One of the most important texts in Ruism is the Zhongyong. The title is usually translated as The Doctrine of the Mean, but a more accurate translation might be Finding […]
Ruist Basics
Civility
One of the very best books written about Ruist ideas for a lay audience in recent years is Amy Olberding’s The Wrong of Rudeness: Learning Modern Civility from Ancient Chinese […]
How is Quiet-Sitting Different From Other Kinds of Meditation?
Have you ever started a meditation program, only to give up because the demands are too stringent? Do you find it hard to meet the requirements of a meditation program […]
Instructions for Quiet-Sitting
Brief instructions for quiet-sitting (a Ruist form of meditation) are available on InsightTimer, the world’s most popular meditation app. You can access the audio here or by search the app […]
The Audition
Suppose you’re the lead singer of an up-and-coming rock band. Your lead guitarist just left the band to join another group, so you’re auditioning new players. I answer your Craigslist […]
How Did Ru Critique Confucius?
The reason why “Confucianism” is a misnomer unacceptable by Ru practitioners can be understood from this perspective: When James Legge (1815-1897 C.E), a congregationalist Christian missionary who worked in China […]
What is Li?
One of the most important concepts in Ruism is called li (禮), which is often translated as ritual. As you read the word ritual, what comes to mind? A religious […]
Interest in Learning More About Confucianism
A few months ago, we set out to assess Americans’ self-reported knowledge of, and attitudes toward, Ruism. To achieve this, we conducted a survey of 379 adults living in the […]
Mencius Mother, Three Moves
In honor of Mother’s Day, here’s an adaptation of a traditional Chinese folktale. When Mencius was just a little boy, his father died. Mencius’ mother, Zhǎng, had to raise Mencius […]
Confucianism as a Valid Worldview for 21st Century Americans
A few months ago, we set out to assess Americans’ self-reported knowledge of, and attitudes toward, Ruism. To achieve this, we conducted a survey of 379 adults living in the […]