Standing Upright like a Human Being

Standing is a posture that Heaven created for humans, while crawling is the way of existence made for animals. Not only are standing and crawling manifested by the body, but they are also reflected in the spirit. The reason for Heaven to give humans skin is to let humans stand with dignity, rather than them crawling like animals. What makes human beings human is their moral standard. If humans do not observe the human moral standard, there is no difference between humans and animals. We often refer to wicked people as “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”. We do not mean that their appearance is not human, but rather that they are morally degenerated, or they have done what humans are not supposed to do. If they do something offensive to God and reason, they would even be inferior to animals. Thus they would be referred to as the most evil beings, and what is ahead of them is absolute destruction.

Their bodies crawl on the ground while others’ spirit stands forever; the evil rots their flesh while others’ are as everlasting as the sun and the earth; their physical bodies are stained with mud while others’ moral character is as pure as a lotus; the evil deprives them of their freedom while others souls hover in the universe; their expression is dull while others’ shine; what they do seems to be mediocre while the sentient beings saved by others are countless; they look feeble while others’ wills are sturdier than steel. They endure hardships and stand steadfastly, striving without regret. With sincerity and kindness, they call for the spread of the truth of “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance” to the world as a whole, so as to expose the evil’s lies under the sun. They are making universal justice prevalent in a court of morality and conscience, and carve out a beautiful future for the worlds sentient beings…

Regardless of whether it is in Asia or the West, Heaven has stipulated an standard for humans to subsist by. In Asia, Confucianism requires people to abide by the principles of kindness, justice, righteousness, wisdom, and honesty; Buddhism demands having mercy in mind at all times, while Taoism advocates purity and emptiness. In the West, Christianity and Catholicism require people to follow the instructions given by God to discipline themselves and to love others. In fact, they are the different manifestations of the universal principles of “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance” at different levels in different dimensions. The only differences between them are culture, region and the way of manifestation.

We often refer to people with noble characters as gentlemen, heroes, loyal officials... such as Yao, Shun, Duke of Zhou, Tang Taizong, the Kanghsi Great Emperor, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, Yue Fei, Wen Tianxiang, Bao Zheng, Hai Rui. Their qualities of truthfulness, compassion, kindness and forbearance have become an everlasting moral milestone. They deserve to be human beings that stand upright. They are indeed great models, that have observed the spiritual requirements governed by Heaven. As for holy masters and saints such as Sakyamuni, Lao-tzu, Confucius, and Jesus, they were preachers with a mission endowed by Heaven. They are symbols of the humans’ noble spirit, and they are enlightened beings at a high level.

As an old saying goes: “Those who have no lusts speak louder.” The reason that the so-called gentlemen, heroes, loyal officials, holy masters and saints in history stand with dignity is because they were selfless and had high moral quality. As to those who were called cowards, treacherous court officials, dictators and thieves, their souls were overpowered by personal lusts and were morally degenerate. Though they were in human form, they lacked humanity, and would be disdained by others forever.

To be kind is just like going against a stream, and to be wicked is like drifting with a current. Throughout the ages, why are there so few people who stand with dignity while many live in degradation? It is because personal lusts are like waves. It takes perseverance to go against the current, and it is comfortable to drift with the current. Without Gods’ compassion and their own determination and courage to assimilate to the universal principles of “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance”, it would be very difficult for humans to make the right choice among the temptations of fame, personal interest and justice. Even if we slack off a little bit, we may still be shattered by the waves of personal lusts.

History is rolling forward continuously, and the billows of personal lusts exist incessantly. In this human world, how many people still can stand upright? When looking around, I find that 100 million people still stand upright with the belief in “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance”, regardless of the onslaught of evil persecution. In spite of the lures of fame, personal interest, gain and loss, they chose “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance”. Among imprisonment, cruel tortures, being homeless, loss of freedom and amenity, they chose “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance”. Between yielding to slanderous lies and insisting on the truth, they chose “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance”. Between life and death, they still chose “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance”.

For those who believe in and support “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance”, their soul is standing upright, and their future is bright. For those who are against “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance”, their soul is crawling and twisted. Their future is terrible. At the critical moment of history, Heaven once again gives human beings a kind apocalypse, “Those standing upright will be eternal, and the ones crawling will be ruined.” It’s up to them to be kind, wicked, standing or crawling: if they believe in “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance”, their choice is standing, and they will have a bright future. If they yield to evil, they are choosing to crawl, and they will fall into a bottomless abyss. Dear sentient beings: for your own future, please believe in “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance!” Please choose to stand!

Chinese version available at http://www.yuanming.net/articles/200307/21999.html