《太上感應篇》Vol. 15

This scripture illustrates the dangers of "encroaching upon what others cherish" through two stories, while emphasizing the importance of cultivators maintaining steadfastness.

The first story recounts how Xu Zhenjun (the renowned Daoist immortal Xu Xun) tested his disciples. Leading three hundred disciples to Nanchang to eliminate a serpent demon, he used Daoist magic at night to transform three hundred pieces of charcoal into beautiful women. Only Wu Meng and Shi Dao resisted temptation, while the other 298 succumbed to lust. This demonstrates that without severing desires, practitioners are easily led astray by external temptations.

The second story involves the Song dynasty official Tao Gu during a diplomatic mission to the Southern Tang. Though Tao projected an image of moral rectitude, Southern Tang minister Han Xizai saw through his facade. Han arranged for the famous courtesan Qin Ruolan to pose as an innkeeper's daughter and approach Tao. Tao fell for the ruse and composed romantic verses for her. Later, during a banquet hosted by the Southern Tang ruler, Qin publicly sang these verses, leaving Tao utterly humiliated. Upon returning to court, he was sidelined due to the scandal.

The text further recounts how Wen Yanbo (Duke Wen of Lu) in Sichuan was accused of frequent banqueting. Imperial censor He Tan (styled Shengcong) was sent to investigate. Zhang Yu (styled Shaoyu), one of Wen's advisors, knew He had once favored a camp courtesan named Yang. Cleverly, Zhang inscribed a verse on the courtesan's headscarf: "The fair maiden of Shu famed for her slender waist / The Eastern Censor once adored her enchanting grace." This hinted that He too had vulnerabilities. The story reinforces how encroaching upon others' cherished things invites retaliation.

These tales collectively warn: cultivation requires cutting off greed; governance demands upright conduct. Those who seize what others cherish or indulge selfish desires will ultimately reap the consequences.

This scripture recounts several stories that reveal the moral dilemmas arising from human desires.

The first story describes how Duke Lu hosted a banquet for Sheng Cong, deliberately arranging courtesans to recite poetry as entertainment. Though Sheng Cong appeared solemn on the surface, he became intoxicated and lost his composure due to their beauty, leading the emperor to cease summoning him thereafter. This illustrates how even those who are usually upright can still succumb to temptation. Both Tao Gu and Sheng Cong failed to sever their inner desires, mistaking the illusory physical body for reality and becoming mired in attachment.

The second section employs verses to point out: people cherish themselves more than precious jade and love their children as dearly as themselves. Yet why do they cruelly exploit others? This mirrors the lesson from the Han Dynasty, which nearly collapsed due to conflicts over coveted jade.

The third part cites Buddhist teachings on the blessings of guiding others toward virtue: instructing people in goodness yields seven kinds of merit, such as dispelling anger to attain dignified features, practicing compassion and non-killing to gain longevity, and refraining from theft to obtain wealth. These far surpass the consequences of encouraging wrongdoing.

Finally, the text cites the example of Li Zhichun during the Yuanfeng era, who governed Chengdu with benevolence, bringing peace and prosperity to Sichuan. He paid special attention to burying unclaimed corpses, embodying true virtuous governance.

Through historical anecdotes and Buddhist doctrine, this passage admonishes people to restrain desires and guide others toward goodness, emphasizing that true blessings arise from compassionate and altruistic deeds.

This passage recounts two karmic tales illustrating the principle of retribution. The first tells of Xu Xi's virtuous reward: As a minor official in Meizhou responsible for burying unclaimed remains, Xu Xi diligently performed his duties. One day, a commoner named Wang Bin witnessed in the underworld several underworld officials in crimson and purple robes summoning Xu Xi. They declared that because Li Zhichun had meritoriously buried desiccated bones, he would be appointed prefect of Chengdu, while Xu Xi—due to his meticulous documentation work—would be granted a son who would pass the imperial examinations. Indeed, during the Yuanyou era's third year (1088), Li Zhichun was promoted to Academician of the Baowen Pavilion and concurrently Prefect of Chengdu, while Xu Xi's son Xu Shi passed the imperial examinations that same year.

The second story recounts evil retribution: During the Zhenghe era (1111-1118) when the Western Inner Palace was being constructed, Transport Commissioner Song Sheng, obsessed with achieving smooth palace walls, forcibly requisitioned ox bone ash. This led commoners to slaughter oxen and horses while grave robbers exhumed bones from tombs. Advisor Sun Kuang resigned in protest, whereas Han Rong suggested excavating ancient tombs outside the city for bones. Later, Sun Kuang witnessed in the underworld Song Sheng and Wang Shu suffering iron-fan torture, with Han Rong also being summoned for judgment. Ultimately, Han Rong's entire household perished as karmic retribution.

These contrasting tales demonstrate how assisting virtuous deeds brings blessings while abetting wickedness invites calamity. The passage concludes with a rhetorical question: Since aiding evil brings immediate retribution, how could one possibly engage in such acts?

This passage focuses on the disastrous consequences of throwing one’s weight around and abusing power. Through several historical stories, it shows how people who exploit their authority and oppress the common people ultimately bring ruin upon themselves.

It begins by quoting Kou Laigong’s “Six Regrets”: An official who bends the law for personal gain will regret it when he loses his position; one who fails to live frugally in times of plenty will regret it when poverty comes; one who neglects to learn a skill when young will regret it in old age; one who refuses to study when the opportunity arises will regret it when knowledge is needed; one who gets drunk and speaks recklessly will regret it when sober; and one who neglects to care for their health will regret it when illness strikes. These are important rules for avoiding regret.

The passage then tells the story of He Jie. While serving as a military administrative secretary, he threw his weight around, beating officials and ordinary people to make a show of his authority. He was also arrogant and disrespectful toward his superiors, and often berated and insulted his colleagues. When he wanted to abolish Guang’an Army, someone produced an essay written by his father showing that it should not be abolished. He replied, “Every matter should be settled through public discussion.” In the end, he was impeached and dismissed. At his hearing in the Kaifeng Prefecture, he tried to be clever, writing just one large character on each sheet of paper to evade the matter. He was convicted of submitting false statements and stripped of his official position. Could he not have regretted what he had done then?

Finally, the passage recounts the story of Du Xunhe. Before he became successful, he dreamed that a monk warned him, “If you throw your weight around and abuse your power, you will die.” Later, after winning the favor of Emperor Taizu of Liang, he began acting with reckless impunity and even planned to kill people he disliked. He died suddenly before he could carry out his plans.

These stories all make the same point: Heaven will not permit people to bully others by abusing their power. Those who throw their weight around will ultimately bring ruin upon themselves. It is like trying to put out a fire with firewood or stop boiling water by adding more hot water: the only result is greater calamity. Good and evil are inevitably repaid, just as a debt is certain to be collected when its holder presents the written bond.

These stories illustrate how seeking victory through humiliating others ultimately brings retribution. The first tale tells of a cattle herder who mocked his own ox by calling it "baldy." The enraged ox deliberately slowed its pace, causing the man to lose his wager. Even animals retaliate when humiliated—how much more so humans?

Next comes the story of Xiao Lun, Prince of Shaoling during the Southern Dynasties. At a banquet, Zhang Zuan contemptuously told Wu Gui, "You should feel fortunate to attend this feast today." Wu Gui stormed out in fury. When his son heard of the insult, he died of rage on the spot. Overcome with grief, Wu Gui soon perished, followed by his wife who succumbed to anger as well. People said, "Zhang Zuan's single cup of wine killed three members of the Wu family."

There was also a man from Huizhou named Yu Yanfu who bullied neighbors and seized their farmland his whole life without repentance. On his deathbed, he suddenly developed a strange illness—his limbs transformed into horse-hoof shapes before he died days later.

The passage concludes by quoting the Daode Jing (Classic of the Way and Virtue): "To conquer others is to have force; to conquer yourself is to be truly strong." These stories collectively warn that asserting dominance through humiliation inevitably invites calamity. As the commentary observes: When insulted, people naturally react with fury. Attempting to intimidate through further humiliation rather than dignified restraint only escalates conflict.

This passage records the achievements of several ancient officials who constructed water conservancy projects to benefit the people. At its core, it illustrates how irrigation works improved farmland, embodying a higher principle than simply "not destroying others' crops"—actively helping farmers increase their yields.

During the Tang Dynasty, when Gao Fu served as an official in Tangzhou, the region was sparsely populated. He recruited displaced people from the Yellow River and Huai River regions, allocating farmland according to household size, adding over 10,000 new families and reclaiming more than 30,000 mu of fertile land. Even barren mountains and wild hills were transformed into productive fields.

When Zhang Lun served as Deputy Transport Commissioner of Jianghuai, he dredged five waterways, diverting water from Lake Tai to irrigate farmland, reducing the annual tax burden by 600,000 hu of grain. In Xingyuan Prefecture, Xu Di oversaw the reconstruction of the Shanhe Weir, irrigating over 40,000 qing of farmland.

Lu Youkai restored abandoned reservoirs (artificial lakes) in Queshan County, irrigating thousands of qing of land. Cheng Shimeng surveyed the Fen River and Jin River basins in Shizhou, constructing canals wherever water was available in the valleys, opening up over 1,000 qing of fertile land.

When Xu Gui served as magistrate of Danyang during a severe drought, he defied the ban and opened the Lian Lake (violating the prohibition on breaching dikes, which was punishable by death) to provide emergency relief. That year, the harvest flourished across tens of thousands of qing of land. In Yueyang County, Chen Shenghua restored the Zheng-Bai Canal irrigation system, breaking the monopoly of powerful landowners and benefiting thousands of qing of farmland.

In Longxi County, Wang Ji reclaimed a reservoir spanning dozens of li that had been monopolized by wealthy families, making it available for irrigation across the entire county and eliminating the threat of drought. Miao Shizhong restored ancient waterways in Ningling County.

These officials all adhered to the higher principle of "not destroying others' crops"—ensuring agricultural productivity at its root through water conservancy projects. Whether by resettling displaced people to reclaim wasteland, restoring ancient canals, or dismantling the monopolies of local elites, they demonstrated through concrete actions the duty of officials to bring prosperity to the people under their governance.

This passage recounts stories and principles about how interfering with others' marriages brings retribution.

The first story is about Zheng Hezhong: In his youth, he was betrothed to a daughter of the Wang family. Later, after his father passed away and his family fell into decline, the Wangs sought to break off the engagement. Though the marriage was eventually forced through, the couple's relationship soured, and Zheng died in despair. After death, he lodged a complaint in the underworld, and all those who had participated in the discussion to annul the engagement died one after another—only his original wife, Lady Wang, who had never harbored thoughts of betrayal, was spared. Later, the Wang family's son had his own marriage dissolved after two years—this was the retribution.

Another story tells of Yang Hong, who despised his son-in-law Yao Gong for lacking scholarly learning and forcibly dissolved their marriage. His daughter died in resentment, and during her funeral, supernatural phenomena occurred. Yang Hong himself later died suddenly before his daughter's spirit tablet.

The passage concludes: Marriage is a fundamental principle of Heaven and Earth, and should be based on matching virtue (De). The state of Qi perished because its rulers failed to take proper wives, and Zi Zhe (a figure from the Spring and Autumn period) nearly ruined his virtue by coveting beauty. Destroying another's marriage is like killing with a blade—it invites divine punishment. Whether breaking a premarital vow or forcibly separating a married couple, such acts violate the great Dao of human relations.

(Note: The "Eastern Peak of Quzhou" refers to the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak (Dongyue Dadi) in Daoism, who oversees underworld judgment; "investigation of human roots" refers to the underworld's verification of sins. These stories illustrate the Daoist concept of "inherited accountability" (chengfu), where the consequences of good and evil deeds extend to those involved.)

This passage discusses the karmic consequences of harmful speech. When a person habitually sows discord ("xuchan" refers to stirring up trouble) and secretly commits malicious acts ("zuonie" means doing evil), such behavior can sever the ancestral blessings that sustain a family's lineage for generations.

Even a single harmful utterance ("yiyu zhi zei" - one thieving phrase) can create profound negative karma. Daoist teachings emphasize that speech carries powerful causal power - malicious words not only damage others' virtue (De), but also invoke retribution from the celestial Dao. This aligns with the modern wisdom that "trouble comes from the mouth," reminding practitioners to cultivate careful speech and mindful action.