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He who wants to expand the field of happiness [Sanskrit, punyakshetra,
possibly] let him lay the foundation of it on the bottom of his heart [where good deeds
originate (p. 31)] [p. 17].
Let your deeds of merit be unheeded (yin) [p. 17].
Practise goodness: acquire merit [p. 18].
Be honest like Heaven in conducting your affairs [p. 18].
Fulfil the four obligations*; impartially
observe the three doctrines+ [p. 18].
*According to a Chinese
Buddhist sutra, the first obligation is to the parents, the second to all sentient beings,
the third to the ruler of the country, and the fourth to the Triple Treasure
(triratna) of Buddhism . . . The [Chinese] commentator's enumeration does not agree
with the latter. He puts teachers and elders in place of the Triple Treasure, and Heaven and
Earth, for all sentient beings.
+The three doctrines are Confucianism,
Buddhism and Taoism . . . [and] they all [relate to] the human heart, which is one and the
same in all three religions [p. 40-41].
Be congenial and friendly to brothers. Be sincere in your intercourse with friends.
[Here are two of the five basic virtues (wu chang) of Confucianism - p. 41] [p.
18].
Convert both the cunning and the dull. By preaching on the canonical books and histories,
enlighten the ignorant and the benighted [p. 18].
Relieve people in distress as speedily as you must release a fish from a dry rill
[lest he die] [p. 18].
Help the poor [p. 18].
Promote the good and recommend the wise. [p. 19].
Be lenient with others and exacting with yourself [p. 19].
Establish philanthropic institutions for the education of children [p. 19].
If your own family is well provided, extend a helping hand to your relatives. If the
harvest fails, provide for and relieve your neighbours and friends [p. 19].
Let measures and scales be accurate; and be neither chary in selling nor exacting in
buying [p. 19].
[How to] Treat your servants . . . Do not expect perfection nor be too strict in
your demands [p. 19].
Publish and make known sutras* and tracts.
Build and repair temples and shrines [p. 19].
*A sutra is a 'thread', i.e.,
'thread of thought", in other words a terse or perhaps aphoristic statement. In this work it
refers to Buddhist books, but the commentator broadens the thought of it thus: "We may
better understand them as virtually including all the classical books belonging to the three
religions." [Cf. p. 41]
Distribute medicine to alleviate the suffering of the sick [p. 19].
Buy captive animals and give them freedom *
[p. 20].
*This is a Buddhist custom,
the saving of lives is . . . very meritorious [p. 41].
To buy up captive animals for the sake of setting them free is [a deed] of a
sympathetic heart. Thoughtless people make light of puny creatures such as ants, spiders,
etc., and wantonly kill them, having no thought of pity or remorse; but pious hearts refrain
from such cruelty [see p. 35]
How commendable is abstinence that dispenses with the butcher! [p. 20].
While walking be mindful of worms and ants [p. 20].
Be cautious with fire and do not set mountain woods or forests ablaze [p. 20].
Do not go into the mountain to catch birds in nets, nor to the water to poison
fishes and minnows * [p. 20].
*In the Confucian Analects we read: "The Master angled, but did not use a net.
He shot, but not at birds perching." (12; 27.) The passage is understood to mean that
Confucius was so tender-hearted as not to take advantage of animals when hunting, and that
he killed them only when it was necessary for sustaining human life [cf. p.
41].
Do not butcher the ox that ploughs your field [p. 20].
Do not [carelessly and thoughtlessly] throw away paper that is written on * [p. 20].
*The Chinese show great
respect for writing and writing materials, because by them we get to know the virtues,
wisdom and sayings of ancient sages [cf. p. 41].
Do not scheme for others' property [p. 20].
Do not envy others' accomplishments [p. 20].
Do not approach your neighbour's wife or maids [p. 20].
Do not meddle with your neighbour's conjugal affairs [p. 20].
Never take advantage of your power, nor disgrace the good and law-abiding [p.
20].
While attending to your duty, be humble and modest * [p. 21].
*Sacred books and the value
of sacred books can be found in your own heart [cf. p. 42]
Live in concord with your relatives and clansmen [p. 21].
[Good friends] will help you to practise virtue with body and soul [p. 21].
Those that are wicked, keep at a distance; it will prevent evil from approaching you
[p. 21].
Promulgate all that is good [p. 21].
Don't assert with your mouth what your heart denies * [p. 21].
*Compare, "My people come to
you . . . and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into
practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust
gain." - Ezekiel 33;31
Always have in mind helpful sayings [p. 21].
Do not use improper language [p. 21].
Cut the brambles and thorns that obstruct the highway. Remove bricks and stones that
lie in the path [p. 21].
Build bridges to be traversed by thousands and ten thousands of people [p. 21].
Supply the means to give instruction to people of talent [p. 22].
Let your work conform to Heaven's reason*,
and let your speech express humaneness [p. 22].
*"Heaven's Reason
consists of two words; but they are in your own heart. If when you do a thing, there remains
in your heart some misgiving, then your deed is against Heaven and contrary to Reason. A
virtuous man punctiliously guards himself when alone, solely to retain [reason and
rationality] and to calm human desires. Therefore . . . "Attend to your duty and . . . Look
after what you ought to do."
The source of good and evil is in the heart.
Ever wakeful is the heart of him who does good.
The teachings of holy men are written in the six canonical books. There are thousand
gates and ten thousand doors; through which shall we enter? The main thing is to guard
oneself when alone, lest one go astray. . . .
Proceed in evil for half a minute and you will have too much [from p.
36].
Keep the ancient sages before your eyes even when at supper or while looking over the
fence * [p. 22].
*This means not to forget
helpful instructions of wise men of old, in order to "to be always on guard lest the heart
might go astray." Confucius says in the Analects 4, 5:
"The superior man does not, even for a space of a single meal, act contrary to virtue. In
moments of haste his mind dwells on it. In time of danger his mind dwells on it."
In the Doctrine of the Mean, it is said that the
tao ("path," or "doctrine") is not for a moment to be ignored, for that which can be
ignored is not the tao [p. 42].
Be mindful when you are alone * in the shadow
of your coverlet + [p. 22].
*A Buddhist sentiment [p.
41].
+Confucian teaching as well: The Great Learning and The
Doctrine of the Mean teach one to be watchful over himself when he is alone. This
watchfulness is not merely intellectual, but a heart's. Confucians show earnestness and
reverence toward Heaven's Reason (Tien Tao) [extracted, see p.
42].
Anything evil - refrain from doing it; [see third note upwards] all good deeds - do
*! So will you always be encompassed by good
guardian angels + [condensed from. p.
22].
*This is one of the noblest
injunctions by Buddha in the Dhammapada, verse 183). Niao
Che, a Buddhist recluse who lived in Hang Chou about 800 AD, declares: "Even a three year
old child can say this, but even a grey-haired man finds it difficult to
practise."
Compare also "Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it" in Psalm
34,14 and "Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever" in
Psalm 37,27 [p. 42-43].
+"The Chinese word shen means god or
any spiritual being, and according to the context it has been translated by "angel" [cf. p.
43].
[Immediate rewards for virtue you will receive in person, and remote rewards will
devolve on your posterity [Extracted, see p. 22].
Tales and Teachings
- as found in the Chinese Commentator's Notes.
A Sympathetic Heart
TO BUY up captive animals for the sake of setting them free is nothing but [a deed] of
a sympathetic heart. Thoughtless people make light of puny creatures such as ants, spiders,
etc., and wantonly kill them, having no thought of pity or remorse; but pious hearts refrain
from such cruelty. [p. 35]
A Good Judge
YÜ KING of the Han dynasty (206 BC to AD 23) was judge of a criminal court on the
eastern shore of China. In his district there was a young widow who, on account of her
parental devotion, showed no disposition to marry again, lest her mother-in-law be left
without support. The aged woman, however, was so much distressed over her helplessness that
finally she hanged herself to release her daughter-in-law from the duty of self-sacrifice.
Her own daughter hearing of the incident went to court and charged her sister-in-law with
murder, and the latter, unable to vindicate herself, was condemned to death in spite of
Yü King's protest.
After this tragedy, Heaven failed to give rain all along the eastern coast for a
period of three years. When a new governor was installed, Yü King explained to him the
cause of the long drought. Thereupon the grave of the dutiful daughter-in-law was officially
decorated, and then at last it started to rain.
Yü King's son became prime minister and was created a noble, and his grandson,
too, was promoted to a responsible position in the government. [p. 26-27]
Two Brothers
He who took pity on ants attained the highest literary
honour.
SUNG CHIAO and Sung Ch'i (1000s AD) were brothers. When they were both at college, a
strange Buddhist monk examined their physiognomy and prophesied: "The younger Sung will be
the first on the list of literary graduates, and the elder, too, will unfailingly
pass."
Ten years later, the elder Sung again happened to meet the monk on the road. The monk
showed great astonishment, exclaiming: "Your fortunes have suddenly changed. You look as if
you had saved millions of lives."
Sung said, laughing: "How could I achieve such a feat as that?"
The monk answered, "Even the meanest creatures are enjoying their lives, you
know."
Reflecting a little while, Sung said: "I remember that about ten days ago I found an
ants' nest under my porch in danger of being flooded. I took a few bamboo sticks and made a
bridge over the water to let the poor ants cross over it. May this be it?"
"Exactly," answered the monk, "the younger Sung is now leading the list but you will
not be second to him."
When the order of literary graduates was declared, the younger Sung was found to be the
first and the elder Sung the second. But the Empress Chang Hsien decreed that the younger
brother should not precede the elder, and Sung Chiao was put at the head of the list. [p.
29-30]
The Foundation of Bliss
All deeds originate in the heart.
ALL THE good acts that are enumerated below begin in the heart and are completed, too,
in the heart. The heart's inmost recess is the very spot where there is Heaven and where
there is Hell.
The difference between sages such as Yao and Shun and wretches such as Chieh or Chou,
simply pivots around this "little thing" [the heart]. Unexpected blessings grow, as it were,
in a very actual field, which can be ploughed and harvested. The heart, though spiritual
and mysterious, yet possesses a solid, tangible soil, which can be watered and tilled
[emphasis added].
The soul of a true, earnest gentleman* has its
root in this obscure recess, which he examines and purifies in solemn silence and privacy .
. .
[Don't have] a heart for making light of the world.
[Keep
on] earnestly to promote [your] conversion; not . . . [indulging in] self-delusion. This is
[part of] the way of self-purification and . . . bliss. [p. 31]
*Person of merit, a truly
respectable man. He can also be a scholar.
The Snake with Two Heads
He who buried out of sight the snake of bad omens, was deemed worthy of
the honour of premiership.
SHUN SHU-AO of the Chu state, when a boy, used to go out very often. One day he saw a
snake with two heads. At once he killed it and to put it out of sight, buried it in the
ground. He came home in gloom and showed no appetite at the table. An anxious inquiry of his
mother brought him to tears, and he said mournfully: "People say that those who have seen a
snake with two heads are doomed to die soon. I saw one today and fear that before long I
shall die, mother, and will have to leave you alone."
The mother then asked him, "Where is the snake now?"
" I killed and buried it, fearing that others might see it too."
"Never mind, then," said the mother, "you won't die. I understand that secret virtue
(yin the) brings rewards that are open. Where there is virtue, a thousand blessings
will be gathered there. Where there is benevolence, a hundred evils are distanced. Heaven
above attends to affairs below. You will become eminent in the state."
When Shun was a man, he was made a minister of state. [p. 30]
Filial Piety
YAO-JAO HOU says: "The four essential elements of filial piety are:- To be
established in virtue;
- To keep up the family;
- To keep the body unimpaired;
- To
cultivate the character."
Pious children will not let their parents' hearts be grieved or embarrassed, feel
ashamed or indignant. [see p. 34]
Seek Truth for the Sake of Salvation
THOSE who are able to think of others are called superior men, and those who think of
themselves are called small men. The difference is in one's own fundamental thought . . .
Some incessantly accumulate evils, others good deeds.
Li Kwang-Yüen, an eminent seeker of truth, was once warned by a strange saintly
personage: "I see you are seeking truth. But would you have it for your private self, saints
and gods will have no regard for you." [p. 32]
Heaven And Earth
CHOU-TZE says: "It is not enough for an officer of high position to refrain from
coveting promotion and from seeking wealth. He should employ his benevolence so as to
benefit his fellow men; otherwise the purpose for which Heaven has created us will be
altogether lost." [p. 26]
Consideration
MOTHER CHENG used to instruct her children to this effect: "Treat others' property as
if it were your own, thus you will be thoughtful in using it."
Hsieh Wen-Ching says: "Only be cured of the disease of selfishness, and your heart will
be broadened even to the vastness of infinite space.
Happiness, health, and longevity could all be enjoyed with others. [Extracts, see
p- 32-33]
Humaneness Rewarded
Tou Yü-Chün was not yet favoured with a son when he was thirty years old. One
night his grandfather appeared to him in a dream and said: "You may not have any issue at
all, nor may you live long, unless you are diligent in performing benevolent deeds." [p.
27]
Yü-Chün was well-to-do and could afford to do many benevolent things. One of
his servants stole a considerable sum of money from his chest. When the fact was exposed,
the guilty one fled leaving his daughter thirteen years old, to whom a note was attached
which read: "Offer this girl and my house for sale. With the money thus realized I wish to
pay my debt."
Yü-Chün burned the note, took the girl to his own house, and had her reared
by his wife. When she reached maturity he gave her a large dowry and chose for her a good
husband. When her father heard of it he was greatly affected and returned home full of
repentance. His old master forgave him and did not say anything about his former
crime.
Yü-Chün did many other good things . . . Poor children were educated and
the helpless taken care of, while he himself lived most frugally. He also built a large
library and gave employment to many learned men.
In the meantime, in a dream he saw again his grandfather, who said: "You were
originally destined not to have any offspring and to live only a few more years. But on
account of your humane deeds, the Heavenly Lord has recorded your merits. Your life will be
prolonged and you will have five children who will be very prosperous."
"The way of Yin and Yang," the spirit added, "is like the law of Karma . . . You must
cherish no doubt about this."
Yü-Chün's five sons successfully passed the literary examinations and were
promoted to high official positions. [p. 28-29]
Buddhism and Confucianism
STUPID and not endearing frivolity is to be avoided. Unwise frivolity may render you
unreliable [cf. p. 34-35].
A reverential heart is most excellent, and a sincere heart is best. [see p. 34]
Sincerity and reverence make us companions of heaven and earth.
A vigilant guard over the heart in turn fosters readiness to do good. This
enlightenment is called a most happy land.*
* The Western Paradise
(sukhâvati) is interpreted as a state of mind here.
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