Art and Culture

Art | Music | Poetry | Literature | Culture | New Science | Ancient Cultivation Stories

Natural and Eternal Music from Heaven

2008-07-07

"Good, kind music will benefit its audience and steer them toward morality. Bad music will cause its audience to lose self-control and steer them toward degeneration. Music must be created to spread morality. One must never perform bad music that will ruin people's morality!"

more ...
Confucian Wisdom on the Ways of Treating Others

2008-07-06

Confucius said that one needs to cultivate oneself in order to treat others well. Treating others is not the goal, but improving oneself to a higher level is. Confucius took loyalty, respect, humility and reliability as the prerequisites for being a noble man. A noble man can reach "kindness" through self-criticism and treating others with kindness and forbearance.

more ...
Confucius: The Way to Becoming a Gentleman Lies in Understanding Virtue

2008-07-05

Therefore, a gentleman is someone who understands the true meaning of life and enjoys lifelong happiness. He will not have personal, vested interests in mind. A gentleman's worries are not worries about personal fame and gain, but worries about the entire world. What they shoulder is responsibility and consideration for others, a manifestation of a selfless and altruistic realm.

more ...
Poem: Precious Hearts

2008-06-30

Such precious lives, fragileToo long have you suffered in fear.Such precious lives, defiledIn silence you shed tears.

more ...
Poem: Sichuan

2008-06-29

As the earth tremblesAnd buildings fall,Your heart seized by fear.I think of your children,Such innocent lives,My eyes shedding tear.

more ...
Music, the Blossoming of Virtue

2008-06-23

There are many kinds and many levels of music. Only those tones that resonate in alignment with the Tao can be referred to as music. When inferior music goes against natural laws, allowing unrestrained human nature or desire, it will lead to the degeneration of a person or the destruction of a nation. On the other hand, tones that resonate at high levels are consistent with heavenly laws. When people listen to such music, their minds are lifted and nourished, leading towards virtuousness.

more ...
Poem: Flushing Out

2008-06-22

Shaken down in single thought, the cosmos shifts once more.Driven out by threshing wheel, the dragon demons roar.Standing in the shifting wind, what is there to fear?Throwing up the wheat and chaff, whose guiding hand is near?

more ...
Poem: The World Over

2008-06-20

Despite the most unprecedented persecution in history,We have remained steadfast upon our journey as individual cultivatorsAs a collective of 100 million strong in 50 countries throughout the world.

more ...
Ancient Ways of Conduct: Hold Character Firm in the Chaotic World, Virtue is Priceless

2008-06-17

One friend said to him, "Those pearls are just ripe, very juicy, very delicious. Why you didn't go take some?" Heng Xu replied, "This is not my dragon pearl tree. How could I eat from it? I don't want to go." Then his friend said, "Due to the war, it is a time of chaos, people die, people flee. This tree doesn't have an owner now. Don't worry, go eat some." Heng said, "Even if the pearl tree doesn't have an owner, my heart cannot be without an owner. Virtue is my heart's owner."

more ...
Poem: Where human conscience becomes a crime

2008-06-14

Where human conscience becomes a crimeand hearts poisoned turns eyes blindwhere truth revealed from freedom deniedand propaganda fuelled by the 'party line'.

more ...
Mencius Does Not Give Up Easily

2008-06-10

"If you care about others, but they still remain aloof, then you should ask yourself if you are truly kind. If you advice others unsuccessfully, you should ask yourself if you are truly wise. If you are courteous to others but they do no reciprocate, then you should ask yourself if you are truly sincere. When you do something but do not get a response, don't complain about others. You should first look within and find where you have to change yourself."

more ...
Poem: Golden Suns

2008-06-08

Where falling starsrise to golden suns,freedom tempered by flame.Where winters transformedinto a timeless spring,and hearts ascend one the same.

more ...
The Essence of a Gentleman Is to Know Virtue

2008-06-07

Confucius said, "Ancient gentlemen pursued loyalty and righteousness as their goal in life and used kindness for self-defense. They did not need to step out of their rooms to know about major affairs occurring a thousand miles away. They used loyalty and trust to inspire bad men and used righteousness and kindness to calm evildoers. What did they need to use a sword for?"

more ...
The Vital Force of the Plum Flower and the Spirit of Jade

2008-06-01

In the freezing winter, the plum blossom, which has been praised by people throughout history, foretells the coming of spring. It is elegant, pure, and charming. The far-reaching scent is pleasant, lofty, and respected. Its perseverance and vital force amidst rain and snow also motivate people to strive forward. The plum blossom is the most beautiful in winter, which gives people hope for the wonderfulness of spring.

more ...
Poem: Turning the Innocent into Criminals

2008-05-30

Where innocence fallsatrocities aboundwhere China's wallssilence every sound.

more ...