An Excerpt for Donald Trump from Chinese Philosophy

T HE G R O W T H O F H U M A N I S M
In the ffteenth year (of King Hui, 662 B.C.), a spiritual being descended and
appeared in Hsin. The King asked his minister Kuo, saying, 'Why is this? Is
there such a thing?'
Kuo replied, 'Yes. When a state is about to rise, its ruler is solemn, illustrious,
sincere, and correct. He is discriminating, pure, kind and afable. His virtue is
sufcient to make his fragrant oferings manifest, and his kindness is sufcient
to unify the people. As the spiritual beings enjoy his oferings and the people
listen to him, neither the people nor the spiritual beings have any complaint.
Therefore, brilliant spiritual beings descend in his state, see the evidence of the
virtue of the government, and spread blessings everywhere. When the state is
about to perish, its ruler is greedy, reckless, depraved and perverted. He is
lewd. Indolent, negligent and lazy. He is vulgar and cruel. Because his
government has a disgusting odor, his oferings do not rise to reach the
spiritual beings. And because his punishments are imposed on the basis of
treachery and slander, his people desert him and divert their loyalty elsewhere.
The brilliant spiritual beings no longer give him purifcation, and his people
want to leave him. Both the people and the spiritual beings blame him and
hate him, and there is nothing in him for them to cling to. The spiritual beings
likewise go to such a state, see evidence of oppression and evil and send down
calamity.

A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy

Translated and Compiled by
Wing-Tsit Chan
16 July MMXVI