Taoism

Treatise of the Most Exalted One on Cause and Effect

Ta-1 The Most Exalted One says:
Misfortune and blessings do not come to us without reason, we bring them upon ourselves.

Ta-2 The consequences of good and evil deeds are like the shadow, following the body wherever it
goes.

Ta-3 The right path leads to progression, but the wrong path leads to regression..

Ta-4 Accumulate virtue and merits.

Ta-5 Be compassionate towards all beings.

Ta-6 Be loyal to the country, filial to our parents, friendly to our friends, dutiful toour siblings.

Ta-7 Change others by correcting ourselves first.

Ta-8 Take pity on the desolate, help the lonely, respect the elderly, and care for the weak

Ta-9 Be sad for other peoples sufferings, and rejoice in their blessings.

Ta-10 Give succour to those in need, and rescue those in danger.

Ta-11 Regard other peoples gain as my own gain, and their loss as my own loss.

Ta-12 Speak not about other peoples weaknesses, or boast about our own strengths.

Ta-13 Resist the evil, promote the good.

Ta-14 Give more, take less.

Ta-15 Bear no hatred to those who insult you.

Ta-16 Receive kindness, when given, as if unexpected.

Ta-17 Offer kindness to others without seeking reward and without regrets.

Ta-18 Good people are those who are respected by others, blessed by the Heavens, accompanied by
good fortune, avoided by the demons, protected by the gods, and succeed in everything they do.

Ta-19 Yet there are some who commit wrongdoings and are unreasonable.

Ta-20 Secretly, they undermine the good people, and detest their superiors and parents.

Ta-21 They despise their teachers, and act against.

Ta-22 They despise their teachers, and act against what their own duty demands of them.

Ta-23 They deceive the uneducated, and slander their friends.

Ta-24 They are deceitful and hypocritical; they bear false witness against their family.

Ta-25 They are merciless, brutal and obstinate.

Ta-26 They confuse right and wrong, good and evil.

Ta-27 They oppress and appropriate the merits of their subordinates; they ingratiate themselves with
their superiors.

Ta-28 They are never grateful and always vengeful.

Ta-29 They abuse the desolate and coerce the vulnerable.

Ta-30 They are corrupt and disregard the law.

Ta-31 They say wrong is right, and right is wrong.

Ta-32 Although they know their wrongs, they refuse to change; and although they know what is good,
they refuse to do good.

Ta-33 They disparage the holy and wise.

Ta-34 They show contempt towards morality and virtue.

Ta-35 They wish that others suffer loss; they spoil others gain or success.

Ta-36 They exchange what is valuable for what is worthless, and expend public properties for selfish
gains.

Ta-37 They take advantage of others, and conceal others good qualities.

Ta-38 They tear families apart.

Ta-39 They destroy what others hold dear.

Ta-40 They assist others in committing crimes.

Ta-41 They succeed by the degradation of others, and conceal their own faults.

Ta-42 They are indignant and abusive towards their teachers; they provoke their parents and siblings.

Ta-43 They are unjust in giving reward or punishment..

Ta-44 They overindulge in pleasure.

Ta-45 They oppress and threaten their subordinates.

Ta-46 They blame the gods and other people, and rail against the winds and rains.

Ta-47 They incite disputes and lawsuits within a party.

Ta-48 They abandon the old things when they get new things.

Ta-49 They are hypocritical.

Ta-50 They slander others but feign honesty; they rail at the gods and claim to be righteous.

Ta-51 They are quarrelsome amongst their family.

Ta-52 As husbands, they are neither faithful nor good. As wives, they are neither gentle nor reasonable.

Ta-53 As husbands, they do not get along with their wives; as wives, they do not respect their husbands.

Ta-54 If the husband is always boastful of himself, the wife will become jealous.

Ta-55 They curse themselves and others, and are partial in their love and hatred.

Ta-56 They harm children, abort the unborn, and commit clandestine misdeeds.

Ta-57 For all those sins, the life expectancy of the evil-doer is reduced in proportion to the gravity of
his offence, and dies when his life is thus exhausted. If there is remainder to the wages of his sins
after his death, his descendants will suffer.

Ta-58 If a persons intention is good, although he has yet to do any good deeds, benevolent spirits are
already accompanying him.

Ta-59 If a persons intention is evil, although he has yet to commit any evil deeds, malevolent spirits
are already following him.

Ta-60 He who has committed evil deeds must repent and change. If he ceases wrongdoing and practises
goodness, he will gradually obtain blessings, thus turning misfortune into blessing.

Ta-61 Blessed is he who speaks, thinks and practises goodness. If a person practises these three ways of
goodness daily, the Heavens will bestow blessings on him within three years.

Ta-62 Unfortunate is the man who speaks, thinks and commits evil. If a person practises these three
ways of evils daily, the Heavens will punish him with misfortunes within three years.