Dou Yu-jyun lived in the Latter Jin Dynasty of the Five Dynasties Period, and was from Youjou of Hebei. He lost his father when he was little, and served his mother with filiality, not disobeying her words. At age twenty he was married, and at thirty he still had no son. He worried about perpetuating the family lineage to the next generation. One night, he dreamed of his grandfather who said, "Your fate is to be without a son, but if you do many good deeds, you can influence the force of karma and turn your destiny around." Upon awakening, he vowed, "I shall refrain from all evil, and offer up all good." Under the principle of "Just do good deeds and pay no attention to the future," he helped a vast number of people.

Once his servant stole twenty thousand taels of silver and escaped to another place, but left a note of debt hanging around his young daughter's neck, which said, "I sell this girl permanently to pay the debt I owe you." Dou burned the note, and treated the servant's daughter well. After she grew up, Dou chose a man for her to marry.

When villagers, relatives, and friends had no money to buy coffins, he would give them coffins so they could bury their dead. For those could not afford to get married, he would help them by giving them money, so that there would be no unmarried men and women of marriageable age. He would lend money without interest to those who were unable to make a living. And for those who had no money to go to school, he would pay the tuition.

Because of his good deeds in helping the poor and desperate, Heaven was moved to grant him five sons, whom he named Yi (Composure), Yen (Dignity), Kan (Straightforward), Cheng (Agreeable), and Syi (Joy). They all passed the imperial examination, and glorified their ancestors. Their fame spread throughout the Four Seas.

The Three Character Classic says:

Dou of Swallow Hills
Had a just and righteous method
For teaching his five sons,
So they all became renowned.

A Verse in Praise Says:

Mr. Dou of You-jou
Took filial piety as his creed.
At thirty, anxious for a son,
He dreamed one night of his grandfather.
Helping the distressed and rescuing those in peril,
He influenced the Heavenly Court.
Yi, Yen, Kan, Cheng
And Syi all attained honor and rank.

Another Verse Says:

Venerable Dou of Swallow Hills had a righteous method;
Old and young alike bathed in the light of his kindness.
He nurtured young people in their studies of the teachings of the Sages,
And offered assistance in marriages and burials, doing what was fitting in each case.
He cherished humaneness and forgiveness and based his conduct on them.
Passing on the virtues of loyalty and filiality, the family all became famous.
The changing of fate is done on the Mind Ground;
Know that true gravesite is in the Hall of the Mind.

Shr Nai-an lived in the Ywan Dynasty, and was from Loyang of Henan. His name was Dz-an. He had progressed to a profound level in his literary studies. He had been an official at Chyan Tang, but since his political views did not agree with those around him, he resigned his post and returned to his home, where he secluded himself and wrote Riverbank Chronicles (Shwei Hu Jwan), and other books. This novel tells the story of the great robber Sung Jyang of the Sung Dynasty and his followers, one hundred and eight people in all, who were driven up to Mount Lyang. Although Shr Nai-an sang the lofty tune of patriotism, in fact it had the opposite effect of harming young people's bodies and minds, and inciting them to do such crooked things as proclaim themselves king, or hide out in the forests as bandits. His book describes acts of debauchery and robbery in such vivid detail that the reader cannot help but have villainous thoughts himself. The harm of the book is not trivial at all. Because of this, three generations of the author's descendants were all mutes. From this, we can know that cause and effect never fails. The Dharma-doors of Buddhism teach people to purify the three karmas of body, mouth and mind. In the karma of the mouth, indecent speech is the path to all evil. What is meant by indecent speech? It means to talk about the love affairs of men and women, or to write romantic descriptions of the breeze, the flowers, the snow, or the moon, which cause adolescents in puberty to fall into a maze of spiritual confusion from which they cannot extricate themselves. Here is a message for writers: Do not compose love-poems or seductive verses. It should be known that romance novels harm young people in three ways: First, they impede one from doing one's proper work. Second, they drain away one's energy. Third, they confuse the mind and weaken one's resolve. Take care! Be warned! Otherwise, it will be too late to feel regret.

A Verse of Criticism Says:

Riverbank, Riverbank
Caused people to be harmed.
The author received the retribution
Of three generations of mute pigs!
Men and women did not investigate
But just followed it madly;
Engaging in murder, pillage, and debauchery,
They lost their lives.

Another Verse Says:

Daring and reckless in action was Shr Nai-an;
Failing to weigh the retribution to come, he committed wicked offenses.
The hells came to life under his pen,
As he wrote chapters for bringing death to people on the paper.
Misleading young people into becoming thieves and bandits,
He induced mankind to forget the laws and the will of heaven.
Such a doctrine confuses people about their fundamental nature,
So that they perish for untold aeons, and find it very hard to come back.