1.Essential Ways for Self-Discipline
According to the times in which one is living, study all lessons diligently and try to acquire all forms of knowledge.
Practice spiritual training, and by knowing yourself be at peace in joy and anger, in pleasure and sorrow; do not lose your righteousness.
Study Facts and Principles and learn to discriminate between truth and falsehood, correctly judging Right from Wrong and Advantage from Disadvantage.
Try to integrate knowledge with action in the conduct of mind and body, carefully selecting what is right and abandoning what is wrong.
2.Essential Ways to Regulate the Home
Practice a stable occupation and secure adequate clothing, food and shelter Balance income and expenditure everyday, trying to be thrifty and save money.
The head of a family should not neglect to acquire a broad education and to study; one should not neglect the education of one's children and one should recognize one's obligation to serve one's elders and to guide the young.
The members of each family should live in harmony with one another and value the exchange of opinion among themselves.
Inwardly, members of each family should have a moral teacher for the enlightenment of their minds; outwardly, each should conform to the laws of the government.
Members of each family should refer to model families of both old and modern times and to the hopes and methods by which they have succeeded or failed to practice harmonious living.
3.Principles by which the Inferior and Superior Can Progress
Generally, one who wins in anything is called the superior, while one who is defeated is called the inferior. The superior may achieve their purpose by making use of the inferior but the inferior can always acquire superiority from the superior. Therefore, each relies upon the other and can become friendly or antagonistic.
The superior person can always continue to be superior, by elevating the inferior person to a superior position, through mechanisms of mutual interest. The inferior may become superior by overcoming difficulty and hardship and by regarding the superior as leader until the inferior becomes elevated to a superior position. If the superior only takes advantage of the inferior, without being concerned as to how one remains superior or to how the superior degenerates into the inferior, even the superior will finally degenerate into an inferior. On the other hand if the inferior person only resists the superior without realizing the possibility of elevation to the superior, and that the superior can degenerate into the inferior, then the inferior will remain inferior forever.
4.Preparations Essential to Becoming a Leader
Acquire more knowledge than those under your guidance.
Do not lose the confidence of those under your guidance.
Do not seek personal profit from those under your guidance.
Re-examine your knowledge and actions continually in doing all things.