There are eight guidelines to education. In Confucius' Great Learning, there are the Three Essentials and the Eight Guidelines. The Three Essentials are "to understand bright virtue, to be kind to people and to bring peace to the world." This is an entire package of being human, which is also about how to govern a family or a country. If we can educate students so that the Three Essentials and the Eight Guidelines are learned and applied, then we can educate the next generation so that they do not chase after the ends of branches and give up on the root.

Typical education nowadays only teach people to finish their education and find a high level position, earn lots of money, be a world famous person, the world's number one. Instead of teaching them the basic criteria for being humans, they are taught to fight for fame and fortune. This is called chasing after the ends of branches and giving up on the root, running away from the path. You do things against the Way. This is a grave mistake. Hence, as teachers, we ought to pay attention to students' character and wisdom. We want to uncover the source of their wisdom and excavate their inherent wisdom. Hence we must educate with patience. This kind of responsibility is tremendous.

If we educate students so that they know to cherish their bodies, their families, and their nation, then the world would be at peace even if we do not try. Since people are not giving themselves any more problems, they will not give other people problems. By not doing anything that is unprincipled at home and by being good, law-abiding citizens in a group, we can influence people to respect and cherish each other rather than deceive and lie to each other.

I believe this is a most important area. However, most of us have missed this fundamental issue and are running towards the ends of branches. We run around so that we run farther and farther away from the basic duties of being human. As inexperienced and uneducated as I am, I say these words today. These words are very ordinary to everybody, "bland and tasteless, like cabbage boiled in plain water." Although it does not have much taste to it, cabbage or cabbage soup relieves a lot of toxins.