Meaning:

Those who want to cultivate their moral character must first purify their thoughts; and to purify their thoughts, they must first make their thoughts sincere.

Source and original text:

Han Yu of the Tang Dynasty quoted the famous saying in "The Great Learning" in his masterpiece "Yuan Dao", which was about advocating Confucianism and rejecting Buddhism and Laoism. "Righteousness, the mind is right before the body is repaired" was rewritten as: "If you want to repair your body, you must first make your mind right; if you want to make your heart right, you must first be sincere in your intention."

"The ancients wanted to make virtue clear to the world." If you want to govern your country, you must first regulate your country; if you want to regulate your family, you must first cultivate your body; if you want to cultivate your body, you must first rectify your mind; if you want to rectify your heart, you must first be sincere in your intentions. . ”

Vernacular translation:

In ancient times, those who wanted to carry forward his glorious morality in the world must first govern his country; to govern his country well, He must first put his family in order; to put his family in order, he must first cultivate himself; to cultivate himself, he must first correct his own thoughts; to correct his own thoughts, he must first make himself sincere. Extended information

The understanding of self-cultivation, family governance, country governance and world peace in "Yuan Dao":

The so-called righteousness and sincerity of the ancients are all for the purpose of making a difference. Nowadays, those who cultivate their mind and nature want to abandon the world and the country and destroy their nature. A son does not regard his father as his father, a minister does not regard his king as a king, and a common people does not do what they should do. things to do.

Confucius wrote "Spring and Autumn", and the princes who adopted the etiquette and customs of the Yi and Di were included in the Yi Di; the princes who adopted the etiquette and customs of the Central Plains were recognized as Chinese. "The Analects of Confucius" said: "Although the Yi and Di have monarchs, it is worse than the Chinese without monarchs." The "Book of Songs" says: "The Yi and Di should attack, Jingshu should punish." Nowadays, they respect the law of Yi and raise it to the ancestors. above politics and religion.

Therefore, Confucianism and Taoism cannot be spread without blocking the Taoism of Buddha and Laoism; without prohibiting the Taoism of Buddhism and Laoism, Confucianism and Taoism cannot be promoted. Monks and Taoist priests must be returned to secular life, Buddhist scriptures and Taoist books must be burned, and Buddhist temples and Taoist temples must be turned into civilian residences. Carry forward the ways of the ancestors as the standard for governing the world, so that the widowed, lonely, disabled, and those who have been sick for a long time can be taken care of.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Yuandao