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Values & Virtues Fotolia
lessons from dizi gui
Lessons That Will Serve You for a Lifetime By Jade Pearce | Epoch Times Staff
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Dizi Gui (弟子规) (Standards for Being a Good Student and Child) is an ancient Chinese text for children that teaches moral values and proper etiquette. It was written during the Qing Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Kangxi (康熙帝) (1661-1722) by Li Yuxiu. Beneath the conservative, “old-school” verbose of this ancient classic, one can still find gems of wisdom that remain surprisingly relevant to our modern society. A new lesson is covered in each issue.
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e’ve come to the final part of the series, Lessons from Dizi Gui, where we cover the last two sentences of this classic text. The very last words of wisdom that Dizi Gui imparts are also the most important words the author wants its readers to remember— lessons that encapsulate the book’s teachings, and that one should carry with oneself through life. And this is the first of the two lessons to take to heart:
36 November 6–19, 2015
“Books not written by the sages should be discarded and not even looked at. Such books cloud the intellect and corrupt one’s heart and aspirations.” Here, we learn about the power of life-long learning and self-improvement. We must remain conscious of how we spend our limited time in this world, and the content we fill our minds with. Like our own bodies, a healthy mind arises from being nourished and challenged with the right content and values on a daily basis. On the other hand, if we fill our minds day after day with unsavoury and toxic things, the damage will become apparent many years down the road. A toxic and confused mind without wisdom, clarity, or virtue can be one of the worst things for a person to live with.
Emperor Kangxi’s Study Methods: Reciting a Book 120 times
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, one
of China’s greatest emperors, knew very well that one’s character was influenced by what one’s mind learned, particularly from a young age. He thus applied this to his large family of 35 sons and 20 daughters. Besides teaching his children hands-on experiences by taking them to hunting expeditions, inspection tours, and even to the warfront, Kangxi placed an even bigger emphasis on his children’s schooling. The princes had a designated classroom named “Wu Yi Zhai” (Room of No Leisure). Every day from 4-7 am, the princes revised and committed to memory the day’s study material, which were predominantly ancient Chinese classic texts written by the sages. When the princes could recite the assigned study material perfectly, the teachers would then allocate the next paragraph of material to memorise. Continued on the next page