>> The Third Lesson: The Ways To Cultivate Goodness

A Family That Accumulates Good Deeds Will Have Abundant Prosperity

Ten Accounts of Virtuous People

We read in I Ching, "families who perform good deeds will accumulate prosperity that can outlast many generations." An example is the Yan family. Before they married their daughter to the man who was to be Confucius’s father, they inquired about the family. After finding that they practiced goodness and accumulated virtues, the Yan family felt confident that they were marrying their daughter into a family that would prosper and have outstanding descendants.

The I Ching introduces the principle in this lesson. A family that accumulates good deeds will have prosperity to spare. If we cannot enjoy all our good fortune, we will have enough left over for our descendants to enjoy for generations to come.

In the past, the parents and a matchmaker decided whether two people would marry. When we compare today’s freedom of love with the traditional way, the latter had its advantages. Parents who were well educated and principled chose the most promising spouse for their child. The disadvantage was that uneducated parents who did not know better, often sold their daughters out for a good price. These children complied with their parent’s wishes, married and were unhappy for the rest of their lives. Thus, this system had both advantages and disadvantages.

The Yan member family spoken of here is Confucius’ maternal grandfather. He knew that the Shu family had accumulated virtues and practiced good deeds for several generations. This is an example of a good match made by the parents and the matchmaker.

In ancient times, all those who held power, from the emperor to a village mayor, faithfully followed three guidelines: to act as leader, as a parent, and as a teacher. First, it was necessary to act as the leader of the governed area. Second, to act as the parent meant to protect and to care for all the citizens that he was responsible for, as if they were his family. Third, to act as the teacher meant to teach and serve as a role model for all. These three responsibilities fell upon the shoulders of the ruler. If he fulfilled them, then he would have performed infinite goodness. Unfortunately, these three guidelines are no longer adhered to.

In another example, Confucius had praised Shun for his filial piety by saying, "due to his great filial piety and sincerity, Shun could deeply move even his ancestors to accept his offering. His accumulation of merits and good fortune would last for many generations." This principle is confirmed by many examples.

Shun is unsurpassed for his great filial piety. He saw only his own faults, not those of others. For Buddhists, he exemplifies a good practitioner. In the Platform Sutra, we learned that a true practitioner does not see the faults of others. Shun accomplished just this. History has shown that the virtues he accumulated guaranteed his descendant’s prosperity. And as they continued his practice of honoring ancestors, these descendants continued to accumulate goodness and virtues. Even the ancestors of others benefited as Shun’s practices were gradually adopted by generations of Chinese.

The following are some additional examples of how merits can be attained through performing good deeds. In Fujian province, a man named Rong Yang held a position in the Imperial Court as the Emperor’s teacher. Rong Yang’s ancestors were boat people who made a living by helping people cross the river.

One year, a storm lasted so long that violent flooding swept away people, animals, houses, and belongings. The other boaters took advantage of the situation to collect the floating belongings. Only Rong Yang’s grandfather and great grandfather rescued the drowning people, and ignored the belongings. The boaters laughed and thought the two to be very foolish. Later, when Rong Yang’s father was born, the Yang family gradually became wealthy.

One day a heavenly being who had manifested as a Taoist monk told the Yang family that due to their ancestors’ accumulation of hidden merits, their descendants would enjoy wealth and prominence. He then suggested a special place where they could build the ancestral tomb. They followed his suggestion. Today it is called the White Hare Grave.

Geomancy is an ancient science of placing buildings, furniture, etc. in a way that will take maximum advantage of the natural energy of the land. However, receiving such good or bad advice depends largely on our good fortune, virtues, and conditions. If a knowledgeable geomancer has advised us, it will only enable us to receive what we are destined to receive sooner rather than later. If we do not deserve good advice, then not only will we not benefit from it, it will actually bring us misfortune because we do not have the good fortune to enjoy it. Therefore, do not be too happy when good things happen. First, think whether we deserve them.

Upon reading Liaofan’s Four Lessons, we will realize that everything that happens does so for a reason and that for an ordinary person, "one sip, one bite, everything is destined." In my lifetime, I have seen many things that were confirmed by Buddhist and Confucian principles. If we do not believe this, fail to correct our faults and practice good deeds, then there will be no variables in our lives; there will always be only a constant. Only when we truly understand the way to accumulate goodness and reform our faults will we be able to change our lives.

Shortly after, Rong Yang was born. He passed the imperial examination when he was only twenty years old and later received the imperial appointment of Master. The Emperor even bestowed the same imperial honors on his grandfather and great grandfather. Today, his virtuous and prosperous descendants are still prominent.

Since males became adults at the age of twenty, this passage reveals how unusual it was for someone so young to pass the highest-level imperial examination, the Jin-Shi. Today, this would be equivalent to earning a doctorate degree. His appointment was likewise extremely high, similar to that of a National Affairs Advisor. As an advisor to the emperor, his was obviously a very prestigious position. Later, he received the rank of Imperial Teacher.

Due to Rong Yang’s achievements, the emperor also conferred the same honors on Rong Yang’s deceased grandfather and great grandfather. This was the traditional way to honor and pay respect to ancestors when an individual became an imperial official.

Today, we also reward outstanding actions as governments commend people for their accomplishments. But frankly, the methods used in the past were more effective because they had a deeper educational meaning. As the ancestors had indirectly contributed to the country, the emperor would bestow the same honor on the three previous generations as well as on the individual.

We may not see any reason to honor someone who died so many years ago but our achievements are most likely based upon the good deeds and merits that were accumulated by our ancestors. We have been rewarded with the good fortune that stemmed from them. Realizing this, why would there be any reason not to practice good deeds? If the emperor honored the ancestors when they were in the Six Realms, they would still receive the honor regardless of which realm they were in. If they were in the hungry ghost realm, then all the ghost kings would respect them. As great virtuous persons, they would gain the respect of heavenly beings and spirits. This reward system provided a valuable education for it was an excellent incentive for people to practice goodness. Consequently, the true merits and virtues from this education are inconceivable.

Rong Yang 's descendants held official positions, and were prosperous and prominent even in Mr. Liaofan’s time. This was the result of generations of ancestors accumulating goodness and building a solid foundation, and of generations of descendants having virtue.

Zicheng Yang, from the county of Yin in Zhejiang province, is another example. He worked in the county courthouse and was kind, fair, and honest. Once, the county magistrate punished a criminal by beating him until he was bleeding profusely. Zicheng knelt and pleaded with him to stop. The infuriated magistrate retorted: "It’s all right for you to plead, but how can I not be angry when he has broken the law!" Zicheng replied that when government leaders do not follow the proper path, ordinary people would lose their way. Realizing this, we should feel sorrow and not pleasure (at solving the case). And we should certainly not become angry. A case like this called for more understanding. Moved by Zicheng’s plea, the magistrate ceased the beating.

Mr. Zicheng Yang, who was generous and impartial, had a low-level position in the county courthouse. When the criminal refused to tell the truth and even talked back, the magistrate became enraged and beat him for the extremely serious offense. When Zicheng saw this, he compassionately pleaded with the magistrate to stop.

This took a great deal of courage because what he said was a direct accusation of the government. If the superior officer had disagreed and reprimanded him for his bluntness, Zicheng could have been in serious trouble. If however, the superior officer was virtuous and wise, he would not become angry, but would appreciate that one of his staff was only reminding him to be reasonable.

When Zicheng spoke of government leaders, he was referring to provincial and city magistrates. He said they did not follow the "Proper Path," meaning that the government failed to properly educate the citizens. What is the Proper Path? It is when the ruler follows the Three Guidelines of acting as leader, parent, and teacher. When a district official in charge of local administration did not meet these guidelines, then he had not properly looked after the people and this was why they broke the law. This was why Zicheng said that when leaders did not follow the Proper Path, the citizens would become lost because they had no guidelines to follow and no one to advise them. If the administration behaved properly, then the people would have a standard to follow.

During the Han Dynasty, the teachings of Confucius and Mencius replaced those of hundreds of scholars. Confucianism thus became the basis for the educational system. Before this time, during the Spring-Autumn period, there were so many philosophies that it was difficult for people to know which ones were appropriate. All of the books written by hundreds of scholars had their own distinct points of view. Each seemed to make sense; however, people were at a loss as to which to choose. It became crucial to select one as the model while keeping in mind that the chosen teaching had to be widely accepted by people with different cultural backgrounds. Once this model had been chosen, the works of other scholars were used for reference. Through this process, the educational objectives were established.

This system of moral standards became the basis of the teachings for the Chinese and was used from the Han Dynasty until the beginning of the twentieth century. Confucius and Mencius taught us the Five Human Relationships and the Ten Moral Responsibilities, which are the Proper Path. The Five Human Relationships concentrate on the relations among people and the responsibilities that people are obligated to fulfill. They include those between husbands and wives, parents and children, siblings, friends, and political leaders and the public.

The first is the basic relations between married couples. A husband should fulfill his responsibilities as a husband and a wife should do likewise for the couple to remain harmonious. This is the basis of all prosperous families. Next is the family, in which parents hold a position over us, children under us, and siblings around us. Each different role has its own responsibilities that are innate moral principles and are not created or assigned by another.

Beyond the family are society and the country. At the top is the leader of the country and below the leader are government officials. Our friends are on the same level as us. When we expand these five relationships to include everyone, we will see that we are all brothers and sisters. Therefore, the five relationships unite the country as one big family and are the Proper Path.

To the ancient sages and virtuous people, government officials were considered great people and addressed as such. They had the responsibility to educate people, and to nurture and lead them in proper thoughts and behavior by establishing moral guidelines. As long as people followed these guidelines, there would be no wrongdoing. In addition to these guidelines, they were to teach proper moral principles (such as loyalty, filial piety, humanity, faith, and honesty).

The basic educational goals in Confucianism are to sever material desires, obtain awakening, uphold a sincere mind and a virtuous heart, develop self-discipline, have a harmonious family, govern a country, and foster world peace. Today, schools do not emphasize these principles or the humanities, but stress technology. No wonder our thoughts and behavior have no guiding principles. We are not taught that when we see the misdeeds of others, we are to take a hard look at ourselves and see if we have fulfilled our duties as government officials.

Once we know the motive behind a criminal offense, we need to feel compassion for the offender rather than feel satisfaction at having solved the case, because we ourselves have yet to fulfill our responsibilities. And if we should not feel pleased, then we certainly should not become angry. At the time of this account, government officials such as county magistrates were well educated and had passed an imperial examination. Therefore, when Zicheng bravely spoke on behalf of the prisoner, the magistrate immediately realized his error and ceased being angry. From this example, we can see that Zicheng had considerable wisdom, virtue, and insight. It was appropriate for him to accumulate virtue and merits in the court because he could do many good deeds.

Although Zicheng’s family was poor, he refused all bribes. If the prisoners were short of food, he would take some from his own home to give it to them even if it meant going hungry himself.

One day, it was time for several newly arrived prisoners to be fed, but Zicheng himself had little food. If he gave the prisoners what he had, his family would go hungry; if he kept the food for his family, the prisoners, would have nothing to eat: an appalling dilemma. He felt that the prisoners needed the food more than his family did. He discussed it with his wife who asked where the prisoners were from. Zi-Cheng told her that they were from Hangzhow.

Although Zicheng only held a very low rank in the county government, he refused all of the gifts that were offered to him. Sometimes relatives of the prisoners would offer him bribes in exchange for a lighter sentence or preferential treatment. However, he refused all of these offers and always acted fairly although it was very difficult to be honest in such a tempting environment.

At the time, prisoners were given a meager amount of food. In this example, they walked maybe fifty or sixty kilometers a day in shackles and had spent several days on the road. Zicheng was very sympathetic, but, if he gave them his small amount of rice, then his family would go hungry. If he gave the rice to his family, then the prisoners would have nothing to eat. After discussing the situation with his wife, they decided to make rice porridge and share it with the prisoners.

Later, Zicheng had two sons. The elder son, Shouchen, and the younger one, Shouzhi, both held important government positions. Zicheng’s eldest grandson became Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and his second grandson was a highly placed member of the government staff in Sichuan Province. They too were prominent. Today, their descendant Chuting Yang, also a government official, is known for his virtuous deeds.

The two sons received the good fortune accumulated by their parents. Their government department was one of six ministries. Today for example, there are over a dozen such ministries in Taiwan. Thus, the positions held in ancient times were higher and entailed greater responsibilities than those of today. This account illustrates that the goodness accumulated by this couple benefited their descendants

Another account took place during the Zheng-Tong period, (the time of Emperor Ying Zong). In Fujian Province, many intellectuals had joined a group of rebels. The emperor appointed Imperial Censor Zhang to stop them. He tricked the rebels and captured their leader.

Later, Imperial Censor Zhang dispatched General Xie to put an end to the remaining rebels in the eastern part of the province. The General obtained a list of the insurgents and commanded that white flags be secretly given to everyone not on that list along with instructions to place the flags on their doors when the imperial army came to town. He ordered the soldiers not to harm the innocent and with this one thought of goodness, he saved tens of thousands of people from being killed.

His son Chian Xie placed first in the imperial examinations and eventually became an advisor to the emperor. His grandson Pi Xie placed third in the imperial examinations.

In this account, which happened over five hundred years ago, the rebels were actually a revolutionary army preparing to revolt. This section of the book is about the effects garnered from preventing unnecessary killing. Looking back at Chinese history, we find that very few descendants of famous generals had good fortune. Why? They made too many enemies and caused too many deaths. Probably less than ten generals had descendants who received good fortune and General Xie was one of them.

Another prime example of the Law of Cause and Effect is the famous General Guo Ziyi who lived during the Tang Dynasty. Due to his accumulation of goodness and virtues, his descendants prospered. During the Song Dynasty, there were two generals under the leadership of Emperor Taizu: Cao Han and Cao Bin. The descendants of Cao Han had so little good fortune that it did not even last three generations. The daughters became prostitutes and many family members became destitute. Cao Bin, on the other hand, was a very caring general who did not kill innocent people. His descendants were all prosperous.

If a general failed to discipline his troops so that they hurt civilians, the burden of blame was his. This example shows the consequence of unnecessary killing. General Xie wisely taught his troops how to distinguish the rebel supporters from the civilians. In this way, he did not mistakenly cause the deaths of innocent people. The prestige and prosperity of his descendants are good examples of cause and effect.

Another example is the Lin family from Putian in Fujian Province. Among their ancestors was a very generous elderly lady. Every day she made rice balls for the poor and gave away as many as they wanted. An Immortal who manifested as a Taoist monk came daily for three years and always asked for six or seven. Her ceaseless generosity convinced him of her deep sincerity.

This is another example of an ancestor who accumulated good fortune for her descendants. She treated everyone equally and gave the rice balls to whoever asked for them. It is easy to be good occasionally, but to do so every day is very difficult. The heavenly being knew that she was tireless in her good deeds, and that she sincerely wished to help those who were poor. Sincerity is an accumulation of virtues and giving is an accumulation of goodness.

He told her: "I have eaten your rice balls for three years and have done nothing to show my gratitude. Perhaps I can do so now. On the land behind your house is a good place for your grave. If you are placed there when you die, the number of your descendants who will have imperial appointments will equal the number of seeds in a pound of sesame seeds." Her son followed his recommendations.

The Taoist knew geomancy and suggested a good place for her grave. If his advice was followed, then an unimaginable number of her descendants would receive imperial appointments. Just imagine how many sesame seeds there are in a pound!

The first generation after that, nine men passed the imperial examinations and it continued that way for generations. It was said in Fujian that the surname of Lin was always on the list of those who had passed the imperial examination.

Because of the good fortune that the elderly lady had accumulated, not only did she have many descendants but they were prosperous and became the largest family in the province. This is the effect garnered from the cause of sincerely giving away food to the poor.

Another example is Mr. Feng, the father of the imperial historian, Zhuoan Feng. One winter many years ago, Mr. Feng was on his way to school when he saw someone lying in the snow. Finding that the man was barely breathing, he quickly took off his coat, wrapped it around the man, carried him back home, and revived him.

That night, Zhuoan’s father dreamt that a heavenly being told him: "Out of complete sincerity, you helped a dying man. This is a great virtue. I will have the famous General Qi Han of the Song Dynasty to be reborn as your son." Later, Zhuoan was born and was named Qi.

When we see a person in dire circumstances, no matter who they may be, as long as we sincerely try to save his or her life, it will be considered a great act of goodness. Qi Han was a famous general during the Song Dynasty. He was greatly admired and honored by the emperor. Since General Qi Han was highly regarded, the heavenly being arranged for him to be reborn into the Feng family. Thus, because Zhuoan’s father saved someone’s life, he was rewarded with a good son. This is an excellent example of reincarnation.

Also, there was Mr. Ying, a Minister who lived in Taizhou. When he was young, he studied in remote mountain areas. At night, he often heard the sounds of ghosts and spirits but was never afraid of them. One night, he heard one ghost happily say to another: "There is a village woman whose husband left home a long time ago and has not returned. Her in-laws think that their son is dead and are forcing her to remarry. Tomorrow night, she is going to commit suicide and will replace me. Then I will be reborn!"

In the past, scholars often lived in Way Places, because only they had extra rooms and a good library, usually called the Sutra Collection Chamber. At a time when there were no public libraries, the temple library usually had the Four Books, the Five Classics, and probably material from the numerous schools of thinkers from the late Zhou Dynasty. Most scholars preferred to reside in these Way Places, which were usually located in the mountains or in wooded areas, for these provided a quiet and fresh environment for study.

Ghosts not only exist, they live among humans. They usually appear in sparsely populated areas or when a person’s energy is low. As Mr. Ying’s mind was pure and honest, he neither paid much attention to them nor feared them. One day he overheard one ghost telling another that a young woman was going to commit suicide. Anyone who has committed suicide needs to find a replacement before he or she can be reborn. If no replacement can be found, the ghost will undergo much suffering.

It is necessary for the replacement to commit suicide in the same spot and manner for the ghost to be set free. The same applies to car accidents. Although the deceased did not commit suicide but was an accident victim, he or she would also need to find a replacement.

This example is about a ghost who had hung himself. He knew in advance of the death of the young woman whose husband was long overdue from a business trip. The parents, knowing nothing of their son’s whereabouts, were forcing his wife to remarry. She did not wish to and planned to commit suicide in the same spot the next day. The ghost said that his chance for freedom was soon to materialize because she was to be his replacement.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Ying immediately set out to sell some land that he owned. He received two hundred grams of silver for it. He then made up a letter from the daughter-in-law’s husband, and sent it to her home along with the silver. The parents knew that the letter was not in the son’s handwriting, but examined the silver and said, "this letter may be false, but the silver is not. Perhaps our son is alive." Consequently, the daughter-in-law was not forced to remarry. After a while the husband returned home and the couple resumed their lives together.

Mr. Ying saved the breakup of a family, an act of great merit. When he sold the land and sent the money, he was not thinking of accumulating merit. He simply acted out of compassion by wanting to help the woman, to save her life, and to keep the family intact. He thought no further of what he had done and returned to the temple to continue his studies.

Next, Mr. Ying heard the ghost say: "Originally, I was supposed to leave here and be reborn, but Mr. Ying messed up my chance!" The other ghost asked, "why don’t you get even with him?" The first ghost replied, "I can’t. The heavenly beings have recognized his goodness and he is going to receive a prominent position in the future. How can I hurt him?’"

Since the heavenly beings had already recognized Mr. Ying’s goodness, the ghost could not do anything. From this, we know that if a spirit or a heavenly being can harm us, it is because we have done something to deserve it. If we have not done anything wrong, then the spirits are unable to hurt us.

An old Chinese proverb says that there is a thirty percent possibility that people may be afraid of ghosts and a seventy percent probability that ghosts are afraid of people. So it is silly for us to be afraid of ghosts because they are much more afraid of us. We only need to be afraid when we have done something wrong, because only then are they able to harm us. If our conscience is clear, then malevolent spirits can do nothing to us.

Seeing Mr. Ying’s goodness, the heavenly beings had already planned for Mr. Ying to hold a prominent position in the government as a Minister. Later in his life, Mr. Ying did indeed hold the position of Minister. Having overheard the ghost, he knew some of his future in advance.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Ying became even more diligent in practicing goodness and accumulating merits. Whenever there was a famine, he gave grain from his storehouses to those who needed it. He always helped relatives in emergencies. When things did not go his way, he always reflected within himself rather than complain of others. Thus, he always quietly complied with conditions. Even today, his descendants are prominent.

If people were rude or took advantage of him, Mr. Ying always examined his own actions to see if he was at fault. Tolerant and able to take everything in stride, he was never argumentative or resentful. Not only did he become a Minister, his accomplished and virtuous descendants also prospered. All this was the result of his keeping a family together.

Another person, Fengzhu Xu, lived in Jiangsu province. Whenever there was a famine, his wealthy father would be the first to waive the rent on the rice fields, hoping that other wealthy people would follow suit. He also donated grain from his storehouses to those who were hungry.

One night, he heard ghosts outside his home say, "a county scholar in the Xu family is going to pass the provincial imperial examination!" This went on for several nights and indeed that year his son Fengzhu passed the examination. After that, Fengzhu’s father became even more diligent in accumulating good deeds.

He paid for the repair of roads and bridges, and provided food for monks as well as for the poor. He did all he could to help others. Sometime later, he heard the ghosts again. They said, "the provincial scholar from the Xu family is going to hold a high position in the government." Eventually, Fengzhu became the governor of Zhejiang Province.

Sometimes ghosts can be clearly seen or heard. Outside the house of the Xu family, ghosts sang that a family member was going to pass the provincial imperial examination. Later the son Fengzhu Xu did so. Good fortune is the reward for good deeds. Those who understand this will try even harder to accumulate goodness. The ghosts also sang that Fengzhu would receive a high position in the government. He eventually became an imperial judge in the Supreme Court, then governor of Zhejiang Province. This was the result of sincerely helping the poor.

Another example is Kangxi Tu who lived in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province. Mr. Tu worked in the courthouse and would spend nights in the prison cells, talking with the inmates. Instead of making a name for himself, he would write secret reports to the Minister of Justice, telling him why certain prisoners were innocent. The Minister would then question the prisoner accordingly and clear the cases. Through Mr. Tu’s efforts, more than ten innocent people were released and all of them were extremely grateful to the judge praising the Minister of Justice for his wise judgment.

Regardless of how careful one might be when examining a case, there was always the possibility of a wrong verdict. Even when the error is unintentional, it is still a misdeed. From this, we can see how difficult it is to be a good lawyer or judge.

What Mr. Tu did was very rare. He would spend nights with the prisoners to learn everything about each case. When the prisoners were questioned in the courtroom, they sometimes became so frightened that they could not adequately defend themselves. When he stayed with the inmates to find out the truth behind each case, he did not take the credit himself. Instead, he wrote out the details of the case and gave them to the Minister of Justice so that all the credit went to his superior officer who was very pleased, for when he tried the cases at dawn, he already knew the truth. After detailed questioning, he acquitted over a dozen innocent men. This was the talk of the imperial city and everyone praised the minister.

Soon after, Mr. Tu made a report to the Imperial Judge saying: "If innocent people are imprisoned here, there must be many more throughout the country. I recommend that investigators be sent to check the prisons for innocent people every five years. The sentences can be canceled to prevent the innocent from remaining in prison." The minister, Mr. Tu’s superior, took the report to the emperor, who agreed with Mr. Tu’s suggestion. Mr. Tu was subsequently chosen as one of the special agents in charge of reducing sentences for those who were found innocent.

One night, he dreamt that a heavenly being came to him and said: "Originally, you did not deserve a son in this life, but this act of reducing prison sentences for innocent people accords with the wishes of the heavens. You will be bestowed with three sons and they will all attain high positions." After that, his wife gave birth to three sons who all became prominent.

Similar to Mr. Liaofan, Mr. Tu was not destined to have sons. Mr. Liaofan sought a son and received one. Mr. Tu received three sons due to his accumulation of good deeds.

Another example of attaining good results from practicing kindness is Ping Bao who lived in Jiaxing. Ping was the youngest of seven sons of the magistrate of Chizhou, Anhui Province. He married into the Yuan family in Pinghu County, Zhejiang Province, and was a good friend of my father. Ping Bao was knowledgeable and talented, but always failed in the examinations. He spent his time studying Buddhism and Taoism.

Once, while traveling to Lake Mao, he came to a village and saw a temple in dire need of repair. The statue of Great Compassion Bodhisattva was wet from the rain that leaked through the roof. Ping took out all his money and gave it to the Abbot, so that he could restore the temple. The Abbot replied, "it is a major project, I am afraid this is not enough." Ping Bao then took out all his expensive clothes and handed them to the Abbot. His servant tried to persuade him to keep his best outfit, but he refused, saying: "It does not matter to me. As long as the statue of Great Compassion Bodhisattva remains undamaged, I do not care if I have to go without clothes."

Ping, who had failed to pass the examinations, had given up the hope of a government career. Fortunately, his father was head of the local government so the family’s finances were adequate. Once, when he saw a Buddhist temple in need of repairs, his immediate thought was to help. He took out sixteen ounces of silver, which was all the money he had, and gave it to the abbot - an act of pure sincerity. When told that it was not enough, Ping took out four bolts of cloth and some clothing from his luggage so the Abbot could trade them for silver.

The abbot, with tears in his eyes, exclaimed, "to give up money and clothing is not difficult, but your deep sincerity is truly rare." After the temple was repaired, Bao Ping asked his father to visit it and together they spent the night there. The temple’s Dharma Protector, Qielan, came in his dream to thank him and said: "Since you have accumulated these merits and virtues, you will have many generations of descendants who will receive imperial appointments." His son and grandson both passed high examinations and were appointed as imperial officials.

Like the other examples, the good fortune he received was also rewarded to his descendants.

Lizhi from Jiashan County, in Zhejiang Province is another example. His father used to be a clerk in the provincial courthouse. Once, when Lizhi’s father learnt that an innocent man had been given the death penalty, he tried to save the man’s life. When the prisoner heard about this, he told his wife: "I am greatly indebted to this man who has spoken on my behalf, but I have no way to show my gratitude. Will you invite him to our house and offer yourself to him? Perhaps this will please him and increase my chances to live."

Lizhi’s father, knowing of the prisoner’s innocence, sympathized with him and pleaded with his superior to spare the inmate’s life. If he could save the prisoner, he would also save the family.

The wife cried as she listened to his request, but there was no other way to help. The next day when the clerk came to visit, she offered him wine and told him of her husband’s wish. The clerk refused, but continued to do all he could for the man. When at last the prisoner was released, he and his wife went to the clerk’s house to thank him. He said: "One with such virtue as yours is truly rare these days, how can I show my gratitude? Since you do not have a son, allow me to offer my daughter in marriage to you. Please accept for this is the only way that I can repay you."

Lizhi’s father refused the prisoner’s offer of his wife because he did not wish any reward. He had acted out of a sense of morality and justice, feeling that it was part of his job. Married for many years, he and his wife had no sons. So, the prisoner offered his daughter to be a second wife to the clerk hoping that she would be able to bear him a son and continue the family name, an accepted custom at the time.

The clerk accepted and soon afterwards, she bore him his son, Lizhi. He passed the highest level of the imperial examinations when he was just twenty years old and later was appointed to an important government position. His son Gao, grandson Lu, and great grandson Dalun, all passed the examinations and received imperial appointments as well.

These ten examples all tell of the deeds cultivated by different people. Although their actions differed, their intent was the same – to perform goodness.

Lizhi’s final appointment was similar to a First Secretary today, a prominent position. This was his reward for saving an innocent life. In this lesson, Mr. Liaofan provided ten examples of how good fortune is the result of accumulating goodness and is not a coincidence. These events were close to Mr. Liaofan’s time. Some he knew of personally while others were related to his family. All of them are about cause and effect: goodness will result in good fortune and evil will result in misfortune.

Understanding Goodness

How to Recognize Goodness

If we carefully think about goodness, we will realize that there are many different types - real and false, honest and crooked, hidden and visible, apparent and actual, proper and improper, full and half, big and small, and difficult and easy.

These different types each have their own causes that need to be understood. If we try to practice good deeds but do not know how to distinguish between right and wrong, we may end up doing more harm than good and all of our efforts will have been in vain.

True sincerity in practicing goodness is to do so without asking for anything in return and is the crucial factor in such matters. Good acts that have conditions attached are wrongdoings, not goodness.

For instance, some people, especially Buddhists, do not understand that Buddhism teaches us to break through and eliminate wandering thoughts and attachments. When they go to a temple to pay their respects to the Bodhisattvas, they do so to ask for something. If they do not want anything, they do not go. They burn incense in front of the Bodhisattvas and pray for assistance and guidance. If the Bodhisattvas can just grant what they want, they will return the favor with special offerings. This is trying to strike up a bargain! Not only are they insincere, they think the Bodhisattvas will accept bribes. Obviously a serious offense!

Li Zhi’s father was virtuous. The prisoner’s offer of his wife as a reward was immoral but Li Zhi’s father was not offended and continued to help the prisoner. Thus, it was fitting that he received such good fortune.

The previous ten accounts are examples of good actions. Now, we will look at the concepts that they illustrate. We need to know the principles and proper ways to accumulate goodness.

What are "real goodness" and "false goodness?" In the Yuan Dynasty, a group of scholars went to visit Master Zhongfeng. One said: "We hear in Buddhism that the karmic reward for good and bad is ‘like a shadow, following the form wherever it goes.’ But why is it that although some people practice goodness, their families and descendants are not prosperous? On the other hand, while others behave immorally, their families and descendants do very well. What has happened to cause and effect? Are there no standards in the Buddha’s teachings?"

Several scholars, who visited the master, said that both Buddhism and Taoism taught that the Law of Cause and Effect was true and inescapable. But, the fact that descendants of good people sometimes had problems while descendants of immoral people sometimes prospered seemed to contradict the Law of Cause and Effect.

Master Zhongfeng replied: "Ordinary people are blinded by worldly viewpoints and not having cleansed their minds of impurities are unable to see clearly. Consequently, they look upon real goodness as wrongdoing and mistake wrongdoing as goodness. This is very common today.

Ordinary people view everything as ordinary. Their minds are impure due to worldly emotions and they are still bothered by many wandering thoughts and attachments. Not having the Buddha’s eyes of wisdom to discern the truth, they often confuse good with bad. Although many people were like this, the master just said courteously that such people did exist.

"Moreover, these people do not blame themselves for failing to understand, and unfairly blame their misfortunes on the heavens." The scholars questioned how good and bad could be mistaken for each other.

The master then asked each of them to voice their thoughts on what was bad and good. One scholar said that to yell at and hit others was bad; to respect and treat others in a polite way was good. The master replied, "not necessarily." Another scholar said that being greedy and taking another’s money was bad while being generous and behaving properly was good. Master Zhongfeng again replied, "not necessarily." The remaining scholars expressed their views on what was bad and good, but Master Zhongfeng always concluded, "not necessarily."

The master said that their standards were unreliable and disagreed with their answers. With that, everybody asked him to explain his standards, since his differed from theirs.

The Definition of Goodness

Master Zhongfeng said: "To do things for the benefit of others is good; to do things for self-benefit is bad. If what we do is for the sake of benefiting another, then it does not matter if we yell at or hit them; it is still good. But, if our intention is for self-benefit, then regardless of our appearance of respect and courtesy, it is bad."

This talks of the Buddhist standard for good and bad. Anything done with the intention to benefit others is good, even if a certain amount of corporal punishment is involved, while anything done with the intent to benefit ourselves is considered bad. It does not matter how courteous we may be towards others for our intentions may be tainted. For example, we may be courteous to ingratiate ourselves with others or fawn on others to gain something for ourselves.

The master continued: "Practicing goodness solely to benefit others is considered public benefit and is real goodness. If we only think of ourselves while doing good acts, then that is considered private benefit and is false goodness."

This is the true standard for goodness: to benefit and provide goodness for every living being. If in the act of doing good, we are still concerned about our own welfare or reward, then the act is no longer sincere or pure but has become tainted. In addition to goodness that is "real or false" there is goodness that is "full or half." To understand full and half goodness, we need to be able to differentiate between goodness that is "full or pure" and "half or mixed."

All the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, sages, and virtuous people think not of themselves but of others. This is true and full goodness. A good example of this is Zhongyan Fan. Exemplifying true and perfect goodness, he was an excellent role model for he was not concerned for himself. He wanted to create good fortune for others so that they could benefit the country and all of society.

When we read his biography, we can see that his descendants also practiced and accumulated good deeds. Mr. Fan and two of his five sons became Prime Ministers. The emperor appointed another son as a High Scholar. When Mr. Fan died, there was not have enough money for his children to purchase a coffin. Where had all his money gone? He had given it to others. This was why Master Yin-Guang praised Mr. Fan as having virtuous conduct second only to Confucius. His descendants prospered for eight hundred years, until the early 1900s. This is the result of accumulating abundant virtues and goodness.

Today, when we practice good deeds, we do so sparingly. We exert just a fraction of our potential effort but consider ourselves good people. Not only that, we expect great benefits in return for our little bit of goodness. Many people go to temples to burn incense and make offerings. Why? Because they believe this can profit them the most: a dollar invested for millions in return. So, they burn incense and worship the Buddha thinking that they will gain good fortune in return. If they donate a dollar today, maybe they will win ten thousand dollars in the lottery tomorrow. Such thinking degrades the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

When we see these apparently sincere people, their families and even descendants suffering misfortunes, we will know why. They do not intentionally view the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as evil, but subconsciously they view them as beings who take bribes. This is obviously a serious mistake! Sometimes when some people want something from an influential person, they offer a bribe. This is the same as offering money to the Buddha in hopes of receiving what we want. People who accept the bribe are unethical. If a Buddha accepted the bribe, would he not also be unethical?

Master Zhongfeng explained further: "When goodness springs from the heart, it is real goodness. But, when we do something good just because others are doing so, it is false. When we do good without expecting anything in return, it is real goodness. But, when we practice good deeds for some purpose other than to benefit others, it is false. Those who wish to practice real goodness need to consider all these differences."

Goodness springing from our hearts arises from true sincerity and is true goodness. What is true goodness and false goodness? We must look into our hearts to see if we are genuinely practicing goodness. "False goodness" is simply following others, to act without sincerity while wishing for a return. "True goodness" is to wish for nothing in return.

The scholars said greed and excess possessions were bad, but Master Zhongfeng said, "not necessarily." To use money and possessions to do good, to benefit the public, is considered good not bad.

Today, when we encourage people to practice good deeds, they may be unwilling to do so. However, if we set out to trick or to lie to them to get them to perform a good deed, they would be perfectly willing to do it. Where does the problem lie? It lies within us. Do we really have the same intentions as Bodhisattvas? If we cheat others out of their money with the intent of enjoying ourselves, then it is wrong.

If we see things superficially, then it is difficult to distinguish between good and bad. It all depends on the heart. The accumulation of great goodness and merits arises from the heart of sincerity. This is especially true for great Bodhisattvas who appear as ordinary people. They do not think of the fact that they are Bodhisattvas or about trivial matters. They think purely of benefiting all beings and thus, their views are very different from ordinary people.

What are "honest goodness" and "crooked goodness"? People today often look upon an extremely conservative and nice person as good and kind.

"Honest" means being virtuous, dignified, and just. "Crooked" means being dishonest. When we see a "Yes Man" who is very respectful and acquiescent to others, we may think he is a good person. Many employ such people because they are willing to do whatever they are told. People think this type of person is good and often like to have them around. But he is just a lackey obeying every command and attending to every need with a respectful demeanor.

However, the ancient sages and virtuous people have shown that they preferred those who were aspiring and dignified. As for those who appear to be compliant and careful in their actions, everyone may like them, but sages often speak of them as "thieves of virtue." From this, we can see that the viewpoint of ordinary people on good and bad differs greatly from that of sages and virtuous people.

Although most people prefer and consider as good those who appear to be compliant and careful, great sages and virtuous people prefer those who have ability although they are stubborn, arrogant and sometimes, even a little rude. Why? These individuals possess particular skills and although they may disagree with us, they are capable of high achievement. Sometimes, compliant people cannot accomplish given tasks because they lack initiative. Thus, sages and virtuous people prefer those with courageous and aspiring characters who are not caught up in trivialities.

Although compliant people are well liked, sages often call them "thieves of virtue" because in their confusion about the truth, they cannot distinguish right from wrong. Virtue refers to proper customs and morality. People who cannot differentiate between right and wrong have broken the moral tradition, like thieves who have broken the law.

Because of this, our judgment could be erroneous. Beings and spirits of Heaven and Earth all look upon good and bad from the same viewpoint as the sages and not that of ordinary people.

We cannot always distinguish between real goodness and false goodness. Why do spirits and beings of Heaven and Earth have the same standards as the sages and virtuous people? They do because they all have the same views and intentions.

Therefore, when we wish to accumulate merits, we must not give in to greed or be affected by the things around us. As soon as improper thoughts arise, we need to be aware of them and then purify them.

Honest goodness is to be respectful and comes from the thought to sincerely help all others. Crooked goodness is to act without sincerity and arises from the thought to flatter others to obtain what we want. To love others is honest, and to hate others and be jealous is crooked. These all need to be very carefully differentiated.

We need to avoid all that is evil and embrace all that is good. We begin with ourselves. First, we cannot allow ourselves to be affected by worldly phenomena. In other words, we must not be attached to the Five Desires and the Six Sense Objects but let go of them, for as long as we cling to them, we will never eradicate our selfishness. These thoughts of self-benefit are the root of all negative karma. All good deeds that are done out of evil intentions will become evil. This is why Master Zhongfeng did not agree with what the scholars categorized as good because good things done with selfish intent are impure and false. Therefore, we must become less attached to worldly desires to reduce our selfishness.

Slowly, one by one, try to reduce each desire until they no longer affect us. In this way, we will be able to detect the desire as soon as the thought arises and immediately curb it. Also, we should eradicate the deviant and impure feelings in our hearts. The Infinite Life Sutra explains this as "cleansing our hearts and correcting our past erroneous ways" so as to attain a pure and bright mind that is filled with wisdom.

Honest goodness comes from sincerely trying to help others. It takes only one sincere thought to benefit all beings. We help others to understand the true reality, to break through delusion and attain awakening. As soon as they do this, they will naturally learn how to eliminate evil and practice good. The foremost merit in Buddhism is that which helps people to learn about the truth of life and the universe so they will be free to choose which of the Ten Dharma Realms they will be born into.

The Buddhas will not interfere with our choice or try to change our minds, nor do they insist that becoming a Buddha is the best goal for all beings. It is their hope that eventually we will become Buddhas, but they will not force us to do so. If we prefer to reincarnate as human beings, then the Buddhas will teach us the principles to become good people. If we wish to be born into the Three Bad Realms, then we can just immerse ourselves in greed, anger, and ignorance and smoothly sail into the Three Bad Realms. Buddhas will not try to stop us. They only teach people how to break through delusion and attain awakening. This is honest goodness and is the supreme benefit.

Crooked goodness arises from thoughts of flattering others so that we can obtain what we want, for example, fame and wealth. Obviously, this is wrong and any good acts performed out of such motives would be crooked and not honest. We need to be careful and respectful when interacting with others and circumstances. Acting without sincerity is a fault. To correct it, we need to recognize it.

What are "hidden goodness" and "visible goodness"? Goodness is hidden when no one knows about it and visible when our good acts are known by others.

Ancient sages and virtuous people taught us to accumulate hidden virtues instead of visible goodness. When we do something and are praised for it, that praise was our good fortune. For example, receiving an award is good fortune.

The best way to accumulate goodness is to let our good deeds remain unknown. Just keep accumulating, while asking for nothing in return. Once people know about what we have done, then the related good fortune will begin to diminish as soon as they reward us. If we receive an immediate reward for every good deed we do, then not only is there no accumulation of goodness, we might begin to accumulate faults without realizing it and the more faults we accumulate, the worse things will be.

Those with hidden virtues will naturally be known by the heavens and be rewarded. Those who practice visible goodness will be known by people and enjoy fame. Fame itself is good fortune, but Heaven and Earth shun fame. Those who have great fame, but lack the virtue to support it will eventually encounter overwhelming adversities. Those who have not done anything wrong but are falsely accused will have descendants who will often suddenly become prosperous and successful. From this, we can see how important it is to understand hidden and visible goodness.

If we desire popularity and fame, getting them can be considered good fortune and they may be seen as our reward. But actually, they are not considered a good return because they can cause envy amongst people as well as amongst beings and spirits of Heaven and Earth. Worse yet is for us to take credit for virtuous conduct that we did not do, for this will inevitably be followed by adversity.

On the other hand, if we have done nothing wrong but are being wronged accused or reviled by others, then we are actually accumulating goodness. The more jealous people slander us, the better it is. Why? Such slander and hindrances will reduce our negative karma. So, when we accumulate virtues, it is best to do so quietly with no one knowing about it. There is no need to seek praise or respect. When all of our negative karma has been eliminated, our accumulation of goodness will become even stronger and our good fortune even greater. This will result in the sudden prosperity of our descendants. When we carefully observe those who suddenly attain fame, we can see that their ancestors possessed many hidden virtues. Once we understand this, we will appreciate the value of such virtues.

What are "apparent goodness" and "actual goodness"? In the Spring-Autumn Period, the country of Lu made a law that rewarded those who paid the ransom to free their fellow citizens who were servant-slaves. At that time, Confucius had a rich student named Zigong who, although he paid the ransom to free people, did not accept the reward for doing so.

This example addresses the difficulty of distinguishing between "apparent goodness" and "actual goodness" because ordinary people's standards are different from those of sages and virtuous people.

Why would someone become a servant-slave in the homes of the nobility? They had broken the law and were sent to these homes to serve their sentences. The government passed a law stating that as long as someone paid their fine, they would be freed. It then encouraged the wealthy to pay the fines in the hope that the criminals would reform.

When Confucius heard this, he was very unhappy and scolded Zigong: "You acted wrongly. When sages and virtuous people do something, it is to improve morality and teach people how to behave. We do not do something for self-benefit or reputation. In Lu, the poor outnumber the wealthy. Since you refused the reward, others will think that accepting reward money is being greedy and if this happens, no one will pay the ransom to free our people."

Confucius was displeased because Zigong had not seen the situation from the standpoint of a virtuous person but that of an average person. The teachings of virtuous people’s are for the benefit of all people, not just for certain individuals. From an individual’s standpoint, Zigong’s action was praiseworthy; however, he had erred by going against local customs and disrupted the government’s plan.

At that time in Lu, the poor greatly outnumbered the rich. The reward plan was designed to motivate average citizens. When Zigong refused the reward, everyone praised him. But he had set a harmful example because anyone who similarly performed a good deed would also likely refuse the reward. To accept it could result in others thinking that the deed was done solely for the reward. This refusal to accept rewards would ruin the government’s system. Since the purpose was to encourage everyone to perform good deeds, Zigong should have accepted the reward, not to benefit himself, but the public. This shows how sages and virtuous people interpret things differently from average people.

Another student of Confucius, Zilu, once saw a man drowning in the river and rescued him. Later, the man thanked him by giving him a cow. When Confucius heard that Zilu had accepted the gift, he was happy and said, "in the future, people will be eager to help those who are drowning."

In the eyes of ordinary people, Zigong’s refusal of the reward money was good, while Zilu’s acceptance of the cow was not. Who would have expected Confucius to praise Zilu and scold Zigong? From this, we can see that those who practice good deeds must not only consider the current outcome but that of the future as well. Neither should we only consider our own gain and loss but think about the impact made on others.

When Zilu accepted the cow, Confucius praised him because when others realized that saving a life might result in a reward, it could become an incentive for people to be braver in helping others.

When Confucius praised Zilu instead of Zigong, his viewpoint was very different from that of ordinary people. However, he had sound reasons for doing so. Looking at sages and virtuous people, we will see that their vision is more pervasive than ours. With our limited vision, we do not realize the long-term effects that our actions may cause. We need to consider matters from the aspect of benefiting society, the country, and even the world, as well as how history will regard events. When we realize the broad scope involved, our views will be very different than before, and we will understand that Confucius was correct. Therefore, good and bad cannot always be determined by present actions. We need to consider whether the long-term results will be positive or negative in order to judge wisely.

What we do now may be good, but in time, may prove harmful. Thus, what seems like goodness may actually be bad. What appears to be bad may actually have positive long-term effects, turning out to have been good after all. Thus, what seems like a bad deed may actually be goodness.

For example, apparent responsibility may be actual irresponsibility, apparent propriety may be actual impropriety, apparent trustworthiness may be actual untrustworthiness, and apparent kindness may be actual unkindness. We need to carefully differentiate to make proper choices.

Something we view superficially may appear to be good, but actually, it is not. Or it may be good for a specific individual or for a particular time. However, it may not be good for society as a whole or it may not be good for future generations. This is why in Buddhism the determination of good and bad is never based on current action. What has been good throughout history is the real goodness, for the good has benefited generations. That which is good now but is not good for future generations, or that which has destined us to be born into the Three Bad Realms is not true goodness.

Before the First World War, world leaders were discussing peace in an atmosphere of apparent trustworthiness. After the war began it became clear that some had acted with actual untrustworthiness.

High technology has allowed the development of weapons of mass destruction. The intent of keeping the peace through might is apparent responsibility. But the terrifying reality that countless people now have the means to destroy our world and every living being on it makes it clear that such development may well prove to be the ultimate actual irresponsibility and high technology may not be true goodness at all.

In the case of Zilu, accepting the reward might not have seemed to be good at the time; however, since the long-term results were good, it was good. This is a good example of apparent goodness and actual goodness. What are responsibility and propriety? What are trustworthiness and kindness? There are apparent and actual goodness in each of these. If we cannot distinguish between them, then it is likely that we have committed serious offenses while believing that we were doing good. If we wish to practice to accumulate good fortune, we must first possess wisdom. Without it, no matter how hard we try, we will not obtain good fortune.

What are "proper goodness" and "improper goodness"? Wenyi Lu was a Prime Minister in the Ming Dynasty. When he grew old, he retired to his hometown where he was well loved and highly respected. Once, a drunken villager went to his home and began to yell insults at him. Mr. Lu calmly told his servant, "this man is drunk, don’t argue with him." With that, he closed the door and ignored the onslaught of insults.

A year later, the same man committed a grave crime and was sentenced to death. Hearing this, Mr. Lu remorsefully said: "If only I had taken him to the authorities for punishment that day, perhaps a little discipline could have prevented this. At the time, I was trying to be kind but I inadvertently encouraged his arrogance and cruelty. Now, he has been sentenced to death." This is an example of having good intentions but doing something bad.

Mr. Lu’s virtuous conduct and great merits had earned him respect from virtually everyone. When a disgruntled man who had become drunk came to his home and verbally abused him, Mr. Lu did not take the incident to heart. He tolerantly told his servant to just close the door. Later, Mr. Lu heard that the drunkard had been given the death sentence. Mr. Lu remorsefully believed that he had mishandled the situation. Had he pressed charges and sent the man to jail, things might have been different.

We see many examples of "having good intentions but doing something bad." This is especially true of today’s young parents who unwittingly spoil their children, so much so that when the children grow up, they may not respect their parents and may even break the law. It may be too late when the parents realize their grave mistake. Children need to be properly taught when they are young for the child is the father of the man. If children are not disciplined when they are young, it will be too late to do so when they have grown, for they will most likely rebel against their parents’ wishes.

In ancient China, a criminal sentence could be issued under the heading of "Parental Rights." If a parent went to the judge, complained that the child had not fulfilled his or her filial duties, and wanted the child sentenced to death, the judge would do so without even holding a trial. Parental rights were given the highest consideration. This was why children were petrified of their parents, because if the parents were to file a complaint and wished a particular sentence issued, there was no recourse.

Parental rights existed through the mid 1900's. With such a law, no child dared to ignore filial duties. They could not even ask for a lawyer because no defense was allowed.

There is also an example of those who achieved goodness although they had acted from improper intentions. Once, after a devastating famine, people were reduced to stealing food in broad daylight. A wealthy family reported this to the authorities who did nothing. As the poor grew more daring, chaos was imminent. The family, taking the law into their own hands, caught and punished the thieves. In this way, peace was restored and the thefts were stopped. If this had not been done, chaos would have erupted.

When a famine strikes, the poor may turn to robbery. In this account, when the wealthy complained of the robberies, the authorities ignored them for fear of starting a revolt. When the thieves became more daring, the authorities had no way of controlling them. So, the wealthy people took matters into their own hands and in this way, peace was restored. If this had not occurred, then order would have been completely disrupted. The action was bad and was done with selfish intentions; however, the result benefited everyone.

We all know that goodness is proper and wrongdoing is improper. However, there are cases where deeds done out of good intentions resulted in bad. This is called the "improper within the proper." There are also deeds done out of improper intentions that resulted in good. This is called the "proper within the improper." We can benefit from understanding this.

Good intentions are "proper" and bad deeds are "improper." In the previous example, Mr. Lu had done a bad deed although his intention was good. This is the "improper within the proper." The standard for good and bad is determined by the effect an action has on morality and society as a whole.

For instance, becoming a vigilante and punishing someone on our own is obviously not considered good. However, in this situation, the authorities had not acted and things were getting out of control. Something needed to be done to protect lives and possessions. By taking the law into their own hands, the wealthy family restored order as they stopped the thieves from creating further chaos and disrupting a proper way of life. Thus, a good deed was done through selfish intentions. This is "proper within the improper."

What are "half goodness" and "full goodness"? We read in I Ching: "People who do not accumulate virtuous deeds will not achieve honor while people who do not accumulate bad deeds will not bring about self-destruction." And from Book of History we learn that "Zhou, who was the last emperor of the Shang Dynasty, committed horrible crimes." The dynasty ended with his death.

This is a lesson taught by ancient sages and virtuous people. Such lessons were later called sutras and respected as such for they teach the truth. The truth surpasses time and space. If we do not practice goodness, we will not attain integrity, and if we do not commit wrongdoings, we will not suffer self-destruction.

It is like collecting objects in a container. With diligence, it will soon be full but if we are lazy, then it will be only half full. This is an example of full and half goodness.

Imagine that we are trying to fill a container with goodness. If we are persistent, we will eventually succeed. But if we are not persistent, it will not become full. This illustrates the importance of accumulating goodness. And most importantly, we must not accumulate wrongdoings or we will destroy ourselves.

Once a woman visited a Buddhist temple and wished to make a donation. Being extremely poor, she only had two cents but she freely gave these to a monk. To her surprise, the abbot himself came to help her regret for past offenses and to dedicate her merits. Later, she was chosen to enter the imperial palace, and obtained wealth and prestige. Clad in her riches, she returned to the temple to make a donation, this time bringing a small fortune.

To her dismay, the abbot sent another monk to help dedicate her merits. She did not understand and questioned the abbot: "In the past, I only donated two cents, yet you personally helped me regret my past offenses. Today, I have brought much money but you will not help me perform my merit dedication. Why?"

The abbot replied: "Although you gave only a little in the past, it came from a true and sincere heart. It was necessary for me to repay your sincerity by personally performing your dedications. Today, your donation is much greater, but the heart of giving is not as sincere. Therefore, it is enough that my student perform your dedications for you." This is an example of how thousands of silver coins are only considered "half goodness" and two cents are "whole goodness."

This is a true account found in Buddhist records. A laywoman wished to make an offering, but she only had two cents to give. Due to her sincerity, the abbot personally helped her to dedicate the merits from this good deed. Later, she returned with a large amount of money but the abbot did not greet her personally. Being confused, she asked why.

This abbot had very high moral standards. This is unlike what we all too often see today, where we witness many Buddhists behaving improperly. In the past, those with high moral standards judged people by their sincerity. If people were sincere, then no matter how little they donated, the abbot personally performed the dedications. If the donors were not sincere, then the abbot was not obligated to do so. With sincere hearts, the donors nurtured good fortune by making offerings to the Buddha and only had to donate a little to gain infinite benefits in return.

However, in this example, the woman had gained wealth and prestige, and her sincerity had been clouded by her new way of life. By sending his student to greet her, the old abbot was trying to awaken her. This was the greatest kindness. He was trying to show her where she had erred, in the hope that she would feel remorse, acknowledge her mistake, and correct her behavior.

When the woman had initially donated two cents, her return of good fortune was full and complete. But on her second visit, her return of good fortune was only half-full and incomplete. When practicing to accumulate good fortune, it is important to realize that the determining factor is not the amount of money or the number of good deeds but the heart of sincerity. As long as we do things with utmost sincerity, we will accomplish full and complete goodness.

When we dedicate our merits, we do three things to show our heart of true sincerity. We think to ourselves: "Today, when I practice, I do the following. First, I dedicate my merits to returning to the state of reality and I wish to attain clarity of mind to uncover my original True Nature. Second, I dedicate my merits to awakening and I wish to awaken from my state of delusion and to understand the truth of the universe. Third, I dedicate my merits to all living beings. I hope that all beings will be able to break through delusion and attain enlightenment, to eliminate selfishness and suffering, to gain happiness. I hope that all will become Buddhas and that upon attaining Buddhahood that they will help others to do the same. I dedicate my merits for all others, not for myself."

If this is truly our intention, then with this thought, we will achieve full merits and virtues. But, if there is the slightest thought for ourselves, for fame or wealth, then we will not gain merits and virtues, not even a "half" return. In fact, we will have probably achieved much negative karma instead. Therefore, never look at things superficially, but learn to look into the profound truth of reality.

Another example is of Zhongli Quan, an immortal of the Han Dynasty, who was teaching his student, Dongbin Lu, the art of transforming iron into gold. They would use it to help the poor. Dongbin asked his teacher if the gold would ever change back to iron. Zhongli said, "after five hundred years, it will return to its original form." Dongbin replied, "then I do not want to learn this art for it will harm those who possess the gold in five hundred years."

Zhongli offered to teach Dongbin alchemy, the art of turning iron into gold. Upon learning that the transformation would not be permanent, Dongbin declined, for in the end the transformation would have hurt people. Today, most people are only concerned with what they can get now and do not think about how it might affect others in the future. From this, we can sadly see how moral standards have decayed over the years.

Zhongli said: "To become an immortal, one must complete three thousand virtuous deeds. What you have just said came from a truly kind heart. Your three thousand deeds are fulfilled." This is account is another example of whole goodness and half goodness.

In Taoism, it is said that in order to practice the art of immortality, we must complete three thousand virtuous deeds. These requirements are more lenient than those of Buddhism. We Buddhists must possess purity of mind before we can achieve true understanding and practice, and become a Dharma repository. Taoists do not seek the pure mind; they seek the compassionate heart, the heart that regards all with equality and that is unselfish. Of the two, the pure mind is more difficult to cultivate.

With this single good thought, Dongbin had instantly accomplished the virtuous deeds required to practice immortality. His concern to not harm any sentient beings had actually surpassed three thousand kind deeds. Thus, one single thought was enough to fulfill the requirement. This is similar to what Mr. Liaofan did when he had reduced the taxes on the farmers, for that one kind thought alone fulfilled his vow of ten thousand kind deeds. This is the benefit from practicing from our hearts.

When we perform a good deed, it is best not to attach to what we have done. If we practice in this way, then all of our good deeds will reach fulfillment and success. But, if we always think of the good that we have done as we look for a reward, then no matter how diligently we practice, even for an entire lifetime, the deeds will still be considered half goodness.

For example, when we donate money, we can practice "pure donation." We do not linger on the thought of "I" who is giving, on the importance of the object that is given, or the recipient. We simply give out of true sincerity and respect. When we practice pure donation, one pound of rice can bring infinite good fortune, and the merits from giving one cent can wipe away the transgressions of a thousand eons.

But, if we always think of the good that we have done and expect rewards for our actions, then even a donation of one million dollars would not bring us the reward of a fully good fortune. This is another way of explaining whole goodness and half goodness.

If we try our very best, then we will achieve full goodness, but if we have any reservations and do not do all that we can, then we will achieve only half goodness. Therefore, when accumulating virtuous deeds we need to do everything with complete sincerity.

Many people do not understand the true reality, so consequently they have doubts about Buddhism. This doubt is one of the Five Poisons of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt. These people seem to believe and act according to what we have told them. However, they are unable to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to practicing good deeds. In donating, they still want to reserve something, to hold something back. They do not have the understanding, wisdom, or determination to practice full goodness. They can only achieve half goodness. This is why although many people are doing good deeds, they do not obtain good fortune in return or see any immediate results.

If we truly want to practice for good fortune then we must fully understand and believe in Buddhism without the slightest doubt. Sometimes, people will say that we are foolish and superstitious and when we think about it, we may believe that to be so. Consequently, we may refrain from thinking kind thoughts and doing good deeds. When this happens, our heart of kindness has already been affected by deviated views. When we truly believe and act accordingly, then the results will become easily recognizable.

The results will be so much more than what was described in Liaofan’s Four Lessons; they will be incredible! After reading this book, we must believe that we have the courage within us to undergo anything. As long as we act with sincerity, we can gain a return of a thousand fold for a fraction of our effort. However, if we act with the hope of gaining a lavish return for our efforts then we do not act with the heart of sincerity. We can give everything that we have but we will only gain half of the good fortune, not the whole. Also, by thinking of our good acts, we will be unable to eliminate all of our longings, another reason why we can only gain half goodness.

When we are willing to let go of our wealth, we will gain wealth. When we give teachings, we will gain wisdom. When we give fearlessness, we will gain health and long life. The Law of Cause and Effect is a fact and as natural as the laws of Heaven and Earth. If we perform goodness without expectation of reward, without the wish for prestige, wealth, wisdom, health, or long life, without the wish for anything, then we are bound to uncover everything that is already in our True Nature. Is this not being free and having great contentment?

We will still gain something if we perform good deeds as we seek, but it will be incomplete. All the prestige, wealth, health, and long life that we have gained through practicing goodness will eventually be gone because it is limited. When we no longer have desires our hearts will be pure and our behavior will be a reflection of our True Nature. When our True Nature and virtues are uncovered, what we will receive will be incredible. And the most wonderful of all is that we will be able to go to the Pure Land, the Flower Adornment world.

Only a virtuous nature is similar to the True Nature; it neither arises nor ceases. This is what freedom is all about. Only someone with great merits and wisdom is willing to let go of all belongings, for no ordinary person would be willing to do so. This is why we only find Bodhisattvas and Buddhas practicing true great merits; even Arhats do not practice them. Arhats do not wish to be encumbered with problems. And if we wanted to help someone and they rejected, slandered, or embarrassed us, we would become angry and abandon the attempt. The goodness would be incomplete.

However, Bodhisattvas are very different. They know all about the bad habits, problems, and rebellious ways of people. Not minding these obstacles, Bodhisattvas use their patience and compassion to help all beings. Therefore, the heart of a Bodhisattva is different from that of an Arhat or a Pratyekabuddha. The latter two still use the illusory heart while a Bodhisattva uses the true heart. We seek wealth and prestige not realizing that these do not have to be sought as they are already within our True Nature. People who practice Buddhism are trying to uncover their True Nature and the abilities within.

Therefore, one of our goals as a Buddhist is to return to reality, to uncover the intrinsic True Nature that already contains everything including infinite and inexhaustible wisdom and abilities. There is no need to seek outside, only within. Everyone has this True Nature; we do not yet realize it and until we do, we can rely upon the Buddha to teach us how to develop it. This is why his benevolence towards us is so magnificent!

We need to understand the true reality that as long as we are sincere in every good deed, then freely giving one pound of rice can bring infinite good fortune because it fulfills the integrity of the True Nature. And the good fortune from freely offering one cent to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha can suppress the transgressions of thousands of eons.

We read in the Surangama Sutra that "during the Dharma-Ending Age, the number of deviated teachers will be as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges River." They may appear to be teaching Buddhism, but their behavior is that of demons. Then where should we go when we want to plant the seeds of good fortune and to practice virtuous deeds? What if people with deviated views run the temple we visit? Might we not only fail to plant the seeds for good fortune but commit bad deeds instead?

Buddhism is a teaching of practicing within. If our genuine intention is to go and pay our respects to the Buddha, then the Buddha will be Buddha Amitabha or Buddha Shakyamuni, according to what our heart is giving rise to. If our hearts are genuine and truthful then even if we go to a temple run by bad spirits, the Buddha will be true. However, if our hearts are improper to begin with, then even if we are practicing at a proper temple, we will still be according with deviated people.

This is not to say that there are no good places to practice Buddhism during the Dharma-Ending Age but that the real place is within our hearts. The Vimalakirti Sutra tells us that "a sincere heart is the Way Place, a pure heart is the Way Place, and a compassionate heart is the Way Place." A proper Way Place is within our hearts. When our minds are on the path to enlightenment then no matter where we are, there will always be a Way Place. As long as our hearts are proper, then no matter where we go, there will always be proper teachings. Thus, the environment around us changes according to our minds. If we can understand this and be diligent in our practice, then society and countries will be enveloped in good fortune. If we do not eradicate our wandering thoughts and our attachments to our good deeds, then even if we give away a million dollars, our merits will not be full.

What are "big goodness" and "small goodness"? Once, an important official, Zhongda Wei was led into the underworld for judgment. When the records that the Judge had ordered to be brought out arrived, Zhongda was astounded at the courtyard filled with his bad records and the single scroll of his good deeds.

The official then ordered them to be weighed. Surprisingly, the bad records, which had filled the courtyard, were lighter than the single scroll of good deeds that was as thin as a chopstick! Zhongda asked the judge, "I am barely forty years old, how could I have committed so many offenses?" The judge answered: "When you give rise to a single thought that is improper, it is considered a bad offense there and then; it does not have to be carried out to be counted as a wrong."

Good fortune and kindness come in both big and small sizes. All of us have committed both good and bad acts during our lifetimes. All of these are recorded and kept with the king of the Underworld and the ruler of the spirit world. This is why Mr. Liaofan taught us to have respect and fear within our hearts.

When the records of Zhongda were placed upon a scale to see which was heavier, the one thin scroll of good deeds outweighed the volumes of wrongdoings! Zhongda had probably committed many minor faults but no serious offenses. Therefore, one great kind deed can offset countless minor faults. When he saw the results, the judge was quite pleased, for Zhongda was a good person after all.

When Zhongda questioned how he had been able to commit so many faults, the judge explained to him that an improper thought was still recorded as a fault even if the corresponding action was not taken. Thus, even if we do not actually commit any major transgressions, we may have thought about them. Luckily, Zhongda had one great good deed that outweighed all his lesser faults.

Zhongda then asked the judge what was recorded on the single scroll. The judge replied: "Once the emperor planned to build a great stone bridge. You opposed the project due to the hardships it would cause the tens of thousands of people needed for the work. This is a copy of your objection." Zhongda said: "I did make the proposal, but the emperor dismissed it and proceeded with the project. What I said had no effect on the matter. How can it bear so much weight against all my offenses?"

The judge replied: "Although the emperor rejected your suggestion, your one thought of kindness for all those people was very great. If the emperor had accepted your idea, then the good performed would have been even greater." Therefore, when one is determined to do good for the benefit of all people, a small deed can result in great merits. If one thinks only about benefiting oneself, then even if many deeds of kindness were performed, the merits would still be small.

The scroll contained a description of the major good deed that Zhongda had performed. He had foreseen that the project would waste money and cause hardships. From this, we can see that what matters most is our original intention.

Zhongda’s concern was not for himself, but for the citizens who would suffer from such a major construction project, for even if they did not have to contribute in labor, they would have had to pay heavy taxes to offset the building costs. If the idea had been abandoned, everyone would have benefited.

From this, we can see the magnitude of goodness behind this single thought. Although the emperor did not listen to Zhongda’s suggestion, this did not alter the fact that it was sincerely made from the true heart and was an example of full and complete goodness. Of course, had the emperor accepted the proposal, the significance of the act would have been even greater.

The difference between big and small goodness lies in our intentions, by whether we are thinking of all the beings in the world or whether we are just thinking of ourselves and our families. We need to understand this when we dedicate the merits after we recite sutras or a Buddha’s name. Usually we dedicate the merits to a particular person, wishing that the Buddha would help him or her to gain various benefits. This is small goodness and the benefits gained will be small as well.

In fact, we are not even sure if the person being dedicated to will actually gain any benefit. Therefore, in cases like this, when a family member is in a crisis, we should recite sutras and a Buddha’s name, and then dedicate the merits to all beings throughout the universe. We should wish that all living beings will no longer suffer, but be happy and healthy. When we are sincere in this thought, our family members will gain as well. Why? Because our heart is truly pervasive!

People often say, "I have dedicated all my merits to others and have gained nothing for myself. What is the use in practicing goodness?" This could only come from a narrow mind. If we prostrate in front of the Buddha but do not feel any response, it is because our hearts are selfish. We are totally self-seeking and do not know that we should magnify our merits so that they encompass the entire universe. When we dedicate the merits to all living things, it is like passing on a light. We use our flame to light those of others, so that the whole world is bathed in brightness. This results in great benefit for all with no loss to ourselves. People who practice Buddhism need to dedicate the merits from practice to all living beings in the universe, to awakening, and to reality, in order to uncover the perfect complete True Buddha-Nature.

What are "difficult goodness" and "easy goodness"? Scholars of the past said that one who wishes to conquer greed and desire should begin with what is most difficult to overcome. When Confucius talked about our cultivation of humanity, he also said to begin with what is most difficult to practice.

This section cites the teachings of the ancient sages and virtuous people, which tell us that we possess innumerable afflicting bad habits and desires, and that we need to begin with whatever is the most serious. If we can overcome our most serious faults, then we will overcome other matters that are trivial in comparison. When we want to eliminate the bad and practice the good, we must know where to begin. This is another reason why when Confucius was teaching the cultivation of humanity, he believed that we should begin with what is most difficult to practice. The following are a few examples.

For example, an elderly teacher, Mr. Shu of Jiangxi, gave two years earnings to a poor man who owed money to the government. If the man had been sent to prison, the family would have been torn apart.

This is a very good example, for Mr. Shu did something that was difficult to do and gave up something that was difficult to give up.

Another example is Mr. Zhang from Handan. He gave what had taken him ten years to save to a poor man who owed money to the government. This saved him from going to jail and enabled him to remain with his wife.

Such examples as Mr. Shu and Mr. Zhang are rare, for they gave what is most difficult to give. What others would not sacrifice, they did so willingly.

People depend on money and material objects to survive. Therefore, to give away money is extremely difficult especially when it is all that we have. This is to "begin with what is most difficult to overcome… most difficult to practice." Practicing in this way will help us to curb our desires.

Another example is Mr. Jin from Jiangsu Province who was old and without any sons. His neighbors offered him their young daughter in marriage so he might have descendants to carry on his family. Mr. Jin refused the offer and sent her home. This is another example of being able to overcome what is most difficult to conquer in oneself.

Mr. Jin recognized the great age difference, and although he deeply wanted a son, he felt that he could not ruin the girl’s future and happiness to serve his own purpose. This is another good example of restraining one’s desires especially when it is most difficult to do so.

Therefore, the heavens showered down especially good fortune on these three men. It is easier for those who have money and power to accumulate merits and virtues than for those who are poor.

However, if one refuses to cultivate goodness when the opportunity presents itself, then it would truly be a shame. For those who are without wealth or status, doing good things for others is very difficult. However, if one can help others in the face of difficulties it will be even more valuable.

We should grasp every opportunity to practice goodness and accumulate merits. Once the opportunity is lost, we may not get another chance when we want to do that which is good. Wealth does not last forever. Our luck changes every five years, and in our lifetimes there will be the best five years and the worst five years. If the good years are during our old age then this will be true good fortune. But, if the worst five years occur during our old age, then the hardships will be even more difficult because we will already be at a physical disadvantage.

Thus, we should practice goodness at an early age, to let everyone share in our good fortune because once we share it, we will still gain in the future whatever we are destined to have. When young and strong, we would do well to not selfishly exhaust all of our good fortune on ourselves so that it will remain intact for us to enjoy later in life. Similarly, if we suffer hardships first, then there will be none left for us to endure when we reach old age. This is why we must learn to cultivate and accumulate good fortune for our old age.

It is most important that as Buddhists, we know exactly why we are practicing - to accumulate the ultimate good fortune for our last moments of life. What is ultimate good fortune? It to know that when our time is up, we can leave this world without illness, in a sitting or a standing position, and that we know exactly where we will be going. This is the greatest good fortune, but most people are unaware of this. Practitioners should constantly remind themselves to share their good fortune with others. That way the good fortune will be even greater.