advising against evil, good, justice, public sector, righteousness, song dynasty

Public Sector Work Is a Good Opportunity to Help Others

In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Ma Mo was the governor of Dengzhou in Shandong Province. He found a problem with the regulation of holding prisoners on the island of Shamen and had to devise a good solution. According to the rule of the Song Dynasty, the number of prisoners that could be held on Salmon ...

Emma Lu

A closeup view of jail cell iron bars casting shadows on the prison floor.

Story From Ancient China: Wang Wei Identifies the Melon Thief

Wang Wei (701-761) was a renowned poet of the Tang Dynasty. Beyond his poetic prowess, he was an expert in music, painting, and calligraphy. As a child, he was not only bright, but he also possessed a strong sense of justice. A melon mystery in the neighborhood Near Wang Wei’s home lived an elderly man ...

Max Lu

Illustration of an ancient Chinese scholar seated beneath a tree.

God’s Highest Reward for Good People: A Tale of Perception and Justice

Upon hearing people lament: “Good people don’t seem to get rewarded, while bad people seem to be living the good life. It’s unfair!” one might wonder what God’s thoughts are. Though God remains silent, the question continues to echo in the hearts of innocent children. In 1963, a girl named Mary Barney wrote a letter ...

Mikel Davis

Sunlight shining down on wildflowers.

How a Dream Solved Hong Kong’s Shocking Murder Case

This year, a sensational piece of news in Hong Kong was the mysterious murder and dismemberment of Cai Tianfeng, a celebrity in the city. The incident has deeply shocked the general public. On February 21, 2023, Cai Tianfeng’s family reported her disappearance to the police. With no leads to go on, the police faced the ...

Emma Lu

Hong Kong celebrity Cai Tianfeng.

Birds Seek Justice: The Spiritual Bond Between Humans and Animals

The spiritual bond between humans and animals is very real and has been recognized across cultures and throughout history. Birds, as living beings with a soul, can play a part in human affairs and have even been known to seek justice for their benefactors as can be seen in the following two stories from ancient ...

Mikel Davis

Small yellow songbird having a rest on a twig during early summer in soft warm light.

Official Experiences Miracles After Helping a Framed Monk Obtain Justice

The framing of Monk Jingman In ancient China, under the reign of Queen Wu Zetian during the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 624-715), there lived a monk named Jingman who resided in Luquan Temple, Heng County. Monk Jingman was very upright, strictly followed the precepts of Buddhism, and conducted himself well.  However, other monks in the temple ...

Tatiana Denning

A monk sitting by a waterfall in meditation.

The Four Anchors Are Traditional Chinese Virtues

The Chinese proverb of the Four Anchors, also known as the Four Social Bonds (四維 sìwéi), represents the sense of propriety, justice, integrity, and honor (禮義廉恥 lǐ yì lián chǐ), which are the traditional Chinese virtues. lǐ (禮) means proper rite, ceremony, propriety, etiquette, courtesy, manners; yì (義) denotes righteousness, justice; lián (廉) signifies honesty, cleanness, incorruptible; chǐ (恥) means shame, a sense ...

Billy Shyu

A Chinese temple.

The DOJ Indicts 5 People for Harassing and Spying on Chinese Dissidents

The political and diplomatic tussle between China and the U.S. does not seem to end and there are new developments almost every week. In the latest development, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has indicted 5 people, accusing them of targeting Chinese dissidents based in the U.S.  The DOJ accused the five people of attempting ...

Jack Roberts

U.S. flag outside the Department of Justice

A Monk Suffered Retribution After Using Buddha Dharma to Make Money

Even a monk can suffer retribution. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there was a monk called Yan Tong in Northern Qi. Although he was a monk, he was unable to achieve the Four Great Emptiness, and in the end, he did not really want to practice. In fact, Yan Tong loved money as though ...

Emma Lu

A statue of a golden buddha.

A Daughter-in-Law Who Upheld Her Filial Piety Even in the Face of Death

In the Qing Dynasty (1850-1876) during the reign of Xianfeng and Tongzhi, there was a woman with great filial piety who looked after her mother-in-law. After a tragedy and a misunderstanding, she was accused of a terrible crime. Fortunately, thanks to the keen wisdom of a county magistrate, her case was resolved.    In modern ...

Hermann Rohr

Chinese painting showing filial piety.