[Liao-Fan]: I have only explained the above ten categories in summary, now I will explain each in detail and example: [Liao-Fan]: What is meant by "supporting the practice of kindness"? In the Yu Dynasty, there once was an emperor by the name of Shwun. One day, before he became emperor, Shwun was watching some fishermen on Lake Lei-ze. He noticed that all the younger and stronger fishermen took the spots where the water was deep and the fish were abundant, while the older and weaker fishermen were left with the rapids and shallow water, where there were very few fish. When Shwun saw this situation, he felt sympathy for the older and weaker fishermen, and thought of a way turn the situation around. He decided to join in the fishing party to set an example for the others. Whenever he saw fishermen plunder good fishing spots, he would conceal their faults and never even spoke of that their selfishness. When he saw those who were humble and yielding, he praised them everywhere he went and even followed their humble and polite ways. Shwun stayed and fished like this for a whole year until the other fishermen got into the habit of yielding good fishing spots to others.
[Narrator]: This story of Shwun is only an example to show how a person influences others through his actions, and not through his speech. It is not meant to encourage people to fish, because fishing is an act of killing. Please refrain from sports which take the lives of others.
[Liao-Fan]: A wise and intelligent man such as Shwun could have easily influenced others with a few words of advice. Why didn't he just say something instead of personally joining the gathering? You should understand that Shwun didn't want to use words, but preferred to set an example for others through his own actions. Shwun wanted those fishermen to feel ashamed of their own selfish behavior and change on their own accord. This really shows how deep and sincere Shwun's wish was for others to practice kindness. [Liao-Fan]: In today's era of low morality, social breakdown, and loss of proper thinking, it is most difficult to find a good standard of behavior. Therefore, when those around us have shortcomings, we should not use our good points to highlight their deficiencies. When the other person is unkind, we should not use our kindness to measure or compare ourselves to them. When others are not as capable as we are, we should not purposely surpass them with our abilities. Even when we are intelligent and competent, these skills should be kept hidden and not boasted of. Instead, we should behave even more humbly than ever. We should look upon our skills and abilities as unimportant, false, and unreal. When someone makes a mistake, we should tolerate it and conceal it, giving them a chance to reform without losing their self-respect. When we let the person keep his dignity, he will be even more careful of his actions in the future. When we see strengths and kindness in others, we should learn from them, praise them, and make their goodness known to others. In daily life, we should refrain from speaking and acting with selfish intentions, but instead seek to benefit society and the public. We can make beneficial laws and regulations for the public to follow. These are the qualities of a great man, since he thinks of the public welfare as more important than his own.
[Liao-Fan]: What is meant by "harboring love and respect for others"? Sometimes it is hard to tell from appearance whether a person is a gentleman or a scoundrel, since scoundrels can pretend to be gentlemen. The difference lies in their intentions: A gentleman's intentions are good, and a scoundrel's intentions are wicked. There is a great distance between the two, and they are as different as black and white. Mencius has said, [Mencius]: The difference between gentlemen and common people lies in their intentions. [Liao-Fan]: A gentleman's heart is only filled with love and respect for others. There are thousands of different types of people in this world, some close to us, some strangers, some in high class and some in low, some smart while others are not, and some virtuous and some sinful, but nevertheless, they are our fellow mankind. They are like us, alive in flesh and blood, and they have feelings. There isn't a single person whom I should hate and disrespect. When your hearts are full of love and respect for others, it is the same as if your heart is full of love and respect for the saints and sages. When you understand others, it is the same as if you understand the saints and sages. Why?
[Narrator]: Because all the saints and sages want the people on this earth to lead happy, productive lives.
[Liao-Fan]: Therefore, if we can love and respect people and make them peaceful and happy, we are doing the job of a saint or sage.
[Liao-Fan]: What is meant by "helping others to succeed"? If we cast away raw jade, then this stone would be like any other worthless stone. But if we were to carve and polish it, it could be transformed into a priceless jewel. It is the same with people. A person needs to be taught and guided, just as a jade needs to be carved and polished. When we see someone whom we feel has good potentials doing a good deed or working towards a proper goal, we should guide, support, praise, and encourage him, helping him succeed in his endeavors. If he is ever wrongly accused by another, you should try to clear his name and share his burden of slander. Only when you have helped him stand on his feet and be a part of good society would you have fulfilled your share of responsibility in helping others to succeed.
[Liao-Fan]: Most people dislike those who are different from them, such as a scoundrel versus a gentleman, and a bad person versus a good person. In villages, there are usually more bad people than virtuous ones. Since there are always more bad people around, a good person is often being taken advantage of; therefore a good person often has a hard time standing on his own. Frankness and modesty are the usual characteristics of good people, they do not care much for their appearance. On the other hand, an average uneducated person often only pays attention to another's outer appearance. They like to gossip and make accusations; so, striving to do good turns out to be quite a challenge. A good person can easily be wrongly accused. When this happens, it is entirely up to the goodness and virtue of an elder to correct the actions of those who are bad and guide them back to the right track. It is also up to these elders to protect and help those who are good and need to stand on their own. The highest merit is achieved by those who can preserve good and rid evil.
[Liao-Fan]: What is meant by "persuading others to practice kindness"? As humans, we all have a conscience, but chasing after wealth and fame has kept us constantly busy and forgetful of our good conscience. We have become willing to stoop very low as long there is something to be gained from it. When a friend is about to ignore his good conscience to do something unworthy, we must remind and warn him, hoping to wake him from his muddled state of mind. It is like waking up someone when they're having a nightmare, it is up to us shake them into reality. When a person is undergoing a long spell of depression, we have to pull him out of it and help him clear his mind. You are most virtuous if you can treat your friends with such kindness. A scholar named Han once said: [Scholar Han]: By word of mouth, one can only persuade and influence another momentarily. It is easily forgotten with the passing of time and events. No one else would have heard what you have said. If you can persuade and influence others through written works, your words can be passed on for hundreds of generations around the world. Therefore, writing to promote virtue is an act of great speech, and is a most virtuous deed.
[Liao-Fan]: Here we talked about how we can persuade others by word of mouth and by writing books to promote virtue. Compared with the previous category of helping others to succeed, this is much more direct and obvious. However, the treatment of an illness with the right medicine sometimes proves to have special effects; therefore, we should not give up. It is also important how we do it. For instance, if a person is too stubborn, you should not persuade him with words. If you do, then you are wasting both your words and energy. If a person is gentle and willing to listen, but you fail to persuade him, then you have just missed a golden opportunity to do good. Either way is because you are not wise enough to tell the difference. You should then reflect to see what you did wrong so next time you will do it right and won't waste any more words or lose another opportunity.
