1.劫由業成，業由心生。欲回劫運，須正人心。

世風未轉，劫運難回。苦因不拔，苦果難出。

Global disasters are the fruition of collective karmas; and collective karmas derive from the collective consciousness.  (There are also the individual karmas that are the fruition of one’s personal deeds and thoughts.)  In order to escape from or transform global disasters, people’s minds must be corrected.   Without the transformation of social mores, global disasters would be inevitable.  Without uprooting the causes for such disasters and the resulting sufferings, the bitter fruits will be difficult to avoid.

2.  經云：天地之間，五道分明。善惡報應，禍福相承。身自當之，無誰代者。五惡五痛，譬如大火，焚燒人身。敢有犯此, 當歷惡趣，痛哉可傷。

According to the Buddha Speaks of the Mahayana Sutra of Infinite life, Splendours, Purity, Equality, and Enlightenment, from Heaven to Earth, there are five distinct realms of existence for celestial beings, humans, animals, hungry ghosts, and hellish beings.   The joys and sorrows they experience from their fortunes or misfortunes are the retributions of their good or bad deeds.   They must personally experience such retributions; no one has the ability to take their place instead.   The five evil deeds (of killing, stealing, adultery, lying, and drunkenness) incur five kinds of sufferings, like the burning flames scorching people’s body.   Anyone who dares to commit any of the five evil deeds must live through the three evil realms of animals, hungry ghosts, and hellish beings, one after another unabatedly.  What a grief to see them suffer, it hurts like an arrow through the heart.  

The formula for successful leadership

3. 太公曰。天有時。地有財。能與人共之者，仁也。仁之所在。天下歸之。

免人之死。解人之難。救人之患，濟人之急者，德也。德之所在，天下歸之。

The Grand Duke of Jiang (1156 ~ 1017 B.C.) said:  “Heaven creates the seasons.  Earth provides sustenance.  One who shares benefits with his fellow citizens is benevolent.  Wherever there are benevolent rulers, the world will pledge allegiance to them (take refuge under their wings).  One who can deliver people from the threat of death, rescue them from untold miseries, and provide them with emergency relief is virtuous.  Wherever there are virtuous rulers, the world will pledge allegiance to them (take refuge under their wings). 

 與人同憂同樂，同好同惡者，義也。義之所在，天下歸之。凡人樂生而惡死，好得而歸利。能生利者，道也。道之所在，天下歸之。

One who can share weal and woe with his fellow citizens; and understand what they like or dislike; will be praised for his righteousness.  Wherever there are righteous rulers, the world will pledge allegiance to them (take refuge under their wings).   Ordinary people have a delight in life and an aversion to death; as well as a desire for gaining that result in profits.  A person who can create profits is a person who has the Way.  Wherever there are rulers who have the Way, the world will pledge allegiance to them (take refuge under their wings).”

4. 太公曰：“君不肖，则国危而民乱；君贤圣，则国家安而天下治。祸福在君，不

在天时。”

The Grand Duke of Jiang said, “The reign of a worthless ruler will put the country in peril and the people in upheavals.  The reign of a sagacious ruler can safeguard his country and maintain world order.  The fortune or misfortune of a country lies in the ruler not the mandates of Heaven (destiny). ”

5. 善為國者，禦民如父母之愛子，如兄之慈弟也。見之饑寒，則為之哀；見之勞苦，則為之悲。

A sagacious ruler protects his people the way parents love their children, or the way elder brothers take care of their younger siblings.  To see them cold and hungry, he will lament for their sufferings; to see them exhausted from hard labour, he will grieve for their misery.

6. 上賢下不肖，取誠信，去詐偽，禁暴亂，止奢侈。

The able leaders will regard the sagacious as superior and precious, and the unworthy inferior.  They value honesty and trustworthiness, abhor deceit and treachery, forbid all forms of violence and riot, and discourage a life of luxury.

7. 賢君之治國，其政平，吏不苛；其賦斂節，其自奉薄；不以私善害公法，賞賜不

加於無功，刑罰不施於無罪；害民者有罪，進賢者有賞；官無腐蠹之藏，國無流餓之

民。

 The reign of a sagacious ruler will dispense equal justice to all.  The officials are not harsh to the civilians.  Taxations are restrained and regulated.  The income of the ruler should be meagre (The lifestyle of the ruler should be simple and modest).  Public law will not be violated in the pursuit of private interest.  Honours and rewards will not be bestowed upon the unworthy.  Punishments or sentences will not be imposed on the innocent.  Those who harm the public interest will be condemned; and recommendations of the wise and capable men to the government will be rewarded.  Government officials have no hidden agenda or corrupt practices (cannot hide their corruptions or leeching activities); and the country is without drifting homeless, derelicts, or people starving.

8. 君以世俗之所譽者為賢智，以世俗之所毀者為不肖，則多黨者進，少黨者退，是

以群邪比周而蔽賢，忠臣死于無罪，邪臣以虛譽取爵位，是以世亂愈甚，故其國不免於危亡。

If a ruler regards those whom the majority of people admire as the wise and virtuous and those whom the majority despise as the unworthy, then those in the majority clique will be promoted and those in the minority clique will be rejected.  The coalition of devious cliques may conspire to pursue private interests and stifle (obscure) the sagacious.  The loyal subjects will be framed to die, while treacherous subjects, with fabricated reputations, will beguile the ruler of ranks of nobility.  As a result, the whole country will be more and more chaotic and thus cannot avoid her inevitable extinction.

9.  人君有六守三寶。六守者，仁、義、忠、信、勇、謀；三寶者，大農、大工、大

商。六守長則國昌，三寶完則國安。

The humane ruler has “six safeguards” and “three treasures.”  The six safeguards are benevolence， righteousness， loyalty，trustworthiness，courage, and wisdom; the three treasures are experienced farmers，skillful craftsmen, and prudent businessmen.  Implementing the “six characteristics” and the “three treasures,” the country will be prosperous and secure.

10. 

太公曰：「義勝欲則昌，欲勝義則亡。敬勝怠則吉，怠勝敬則滅。故義勝怠者

王，怠勝敬者亡。」

The Grand Duke of Jiang said: “When righteousness overcomes selfish desires，the state will flourish. When selfish desires surpass righteousness，the state will be annihilated. When cautiousness overcomes dilatoriness，the state will be auspicious. When dilatoriness surpasses cautiousness，the state will be conquered.  Therefore，those whose righteousness overcomes their dilatoriness can rule the world，those whose dilatoriness surpasses their cautiousness will be ruined (destroyed).”

11.  無倫常，無貴賤之禮，喜聽讒用舉，無功者賞，無德者富，無禮義，無忠信，無

聖人，無賢士，無法度，無稱衡，此國之大妖也。

Following are the greatest evils for a country: no ethical relationships，no etiquettes between the nobles and the plebeians; enjoy listening to flatteries and appoint or advance people recommended by sycophants; rewarding those without any contribution; enrich those without virtue; no propriety and righteousness，no honesty and loyalty，no saints and sages，lawless and without standards of measurements and systems.   (from pdf.)

12.  太公曰：「吏暴虐、殘賊、敗法、亂刑，而上下不覺，此亡國之時也。夫上好

貨，群臣好得，而賢者逃伏，其亂至矣。」

Grand Duke of Jiang said, “When the officials are violent, perverse,

inhumane, overthrow the law and make chaos of the punishment,

and without anyone noticing, it is time for the state to perish.  When

the monarch indulges in pleasure and comfort, his underlings

covet personal benefit, whereas the sages escape or hide, upheaval arises.”