As you might have already noticed, we started a new book. For now, no more Bible! The new book is called the Analects, and it is a series of teachings of the Confucian religion in non-chronological order. Until now, I can see that the way it is written looks a lot like the Bhagavad-Gita, and some of the teachings do too. I hope I get to understand all of it so that I can really compare both books.
The first thing I want to say is that I didn't like how it was monotonous. Remember at the beginning of the Bible that everything started with "And"? Well, in the Analects everything starts with "The Master said." I don't like how this sounds, although maybe it is a problem of the translation and not of the book itself, because it might be that it doesn't sound so monotonous in Chinese.
Next, I would like to state that because it is not in chronological order, I had no idea how to write this post. That is why I decided that I will just pick quotes and teachings that I find interesting along the way.
My first quote will be this one: "4.2 The Master said, "Without Goodnes, one cannot remain constant in adversity and cannot enjoy enduring happiness. / Those who are Good feel at home in Goodness, whereas those who are clever follow Goodness because they feel that they will profit from it." I liked this quote because it is something that is shared with my religion: Buddhism. We also believe that there are people who are good for a personal benefit or profit, and not thinking about others, so those people don't enjoy the benefits of good Karma.
Another quote that I liked a lot stated that you should "4.7 ...Observe closely the sort of mistakes a person makes -- then you will know his character." I found this quote pretty interesting, because I also believe in it. Before, I hadn't spent the time analyzing it, but now I realize that it is true. One of the most important factors that describe a person's personality is the mistakes they make. Different types of people make different mistakes.
The next quote I am pretty sure most of you will recognize: "5.12 What I do not wish others to undo unto me, I also wish not to do unto others." For me it is impressive that a quote so known to people since they are at an early age could go so far back, and actually be part of the laws of an old religion. It is also interesting to compare cultures, but to notice that there are many things and accepted ideas that are worldwide, and don't change from one country to the other.
The next quote I want to talk about is interesting, because I didn't pick it for its real content but for its literary content. It says: "6.5 ...Do not decline it! [If you do not need it yourself,] could you not use it to aid the households in your neighborhood?" I wonder why the bracketed part is in brackets. Why would the translator include something like that? In the original version, it seems as if even if you needed it you should give it away, while in the translation it very clearly states that only if you don't needed you should give it away. Weird.
"6.18 When native substance overwhelms cultural refinement, the result is a crude rustic. When cultural refinement overwhelms native substance, the result is a foppish pedant. Only when culture and native substance are perfectly mixed and balanced do you have a gentleman." I like this quote, because I think it is true, and I really like how it makes the comparison. It is very deep and it has a meaning that you really have to search for.
So, I think those are the quotes that most impacted me from chapters 4, 5 and 6 in the Analects. I will talk to you later about the rest of the chapters!
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