Chinese people often say, “Heaven has eyes.”, and believe this to be an absolute truth. Today, we will bring you a story from the Zhou Dynasty which demonstrates Ancient China’s reverence for the Gods.
According to the Book of Shang, one year after the Zhou Dynasty was conquered by the Shang Dynasty, Emperor Wuwang became very ill.
Wuwang ‘s loyal advisor, Zhougong set up an altar and prayed to the three former emperors of the Zhou Dynasty, pledging his own life as collateral. He said “Your grandson is very ill. I am willing to die if Wuwang lives and serve the gods and ghosts in his place”. Zhougong continued to say “Wuwang has been appointed by the Heaven to rule in the world, and as such, the lives of people are stable and they revere the Gods. Please let Wuwang continue his duties and consider my request before deciding who’s life to take.”
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Zixia and Zengzi were both students of Confucius. One day, they met each other on the street. Zengzi carefully looked Zixia over from head to toe, and then asked, “In the past you had many illnesses and were always thin and weak. You seem to have gained weight and look energetic too.
” Zixia happily said, “I have recently won a battle, so I feel very happy and have gained weight as a result.”
Not understanding him Zengzi asked, “What do you mean?” Zixia replied, “One day I was reading in my study books about Yao (2353 – 2234 BC) , Yu (21st century BC) and Tang (15th century BC).
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The expression “Peach grove over yonder” means a place that is not affected by the outside world and it can also mean Shangri-La. It originated from “The Story of the Peach Grove” written by Tao Yuanming, a great writer from the Song Dynasty.
In the story, one day a fisherman from Wuling in Hunan Province rowed his boat up the river. After a long while, he saw a huge peach grove with splendid blossoms. He was overwhelmed with such scenery and continued to row. He then saw a small mountain with a small cave in the middle of the mountain. He was so curious that he got off his boat and crawled into the cave.
At the end of the cave, there appeared a broad, flat area. He kept walking and saw rows of houses neatly arranged with various crops growing in a fertile field. Many paths branched out in all directions from the middle of the field; many people were quite busy working in the field.
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Welcome back to Ancient Tales of Wisdom. We are sorry it has been gone for so long but we are now committed to bringing you more stories to enjoy every week.
HR Director, Michael Anderson
Cui Main, a poet from Tang Dynasty, was a high ranking official at various levels during his lifetime. He was well known for being a loyal and dutiful son, an incorruptible official, and the head of a household that was ruled by laws and principles. His behavior became the standard for the intellectuals. His son and grandson both became prime ministers. His family was called the family of prime ministers. Let’s just look at some of his conduct as a loyal and dutiful son.
Cui Mian was a loyal and dutiful son since he was very young. His father died when Cui Mian was very small. His mother was so sad and cried so much that her vision was severely damaged. Cui sold all the valuables in the family and sought a cure for his mother but failed. His mother eventually became blind.
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Three monks were discussing what was the hardest to come by in this world.The first monk said, “The hardest thing to obtain is youth, health, and longevity. You may be rich, but if you are old and sick, you cannot enjoy anything.”
The second monk said, “The hardest thing to find in this world is someone who knows you and is also your loyal partner. If you are in a powerful position, but you don’t have someone who will support you and care about you, you are just like a flower without its fragrance and the hovering butterflies.”
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The cultivation story of Su Xian Gong is reminiscent of many tales of the majestic nature developed
by true cultivation of the way. It is know that in true cultivation one must follow a righteous way
that also involves cultivating ones heart and mind moral nature. Enjoy another wonderful story
brought to you by the SOH Radio Network.
Cao Bin was born in today’s Linshou County, Hebei Province and helped to found the Northern Song Dynasty. Even with his long list of achievements and honors, Bin never showed off his accomplishments and thus gained the deep respect of the people.
On the fifth year of Xiande in the Latter Zhou Dynasty, Emperor Shizong asked Cao Bin to pay an official state visit to the kingdom of Wuyue. Wuyue tried to give him gifts on many occasions, offers which were always refused by Cao Bin.
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After God, Panggu, created Heaven and Earth, Goddess Nuuwa undertook the affairs on earth to make it prosperous. Descending from her heavenly kingdom, Nuuwa came to the eastern land. Seeing that Heaven and Earth were marvelously made, she was pleased.
But she saw something was missing. So she started to create. On the first day, Nuuwa [click to continue…]
Once upon a time many, many years ago, there lived in China two friends named Ki-wu and Pao-shu. These two young men, like Damon and Pythias, loved each other and were always together. No cross words passed between them; no unkind thoughts marred their friendship. Many an interesting tale might be told of their unselfishness, and of how the good fairies gave them the true reward of virtue.
One story alone, however, will be enough to show how strong was their affection and their [click to continue…]
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