Culture

Stories from Ancient China: Great Wisdom

2007-07-02

Everyone likes to be with superior people and it is easy to be sincere with them. However, it is much harder to deal with inferior people. The mentality of ordinary people is that if you are nice to me, then I'll be nice to you; if you are not nice to me, why should I be nice to you? In that way, when we see that others are having a problem, we point it out bluntly. As a consequence, this will make the inferior man angry and look for the opportunity to retaliate.

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Stories from Ancient China: A King and His Imperial Subjects

2007-06-29

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Qi Jing Gong, King of the Qi State, went sightseeing up on Niu Mountain. When Qi Gong looked to the North, he saw the capitol and the palace. He sighted and said, "How beautiful my kingdom is! The trees and vegetation are so lush! I am getting older, day by day, but what can I do? If people could live forever, that would really be nice!" His two imperial officials, Shi Kong and Liang Qiu, also shed tears...

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Poem: Re-Creation

2007-06-28

More wonderful than everThe cosmos bathes in splendourRe-Creation willedVows of old fulfilled

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Sories from Ancient China: Respect and Honor Thy Teacher

2007-06-25

Later Liu Zhuang was enthroned as Emperor Mingdi. Even as an emperor, he still treated his teacher, Huan Rong, with respect and honor. At 80, Huan Rong felt he was too old and sought to resign from his official duty, but Emperor Mingdi did not grant the request and instead bestowed more rewards upon him.

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Stories from Ancient China: The Stolen Chicken

2007-06-21

When he returned to this world, he asked his wife whether she had once stolen a chicken from her neighbour. His wife denied it in the beginning. When he told his wife what he had seen in the nether world, she admitted it. She explained that because the chicken ate the grain she had spread outside to dry she accidentally killed it. She was afraid of being rebuked by her neighbour so she hid the chicken to conceal what she had done.

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Stories from Ancient China: Be Generous and Forgiving

2007-06-20

Wei Ba, a high ranking official during the Eastern Han Dynasty of ancient China and came from a place called Juyang. He was born into a family that was well educated and knew right from wrong. For generations, there were many high ranking officials in his family. In dealing with people, Wei Ba followed one simply principle: Be generous and forgiving.

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Poem: The Hour of Heart and Light

2007-06-15

We ponder the stars and many worlds beyondperfection in a petalled flowerwe wonder across the aeons and a future afarlong enough to miss the hour.

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Stories from Ancient China: Even Thieves Have Principles To Follow

2007-06-12

Three days later, the boat had taken Zhang Qing to his hometown safely. Looking afar, Zhang Qing saw ten familiar big wooden boxes lined up neatly on the wharf. He felt very strange and jumped onto the shore quickly. He went over to check it out. They were his cases indeed, what good luck! A letter was placed on top of one of the cases, and the weight on the letter was the lost pair of glasses.

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Stories from Ancient China: Forgiving the Faults of Others

2007-06-11

Bingji, a prime minister in the Han dynasty of ancient China, was known for his kindness towards others. Once, when his chauffeur followed him out, the chauffeur was so drunk that he vomited on the prime minister's vehicle. Bingji's manager wanted to fire the chauffeur, but Bingji said: "Would anyone hire him if they find out that he was drunk and got fired? Let forget about it. After all, he only soiled the car cushion."

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Stories from Ancient China: Even an Emperor Must Pay for His Misdeeds

2007-06-10

Emperor Xuan Di felt another intense pain in his head. Emperor Xuan Di failed to realise it was karmic retribution and did not admit his fault in torturing the maid-in-waiting. Instead, he became all the more enraged and shouted, "She is my nemesis!" He had the maid-in-waiting cut into two pieces at the waist. As soon as she died, Emperor Xuan Di was in agony because of a sudden stomach and lower back pain.

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Stories from Ancient China: Food is Just for Alleviating Hunger

2007-06-09

One morning, the provincial official came to Liu's home for a visit and Liu told him, "I'd prefer to set up a banquet for you. However, it may take too much of your time and interfere with your official business. So, let me treat you to a meal. My wife is out of town, and we don't have anyone to prepare anything special. How about a simple meal?" The official could not decline the invitation since it was from his teacher.

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Ancient Cultivation Stories: The Legendary Bukong

2007-06-04

During the period of Emperor Daizong, there was another long drought and Bukong was again asked to pray for rain. The Emperor also said: "If it rains within three days, it is the monk's supernatural power; if it rains only after three days, then it is just due to nature's spontaneous reasons." Bukong accepted the imperial decree and built an altar. It rained heavily the next day.

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Stories from Ancient China: Seeking No Power and Pursuing No Fame

2007-06-03

Upon hearing this, Heng Rong was not happy. He said, "You are my student and it is still as though you don't even know me? I have been doing research all my life. I appreciate the Tao for gentlemen and do not want to be an official. I accepted the emperor's appointment because the emperor is wise and he has helped to make the world peaceful. You have not been an official for long, yet you've learned political trickery and flattery. You even try to teach me such things. I truly feel sorry for you."

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Stories from Ancient China: Shame Leads to Self-Discipline

2007-05-30

Once, King Wen of Chu was given a hunting dog named Ruhuang and sharp bamboo sticks called Wanlu. He fashioned arrows and then he and his dog went on a three month hunt to Yumenze. He met up with three beautiful women from the Danyang State and stayed with them for a year. His playboy days were in full swing. It was rumoured that for King Wen, his dog, sharp arrows, and the Danyang beauties came first before the affairs of Chu.

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Stories from Ancient China: The Power of the Pen

2007-05-29

On New Year's Eve, he had a dream in which two men in black called him into a magnificent, official hall. In the centre of the hall, an emperor sat on a chair and two officials dressed in red stood at his sides, holding a long paper with many names on it. The emperor was writing on the list with a brush pen. After he was done writing, one of the red-robed officials called Wang by name to come in.

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