The way of God should be spread to the people, as all people from the plains come from God
The way of God punishes those who are lustful and rewards those who are kind and those who repent
Hong Xiuquan, leader of the Taiping Rebellion, self-proclaimed younger brother of Jesus
There’s only one right path for everyone,
To enjoy the pleasures in the afterlife, you must break all your worldly ties,
Vanquish all material temptations
There is only one God; men are not judged for their material wealth but rather on their devotion to God
Everyone should worship God; we are all one family under Heaven
Three generations after Creation, a tradition worshipping the Emperor emerged
It was widely believed that anyone who worshipped or believed in God was insane
In the world between father and son, filial piety has its own internal order.
If “man” is one with the Heavens, how can only the emperor pass on to the people the word of God?
All men are equal in the eyes of God
North, south, east, and west!
God is omnipotent, in every fiber of your being and in every source of nourishment
We should pray regularly and hold virtue and diligence to high standards.
If you forsake God for false idols, life becomes meaningless.
It’s an empty task, you only gain a heart full of sin
All is not lost if you acknowledge your subordination to the Heavenly Father,
The Heavens are responsible for all of Creation,
God’s power is supplemented by his believers and Buddha plays no role.
China existed before Buddha so he cannot be the Creator
Soft as sunlight oh moist as rain, move like thunder oh disperse like wind.
That is the wonder of God, that we can honor His benevolence
In order to be a complete person, one cannot worship false gods.
Evil stems from denial, one must always strive to accept the Heavenly reign
First and foremost, lust enrages the Heavens and, in their depravity, humans become demons.
This is lust in all forms (including masturbation), instead embrace Lin Zhi as the model
It’s natural to be swayed by temptation and equally important to discipline oneself and repent immediately
Never repeat the same mistake: avoid evil and you will have boundless energy
The ancients repented earnestly and believed that mending their ways would negate their wrongs
In the past, leaders (including educators) were supposed to inspire people to do the right thing
In the past, the kind and honest weren’t extraordinary, they were simply devout
No living being would confuse right and wrong
Simplicity is the highest form of existence
Purify the demons in the heart and light your way through devotion to the family.
Second, disregarding filial piety goes against the laws of heaven and must be immediately rectified
In the natural world, even sheep and crows sacrifice themselves to nourish their young; how can humans do less than that?
The filial piety shown by the three ancient emperors Yao, Shun, and Yu moved the heavens to tears,
Honored as sons of heaven for adhering to family values, how could anyone dare consider this trivial?
The efforts put forth by the father that sired me and the mother that raised me cannot be quantified.
Repaying this “life debt” is difficult. How can one return such a degree of unquestioning loyalty?
Filial piety is all-encompassing and ever present as a lifelong duty.
You cultivate yourself through filial piety within the family, which is filial piety to the Heavenly Father,
You destroy yourself through betraying your family since that is a betrayal against the Heavenly Father.
Reviving ancient customs, we must strive for harmonious relationships with our kin
Third, do not kill
We are all brothers under Heaven,
The Heavenly Father is greatly saddened when his children seek to kill each other
Our ancestors saw the true path because they despised the immoral act of murder
Unification and peace in a divided land would please the Heavens
The first Xia emperor lamented his sins and sought to improve himself. Thus, the Heavenly Father forgave him and he regained the people’s support
Some sins can’t be forgiven, when thieves slaughter and steal the lives of the people
Mass murderers like Generals Bai Qi and Xiang Yu and peasant leaders like Huang Chao and Li Chuang did not meet good ends.
Murdering others is murdering oneself. Everyone knows that Heaven is watching.
Saving others is saving oneself. Heaven favors these kindly souls.
Aiding others is aiding oneself, in essence, individuals have agency.
Harming others is harming oneself, your sins stain your reputation forever
One should never seek revenge but instead tolerate the behaviors of others
In order to become loyal and sincere one must first have an honest and humble core.
Fourth, the just are righteous and benevolent
Heaven does not sanction gatherings of sinners because when evil forces collude, disaster is inevitable.
Be like Yang Zhen, a gentleman official who is never swayed by bribes.
Be like Guan Ning, a regular citizen who forfeited wealth and social relationships in order to uphold his morals.
In order to maintain the honor and dignity of their people, Boyi and Shuqi starved to death instead of disturbing the heavenly order or serving an immoral leader.
Consistently, the Heavenly path is for those who endure spiritual training. Material wealth is of little value.
A leader mustn’t compromise his morals by killing innocent people even when he attempts to unify his kingdom.
Fearing God brings certainty and order to one’s life
Thou shalt not kill.
The only right way to live is to follow the Heavenly path.
Fifth, “witches” do not follow the Heavenly path.
After all, Heaven dictates man’s fate; all other manipulations of fate are fraudulent deceptions.
All Daoist rituals that involve life, death, and fate go against Heaven.
From ancient times, self-preservation is already difficult to achieve, how can you try to manipulate the fate of others?
From ancient times, those who follow the practices of witchcraft will never get out of the cycle of poverty.
The door to Hell is always open for the devilish “witches” who claim to speak for the deceased.
Desiring dirty money is a sin. One should embark on the path of repentance.
Your craft and conduct must be honest and moral.
Sixth, any form of gambling is unhealthy for the soul.
Don’t do it!
You harm yourself by tricking and deceiving others.
Gambling will take what you have and cannot give you what you want.
You can’t control your fate; that is in the realm of Heaven.
Confucius and his disciples were happy in their poverty because they accepted Heaven.
Men dream about three parts of their lives —thoughts, worries and aspirations.
Small wealth comes from diligence whereas great wealth is fate. One must be responsible for his own livelihood.
Do not be the type of person underestimates the evil of gambling.
Idlers often start through gambling. Why should good citizens entrap themselves?
Unlawful wealth is like poison: It quenches thirst while wrecking one’s soul.
Jobs in government, farming and trade are legitimate ways to make money.
A thousand gamblers are a thousand sinners. Think carefully before engaging in these activities.
In the pit of hell, opium addicts are the most depraved.
Today, how many heroes have destroyed themselves by the smoke of opium?
Alcohol addiction isn’t much better as it is “the soup” that destroys homes and families.
Look at corruption in the Shang and Zhou dynasties and you will see that their empires fell as a result of alcoholism.
Fortune tellers and soothsayers deceive God, they are the dregs of society.
Like life and death, wealth is dictated by heaven. Why deceive the people to gain wealth?
Other sins are so numerous they cannot all be listed, exercise prudence in your life.
The small things are the most important, don’t place yourself on thin ice.
The first emperors worried about the welfare of their subjects, they led and the people followed.
Many great people were righteous and, after they passed away, they joined the Heavenly Father.
These are unembellished truths.
My soul once ascended to heaven so I am not lying to you.
Out of kindness, I am telling you not to forget all I have said, though there is much to remember.
Kind families get good ends, the immoral get bad endings.
Follow the path of heaven to survive or else you will die. Worship God to maintain honor and glory.
Supplemental Collection of In-Text References within the “Song of Salvation through the True Way” (1852)
- “Even sheep and crows sacrifice themselves to nourish their young”: Refers to various Chinese idioms illustrating the exemplary sacrifices animals take to raise their young. Specifically, the sheep kneel and lower themselves to the ground to feed their young while crows regurgitate their own food to feed their young. These are meant to demonstrate how the noble sacrifices parents make to raise their children. (Reference of “Section 02 of 06)
- “The first Xia emperor lamented his sins”: Refers to Yu the Great, who was famous for being the great dam builder and the first Emperor of the mythical Xia dynasty. Famous for the story of Yu spending 13 years tirelessly trying to solve the flooding issue of the Yellow River for 13 years without returning home. Even though he passed by his house thrice, he never succumb to the temptation of rest before solving the floods. One of the possible “sins” that he may have been attributed with is the inheritance of his father Gun’s accumulated divine wrath during Gun’s attempt to patch the floods. In one legend, Gun stole some special self mending soil from a god to build a dam, earning him a share of divine wrath, with his nine years of efforts ending in failure.(Reference of “Section03 of 06)
- “Yang Zhen” Refers to the story of an official named Yang Zhen who was famous for being incorruptible. The story being referenced here is about how Yang Zhen visited a young official that he once promoted. The young official was delighted to see Yang Zhen and extremely grateful to him. In order to express his gratitude, the young official prepared a lavish reception and many gifts for Yang Zhen. Yang Zhen was furious since he promoted the official because of the official’s talent and not out of an expectation for bribery or monetary returns. The official said that all the presents were out of his gratitude and that it wouldn’t be immoral to accept the presents in the cover of the night as personal token of his respect, further incensing Yang Zhen, who became known as a man of character immovable by material temptations. (Reference of “Section 04 of 06)
- “Guan Ning” Refers to the tale of a scholar who was known for his adherence to morality. Guan Ning had a close friend from childhood. Yet this friend of his was easily enchanted by material objects. Thrice, the two of them had encounters with material temptations. First, Guan Ning’s friend found an object of significant value and showed it to Guan Ning. Guan Ning told him to leave it where it was as it did not belong to him. Another time, an extravagant carriage was passing by the academy where the two of them were studying. Guan Ning was adamant to keep studying while his friend was excited by the extravagance of the carriage. Eventually, Guan Ning opted to sever their friendship and become a secluded hermit in order to pursue a refinement of his learning and integrity. (Reference of “Section 04 of 06)
- “Boyi and Shuqi” Refers to Princes Boyi and Shuqi. After their father passed away, the will stated that their father preferred for the younger brother succeed the throne. Yet the younger prince believed that adhering to the way of primogeniture was supreme while his older brother wanted to respect the wishes of their father. In a dilemma, they went to consult a neighboring king that was reputed to wise. When they visited this king, they discovered that he was plotting a rebellion against the Emperor who ruled over all of them. This king invited the brothers to join him in his endeavor; however, the brothers refused out of principle, as they views that treason was the action of immoral ingrates. They chose to face possible execution at the hands of this King for knowing the conspiracy, yet they chose to stand up for their beliefs and starve to death on a mountain rather than to capitulate. (Reference of “Section 04 of 06)
- “all other manipulations of fate” Refers to the Daoist practice of writing talismans to pray for relief from disease or misfortune. These talismans along with other Taoist rituals were believed by many people as a sort of folk custom. (Reference of “Section 05 of 06)
- “All Daoist rituals that involve life, death, and fate” Here, Hong lists some Daoist practices including: prayers for good fortune, exorcisms of demons, rituals to help the dead pass on to the afterlife, and the practice of increasing one’s lifespan by cultivating medicines and practicing certain moral codes. (Reference of “Section 05 of 06)
- “door to Hell is always open for the devilish ‘witches’ who claim to speak for the deceased” The direct translation of the sentence would be “Devils who pretend to deal with the ghosts of the deceased will eventually incur the wrath of devils/ghosts. The doors of Hell always await infidels”, with devils, demons and ghosts being denoted with the same character in Chinese script. Essentially, Hong views any dealings with the supernatural concerning the passage rites of the dead to be fraudery and irreligious “witchcraft”.(Reference of “Section 05 of 06)