Confucianism

Oldstone-Moore, a professor at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, provides a quick, informative overview of Confucianism, China's indigenous religious philosophy. Confucianism, she explains, is somewhat misidentified because it originated centuries before Confucius, who saw himself as a compiler of the ancient tradition's best wisdom. Oldstone-Moore does a fine job of explaining the central concept of filial piety (xiao), which undergirds all human relationships in Confucian philosophy. She also discusses the interplay of yin and yang and the role of the Five Phases (fire, wood, water, metal and earth). One chapter explores ""sacred time,"" including festivals such as the lunar New Year and the importance of the 12-year zodiac cycle; another presents sacred texts, including the Five Classics. Like the other books in Oxford's series of brief introductions to various world religions, this one is copiously illustrated with full-color photographs. The writing can sometimes be dry, but the book is so brief that it scarcely matters.