inue to be treated with honor and respect. The death rites are usually performed by a priest of another religion. Once the dead is laid to rest it is very important to maintain the gravesite. If the spirit world is unhappy then this can have repercussions on the physical world. The beliefs and teachings of Confucianism were documented into scripture. Confucian scripture consists of four books and five classics. The four books are: The Lun Yu (Analects) -This book contains many saying of Confucius The Chung Yung The Ta Hsueh The Meng Tzu The five classics of Confucianism are: Shu Ching - Classic of History Shih Ching - Classic of Odes, consisting of poems and songs I Ching - Classic of Changes Ch'un Ch'iu - History of Confucius' home province of Lu Li Ching - Classic of Rites Confucianism became the accepted state ideology and orthodoxy under the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). Emperor Wu (140 - 87 BC) wanted to use Confucius' doctrine to guide and maintain law and order, but Confucianism soon came to extend far beyond that. Books and lectures about Confucius' moral principles and responsibilities began to spread across China. Duty to people and the state were emphasized. Confucian works "formed the basis of civil service examinations" (Confucian Schools of Thought, Confucianism). Confucians were divided into at least eight schools of thought with each claiming to be the true teaching of Confucius after his death. These schools differed in respect to rituals, sacrifices, and sacred dress. Eventually, two major schools of thought would form. Mencius (372 - 289 BC) would bring the first. Mencius believed that "humanity was the innate virtue of men" (Eber 29). He believed that a person's innate goodness "can become depraved through one's own destructive effort or through contact with an evil environment" (Confucian Schools of Thought, Confucianism). Mencius took Confucius' beliefs about relationships with people and equated them wit...
