Kuan Kong

Lord Guan-Yu (Kuan Kong) said:

During men's lives in this world
Honorable are those who uphold the ideals such as patriotism, filial duties, self-discipline, and duties to their friends
For them have no regrets in the path of Man
These men stand tall between the heaven and the earth
For those who do not uphold such ideals
Although their flesh bodies are alive
Their hearts are already dead
They are living for the sake of being alive

The conscience of man's heart is divinity
Divinity is the conscience of man's heart
By adhering to their consciences
Men do have no regret before Divinity
For those who deceive their consciences
They have precisely deceived Divinity

Hence, men of noble characters remind themselves of the three fears and four knowledges
[Three fears: Fear of heaven, fear of those who are more noble, and fear of Saints]
[Four knowledges: every act is known by heaven, earth, their partners and themselves]
To act honorably even when they are completely alone
Do not believe darkness of rooms can cloak foul deeds
Do not believe hidden chambers can cover-up malicious acts
Every single action that men take
Divinity observes and examines
As if the deed is being watched on by ten sets of eyes and pointed directly by ten set of hands
Justice will certainly come.
What's more, karmic retributions manifest very clearly
Not a single infraction even as slight as a strand of hair goes unpunished.

Sexual misconduct is the chief among all evil acts
Filial duty is the first among noble deeds.
All acts contrary to righteous principles
Causing regret in the conscience
Do not perform them because they might bring material benefits
All acts which adhere to righteous principles
Bring no regret in the conscience
Do not leave them unperformed because they provide no material gain
For those who dishonor my teachings
Please try my blade

Respect the heaven and the earth
Honor the gods
Revere your ancestors
Attend to your parents
Abide by the laws of the land
Respect your teachers
Love your brothers
Trust your friends
Live in harmony with your relatives
Be friendly with your neighbors
Be faithful to your spouse
Teach your children

Often assist others with skillful means
Accumulate those deeds with merits
Help those suffering in disasters or with emergencies
Care for and be compassionate toward orphans and the poor
Build and repair temples
Print sutras and scriptures
Donate medicine and provide teas
Abstain from killing and release living creatures back to nature
Build bridges and repair roads
Help widows maintaining their honors and assist those in difficult situations
Treasure every single grain of rice and your good fortune
Resolve disputes and arguments
Donate money helping others to do good deeds
Set good example for others to follow
Dissolve hatred and feuds
Act honorably in business dealing

Make friends with virtuous men
Stay away from men of disreputable characters
Refrain from publicizing people's previous errors and promote their good deeds
Act to advance the public good and alleviate the suffering of the general public

Those who change their heart to travel on the righteous path
Repent their previous wrongs and mend their ways
Speak with compassion
Let go all evil thoughts
All virtuous deeds
Carry them out with conviction
Although other men may not see these actions
Divinity already heard
Their blessings and longevity will be increased
As well as the numbers of their descendants
Sufferings will vanish and number of illnesses will decrease
Unharmed by natural disasters
Both their bodies and belongings are at peace
The auspicious star shines brightly upon their households

Those who harbor evil hearts
Who do not perform virtuous act
Committing sexual misconduct with people's wives or daughters
Breaking up people's marriages
Causing women to lose their honors

Jealous of others’ abilities
Plotting to steal others’ properties
Encouraging disputes and lawsuits
Causing harm in order to benefit themselves
while enriching themselves and their families

Having hatred for heaven or anger at the earth
Cursing the rain or the wind
Slandering against saints or men of virtue
Destroying statues of gods or deceive divinity

Killing cow or canine
Desecrating writing by placing paper with written words in filth
Relying on earthly influence to humiliate virtuous men
Oppressing the poor with their wealth
Instigating disharmonies between parents and their offsprings
Inciting dispute to breakup brothers

Those men without faith in righteous path
Committing rape and sexual misconduct
Reveling in defrauding other
Not being frugal or diligent
Squandering the five grains
Being ingrates not helping their benefactors
Deceiving their own hearts and deluding themselves
Cheating in business using unethical practices

Establishing deviant cults
Luring the ignorant
Falsely claiming [followers] will ascend to heaven
As a cover to accumulate wealth and practice sexual misconduct
Concealing the truth in public and lying in private
Verbally abusing other openly or injure them by making innuendos behind their backs
Cursing people in the day
Plotting to cause harms behind their backs

These actions violate divine laws
Cause agitation in populace's hearts
Those men who don't believe in karmic fruitions
Luring people to do evil
Not performing the slightest virtuous act
Committing many evil deeds

Subject to prosecution and verbal disputes
Suffer from disasters like flood or fire or man-made problem like theft and robbery
Contracting vile epidemic
Having descendants who squander away family fortune or are mentally defective
Being murdered shattering their households
Both men and women of their households are of despicable characters or engaging in despicable trades
These types of karmic retributions will immediately befall on them
As well as befall on their descendants in distant future
Divinity inspects deeds thoroughly
All rewards and punishments come orderly

Virtue and evil are two different paths
Disasters and Blessings part very clearly
Those who do good deeds receive blessings
Sufferings befall on those who do evil
The Lord gave these instructions
Wishing people to follow these teachings
Although the meanings are simple to understand
Bring profound benefits to both the bodies and hearts
Those who trivialize the Lord's teaching
Be beheaded and dismembered

For those who recite this teaching
Fierce retributions will be eliminated and gathered causes for celebration
Seek sons and receive sons
Ask for longevity and receive longevity
Fame and fortune
All can be accomplished
All those that one pray for
Shall be attained
Disasters will melt away like snow
All auspicious clouds gather

All these kinds of blessings
Can only be attained by being virtuous
The Lord has no bias
Only protect those virtuous men
Dutifully perform virtuous acts
Do not neglect my will