (格物) and how everything in the human world rises and falls, the interconnectedness of everything and how one affects others, and one event leads to another. 淡泊以明志,宁静而致远. One must be contented with little sensual pleasure in order to allow the inherent potential to achieve maximization. One must learn to be equanimous and stay calm in order to attain the ability to make good decisions for the furthering of one’s endeavor. A well cultivated self can then decide whether or not to serve the community, the country, and the world.
“成事不说，遂事不谏，既往不咎。” Confucius said: “Let the past be in the past and stop talking about it. Let the old practice which doesn’t serve any good to current day lives stay in the history book and stop bringing it up for frivolous talk. Whatever good or bad in the past, stop clinging to the feeling and stop blaming/praising it on anybody.” Learn the lessons from past events but forgive the wrongdoers, if any, if they have ceased to pose anymore threat to us. With the problem in hand, just think about the best course of action to be taken here and now. It doesn’t matter who created the Earth or whether there was a Creator; if it is nowhere to be found today, we must never assume it has any effect at all on us. The happiness of oneself and the people must be the one and only consideration. Irrational fear of “god” is like fearing one’s shadow; like fearing a shaman. Many individuals who preach for “god fearing” are themselves not fearing god from the ways they have no qualms to commit all kinds of crimes; they don’t fear god because they have yet to meet god. We fear tiger but do not tremble until and unless we meet one face-to-face without barrier.
君子有终身之忧，无一朝之患也. A well cultivated self may continually feel unsatisfied for the one and only reason of not meeting the standard of perfection in terms of virtue, equanimity and wisdom. However, he has no fear, guilt, anger, grief or despair, therefore no unhappiness, for a single morning. 子曰：朝闻道，夕死可矣。Confucius said: “When I hear on one morning the true Dao, the ultimate knowledge about the way of becoming a true gentleman, I have decided that I am not afraid to die in the evening since I have no more clinging or attachment to this world. (I am ready to let go of everything, including my body. Without the self, I have no more fear of death and everything else, or what will happen in the future.)”
子不语：怪、力、乱、神. Confucius never talks about myth, violence or coercion, creating chaos, the existence of gods and ghosts.
季路问事鬼神，子曰：“未能事人，焉能事鬼？”曰：“敢问死。”曰：“未知生，焉知死？” When a disciple asked about ghosts and gods, Confucius answered: “We must first learn everything about how to live harmoniously with our fellow humans before we talk about coexistence with ghosts (or how to serve gods).” When the disciple asked about afterlife, Confucius answered: “We must first learn how to live skillfully in this world before we have any wish to learn about afterlife.”
子曰．“君子坦荡荡，小人长戚戚。” Confucius said: “A well cultivated self is always happy. A little man always put on a sad face.” A true gentleman has no self (i.e. selfless), therefore is not afraid to die. One who has no clinging or attachment to this world, including the body, will always be happy. Hence, self-cultivation is for the purpose of personal happiness and not about serving others or the society; although one can, at the same time, choose to also help others to attain happiness. On the contrary, one who is unhappy must not pretend he knows the path to happiness and he must not teach the wrong ways to others which will bring unhappiness instead.
子曰：“君子道者三，我无能焉：仁者不忧，知者不惑，勇者不惧。”子贡曰：“夫子自道也。” Confucius said: “The Dao of becoming a true gentleman has three attributes, but I am yet to attain any of them. True compassion means one should have no unhappiness or dissatisfaction; true wisdom means one should have no delusion nor doubt; true courage means one should have no fear.” Upon hearing this, a disciple commented: “My dear teacher. You are simply describing yourself.”
子曰：“知者乐水，仁者乐山。知者动，仁者静。知者乐，仁者寿。” Confucius said: “A well cultivated self with wisdom likes the fluidity or flexibility of water. A well cultivated self with compassion likes the unmoving nature or equanimity of mountain. A person of wisdom is energetic and likes to work. A person of compassion is equanimous and likes to stay quiet and calm. A person of wisdom is always happy. A person of compassion has long life.”
清代学者方苞注《论语》：气之温和者寿，质之慈良者寿，量之宽宏者寿，言之简默者寿，故仁者寿。A well cultivated self treats others with warm and harmonious manners; has the inherent nature of loving and has well wishes for others; has a big stomach to absorb any nonsense and forgive others; talk little and in simple manners; therefore, a person of compassion will naturally have long life.
RESILIENT KID 