ABSTRACT
The next set of extracts is from a book written during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644 ce) by a scholar and official Yuán Liǎofán (袁了凡; c. 1533–1606 ce) born in Jiangsu province. This text is an instruction manual addressed to his son, Yuán Tiānqǐ (袁天啟) based on Liaofan’s life experiences. Although it is informed by Buddhist principles, it is written in a variety of Wenyan with fewer explicitly Buddhist words and expressions than other texts in this book. However, like many of the other texts in this reader, Liaofan’s Four Lessons influenced Chinese, Japanese and other cultures. Because The Four Lessons was written for Liaofan’s son, it is traditionally recommended that younger people study the text so that they might plan their life based on its contents.
