Confucianism was started in China between the sixth and fifth centuries B.C.E. and has been followed by the Chinese people for over two millennia. A major part of the belief is an emphasis on learning as well as a source of values.

Confucius was an educator and transmitter of knowledge rather than a creative thinker. In accepting students, he applied no class distinctions, accepting the poor as well as the rich. One of his inestimable contributions was the redefinition of key terms in Chinese life and thought along ethical and humanistic lines. For instance, the term chun tzu, meaning “son of a ruler” or person of noble birth, was extended by Confucius to refer to anyone who was benevolent and modest of speech, regardless of background.

The influence of Confucianism has spread across many other countries, including Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Confucianism is now regarded seriously in the United States, where the culture has gone far beyond the derogatory stereotypical image of the Charlie Chan detective movies of the 1930s and 1940s and their fortune-cookie sayings. Confucianism made its mark extensively in Chinese literature, education, culture, and both spiritual and political life.

Confucius lived in a time of political violence, setting the stage for a teacher with the ability to dispense a spiritual philosophy that would generate restorative thoughts of social and ethical calm, and who saw perfection in all people. It is said he initially attracted over 3,000 students, some of whom became close disciples.