What are the things that we don’t do to our Chinese Religious Scriptures or Articles?

Due to the time has changed and in-order to allow the new generation followers to understand what our Chinese Religions are all about, a lot of people (or groups) are doing the following actions to our Scriptures or Articles (can be Ancient or can be notes by Masters):

1) Doing different languages translation to certain Scriptures or Articles
2) Providing explanations or details on certain sentences
3) Adding in personal feelings and comments on certain sections, etc

Are these correct or acceptable?

From what I have learnt from my past Masters, actually all these are not allowed or can said is forbidden to do so.

But again, due to the time has changed and in-order to allow our Chinese Religions to move on to another further stage and allowing the Knowledge to separate to more people, I think, even we have to face Heavenly Punishments, we have to break certain rules and regulations -> this is the Spirit of Knowledge Sharing.

Again, only to a certain standard (not the 3rd Point stated above).

Reasons:

During the translation to different languages, certain meaning or the hidden messages will be lost.

Different translators have different views or understanding on one sentence or section, some translation (due to personal view) may or may-not mislead the others.

After translation being done for the targeted-audience (may not be Chinese), will tend to treat it as a normal book or article, after reading, misplace it or using it as a fighting-weapon on the Chinese Religions.

Hi dear friend, I do not completely agree with this. Let's see what the scriptures say:

The Scripture of Forty-nine Chapters, by Ultra Supreme Emptiness Emperor, the Heavenly Lord - Chapter 34 says:

Wonderful Practice Real Person asked the Heavenly Lord:
What kind of giving is most meritorious and virtuous?

The Heavenly Lord said:
Giving my words to others is most meritorious and virtuous.

The Ultra Supreme Elder Lord's Scripture of Precepts says:

If he can also expound the omnipresent and wonderful knowledge to others, to greatly benefit all living beings including those in the three evil paths, and save them from sufferings, by such merits and virtues, his countless knots tied in his previous lifetimes will all be cut off, he will ascend to the Upper Pure And Pellucid Realm and will never retrograde or fall.


According to these scriptures, propagating the teachings of Tao is the most meritorious and virtuous deed. However, many foreigners cannot read Chinese, how to let them know the orthodox teachings of Tao? The answer is to do the translation work. If we do not have orthodox Taoist scriptures translated into foreign languages, many foreigners will be cheated by wrong teachings and will be leaded to evil paths. For example, there are many misunderstandings and slanders on Taoism in Wikipedia. If they can read some orthodox Taoist scriptures, those misunderstandings will go away.

So, in order to make the correct teachings of Tao prevail, we have to translate orthodox Taoist scriptures. Of course we have to do it carefully to preserve the profound meanings, but this is another topic.

In fact, everything we do will cause both good and bad effects.

《道德經》云: 禍兮福之所倚，福兮禍之所伏。

《道德經》又云: 有無相生，難易相成，長短相形，高下相傾，音聲相和，前後相隨。恒也

The ancient masters delivered the holy teachings to us, this has benefited countless living beings, but the holy teachings also became the targets for slanders, criticism, and attacks. If the ancient masters did not teach anything, the holy teachings would not be abused, right? So why they still left so many teachings?

The answer is, they wish to save living beings. Although some people will abuse the holy teachings, some others will benefit from the teachings.

The Scripture of Forty-nine Chapters, by Ultra Supreme Emptiness Emperor, the Heavenly Lord - Chapter 1 says:

If anyone can vow to pull and relieve all living beings from their sufferings and his heart never retrogrades (keep practicing it and never regret), he will naturally achieve the true Tao.

翠虛真人陳楠曰:
吾將點化天下神僊，苟獲罪者，天其不天乎!


《佛說未曾有因緣經》云:
佛告王曰。......唯有一事。能報佛恩。何謂為一。常以慈心。以其所解。一切善法。展轉開化。乃至一人。令其信心成就智慧。展轉教化。無有窮盡。譬如一燈燃無量燈。如是行者。乃名為報師徒重恩。

大王當知。欲報師徒解脫恩者。以還智慧。解脫眾生。如是行者。則為供養三世諸佛。非但供養報一師也。

王叉手白。宣傳聖教。開悟群生。令行正見。修習聖道。其福云何。唯願垂哀。開導眾生。

佛告王曰。若善男子善女人。從師聞法。一句一義。展轉教化。乃至一人。未信令信。未解令解。如是功德。無量無邊。非是凡夫所能知也。

大王, 假使有人。於千歲中。飲食醫藥上妙衣服。供養恭敬佛法聖眾。其福多不。

王言甚多。不可稱量。

佛言大王。善男子善女人。從師聞說諸佛正教。展轉教化。乃至一人。令其信解。其所得福。復過於彼。千萬億倍。不及其一。何以故。法化之功。應無量故

劉海蟾祖師《還丹破迷歌》云:
真個佛法便是道，一個孩兒兩個抱。

《圓悟佛果禪師語錄》卷第二十( 大正藏 1997 )雲:
修禪道人。隨身卓庵。取名於佛果、老子。因與名之若虛。乃會三為一也。而不出本分事及禪教。永嘉雲。體若虛空沒涯岸。佛經云。佛真法身猶若虛空。混元雲。深藏若虛。宣尼雲。實若虛。雲一滴滴水一滴滴凍。只麼平常表裏空洞。根塵絕偶六門互用。快住此庵十八不共。要戲罅隙灼然無縫。應物非緣誰為幻夢

《重陽全真集》(正統道藏 1176)云::
釋道從來是一家，兩般形貌理無差。
識心見性全真覺，知汞通鉛結善芽。