Young friends, you should be like lotus
blossoms: beautiful, pure, and fragrant. Everyone likes them.
The lotus flower grows out of the mud, but is not stained by the
mud. It isn't defiled or common; on the contrary, it is rare and
precious. In times like this, when people are mad and confused,
if you can discover your roots and not be swept along by the
crowd, you'll be as noble and precious as a lotus flower.
You all have the opportunity to become supporting pillars of
society and the nation. But first you have to prune the
branches, that is, do away with all improper habits, so that you
can become a useful person. If you don't refine yourself, you'll
be just like ordinary people, and the world will never improve
that way. If you want to reform the world and change its
negative trends, you have to set guidelines for yourselves when
you are young. You will also need support to help you advance
along the way.
What provides this support? The Four Modes of Deportment:
walking, standing, sitting and reclining. There are set rules
for all of these; we cannot go about them in a sloppy manner.
Many students don't walk properly; they bounce and leap, peering
east and west like monkeys. That shows a lack of deportment. It
is said, "Walk like the breeze, sit like a bell, recline like a
bow, and stand like a pine."
"Walk like the breeze": When we walk, we should be like "a soft
breeze that makes no ripples on the water." This wind is a soft
breeze, not a storm or a whirlwind that blows down houses and
uproots trees. We should be careful about this.
"Sit like a bell": When we sit, we should be as steady as a big
bell. Don't be like the bell clapper, swinging to and fro. You
should sit upright and not swing your legs, especially if you
are a girl.
「臥如弓」：躺著的時候像一把弓，也有一定的姿態。
"Recline like a bow": When we lie down, our bodies should look
like bows; this is the posture for reclining.
「立如松」：站著的時候，如一棵大松樹，又高又直，卓然獨立，不是像蛇那樣子，彎彎曲曲。
"Stand like a pine": When we stand, we should look like great
pine trees, tall and straight, singularly outstanding. We
shouldn't be bent and curved like snakes.
We should pay attention to the Four Modes of Deportments in our
daily lives and learn these basic things when we are students.
We should always choose to follow good examples and change
conduct that is not virtuous. "If it's the Way, advance upon it;
if it's not the Way, retreat from it." I tell you all this in
utmost sincerity. I hope you will put forth your best effort.
Otherwise you will simply be bodies that can walk around and
consume food and drink, but that make no contributions to the
world.
