Text:
We should have a sense of responsibility in everything we do. We should carry out our duties to the utmost of our responsibility. We should never procrastinate, conduct affairs in a slack or negligent manner, or be remiss in fulfilling commitments. Otherwise we will only undermine our own future and experience unbounded regret.

Commentary:
Being loyal means doing our best to fulfill our responsibilities. If you don't do your best, then you can't be considered loyal. For example, if your job is to watch the door and you go away and don't watch it, then you haven't fulfilled your responsibility; you aren't loyal. Or if you are told to prepare the meal and you don't do it and everyone goes hungry, then you haven't been loyal. In general, if you are told to do something and you agree to do it, but in the end you don't do it, then you aren't being loyal. Being loyal means doing your job well. Your job might be running a business, doing labor, holding a government position, and so on. In whatever job you have, you have to fulfill your duties. You cannot be lazy and take breaks on the sly.

We should have a sense of responsibility in everything we do. A responsible person will diligently go about doing whatever he's supposed to do. We should carry out our duties to the utmost of our responsibility. We should know what our duties are, and try our best to fulfill them. We should never procrastinate, saying, "Wait a little longer, take it slowly," and keep putting things off. We should not conduct affairs in a slack or negligent manner, just doing a little bit. If your job is to sweep the whole floor, but you just whisk the broom back and forth a few times and then quit, that would be an example of negligence. We should not be negligent like that or be remiss in fulfilling commitments. We shouldn't be casual and sloppy and say, "Oh, let's leave it at that; it's good enough!" We shouldn't block ourselves from fulfilling our commitments. Otherwise we will only undermine our own future and experience unbounded regret.

Text:
Those who deal loyally with others will be dealt with loyally, whereas those who deal falsely with others will be dealt with falsely. The cheater cheats himself; he who harms, harms himself. If one sends out counterfeit goods, the same returns to him. How could we be anything but careful!

Commentary:
Those who deal loyally with others will be dealt with loyally, whereas those who deal falsely with others will be dealt with falsely. [Some commentary missing] If you don't need others to benefit you, then you have seen your own true mind and you aren't false or hypocritical. If you are good to someone on the surface but don't harbor good feelings toward him in your heart, you are being hypocritical. It's as if you're wearing a mask. If you are phony toward others, they will be phony with you. For example, in international relations, if we do not deal honestly with other nations, they will be very cautious in dealing with us. They will take precautions against us. This is the relation of cause and effect: whatever cause you plant, you will receive the corresponding result. The cheater cheats himself. You might be cheating others right now, but in the long run you're just cheating yourself. You're not treating yourself well. Why? Because if you cheat others, they will eventually find out and then they will treat you badly. He who harms, harms himself. If you kill someone's father, your father will also be killed. When you harm others, you are simply harming yourself.

If one sends out counterfeit goods or money that is obtained in an improper way, in a way that goes against your conscience, the same returns to him. For example, if you smuggle opium and sell it to people, in the future people will sell that stuff to you. It's a mutual exchange. How could we be anything but careful! How could you not be cautious? The meaning of this statement is: You'd better not harm or cheat others.