(Clearwisdom.net)

Tang Emperor Taizong Valued Education

Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of Tang

Tang Emperor Taizong placed great emphasis on how he brought up his children. He wrote for Li Zhi, the Crown Prince, The Emperor's Norms, which is composed of twelve chapters. It included “Decency of the Emperor,” “Establishment of Relationships,” “Pursuit of Talents,” “Investigation of Government Officials,” “Acceptance of Advice,” “Elimination of the Wicked,” “Avoidance of Complacency,” “Promotion of Frugality,” “Punishment of the Bad,” “Emphasis on Agriculture,” “Monitor the Military,” and “Promotion of the Intellectuals,” everything that an emperor needed to pay attention to. He pointed out: “These 12 principles are the basis of being an emperor. Whether the empire is wealthy or not depends on them.” He also said: “Both self-cultivation and management of the state are based on them.” He earnestly advised the Crown Prince: “Please set Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang of Shang, and King Wen of Zhou as your examples. Learn from those great kings. ... If one does not have respect, he cannot lead his kingdom for long; if one does not have compassion, he cannot persuade good people to work for him. ... Try your best and work hard, and have a high standard of morality.” The Emperor's Norms can also be regarded as a bible for parenting.

Tang Emperor Taizong also wrote Injunctions to the Prince of Wu, Injunctions to Royal Relatives. He taught his children: “The most precious thing is that one has a high standard of morality.” He emphasized the importance of morality and told his children that, in order to have good fortune, they needed to do more good deeds and have good morals. He taught them: “As princes and princesses, you must first be self-restrained. You must motivate and discipline yourselves and be strict with yourselves.” He then shared with his children one of his long-standing doctrines: “From the outside, I cut myself off from recreation; within myself, I refuse to indulge in entertainment. I must put my energy into the affairs of our empire.” He also told his children: “Whenever you wear something, please show your sympathy for those women who keep silkworms; whenever you eat something, please think of those men who plow the land. One should always lead a simple life and remember those who work hard to make food and clothes.

Tang Emperor Taizong chose teachers with good morality, high prestige, and ample knowledge for his sons, including Fang Xuanling, Li Gang, Zhang Xuansu, Li Baiyao, and Wei Zheng. He also ordered his sons to show great respect for the teachers. He told his children to respect their teachers: “Treat your teachers as your fathers.” He also told the teachers to be strict with his children and encouraged them to point out what his sons did wrong. All the teachers obeyed his orders, and did a good job in teaching his children, which would have been impossible without his understanding and encouragement.

Tang Emperor Taizong placed great emphasis on moral teachings, using simple examples from worldly phenomena. Once he saw the Crown Prince resting under a tree. He told his son: “Although this tree is not straight, it can be used as good construction material if it is marked with straight lines. As an emperor, although he may not be talented, he still can be a good emperor if he listens to others for advice.” Tang Emperor Taizong also used history to teach his children. He asked Wei Zheng to compile Good and Bad Stories of Ancient Lords and gave the book to his sons. He asked them to use the books to evaluate themselves and their principles. He asked them to learn from history and pay attention to their self-cultivation of morality in order to be a good person and a good prince.

(To be continued)