Today’s Between Master and Disciples – “From Mohism’s Book of Mozi: Book 7 – Will of Heaven” – will be presented in Chinese with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech-Slovak, English, French, German, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Mongolian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish and Thai.

Mozi or Mo Tzu was a Chinese philosopher who lived around 460 BCE to 391. He was a pacifist who traveled from one region to another to try to convince rulers from their plans of conquest. Mo Tzu’s teachings encompass self-reflection to attain true self knowledge, universal love and enlightened self-interest in social relations. He advocated self-restraint in which a person would indulge in neither material nor spiritual extravagance. His philosophy encompassed the concept that one must do actions which brought the most benefit for the general welfare of all. We now present an excerpt of Mo Tzu’s teachings, “Will of Heaven,” from the book Mozi.

Thank you for your happy company for today’s episode of Between Master and Disciples here on Supreme Master Television. Join us again next Wednesday for part 2 of Mo Tzu’s teachings, “Will of Heaven.”

Up next is Planet Earth: Our Loving Home right after Noteworthy News. May Heaven’s blessing be bountiful in your daily life.

Thank you for your gentle presence for today’s episode of Between Master and Disciples. Join us again next Wednesday for part 3 of “Will of Heaven,” excerpted from Mo Tzu’s teachings. Planet Earth: Our Loving Home is coming up next after Noteworthy News. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television. May your noble dreams be realized and your life be overflowed with the boundless love from Heaven.

You have been watching Between Master and Disciples here on Supreme Master Television. Join us again next Wednesday for the conclusion of “Will of Heaven.” Up next is Planet Earth: Our Loving Home, right after Noteworthy News. Farewell and God bless.

Thank you for your happy company for today’s episode of Between Master and Disciples here on Supreme Master Television. Join us again next Wednesday for part 2 of Mo Tzu’s teachings, “Will of Heaven.”

Up next is Planet Earth: Our Loving Home right after Noteworthy News. May Heaven’s blessing be bountiful in your daily life.

Thank you for your gentle presence for today’s episode of Between Master and Disciples. Join us again next Wednesday for part 3 of “Will of Heaven,”

excerpted from Mo Tzu’s teachings. Planet Earth: Our Loving Home is coming up next after Noteworthy News. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television. May your noble dreams be realized and your life be overflowed with the boundless love from Heaven.

You have been watching Between Master and Disciples here on Supreme Master Television. Join us again next Wednesday for the conclusion of “Will of Heaven.” Up next is Planet Earth: Our Loving Home, right after Noteworthy News. Farewell and God bless.

Thank you for your happy company for today’s episode of Between Master and Disciples here on Supreme Master Television. Up next is Planet Earth: Our Loving Home, right after Noteworthy News. May Heaven’s blessing be bountiful in your daily life.

Thank you for your happy company for today’s episode of Between Master and Disciples here on Supreme Master Television. Up next is Planet Earth: Our Loving Home, right after Noteworthy News. May Heaven’s blessing be bountiful in your daily life.

Will of Heaven I Mozi said: The gentlemen of the world all understand only trifles but not things of importance. How do we know? We know this from one's conduct in the family. If one should offend the patriarch of the family, there are still the homes of the neighbors in which to seek shelter. Yet parents, brothers, and friends all keep on reminding one to be obedient and careful. For, how can one offend the patriarch and stay in the family? Not only is this true about conduct in the family, but also in the state. If one should offend the lord of the state there are still the neighboring states whither he may flee. Yet parents, brothers, and friends all keep on reminding one to be obedient and careful.

For, how can one offend the lord of the state and stay in it? From these there are yet shelters to flee to, yet there are such constant counsels. Should there not be more counsels in a case from which there is nowhere to flee? As the saying goes: "Sinning in broad daylight, whither can one flee?" Really there is nowhere to flee. For, Heaven clearly discerns it even if it be in the woods, valleys, or solitary caves where there is no man. But, contrary to our expectation, regarding Heaven, the gentlemen of the world do not understand mutually to give counsel.

This is how we know the gentlemen in the world understand only trifles and not things of importance. Now, what does Heaven desire and what does it abominate? Heaven desires righteousness and abominates unrighteousness. Therefore, in leading the people in the world to engage in doing righteousness I should be doing what Heaven desires. When I do what Heaven desires, Heaven will also do what I desire. Now, what do I desire and what do I abominate? I desire blessings and emoluments, and abominate calamities and misfortunes.

When I do not do what Heaven desires, neither will Heaven do what I desire. Then I should be leading the people into calamities and misfortunes. But how do we know Heaven desires righteousness and abominates unrighteousness? For, with righteousness the world lives and without it the world dies; with it the world becomes rich and without it the world becomes poor; with it the world becomes orderly and without it the world becomes chaotic. And if Heaven likes to have the world live and dislikes to have it die, likes to have it rich and dislikes to have it poor, and likes to have it orderly and dislikes to have it disorderly. Therefore, we know Heaven desires righteousness and abominates unrighteousness.

Moreover, righteousness is the standard. A standard is not to be given by the subordinates to the superior but by the superior to the subordinates. Therefore, while the common people should spare no pains at work they may not make the standard at will. There are the scholars to give them the standard. While the scholars should spare no pains at work, they may not make the standard at will. There are the ministers and secretaries to give them the standard. While the ministers and secretaries should spare no pains at work, they may not make the standard at will. There are the high duke and feudal lords to give them the standard. While the high duke and the feudal lords should spare no pains at work, they may not make the standard at will.

There is the emperor to give them the standard. The emperor may not make the standard at will either. There is Heaven to give him the standard. That the emperor gives the standard to the high dukes, to the feudal lords, to the scholars, and to the common people, the gentlemen in the world clearly understand. But that Heaven gives the standard to the emperor, the people do not know well. Therefore, the ancient sage-kings of the Three Dynasties, Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu, desiring to make it clear to the people that Heaven gives the standard to the emperor and invoked Heaven's blessing.

But I have not yet heard of Heaven invoking the emperor for blessing. So I know Heaven gives the standard to the emperor. The emperor is the most honorable of the world and the richest of the world. So, the honored and the rich cannot but obey the will of Heaven. He who obeys the will of Heaven, loving universally and benefiting others, will obtain rewards. He who opposes the will of Heaven, by being partial and unfriendly and harming others, will incur punishment.

Now, who were those that obeyed the will of Heaven and obtained rewards, and who were those that opposed the will of Heaven and incurred punishment? Mozi said: The ancient sage-kings of the Three Dynasties, Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu, were those that obeyed the will of Heaven and obtained reward. And the wicked kings of the Three Dynasties, Jie, Zhou, You, and Li, were those that opposed the will of Heaven and incurred punishment. How did Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu obtain their reward? Mozi said: In the highest sphere they revered Heaven, in the middle sphere they worshipped the spirits, and in the lower sphere they loved the people.

Thereupon the will of Heaven proclaimed: "All those whom I love these love also, and all those whom I benefit these benefit also. Their love to men is all-embracing and their benefit to men is most substantial." And so, they were raised to the honor of Sons of Heaven and enriched with the heritage of the empire. They were succeeded by descendants for ten thousand generations to continue the spread of their righteousness all over the world. And people praise them unto this day, calling them righteous sage-kings. How did Jie, Zhou, You, and Li incur their punishment? Mozi said: In the highest sphere they blasphemed against Heaven, in the middle sphere they blasphemed against the spirits, and in the sphere below they oppressed the people.

Thereupon the will of Heaven proclaimed: "From those whom I love these turn away and hate, and those whom I want to benefit they oppress. Their hate of men is without limit and their oppression of men the most severe." And, so, they were not permitted to finish out their lives, or to survive a single generation. And people condemn them unto this day, calling them wicked kings. How do we know Heaven loves the people? Because it teaches them all. How do we know it teaches them all? Because it claims them all.

Claiming all the people, why will Heaven not love them? Moreover, as I have said, for the murder of one innocent individual there will be one calamity. Who is it that murders the innocent? It is man. Who is it that sends down the calamity? It is Heaven. If Heaven should be thought of as not loving the people, why should it send down calamities for the murder of man by man? So, I know Heaven loves the people.

To obey the will of Heaven is to accept righteousness as the standard. To oppose the will of Heaven is to accept force as the standard. Now what will the standard of righteousness do? Mozi said: He who rules a large state does not attack small states: he who rules a large house does not molest small houses. The strong does not plunder the weak. The honored does not demean the humble. The clever does not deceive the stupid. This is beneficial to Heaven above, beneficial to the spirits in the middle sphere, and beneficial to the people below.

Being beneficial to these three it is beneficial to all. So the most excellent name is attributed to such a man and he is called sage-king. The standard of force is different from this. It is contradictory to this in word and opposed to this in deed like galloping with back to back. Leading a large state, he whose standard is force attacks small states; leading a large house he molests small houses. The strong plunders the weak. The honored disdains the humble. The clever deceives the stupid. This is not beneficial to Heaven above, or to the spirits in the middle sphere, or to the people below. Not being beneficial to these three, it is beneficial to none. So, the most evil name in the world is attributed to him and he is called the wicked king.

Mozi said: The will of Heaven to me is like the compasses to the wheelwright and the square to the carpenter. The wheelwright and the carpenter measure all the square and circular objects with their square and compasses and accept those that fit as correct and reject those that do not fit as incorrect. The writings of the gentlemen of the world of the present day cannot be all loaded (in a cart), and their doctrines cannot be exhaustively enumerated. They endeavor to convince the feudal lords on the one hand and the scholars on the other. But from magnanimity and righteousness they are far off. How do we know? Because I have the most competent standard in the world to measure them with.