Essay:

Han Chang Li said, “Universal regard is humaneness. To do things exactly right is righteousness.” Viewed in that way, a humane person is one who cherishes others, and a righteous person is one who benefits others.

Confucius remarked, “The superior person addresses himself to the foundation. Once the foundation is established, the way comes forth. Filial and fraternal regard are the foundation of being a person.”

He also observed, completely fulfilling one’s responsibility is called loyalty.” Therefore, the foundation of a person’s character and virtue begins with practicing filial conduct towards his parents.

A filial person serves his parents with the utmost sincerity, the utmost respect, and the utmost compliance. At all times he is cautious and does not allow even an iota of falseness to be present. Nor does he pretend to obey on the outside and yet go against his parents’ wishes in his mind. He serves his parents with gentleness and joy. Even if all he could offer them were a dish of beans and some water, he would still make his parents happy with these simple gifts. In this way, he comforts his parents in their old age, thus fulfilling his moral obligations as a human being and according with heaven’s will. He will be apart from disasters and calamities, and all things will be auspicious for him. Without having to seek it, peace will flourish in the world.

Commentary:

Loyalty means to bring forth a sincere regard for one's country. Loyalty is defined as "completely fulfilling one's responsibility" without the least bit of falseness. Filiality, humaneness, and righteousness are achieved in the same way. If you can exert yourself in fulfilling your responsibilities, without the least bit of phoniness, then you can perfect all four of these qualities.

Filiality is being kind and respectful towards your parents. To be filial is also to possess spiritual penetrations. That is because if you are filial, then you will be able to move heaven and earth. No matter what the situation, you will be able to alter it. If you are truly filial, you will receive a great response.

Loyalty, filiality, humaneness, and righteousness are four bases for being a person.

Han Chang Li said, Han Chang Li, also known as Han Yu, was a scholar. Every day he applied effort in learning from books. He started out as a "book bag," went on to become a "book worm," and ended up a "book demon." He became a book demon because he read so many books that his imagination ran wild, and he didn't even believe in the Buddhas. He turned into a demon. It was really pitiful. The Emperor at the time had made plans to enshrine the Buddha's relics, including one of the Buddha's teeth, as a national treasure. Han Chang Li was opposed to this, and so he wrote a letter of admonition to the Emperor, telling him that he should not bring the Buddha's relics (literally translated from the Chinese, "bones."). He said that the relics were just smelly, old bones, after all, and that the Emperor was really being superstitious.

Han Chang Li had a nephew named Han Syang Dz, who is one of the Eight Immortals of China. He didn't become an immortal by smoking opium. He became an immortal by "smelting the cinnabar." He didn't smelt opium, he went to the mountains and cultivated. After becoming an immortal, he thought about his uncle, Han Chang Li, who, although he had at first been a book bag, and then a book worm, and finally a book demon, was still not such a bad person. And so he decided to try and save his uncle. He did this by displaying all kinds of spiritual penetration. He produced lotus flowers out of fire, and brought things forth from ice. He did everything that people would find hard to believe, in order to convince his uncle.

But his uncle said, "Hey, you are just performing the art of deception. What you're doing is fake. I don't believe any of it." Finally, Han Syang gave up trying, and spoke two lines of verse for his uncle, saying:

Clouds drift and gather around
The Chin Range. Where is home?
Snow blocks up Nan Pass,
My horse cannot go forward.

He spoke the two lines for his uncle, but Han Chang Li didn't understand their meaning. Han Syang let it go at that.

When the Emperor received the letter of "Admonition Against Receiving the Buddha's Sharira," he became enraged and immediately banished Han Chang Li to the capital at Chang An, and ordered him to leave for there at once. On his way there, Han Chang Li had to pass through the Nan Pass in the Chin Range. When he reached the pass, clouds gathered and filled the sky over the mountain range, and there was a heavy snowfall. His horse could not go on, because the snow was so deep. Finding himself in that situation, he understood the meaning of his nephew's verse.

Right then, Han Syang appeared, greeting his uncle once again. Han Chang Li responded with this verse:

In the morning, I submitted a
report to His Majesty.
Come evening, I am banished to
Chau Yang, three thousand miles away!
My intent was to rectify a
Misguided decision made by
The Imperial Court.
Should I have been so presumptuous,
Even in my declining years
As to try to protect my life?
Clouds drift and gather around
The Chin Range. Where is home?
Snow blocks up Nan Pass,
My horse cannot go forward.
I know you must have your own intentions,
Having come from so far:
Gather up my bones and bury them
By the side of the river!

The road from Chang An to Chau Yang was about 2,700 miles long. Han Chang Li said in his admonition that the Emperor was being superstitious, and because of that he was banished. He says in his verse that even in his old age, he could not have failed to voice his admonition just in order to protect his own life. His meaning was, "Even though I am old, I pay no heed to my own life. I prefer to remain loyal."

He then repeated the two lines that Han Syang had quoted to him previously: "Clouds drift and gather around the Chin Range." "You told me in advance," he said, "snow blocks the Chin Range; my horse cannot go forward. Oh! You were referring to what's happening right now!" Then he spoke directly to his nephew with the last two lines: "I know you must have your own intentions, having come from so far: Gather up my bones and bury them by the side of the river! When I die here, won't you collect the remains and bury me?"

At that point, Han Chang Li thought, "I'm finished! Even if I die, no one is going to bury my old bones. Oh, well, I'll just push on ahead!" And so he proceeded to Chau Yang, where he assumed the post of Magistrate.

Han Ching Li said, "Universal regard is humaneness." If you can have a fond regard for all beings on a vast scale, then you are humane. "To do things exactly right is righteousness." That means neither going too far nor failing to go far enough. Viewed in that way, a humane person is one who cherishes others, and a righteous person is one who benefits others, not himself.

Confucius remarked, "The superior person addresses himself to the foundation." What is the most urgent concern of the superior person? It is his foundation. Once the foundation is established, the way comes forth." Virtue in the Way arises. "Filial and fraternal regard are the foundation of being a person." Filial regard is being kind and respectful towards one's parents. Fraternal respect is being kind and respectful towards one's brothers.

He also observed, "Completely fulfilling one's responsibility is called loyalty." One does not avoid responsibility by hiding in laziness and stealing comfort. Whatever one does, one always fulfills one's responsibilities. Therefore, the foundation of a person's character and virtue begins with practicing filial conduct towards his parents. The basis for virtue in the Way starts with being filial to one's parents.

A filial person serves his parents with the utmost sincerity, the utmost respect, and the utmost compliance. One should be respectful and attentive without the least bit of insincerity. At all times he is cautious and does not allow even an iota of falseness to be present-not a hair's worth, not a silk strand's worth. Nor does he pretend to obey on the outside and yet go against his parents' wishes in his mind. One should not put an expression on one's face that implies obedience, and yet be upset and angry in one's mind. He serves his parents with gentleness and joy. Even if all he could offer them were a dish of beans and some water, he would still make his parents happy with these simple gifts. In this way, he comforts his parents in their old age, thus fulfilling his moral obligations as a human being and according with heaven's will. He will be apart from disasters and calamities, and all things will be auspicious for him. Without having to seek it, peace will flourish in the world.