While walking with Confucius beneath the Wuyu altar, Fan Chi asked, “May I ask how one can elevate virtue, correct hidden faults, and discern confusion?”
Zi Zhang asked about governance. The Master said, “Be tireless in holding your position, and carry out your duties with loyalty.”
Sima Niu lamented, “Everyone has brothers, but I alone have none.”Zixia consoled him, saying, “I once heard it said: ‘Life and death are determined by fate; wealth and honor depend on Heaven.’ If a noble person is reverent and never careless in conduct, and treats others with respect and propriety, then all within the…
Sima Niu asked about humaneness. The Master said, “A humane person speaks with restraint and caution.”Sima Niu asked, “Is speaking with restraint alone enough to be called humane?”The Master replied, “Since practicing humaneness is so difficult, how could one speak about it without caution?”
One should not disdain refined food or finely cut meat. Do not eat food that is stale or spoiled, fish that has gone bad, or meat that has rotted. Do not eat anything with an unappetizing color or foul odor. Do not eat food that is improperly cooked, eaten at the wrong time, cut…
When fasting for ritual purification, one must wear a special clean garment made of plain cloth. During the fast, one must change one’s usual diet and also move to a different place to sit or sleep.