Tao Yuanming was content with a simple lifestyle and took delight in being in the Tao.

When living in society, we have to interact with other people. Traditional Chinese culture emphasizes virtue and ethics in balancing our interpersonal relationships, including relationships with our neighbors.

“Citizens who incline toward virtuousness and are compassionate toward their neighbors are a great treasure to the country,” an ancient saying goes.

Another ancient proverb says, “When one helps those in difficulty and cares for his neighbors, he is in adherence to the Tao [the Way]. Those who follow the Tao will have good fortune.”

In ancient China, people believed that treating others compassionately is one of society’s basic principles and that those who do good deeds will receive good returns. Stories about the kind and altruistic deeds of many famous, noble people in China have been passed down through the ages.

Simple at Heart

Tao Yuanming (A.D. 365–427) was a renowned poet in the Jin Dynasty. He wrote in a poem: “I have thought of moving into the South Village but not because I like the cottages there. It is because I have heard there are many simple-hearted people [there], and I would love to spend my days and nights with them.”

Tao Yuanming liked the villagers in South Village for their pure and simple hearts. He was also simple at heart. He worked on the farmland every day and wrote poems about his aspirations. He was content with a simple and frugal lifestyle, and he enjoyed living in adherence to the Tao.

He described his friendship with his neighbors in another poem: “We often get together, and each of us expresses our views openly and frankly. When one has obtained a wonderful article, we read it together; when someone has questions or confusion, we discuss it together.”

Because Tao Yuanming’s neighbors supported one another and maintained harmonious relationships, they created a beneficial environment that encouraged morality and virtuousness.

A Lost Pig

Sima Hui was a well-known scholar of the Eastern Han Dynasty who was very good at identifying virtuous and talented young people. One day, one of his neighbors lost a pig. Sima Hui owned a pig that looked very similar to his neighbor’s pig, and his neighbor mistook Sima Hui’s pig for the one he had lost.

Sima Hui did not argue with him, however. Instead he said, “If the pig is yours, then take it.” The neighbor took the pig home straight away.

A few days later, this neighbor found his lost pig. Feeling very ashamed, the neighbor returned Sima Hui’s pig. But instead of rebuking his neighbor, Sima Hui consoled him by saying that it was not unusual for such mistakes to occur between neighbors and praised him for being willing to correct his mistakes.

Upon hearing this, his neighbor was very touched. Later, people came to address Sima Hui as “Mr. Water Mirror”—a compliment to his pure and upright character.

Charity Toward Neighbors

Zi Rudao of the Yuan Dynasty lived in the Qihe region of Dezhou City, in Shandong Province. He was always happy to do good things and was well-known for his kindness.

Upon learning that several people in his hometown were too poor to make a living, Zi Rudao gave them each a piece of farmland so that they could lease the land to farmers to earn some money. Zi Rudao reclaimed the land when these people passed away.

In another incident, when a plague was sweeping across China, news spread that a certain kind of melon would cure the illness by making the patient sweat profusely. Zi Rudao bought many such melons as well as other foodstuff, and despite the danger of contracting the plague himself, he went door-to-door to deliver the provisions to people. Through his actions, many people were saved.

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Sometimes Zi Rudao would give away his wheat and husked kaoliang (Chinese sorghum) to those in need during the spring season and would allow them to return the payment after the harvest without charging them any interest. If there was a poor harvest that year and people did not have enough crops to repay him, Zi Rudao would burn the note and tell them to forget about it.

He often told his family: “In the first place, the reason for storing grain is to stay prepared for a famine. Therefore, if we encounter a bad harvest year, we must help our less-fortunate neighbors.”

A Disturbing Donkey

Yang Zhu of the Ming Dynasty (A.D.1368–1644) was the head of the Board of Rites. He usually rode his donkey to the royal court or wherever he had to go. Yang Zhu liked his donkey very much. Every day after he came back from the royal court, he personally fed the donkey and took good care of it.

Yang Zhu’s neighbor was an elderly man. When he was almost 60 years old, the neighbor and his wife had a son. Naturally the couple were delighted about the new addition to the family; however, the baby would cry continuously every time he heard the donkey braying. The crying disturbed the entire family.

Because Yang Zhu was a high-ranking official, the family did not dare to bring up this issue to him. But the donkey’s braying agitated the child so much that the child’s appetite diminished significantly, and eventually the couple had no choice but to tell Yang Zhu about it.

Yang Zhu immediately sold the donkey without hesitation. From then on, when he went to the royal court or other places, he simply walked.

Guiding Principles

In ancient China, the people had sayings such as these: “A person is genuinely beautiful only if he is benevolent at heart.” “Maintain a harmonious relationship with all of your neighbors.” “A person is kind and virtuous if his every word and act are intended to be beneficial to others.”

These sayings indicate that in whatever we do, morality and righteousness should be our guiding principles. We should be strict with ourselves yet forbearing toward others and have a heart of benevolence. One should be empathetic, caring, and helpful toward others and show consideration for others by placing oneself in others’ shoes.

This conduct manifests as people cultivating toward high moral values and will move other people to be compassionate as well. The result will be a society that contains warm and harmonious relationships—the foundation for a just society.

Adapted from Clearwisdom.net