The original text of Lin Zexu’s Ten Unhelpful Things is as follows:
1. Bad intentions, Feng Shui is useless
Whether it is a person or a family, kindness is the most basic thing. If we abandon the right path of "goodness" and blindly pursue the art of Feng Shui, we will be seeking fish based on trees. If you are a bad person and do many unjust things, you will not only dishonor your ancestors, but also harm your descendants.
2. If you are not filial to your parents, it is useless to serve God
Be filial piety first. No matter how great your achievements are, if you are unfilial to your parents, all your honors will be eclipsed. "Serving God is of no use." If you are unfilial to your parents, no matter how pious or respectful you are to God, everything will be false.
3. Friendships are useless if brothers are at odds
For a family, parents are the foundation and brothers are the branches. Only when brothers and sisters support each other can the family business flourish. If brothers and sisters cannot be harmonious with them, why should they be friends?
4. If you behave badly, studying is useless
Confucius said: "A disciple should be filial when he enters, happy when he goes out, be sincere and trustworthy, love others and be kind, and have enough energy to do. Then learn literature. "Learn to be a good person first, establish moral character, and then learn cultural knowledge when you have enough energy. The purpose of reading is to improve the spiritual and moral realm. If you have bad conduct, reading will be of no use.
5. Being arrogant and arrogant is of no use to being knowledgeable
“Being full will cause harm, but being modest will be beneficial.” The way of a humble gentleman has always been appreciated by the world. The more knowledgeable a person is, the more humble he can be. If you use your erudition as the basis for boasting, and you are arrogant and aggressive, it can only be said that you have not yet appreciated the highest realm of learning in ancient times.
6. Being eccentric and being clever is of no use
If a person is very smart and talented, but has evil intentions and acts eccentrically, this kind of intelligence is actually a danger. "Perverse behavior" refers to people who are unreasonable, paranoid, willing to sensationalize, and have bad intentions. Their intelligence and talents are often exploited and led astray.
7. Taking medicine is useless at the expense of vitality
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that all illnesses are caused by damage to vitality. If you don't cherish your own vitality, diseases will naturally come. If the vitality is severely damaged, no matter how good the medicine is, it will not be able to save the day. People who don't care about their vitality think that they have unlimited power, but their vitality is often severely damaged by various external forces.
8. Fortune is unavailable and it is useless to seek in vain
Fortune is objective and cannot be controlled by individuals. What we can do is to accumulate strength when we are unlucky and wait for the opportunity to take off. The opposite of accumulating strength is "unwanted seeking", diligently seeking opportunities that do not belong to you. Even if you get an opportunity at this time, you will quickly lose it.
9. Taking money from others in vain, giving away is useless
A gentleman loves money and takes it in a wise way. Taking money from others is unjust. Giving means giving blessings and benefits to others with compassion. Taking money from others is a sin, giving away is a merit. If you take money from others in vain and give in a hypocritical manner, you will not get blessings and wisdom.
10. Evil and unbridled desires, Yinlu is useless
Yinlu refers to meritorious deeds that are only known to oneself and are not known to others. The ancients believed that accumulating negative energy can change one's destiny, and blessings will also benefit future generations. However, this is also conditional. If a person indulges in luxury and debauchery, even if he repeatedly does good deeds and accumulates negative virtues, it will be in vain.