THE TEACHINGS OF CONFUCIUS AND ZHANG SAN FENG
Confucius
Question
Dear Sifu, how closely related are the teachings of Confucius and Zhang San Feng? And, are the teachings of Confucius related closely to other well known Masters in history?
-- Sifu Mark Blohm
Answer
The teachings of Confucius and of Zhang San Feng are worlds apart.
Confucius, the founder of Confucianism and regarded by many as China's top philosopher, was pragmatic and taught good living in this phenomenal world. The hallmarks of his teaching were loyalty to the state and filial piety to parents.
Zhang San Feng, a great Taoist master and regarded as the first patriarch of internal arts, did not care much about worldly affairs. The hallmarks of his teaching were internal cultivation and attaining the Tao.
Confucius also talked about attaining the Tao. But the Tao of Confucianism and the Tao of Taoism are vastly different. To Confucians, attaining the Tao means living a long and righteous life here and now. To Taoists, attaining the Tao means attaining immortality or blissfully integrated into the Cosmos.
The famous master most closely related with Confucius was Mencius. Mencius taught Confucian teachings, but what distinguished him from Confucius was that while Confucius emphasized rituals to attain a glorious state, Mencius focused on humanity to lead a meaningful life. In other words, one worked for the king, the other worked for the people.
-- Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit
Zhang San Feng
The above is reproduced from the thread 10 Questions for Grandmaster: Legacy of Bodhdharma in the Shaolin Wahnam Discussion Forum.
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