Confucianism is recognized as the national religion of China, although this is most likely an ethical and political teaching, since there is no such thing as a single god in this religion. Confucianism puts a person in the center of the Universe, therefore any phenomenon in it is considered, first of all, from the position of morality.
The authorship of the spiritual doctrine of the improvement of man belongs to the ancient Chinese sage Kunzi, or, in Latin transcription, to Confucius, who lived in 551 - 479. BC e. This period of the history of ancient China is characterized by major social and political upheavals and crises: the destruction of the patriarchal-tribal norms, institutions of power and the state that existed before. As it happens in the era of great upheavals, a person was found who was able to formulate and convey to society moral, ethical and spiritual norms that were widely used and helped the people of China maintain moral integrity.
In his teaching, Confucius relies on primitive beliefs, including the cult of dead ancestors, the highest divine powers - heaven and nature, as an example and source of harmony and principles of the "golden mean". This teaching is a ready-made program for the spiritual improvement of man, which is the center of the Universe and therefore must live in harmony with the Cosmos surrounding it. Each person, a follower of this doctrine, lives according to the laws of nature; he is a model of morality and an ideal for imitation of the whole society. A sense of harmony is organically inherent in such a person; he has an organic gift to exist in a natural rhythm innate or acquired through self-improvement.
Confucius did not have written works, but in the treatise "Lun-yu", where his conversations with students and followers are recorded, the teacher denotes five "constancies" that should be adhered to both in public administration and in family and everyday life. These include: ritual, humanity, duty as justice, knowledge and trust. The special role of the ritual is explained by the fact that with its help it is possible to adapt and fit each person, society, state into an endless hierarchy of a living cosmic community, which has the peculiarity of constantly changing, while preserving, at the same time, the laws and principles of development.
The fundamental "constancy" brought up in any person, from ruler to ordinary peasant, a sense of proportion, ensuring the preservation in society of unshakable moral, values that prevent the development of such destructive qualities as satiety and consumerism. The viability of the teachings of Confucius, whose followers are many in China today, is confirmed by the existing stability of the Chinese society and state to the vices that characterize the European consumer society.
