Yoshida Kenko And Confucius example essay topic

Yoshida Kenko and Confucius were both scholars who were very important in the cultural development of their country. Kenko defined the principals of good taste for Japan. He was the reining authority on Japanese manners and etiquette. Confucius was a Chinese philosopher who completely changed Chinese thinking.

Confucian thinking was molded into the government and his name became synonymous with scholar. Yoshida Kenko, was originally named Ura be Kane yoshi, lived from 1283-1352 in Japan. He was born from a family of Shinto priests. He became a Buddhist Monk and used the excuse of a religious seclusion to further his studies. His book, Essays in Idleness, is about what he thought were considered good taste. Essays in Idleness consists of a random jumble of ideas, descriptions, aphorisms, and pronouncements.

The main idea of it was that life is transient in passing. In fact, he saw stuff like spring, love, and life was more beautiful because it does not last. He considers perfection an allusion and considers maturity an acceptance of this basic principle of life. One of his quote is, "Ambition never comes to an end". I think he means that when we dream for something, we can always achieve it, no matter how far away it is. If you continue to push on, you can do anything you want, even if it takes forever.

Truly, this quote is amazing and very inspiring. Ambition is like motivation, it can push you to your limits and even over it. It is like adrenaline, you can do the impossible, no matter how long it takes. Another one of his famous quotes was "Blossoms are scattered by the wind and the wind cares nothing, but the blossoms of the heart no wind can touch". This quote is a lot more abstract, but it can be interpreted as love cannot be changed. Blossoms symbolizes unimportant stuff like money and possessions.

It is easily thrown away and is not truly important in the grand scheme of things. Love is the driving force behind life and is not affected by other forces. K'ung-fu-tzu lived in China from 551-479 BC. His name was later Latinized and became Confucius. He was probably the most influential person in China's history; he changed the way Chinese people thought and the way the government worked. He put a lot of importance to morality.

He thought that honor for your parents was very important. He also didn't believe in vengeance and he thought that rulers should rule by moral example. Confucius once said, "Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it". This means that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What one may view as plain or even ugly can be beautiful for another person. Everything is beautiful, in their own unique ways.

Many people considers bugs disgusting, but those who are knowledgeable can appreciate the shiny coat on the bug's shell, the intricate design of its limbs and even the misshapen head can be considered beautiful, especially if you look at it from an angle. Beauty can come from unexpected sources, but it is often unappreciated. Confucius also said, "When anger rises, think of the consequences". When people become angry, they tend to do stupid things. They let their temper take a hold of them and they do things they regret afterwards. If everyone thinks about the consequences when they become angry, it clears the mind and can lessen some of their anger.

In fact, some people count to 5 when they can't think straight, which is exactly what Confucius thought was a good way to handle things. Confucius and Yoshida Kenko were some of the greatest philosophers of their time and possibly in all times. Kenko put more importance in etiquette and social conduct, while Confucius concentrated more on moral conduct. They both put much thought on a person's thinking, whether it be love, ambition, or self-control.

Their thinking is similar in the way it pushes people to find the person within themselves and see things as they truly are. It's different too, in the way they state their thoughts. Confucius' work is more organized and sophisticated, because it was written for leaders to show them how to carry out their role. While Kenko's work is more jumbled and seems to be written more for the common man..