ancient wisdom, chinese culture, fable, illiness, moral story

A Mysterious Illness: Uncovering the Consequences of Past Actions

In the early 1990s, a true story unfolded, revealing the strange illness that plagued senior official Mr. Zhang. His condition remained undiagnosed despite seeking medical help for years, and his health deteriorated. It wasn’t until a renowned spiritual master entered the picture that the truth behind his illness was uncovered. This article explores the fascinating ...

Max Lu

Colored clouds in the sky.

The Power of Small Good Deeds

“Do not neglect small acts of kindness, do not engage in small acts of evil.” This saying is easy to recite, but it is not always easy to follow. Yet, the smallest good deed might save your life. For example, “do not neglect small acts of kindness” means to encourage people to do good deeds, ...

Mikel Davis

Watercolor painting of white cranes flying across a rosy sky with mountains and trees.

Greed Can Make People Do All Kinds of Evil

Greed is a powerful emotion that can drive people to do all kinds of evil in the pursuit of wealth and power. It is a destructive force that can corrupt even the most well-intentioned individuals, causing them to put their own self-interest above the well-being of others. Whether it is through fraud, manipulation, or exploitation, ...

Mikel Davis

Hands reach toward a pile of gold coins.

Obliterating One’s Conscience for the Benefit of Money

The following is a true story about a man with no conscience that happened somewhere in Northeast China more than 80 years ago. One day, a man was driving from the north to the south in a carriage pulled by three strong horses. Along the way, he noticed a package by the side of the ...

Tatiana Denning

A dirt road winds through the woods.

How a Poor Man’s Greed Cost Him Everything

Greed can cost a man everything. During a war, with more and more people fleeing the famine, Wang Laoliu picked up all his worldly possessions — a bag of sweet potatoes — and joined the departing villagers. Halfway to his destination, he came across a man and his son who were starving. The man was carrying a heavy bag.   When the man saw that ...

Emma Lu

A migrant worker from Nanjing, China, uses a tricycle to tow abandoned steel frames.

The Guqin: Playing Music From the Heart

The guqin is a five- or seven-stringed plucked instrument originating in Ancient China. It was considered essential to know how to play the instrument by ancient men of virtue because it was a symbol of saintliness and noble character. The music of the guqin blends in with the traditional culture and reflects a distinct, simple, ...

Helen London

A 7-stringed guqin.

The Legend of 3 Little Swallows and the Son of Zhou

The Soushen Ji is a legendary Chinese novel. It is a compilation of Chinese legends, short stories, and hearsay regarding Chinese gods, Chinese ghosts, and other supernatural phenomena. Soushen Ji can be loosely translated as “In Search of the Sacred” or “In Search of the Supernatural.” One such story is The Legend of the Three Little Swallows ...

Jack Roberts