Mandate+of+Heaven

**What really is the Mandate of Heaven?**
The Mandate of Heaven is a traditional Chinese philisophical concept concerning the legitimacy of rights. The concept of the mandate of heaven is that heaven would bless one ruler to beruler of the "Dynasty." "Heaven" does not mean a personal God but an all pervading power. Also the right to rule is not limited to one dynasty. Rulers can get overthrown if they are not pleased by a despotic ruler. If that occurs the mandate of heaven would then transferto those who would rule best.The mandate of heaven is based on 4 leading ideas which are :

1. The right to rule China is granted by heaven. 2.There can be only one legitimate ruler of China. 3.The right to rule is based on the virtue of the ruler and his good performance as a steward for Heaven. 4.The right to rule may be passed down from father to son, but only with the conditions we already mentioned. Once the mandate is lost, the will of heaven towards a successor will only be known by the working out of the imponderable force of events in humun history.

**How did the Mandate of Heaven start?**
Well the mandate of heaven was first established/found in the words of Duke of Zhou. He was the one who came up with the idea. Duke of Zhou came up this concept to overthrow the Shang. This idea was then used by menicius who was a influential chinese philosopher. Meniscus was considered to be the 2nd greatest confusian philospher. This concept was useful in 4 ways: 1. It gives the ruler prestige and religious importance. 2. It gives the ruler supreme power. 3. It allows a new ruler to gain power quickly if people belive he is the "Mandate of Heaven" 4. A ruler's power must be kept in check by virtue.

** Sources: **
// "Mandate of Heaven." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 20 Jan. 2012. . // //Wright, Dan. "mandate of heaven." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 20 Jan. 2012. //

//"Mutant Palm » Blog Archive » Caligula Knows the Mandate of Heaven." Mutant Palm. 26 Oct. 2008. Web. 20 Jan. 2012. . //

//Halsall, Paul. "Chinese Cultural Studies: Selections from the Shu Jing (The Classic of History)(6th Cent. BCE)." ITS Public WEB Computer Labs. Web. 20 Jan. 2012. @http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/shu-jing.html. //

//"The Mandate of Heaven - Ancient China for Kids." Ancient China for Kids - Stories, Games, Dynasties, Geography, Daily Life, Religion, Inventions, and More! Philip Martin. Web. 20 Jan. 2012. . //