During the reign of Emperor Wenzuan of the Qi dyansty, Sengan cultivated on Wangwu Mountain and had two dozen disciples following him. When he began to teach the Nirvana Sutra, a female pheasant would crawl over to the side of a seat to listen. When the monks were having a meal, it would go out to search for food. No matter whether it was day or night, it would come to listen to the dharma. But, strangely, the pheasant stopped coming before Sengan finished volume three of the sutra. Everyone thought it was odd.

At the time, Yue Fei was on his way to victory in fighting the invading Jin troops in the north. Yue's army had a slogan: "Do not take people's house even if the soldiers are freezing; do not loot even if the soldiers are starving." The people respected them for this.

Mao started as an officer in the Prime Minister's office. One day, a stranger stopped Mao's horse-drawn cart and claimed that the horse belonged to him. Mao asked, “How long ago did you lose your horse?” The man said, “More than a month ago.” Mao had owned this horse for several years. He knew the man had made a mistake, but he turned the horse over to the man without a word. Mao pulled the cart himself and said, “If it's not yours, please return it to the Prime Minister's office.”

The voices said: “Several hundred people should die on the bridge this year. They are wicked, dissolute, or unfilial persons. Now check the names according to the death list. For those who are on the list but have not yet come, quickly urge them to come; for those not on the list, tell them to leave.” Many voices replied in the sky: “Yes! We will follow your orders!” Hearing those voices, the local residents were startled and terrified, they dared not speak.

Bodhidharma was born in a Brahman family in the southern India. He was cheerful, wise, and had a rather high enlightenment quality. He focused all his energy on studying in the Mahayana or "Great Vehicle" school.

Li Guang was a general in the Han Dynasty of ancient China. He was born in Chengji, Longxi County (which is now part of Gansu Province). General Li was outstanding both in his combat ability and creative talent. He fought Xiongnu more than seventy times and accomplished remarkable feats. The Xiongnu called him, the "Flying General of the Han Dynasty" and dared not invade the central plains because of him.

Taoist Zheng performed his regular routine: he chanted incantations, drew some symbols, and then held a sword and declared something loudly. After a while, accompanied by cold winds and splashes of rain, a deity wearing a tall hat and carrying a heavenly axe in hand appeared. The deity said, "I am the Thunder Deity, I come to Master Zheng's summon. Please tell me what I should do."

Unfortunately, just then General Shi Hu was killed and the Central Plains were in political upheaval. Roads leading to the southern regions of the country were so impassable that he could only wait patiently. Later, when he found out that Shi Daoan, an eminent monk, was spreading Buddhist dharma in the Taixing Mountains, he went there to listen to the dharma, where he reached enlightenment. Together with his younger brother, Huichi, they became monks.

Zisi replied, "If a king thinks that he's perfect, then no one dares to voice their opinions. Even if the king does the right thing without listening to other peoples' opinions, it still is the same as his having rejected others' opinions. Not to mention that currently the ministers all echo a wrong opinion and encourage this bad mentality. Instead of judging whether something is right or wrong, the king enjoys being praised by others. He is being irrational...."

He knew that he couldn't afford to do it by his own efforts. So he made a book for recording contributions and wrote a preface for it. He donated 10 liangs (50 grams equal one liang) of silver first. He then carried the donation book and went to many wealthy gentlemen and his classmates asking for donations. After collecting enough money, he had the temple repaired and the wings of the blue phoenix connected back to its body.

Li Shimian was an imperial academician in the Ming dynasty of ancient China. One year, he went to see lantern show on the night of the Lantern Festival (January 15th) and found a gold hairpin while on his way. So he put up a note on his front door the following day to find the owner of the lost property.

"...In your remaining two or three years, you should seize the time to cultivate your virtue diligently, and then you can possibly extend your lifespan. One bit of virtue can eliminate a hundred mishaps. You can also enjoy a life of being a high-ranking official with a lot of good fortune. So there is no need for you to be worried that you cannot extend your life. You should try your best to accumulate virtue. Let’s meet again in three years.” After saying these words, the fortune-teller walked out and left. Liu bade farewell with tears in his eyes.

After seeing his parents being tortured in the netherworld, the son of the high-ranking official was extremely frightened. He rushed quickly to Yan Province, spent a lot of money to set up an altar to conduct a religious offering ceremony. He invited Buddhist monks and Daoist priests to chant scriptures to eliminate the disasters, and to pray to the gods for the release of and pardon of his parents’ from this punishment

They asked Ms. Liu why her mother-in-law liked her. She answered, "It is just due to obedience. I comply with all her instructions and am not moved by her provocations. Even for matters that do not accord to etiquette or tasks that are considered inappropriate for women to do, I do not shirk them. Afterwards, I seek an opportunity to calmly explain whether it was right or wrong. This way my mother-in-law regularly listens to me."

Mr. Yuan Xian was a disciple of the virtuous an wise Confucius. He was respected for living contentedly as a poor scholar and leading a simple, virtuous life. His thatched house had a door made of tree branches and straw and a leaky roof that often left the inside of the house wet. Despite this, Yuan Xian did not experience it as hardship; he devoted himself to studying Confucianism and lived happily.

Tao Qian, also called Tao Yuan Ming, is a great writer from the Jin dynasty of ancient China and is considered to be the earliest and most famous poet in China. It is not an exaggeration to say that all successful poets in different dynasties in China were all influenced by him. He loved nature and freedom of thought, without paying attention to perseonal fame. He gave up his position as a county mayor and went to live in the countryside.

In history there was a businessman named Cheng Bolin who lived in Yangzhou City. He was a pious man who respected Buddhas and Gods. One summer a northern troop invaded and took Yangzhou City. Cheng prayed to the gods and asked for help. In his dream a god told him that all the other 16 members of his family would pass through this catastrophe safely, except for him.

Kang said to his disciples, "Buddha Sakyamuni has entered nirvana and the responsibility now lies with us. A divine manifestation should have occurred but it seems we were unable to touch the Buddha's heart. If we are so useless, there is no need to wait for punishment by the ruler. We should make vows that if a divine intervention does not occur, we will pay with our own lives!"

Xingling did not talk much and was always bullied by others, but he never became angry. Everyone in the village called him a fool. His father and brother also thought that he was foolish and sent him to the field to watch over the grain fields.

After he got drunk and returned home, the Xiu Cai sat idly and let his fantasies run wild. “When I pass the next level of civil service examination, I will take the neighbor's young maid Ageng as my concubine. I shall build a luxury mansion and buy extravagant frocks for her.” After midnight, he was still having fantasies about his life with the beautiful Ageng. When his wife hurried him to go to bed, he spat the tea in her face and shouted insults. “You are a vat of vinegar! A vat of vinegar!”

Prison guards are forcing a Falun Gong practitioners head into a bucket of human feces. One of the guards covers his own nose because of the overpowering stench, whilst a pregnant female Falun Gong practitioner can be seen hanging in the background.

Tan Zhao was very surprised at what he saw and said, "Many years ago, I saw that you had a countenance of good fortune but why has that changed? Your Tianting (forehead) looked full but now it seems collapsed; your Dige was round but now it has sharpened. Further more, there is dark Qi surrounding the centre of your palms. This means there is calamity awaiting you, you need to be careful. Your physiognomy has changed so much. I wonder what unethical things have you done?"

One Chinese New Year's Eve while all the families in town were celebrating the New Year and playing with fireworks, the two looked at each other and sighed because they lived in such abject poverty that they were unable to go home and celebrate the New Year. Suddenly, they heard a noise outside as loud as thunder. They hurried out of the temple only to find a giant rock had split open, revealing a treasure within. He Rushen was overjoyed beyond belief. He decided it must be a gift from Heaven out of pity for their poverty. He wanted to ship the treasure home.

Yan Shu lived in the Song Dynasty of ancient China and was known to be kind and honest from the time he was very young. He was also bright and eager to learn. When he was only seven years old, he was able to write excellent articles. By 15 years old, he was honoured as a genius and recommended to the Emperor by the county governor due to his extreme intelligence.

Lotus flowers grow out of the mud yet bloom to be pure and unpolluted. They are called the 'true gentlemen of flowers'. Poems about lotus flowers have always been present in China. Legend has it that the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss [a heavenly paradise said to be Buddha Amitabha's paradise] is filled with lotus flowers whose majestic beauty cannot be described in words.

One day, a rich merchant needed to cross the river. Gong discovered that he was very wealthy, and carried many valuable possessions. Thinking about all the money he pushed him into the water when the boat reached the middle of the river. The merchant drowned, Gong took all of his belongings, and with his new swag he quit his fishing and started a business. Soon, he had a son.

The five thousand years of traditional culture in China is very profound, containing a very deep and scientific understanding of material manifestations and of the spirit. Its understanding of the universe, life, the human body, far surpasses that of today's science and the limitations of its so-called "scientific method." However, nowadays there aren't many who can truly understand the righteous inner meanings and value of traditional Chinese culture.

Qin Qing was not angry, nor did he stop Xue Tan. Instead, Qin Qing provided a farewell banquet for him in the suburbs. At the banquet Qin Qing sang mournful songs for him. The songs were so fantastic that the nearby woods were moved, and the clouds seemingly stopped and listened.

The character "Ren" (忍, forbearance) is composed of the element "xin" (心, heart) which represents the meaning, and the element "ren" (刃, knife blade) which represents the sound. "Ren" means to endure, to forbear, and to tolerate. It also contains the connotation of self-restraint and self-control. The character "Ren" (forbearance) is formed by placing the "knife" over the "heart," as if implying "Ren" (forbearance) is not easily achieved by ordinary people, but requires a higher level of cultivation, discipline, and will.

The Greeks spread their myths to the world. The Americans print "In God We Trust" on their dollar bill. The Apollo Temple in Egypt is world famous, and with the spread of Yoga, the Indian Myth of Shiva has widely spread around the world. Since the Renaissance, European literature and artists have as their mission sung the praises of God. But how many Westerners know about the Chinese gods Pangu, Nuwa, Shengnong and the Eight Immortals?

There once was a little monk called Miaoyan. One time, when he was visiting the Emperor’s palace, the Empress saw him. She thought he was very cute and adorable, so she wanted to give him a hug. However, Miaoyan stopped her and said, "You should not come too close to a monk." The Empress did not agree, saying, "You are about the same age as my son and there is nothing wrong with me giving you a hug."

Dong Yong was from the Qianchen area of the Han Dynasty, currently north of Gaoyuan Town, Gaoqing County, Shandong Province. After his mother died when he was a child, he did his best to serve and care for his father. He worked hard to give his father a happy life. When he went to the field to farm, he pulled his father on his cart to the field. His father rested besides the field so he did not feel lonely. After his father died, he did not have money to bury him. He sold himself to be a servant and used the money to bury his father.

When he was 20 years old he had yet to take up serious studies, though he enjoyed swimming, hunting, and was fond of falcons and dogs. He often stood upside down on his hands and leaned against a wall to rest. One day he met a Taoist who told him, "Although you are very good at this, you may one day fall suddenly into a calamity, and then it will be too late!"

This painting depicts a young woman doing the fifth exercise of Falun Gong, "Way of Strengthening Divine Powers." The clear water and blue sky reflect her tranquility and give a feeling of her union with heaven while she meditates. The four "Cherubs" play amidst an energy field.

After Sir Shuijing heard the three stories, he nodded in appreciation, "Zhuge Liang will be an outstanding fellow!" He immediately asked the young servant to take him to Longzhong to invite Zhuge Liang back in person.

When Su Shi was in Hangzhou, he visited the Longevity Deity's Temple on the shore of the West Lake, with his friend Can Liao. After Su Shi looked around, he told Can, "I have never been here before in my life, but everything here seems so familiar. From here to the Hall of Repentance, there should be 92 stairs." Others counted and it was indeed as he said. Su Shi also told Can, "I was a monk in the mountains in my last life. I used to live here in this temple." Since then, he often visited and rested in the temple.