Today (September 28) is the traditional date for the birth of Confucius (551-479 BC), the most influential philosopher in Chinese history, and arguably, one of the most important figures in world history. Even today, more than two and a half millennia after his birth, his teachings continue to have an impact on the lives of millions of people, especially in China and other east Asian countries like Korea and Japan. Among those teachings, one of the most famous is this: "Do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you" (ji suo bu yu wu shi yu ren). This is a negative version of the so-called Golden Rule stated by Jesus in the New Testament (Matthew 7:12): "Do to others what you would have them do to you."
At first glance, we might be tempted to view these two sayings as having virtually the same meaning. However, in fact, there is a subtle difference between them. Confucius' version of the "Golden Rule" essentially tells us to refrain from certain actions, while Jesus' version enjoins us to engage in certain actions. Thus, it might be said that what Confucius asks of us is less demanding than what Jesus asks, for it is usually easier simply not to do something than to go to the trouble of doing something, especially something that is inconvenient or uncomfortable or even difficult to do.
There is another, even more profound, difference between these two versions of the "Golden Rule"--the motivations for them. Confucius was primarily concerned with promoting human happiness. In his view, "if everyone worked for the happiness of all, we should have a situation more likely to bring general happiness than any other" (Herrlee G. Creel, Chinese Thought: From Confucius to Mao Tse-Tung, p. 40)--thus, the reason for his version of the "Golden Rule." On the other hand, Jesus was concerned not only with the relationships among people, but also with the relationship between human beings and God. He tells us that we should "do to others what [we] would have them do to [us]," for "this sums up the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12b). In other words, if we follow the "Golden Rule," we will be fulfilling the commands of God given in Scripture and consequently will be in a right relationship with Him. Of course, no one is truly able to do this without God empowering him or her to do so.
In short, while both Confucius and Jesus give us a "Golden Rule" to live by, the version Jesus gives us is more demanding and more profound in its implications. Nonetheless, Confucius' version of the "Golden Rule" reminds us that even in non-Christian cultures there is often an echo (even if somewhat weak or diluted) of the full truth of the Gospel.
Image of Confucius from commons.wikimedia.org