The Three Books of Life

The Three Books of Life is a representative omnibus volume in the Selected Works of Tang Junyi series, gathering three of his books on life and morality: Reflections on Life, Further Reflections on Life, and The Establishment of the Moral Self. All three share the aim of affirming life's upward orientation, though their methods and moods differ. Reflections on Life, first published in 1944, is the most literary of Tang's writings, largely sparked by inspiration. Beginning with reflections on actual states of mind, it probes layer by layer the hidden human goodness and beauty behind each state, seeking to guide readers from darkness toward light and to restore their faith in life: the wisdom of life, truth, serenity of mind, the establishment of the self, the experience of value, and the value of everyday life are among the topics discussed one by one. It also includes a fairy tale, "The Journey of Life," which unfolds the course of spiritual growth in allegorical form. The Establishment of the Moral Self favors detailed theoretical exposition, discussing the meaning of existence and the value of moral self-building, including how one transcends the actual self, acts autonomously according to principle, how the purely good "substance of the mind" manifests, and whence evil arises. Further Reflections on Life was written amid turmoil and hardship, when Tang Junyi had come to a more sorrowful reflection on and sympathy with life's struggles and entrapments; its tone is therefore winding and grave, like the storms of late autumn. He repeatedly laments life's various difficulties and entanglements, still with the aim of guiding those who have lost their way and stirring those who aspire upward, so that they may see the path back to life's proper place. Though written in different periods and styles, the three books together form a complete path of life: though full of twists and turns, it always moves toward the light.