Jen Chin., roughly humanity, love of fellow man; central virtue of Confucianism and the most important characteristic of the ideal man (chun-tzu, lit. “duke’s son”) in the teachings of Confucius (K’ung-tzu). Jen is the manifestation of pure untarnished human nature in accordance with the requirements of morality (Ii). Its basis is a natural sympathy for one’s fellow beings, its expression the maintenance of mutuality (shu) and loyalty (chung).
In the Analects (Lun-yu) Confucius states (6.28), “To apply one’s own wishes and desires as a yardstick by which to judge one’s behavior toward others is the true way of Jen. ” Asked about the essence of jen, the master replied, “To love your fellow men.”
The roots of Jen are piety (hsiao), i.e., the veneration shown by children for their parents in life and after their death, and fraternal obedience (ti), i.e., the subordination of the younger brother to the older: “A noble person will cultivate the root; if the root is rooted firmly, the path will grow. Piety and obedience: these are the roots of Jen. An analysis of the pictogram for Jen allows us to arrive at a deeper understanding of the term: the pictogram consists of the sign for “human being” and the sign for “two.” Jen thus embraces all the moral qualities governing and expressed by the ideal behavior of one human being toward another.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
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