confucianism
...w one's role and duties. K'ung Fu Tzu (Confucius) was born in 551 BCE in the state of Lu in China. He traveled throughout China teaching and advicing its rulers. His teachings and writings dealt with individual morality and ethics, and the proper exercise of political power. Confucius did make some comments on the supernatural which give insight into how he viewed life, death, heaven, etc. Confucius once said, the absorption in the study of the supernatural is very harmful. When asked about the subject of death, he had this to say, "Chi-lu asked how the spirits of the dead and the gods should be served, The master said, 'You are not able to serve man. How can you serve the spirits?" May I ask about death?' 'You do not understand even life. How can you understand death?"2 In the Doctrines of Confucianism ancestor worship is the adoration of the spirits of the dead by their living relatives. Supposedly the continued existence of the ancestors in spirit is dependent upon the attention given them by their living relatives. It is also believed that the ancestors can control the fortunes of their families. If the family pro...