The 81-year-old Master Chin Kung had spent 13 years studying Buddhism in his early years and has a deep understanding of Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam and other religions. He also has profound knowledge about China’s traditional culture and has been engaged in giving discourses on Buddhism and traditional cultural education for nearly 50 years.

Master Chin Kung also participated in many activities to promote world peace, religious unity and social education, and has given lectures on settling conflicts to a worldwide audience. He is an honorable professor at the prestigious Renmin University of China.

“China has a long history of 5,000 years. How can such a big country maintain lasting peaceful coexistence among its many ethnic groups? The mindset of the ancient people is effective. We do not need bureaucratic meetings, repression or retaliation. We need education, which means holding classes and giving lectures,” said Master Chin Kung.

On advice from Master Chin Kung, Tangchi was chosen to run a pilot project for traditional moral education. He holds the position of directorship of the Lujiang Center.

“Frankly speaking, I thought we might need three years to see the effects. But it took just six months for residents to respect and internalize the ancient teachings and the social ethos of the town has been improved greatly,” he said.

Master Chin Kung uses this fact to affirm that traditional moral education is still effective in contemporary life.

Practice what you preach

“Education is very important. People become who they are after receiving education. This is true even for saints or Buddhas,” said Master Chin Kung. He is a staunch believer in the ancient Chinese philosophy that teaching is the primary way toward social harmony.

Tangchi is currently a giant school benefiting every family. Teachers with the Lujiang Center visit homes of farmers on a regular basis and carry out interactive teachings. “It is difficult to comprehend the edification of sages if related teaching is not done person to person,” said Li Yiduo, Deputy Director of the Lujiang Center, who is also a tutor for students studying for their Master’s degree in Peking University’s Law School.

The major textbook used at the Lujiang Center is Regulations of Disciples (or Standards for Being a Good Child and Student) written by Li Yuxiu (1662-1722). The book enlightens children in the sense that it explains the rules and etiquette of student conduct in only 1,080 characters. It is simple to follow, easy to remember and provides children with a firm moral foundation.

The essence of 113 rules in the book seems to be similar with that of the fifty-five rules proposed by Ron Clark, an American educator, in his book The Essential 55.

“Those rules are not only for children, but parents also need to read them and discuss them with their children,” said Master Chin Kung.

The Lujiang Center’s Li believes that teaching the classics is not just about reciting or discussing, but has a more practical purpose in that it should provide the guidelines for one’s daily words and deeds and gradually cultivate one’s virtues.

Being a father, Li acknowledged that in the past he thought that the shortcomings of his child were caused by social, school or peer pressure reasons. He has since changed his outlook. He realizes now that if a child has any shortcomings, the fault may often lie with the parents.

“If parents start to get rid of bad habits, children will follow their example,” Li explained. He also said that teaching through action and example is better than words and is the way society at large should be taught.

Practicing what they preach, teachers with the Lujiang Center have set good examples to Tangchi residents. One example is picking up litter on the streets. Following the teachers’ example, residents now try to keep their town litter free.

The teachers are optimistic about the future of humanity. They say that it is part of Chinese character to believe that the nature of people is virtuous, and the aim of education is to make people rediscover these inherent virtues.

With an example like Tangchi, it proves that where there is a will, there is most certainly a way, and the old adage “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is still possibly the answer to many social ills.