Treat the Heart Sutra (Essential Revision Edition)

Author: Zeng Guofan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-10-01
Features: This book is Zeng Guofan's "Treatise on Governing the Mind," which discusses the simultaneous treatment of the mind and body, as well as the prevention of both speech and physical issues. He believed that "the way to govern the mind is to first remove its poisons." The superficial poisons are irritability and lack of self-control—showing off any minor achievements and flying into rage over minor setbacks. None of these are the behavior of those "destined for great fortune." Those with broad minds, great capacity, and high character have minds like a tripod, firm as a stone, unshakable by any force ("On Nurturing the Mind"). He also advocated that "a broad should focus on the virtues of 'peace' and 'simplicity.' One must view the relationship between self and others with balance, and fame and fortune with indifference, so that the mind may gradually broaden." He further stated, "To govern the mind, use the medicine of 'broadness'; to govern the body, use the medicine of 'no medicine.'" Based on this, he summarized a set of methods for nurturing the mind, governing the body, and self-cultivation, such as "Five Matters of Nurturing Life," "The Eight Fundamentals," "Four Admonitions Against Selfishness and Greed," "The Thirteen-Character Practice," "Su Dongpo's Five-Character Method," "Self-Motivation and Warning of the Eight Virtues," "Four-Word Admonitions," and "The Explanation of the Six-Character Method for Reaching Life's Fulfillment."