Mencius’ View on World Salvation

Mencius said, “The world is drowning. It must be rescued with Tao.” Mencius clearly stated that Tao, not religion, is the only way to save the world from destruction. Confucius once said, “If a person hears and awakes to Tao in the morning, he may die in the evening without regret.”

What is Tao? It’s our True Nature. The Sixth Patriarch, Rev. Hui Neng, was one of the greatest Zen masters in history. Right after realizing his true nature, he said,

Who would have thought that the true nature is intrinsically pure!
Who would have thought that the true nature is intrinsically free from birth and destruction!
Who would have thought that the true nature is intrinsically self-sufficient!
Who would have thought that the true nature is intrinsically free from ups and downs!
Who would have thought that the true nature can create all things!”

Mencius said, “The foundation of the world lies in the countries. The foundation of the countries lies in the families, while the foundation of the families lies in each of individuals.” Based on these relationships, it is clear that the fate of the world lies in the hands of each individual. Nowadays, mankind becomes so corrupted and immoral that calamities striking everywhere in the world, signal the destruction of human race. This is because our True Nature is covered by our emotions and desires. In order to save this world from destruction, it is necessary to revive the free flow of our True Nature. Once it’s revived, we start seeing right, saying things, and doing things right. We can start improving the quality of our life, which in turn, affects favorably those of our family, friends and people around us.