Ledger of Good and Evil

A Jaensch Teja

Description

From ancient Chinese teachings comes The Ledger of Good and Evil: a method by which you can observe yourself honestly, take control of your actions and free yourself from the stronghold of circumstance and negativity. Like a stone falling into a pond, our thoughts, emotions, actions and inactions ripple out into the world. In sharing the message of The Ledger our combined ripples send a tidal wave of benevolence through humanity and pave the way for a world where hatred, greed, fear and war can finally be left at the riverbank.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Philosophy of mind

Informations

• Publié par: Book Venture Publishing LLC
• Date de parution: 19 février 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781941736449
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Ledger of Good and Evil
A Manual for Humanity
Teja A. Jaensch
From the past, to the present.
For the future . . .
Copyright © 2014 by Teja Jaensch.
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning or any other – except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
NOTE: Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is complete and accurate. However, neither the publisher, nor the authors are engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader and no portion of this book is intended to diagnose, treat, or cure the individual reader. Neither the publisher nor the authors shall be liable or responsible for loss, injury, or for the damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book.
The Ledger of Good & Evil: A Manual for Humanity T. A. Jaensch
Published by:
BookVenture Publishing LLC 1000 Country Lane Ste 300 Ishpeming MI 49849 www.bookventure.com Hotline: [phone] Fax: [phone]
Ordering Information: Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address above.
Email: [e-mail] Website: www.manualforhumanity.com www.pointspecifics.com
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014921298
ISBN-13: Softcover 978-1-941736-42-5 Hardcover 978-1-941736-46-3 Pdf 978-1-941736-42-5 ePub 978-1-941736-44-9 Kindle 978-1-941736-45-6
1 st Edition Printed in the USA
Rev. date: 12/09/2014
The original and first English translation of the story Shi Yin Fu and the Ledger of Good and Evil , along with Explaining the 100 Medicines and Revering the 100 Diseases was first published by Yaron Seidman & Teja A. Jaensch in 2013 in their textbook Hunyuan Xinfa: The Lost Heart of Medicine . Jaensch brings an abridged translation here. The short Zen and Buddhist tales in the introduction and conclusion of this book were encountered by the author two decades ago in Stories of the Spirit , Stories of the Heart , by Feldman & Kornfield.
Cover design: Michael Andre Musa-Tapia (Miguel Andres – Design & Art).
Contents
Cover
Title
Copyright
Glossary
Introduction
Chapter One: The Ledger of Good and Evil
Shi Yin Fu finds his path
The house of Xin De
Of fire and flood
The road of Life and Death
The Daoist finds his true Elixir
Of Bai Yu Kai
The three scholars and Yuan Liang
The Ledger of Xin De
Discussion by Liu Yuan
Chapter Two: The 100 Diseases & 100 Medicines
The 100 Diseases
The 100 Medicines
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
Appendix 1.
Appendix 2.
Glossary
Here is a list of the terms that appear in their pinyin Chinese form in the text, with pronunciation and general definitions, along with certain key terms:
LIU YUAN ‘Liu Yuan’ (1767-1855) was a scholar physician in China who edited the original Ledger of Good and Evil. His edition has been used as the basis of this retelling of the tale, and he provides an insightful conclusion to the story. ‘Liu Yuan’ is pronounced ‘Lee-oo You-en’.
DAO Commonly written as ‘Tao’, the ‘ao’ is pronounced ‘ow’ as in ‘cow’. The Dao is ‘the way’, or ‘the path’; a philosophical and religious perspective on the holistic nature of the universe. A follower of the Dao is known as a Daoist.
YIN YANG This is the classic symbol of duality in Chinese philosophy and represents a fundamental understanding of the Dao. ‘Yang’ is correctly pronounced ‘young’.
GONGFU Pronounced as it is written, ‘gongfu’ is often westernised as ‘kung fu’. It means ‘hard work over time to develop a skill’.
QI Often written as ‘chi’, this word is pronounced ‘cheee’. Everything within the Dao can be separated into Yin and Yang, yet it is all Qi. The modern way Qi is conceptualised is as ‘energy’ and ‘life force’.
SHI YIN FU The main character in The Ledger of Good and Evil. Pronounced ‘Sher Yin Foo’. His name is often shortened to ‘Yin Fu’.
XIN DE The second key character, pronounced ‘Shin Der’.
BAI YU KAI The third key character, pronounced ‘Buy You K-eye’. His name is often shortened to ‘Yu Kai’.
YUAN LIANG The Confucian scholar, pronounced ‘You-en Lee-young’
EARTH ‘Earth’ is seen as what makes up material structure, including that of the human body.
HEAVEN ‘Heaven’ is seen as what brings material to life, including that of the human body.
HEART Throughout the text you will find ‘Heart’ written with a capital ‘H’. This is to differentiate the word from the anatomical heart (a structure). ‘Heart’ refers the metaphorical Centre of the human being.
Introduction
I bring words from the deep misty history of ancient China, which resonate as powerfully today as they did when they were first written. They are a gift to humanity, given to us freely from the archives of the past. They can teach us how to understand what is at the root of our very existence, how to make peace with the past and warmly embrace what is yet to come. They fell into my lap in the middle of the road, as I wandered aimlessly trying to find a purpose, and they changed my life. These texts were offered from the Heart, with a sincere request that they be translated and brought to all of humanity.
In the first chapter you will find The Ledger of Good and Evil , a story that reveals a method for cultivation; for learning how to observe our internal world and look honestly at our good intentions, and whether they result in good actions. I challenge you to not just read the story, but to be a participant. I want you to put down this book right now and find a bag of black beans (coffee beans are perfect) and a bag of yellow beans (such as chickpeas), and then sit down and continue reading. The reason for the beans will soon become evident.
In the second chapter you will find the 100 Diseases and 100 Medicines. These classic lists comprise our daily thoughts, feelings and interactions that create what we perceive to be our lives. Very quickly it is revealed that our current circumstances have been brought about by a gradual accumulation of either diseases (black beans) or medicines (yellow beans). These lists are meant to be read daily, and contemplated upon. They are a path to true healing; they are our true medicine.
‘ . . . thoughts – just mere thoughts –
are as powerful as electric batteries –
as good for one as sunlight is,
or as bad for one as poison . . . ’
F. H. Burnett
As human beings, we are often at odds with our humanity. This has come about by our minds filtering our existence with a preference for focusing on negativity. Many wonderful things might occur in a day, but we will only remember that one bad thing. Over time this filtered bias leads to a great weight on our shoulders, changing our character.
We can be desperately trying to be good, yet the result is often otherwise. Stories can teach us a lot. I am still learning from the following Zen story I read as an adolescent:
Two monks journeying home came to the banks of a fast-flowing river, where they met a young woman unable to cross the current alone. One of the monks picked her up in his arms and set her safely on her feet on the other side and the two monks continued on their travels.
The monk who had crossed the river alone could finally restrain himself no longer and began to rebuke his brother, ‘Do you not know it is against our rules to touch a young woman? You have broken the holy vows.’
The other monk answered, ‘Brother, I left that young woman on the banks of the river. Are you still carrying her?’
As a youth I was enamoured with the concept of change, that everything and everyone was changing, either for the good or the alternative. Yet as I considered the state of humanity more deeply, I came to understand that there is something within us that does not change. A constant. You, who are holding this book, and I, who wrote it, share an inner truth that defies national borders, race and religion, politics and gender. For too long we have allowed ourselves, our thoughts, our emotions and resulting actions to be defined by our circumstances, rather than our inherent propriety.
‘Step by step walk the thousand-mile path.’
Miyomato Mushashi
Let this book be the next step forward on your path to inner and outer cultivation. Bean by bean, walk the path of benevolence.
Chapter O ne
The Ledger of Good and Evil
Human nature is all goodness, therefore every person should be good. However, there are cases where it is not such. Being perverted with habits and customs, hiding behind fame and riches, drifting along in comfort, gradually it loses its