There’s something a little strange (at least to me) about Confucianism. There’s really no prayer, like you find in most other religions (which, I suppose, is partly where the whole “Confucianism isn’t a religion” thing comes into play).
Confucius himself believed that living the right way was the only form of prayer necessary. Some other Confucians, however, seem to think more along the same lines as I do, preferring at least some kind of prayer, even if it’s more like poetry, to help reinforce belief.
I guess it’s the Catholic upbringing in me, but I’ve always felt like prayer is a big part of religion, so I’ve found the Confucian prayer below to say, so I can feel like I’m being religious, even while I’m practicing something that may or may not actually be a religion.
It doesn’t make a whole hell of a lot of sense, but at least now I have a prayer. Here you go:
In the cinnamon-scented tower
Above the Palace of Confucius
Ninety-five incarnations
Sowing charmed poetic seeds
Hundred thousand transformations
Manifested lightning quick
And miraculous as a mountain of pheasants
Always persevering
Expressing a mountain of goodwill
The goal to cultivate virtue
Bringing honor to parents and country
Intuiting in dreams the way of service
To one another
Having compassion for the miserable
Building humaneness and piety
Becoming saintly through compassion
Cultivating mind and honor
Piety, virtue, faithfulness, compassion
Even treasure to a king
These are the attributes of Confucianism
Confucius engendered prosperity of the human spirit
As a lord who lifts his people
Through purification he gained his insights
As well as sincerity and equanimity
And was sainted therefore
With deep wisdom and unbounded humanity.
Eh. I guess it’ll have to do.
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