Rediscovering the sage

I arrived at the south entrance to the Temple of Confucius in Qufu while it was drizzling. By the time I reached the Family Mansion to the east of the temple, it was a downpour. The small street outside the complex was so flooded I had to wade through it.

I was furiously searching my head for an epigram in the Analects about storms or bad weather. But nothing came up. My limited education in Confucianism was obtained in the 1970s when the ancient sage mysteriously turned into a target for Chairman Mao Zedong's wrath. Even then we were not taught the original text, only the Three-Character Classic, a limerick for kids.

I learned that Confucius was accused of "self-restraint and attempt to restore old rituals". I didn't know what that meant. At home, my grandma told me Confucius had invented the writing system of the Chinese language. Later on, I found to my chagrin it was not true. But I was not aware how many quotes from him are on our lips and how much of his wisdom is in our genes. Like it or not, Confucius is the ultimate teacher for all Chinese.