Revival. Even after Buddhism triumphed as the major religious, scholastic, and aesthetic influence in the Tang dynasty (618-907), the family ethic and political ideology of Confucianism never completely disappeared. During the Song dynasty (960-1279) Chan and Pure Land Buddhism, as well as Daoism, thrived, but Confucianism was particularly appealing to a new generation of intellectuals. This revival of interest, known as neo-Confucianism, gave meaning to the life of the individual, developed an ideology to uphold state and society, and created a philosophy that presented a convincing structure for understanding the world. Neo-Confucianism regarded the world as an organic whole that constituted a system in which each aspect of life reinforced the others, both in theory and in practice.

Old Roots. Confucianism, the philosophy based on the teachings of the sixth and fifth century B.C.E. teacher and reformer Kong Zi (K'ung Ch'iu...