Emperor Kangxi (1654 – 1722 AD) was serious about minding his thoughts. Below are three of his views of kindness that he wrote about in the book Tingxun Geyan.
 
1. Each person has a mind. When a thought is generated, it can be identified in an instant whether it is righteous or degenerated. If a thought is evil and one corrects it right away, one will not stray from the righteous path. The book Shang Shu indicates that even a saint, when harboring an evil thought, can lose control of his mindset and actions, while a maniac who focuses on self-restraint can become a saint. A thought begins by being a tiny existence. When it is calm, it lies in the heart, but once it becomes a ripple, one must observe it. The real mastery is to constantly produce thoughts that align with the Heavens and be respected by people. In ancient times, people were mindful of their thoughts. When a thought appeared, the people made a decision whether to accept or reject that thought before it attached itself to them and became an emotion. Using this method, the ancients applied relatively minor effort but received enormous effect in righteous thinking.
 
2. As a person, one should seek inner joy. When there is inner joy, one automatically holds an auspicious view, because an inner joy tends to generate thoughts of compassion. On the other hand, when one is in an angry mood, evil thoughts tend to show up. For this reason, in ancient times, people said, “When a kind thought is generated in a person, a propitious god will accompany him, even though he has not done anything good. Similarly, when an evil thought is generated in a person, an evil spirit will follow him, although he has not done anything wrong.” This is a most accurate principle!
 
3. When a person holds onto compassionate thoughts, heaven will reward him with good fortune. Today many people hold a rosary and worship Buddha because they want to be good. However, if they cannot eliminate the evil thoughts from their minds, carrying a rosary is simply a superficial display that will not achieve any benefits.
 
康熙论善念
 
康熙很重视修心，下面是他在《庭训格言》中关于善念的见解：
 
训曰：人惟一心，起为念虑。念虑之正与不正，只在顷刻之间。若一念不正，顷刻而知之，即从而正之，自不至离道之远。《书》曰：“惟圣罔念作狂，惟狂克念作圣。”一念之微，静以存之，动则察之，必使俯仰无愧，方是实在工夫。是故古人治心，防于念之初生、情之未起，所以用力甚微而收功甚巨也。
 
翻译：人只有一颗心，心起则为念虑。思想念头的正与不正，只在顷刻之间。如果产生的一念是不正的，顷刻之间就知道了，立即随之纠正它，自然不会离正道有多远。《尚书》上说：即使是圣贤，心生妄念，也会行为狂乱；即使是狂人，克制欲念，也可以成为圣贤。一个微小的念头，静的时候保存它，动的时候则要观察它，一定要使自己无愧于天地，这才是实在的工夫。因此，古人治理自己的心，在念头刚刚产生，感情没有波动的时候加以提防，所以花费力气很小却收到很大的功效。
 
训曰：凡人处世，惟当常寻欢喜。欢喜处自有一番吉祥景象。盖喜则动善念，怒则动恶念。是故古语云：“人生一善念，善虽未为，而吉神已随之；人生一恶念，恶虽未为，而凶神已随之。”此诚至理也夫！
 
翻译：作为人活在世上，应当经常追寻内心的喜悦。心生喜悦时自然有一番吉祥的景象。因为人在喜悦的时候就会动善念，人在愤怒的时候就会动恶念。因此古话说：“人产生一个善念，善行虽然还没有做，而吉祥的神已经跟随他了；人产生一个恶念，恶行虽然还没有做，而凶神就已经跟随他了。”这真是最正确的道理啊。
 
训曰：凡人存善念，天必绥之福禄以善报之。今人日持珠敬佛，欲行善之故也。苟恶念不除，即持念珠，何益？
 
翻译：大凡人心存善念，上天一定会辅之以福份禄位来作为对他的善报。现在的人每天手持念珠敬佛，也是想要做善事的缘故啊。但是如果心中的恶念不除去，即使经常拿著念珠，做这些表面的形式，又有什么益处呢？