THE WAY OF CONFUCIUS

This is a most informative and helpful series explaining the basics of the teachings of the foremost world gods, including Confucius, Buddha, Mohammad and many others. Each title succinctly outlines the life of the philosopher/god, the religion that has evolved from his legacy, his disciples, and the many forms in which he appears and appeals in various regions of the world. Each title gives the Western reader, in particular, a clear understanding of the god and his religion, and how they interact with the rest of the world. Each title is fabulously illustrated with photographs of the iconography (mainly statues and paintings) of the god, the temples and the shrines, and explains the simple stones and markings at road sides and bridges, for example, that help the traveller along his way in the world.There is a highly readable narrative describing the particular religion, and a final series of graphic gazetteers reveals the make-up of locations associated with the subject-mainly temples and other places of worship. Confucius (551-479 BCE) was a famous Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced East Asian life and thought. His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, and sincerity. These values gained prominence in China over other doctrines, such as Legalism or Daoism during the Han Dynasty. Confucius' thoughts have been developed into a system of philosophy known as Confucianism. It was introduced to Europe by the Jesuit Matteo Ricci, who was the first to Latinize the name as 'Confucius'. The teachings of Confucius are known primarily through the Analects of Confucius, a collection of 'brief aphoristic fragments,' which was compiled many years after his death.