Thought Essays ⁽¹³⁷⁾

In China today there is a strange phenomenon: lofty, noble feelings have become objects of ridicule. This is a manifestation of the decay of our whole society's spiritual civilization. We envy Westerners—their orderly social order, the strong sense of social responsibility of their business people,…

Only after dwelling in a low place do you know the danger of climbing high; only after dwelling in the dark do you know how exposed is facing the light; only after keeping still do you know the exhaustion of being forever active; only after…

After Mr. Hu Shi died, Chiang Kai-shek sent him this elegiac couplet: In memory of the late Mr. Shizhi A model of old morality within the new culture A paragon of new thought within the old ethics Respectfully mourned by Zhongzheng This couplet is the…

The heart of compassion is common to all people. — Mencius The British economist Alfred Marshall said that the motive force of an economic man comes first from egoism, but that in the end this egoism more or less consciously develops into altruism. This process…

Knowing all appearances are not appearances, yet wishing to be passionless while still feeling. — Li Shenzhi Nothing but heart-rending pain can crush the four maras; nothing but gut-breaking sorrow can extinguish the five poisons. The eight sufferings of life—birth, old age, illness, death, parting…

When the heart is at peace, a thatched hut stands firm; when the nature is settled, even turnip roots taste sweet. The ways of the world are seen only in stillness; human bonds endure longest when kept light. — Excerpted from Mingxin Baojian (Mirror of…

I have an ideal that, when spoken aloud, makes many people laugh: I hope to found in China a clinic like the Mayo Clinic in America. Starting from the faintest beginnings, built through the efforts of several generations, it would one day become a true…

If a person loves a cause, he must have a devout heart; only with a devout heart can he penetrate into the very marrow of the cause he loves. A devout person is one who has already taken the ideal into his soul. From ancient…

The past mind cannot be grasped; the present mind cannot be grasped; the future mind cannot be grasped. —From the Diamond Sutra The human mind is changeable; one thought lasts but an instant, and after that instant passes, a new thought arises. Neither others nor…

One day my elder brother said to me: what is a cause you love? A cause you love is the kind of cause that may make you feel fatigued, but will never make you feel weary. This sentence left a deep impression on me; no…