>> The First Lesson: Learning To Change Destiny

In this lesson, Mr. Liaofan told his son, Tianqi, about his personal experiences and those of others. Wanting Tianqi to do his best in practicing goodness and ending his incorrect behavior, to re-create and control his destiny and no longer be bound by it, Mr. Liaofan taught him the principles of why things happen and how to change them. For example, as Pure Land practitioners, if we are able to follow this method, we are assured of attaining happy, fulfilling lives, and of being born into the Western Pure Land.

Mr. Kong’s Accurate Predictions

My father passed away when I was young. My mother persuaded me to learn medicine instead of studying and passing the imperial examinations because it would be a good way to support myself while helping others. Perhaps, I could even become famous through my medical skills; thus fulfilling my father’s aspiration for me.

In ancient China, the purpose of studying and passing the imperial examinations was to become a government official. Thus, to stop studying for the examinations was to give up any chance to work in the government. A career in medicine would enable one to have a skill that would provide a good living in addition to helping others (but it also meant that one would not be in the government).

At that time, teachers did not charge a fee but accepted whatever was offered. Wealthy families gave more; poor families gave less. As long as the student was sincere in honoring the teacher and respecting the teachings, the amount given was unimportant. The same applied to physicians. Their goal was to save lives, to do their very best to make others well. The payment for the services rendered was at the discretion of the patient. Both teachers and physicians were dedicated to helping others and were highly respected.

One day, I met an elderly but distinguished looking gentleman at the Compassionate Cloud Temple. He had a long beard and the look of a sage. I immediately paid my respects to him. He told me: "You are destined to be a government official. Next year, you will attain the rank of Learned First Level Scholar. Why are you not studying for the examination?" I told him the reason.

This segment is about a turning point: Mr. Liaofan’s opportunity to learn how to change his destiny. It described his meeting an elderly gentleman who had a handsome countenance, and was tall with an elegant celestial air, and who did not look like an average person. Mr. Liaofan naturally paid his respects to him.

Because the elderly gentleman could foretell the future, he knew that Mr. Liaofan should have been studying and needed to do so as soon as possible.

I asked the elderly gentleman for his name and where he was from. He replied: "My family name is Kong and I am from Yunnan Province. I have inherited a very sacred and accurate text on astrology and prediction. The text, written by Shaozi, is called the Imperial Standard of Governing the World. By my calculations, I am supposed to pass it on to you and teach you how to use it."

Shaozi was a scholar from the Song Dynasty. He was a well-known and highly respected intellectual of his time. The sacred text on astrology is an in-depth book that has been compiled with others into the Complete Works of the Four Treasuries.

The content of Shaozi’s book is completely in accordance with the principles in I Ching, Book of Changes and predicts the future through mathematical calculations. The predictions in the book cover numerous subjects, including changes in countries and the world. The prosperity or decline of a dynasty, the good fortune or misfortune of an individual could all be completely extrapolated from mathematical calculations. This book of profound knowledge is based on a precise science and is both logical and credible.

Everybody and everything has a set destiny. Buddha Shakyamuni taught us that this is due to the Law of Cause and Effect. As long as we give rise to a cause, be it a thought, word, or act, a result that is a set destiny will follow. Only when the mind is devoid of thought can we transcend the predetermination of the mathematics. Why are practitioners with high levels of achievement often able to transcend? Having attained the level of One Mind Undisturbed, their minds do not give rise to any thoughts. As long as we have thoughts, our fates will remain bound by the mathematics. A highly skilled person is able to accurately predict our futures through calculations.

Our lives are destined. Arhats or other sages with a higher level of spiritual enlightenment, who have already transcended the Six Realms of Reincarnation, are able to transcend their destiny.

Are the heavenly beings in the Realm of Form and Realm of Formlessness able to transcend their fate? Yes, for in their state of deep concentration, the mathematics cannot affect them. But, this transcendence is only temporary. Once they lose their state of deep concentration and give rise to thoughts, they are again bound by mathematics. This is why they have never been able to transcend the Six Realms of Reincarnation.

If the strength of their concentration enabled them to transcend the Six Realms and advance to the ninth concentration level to become non-regressive Arhats, then they would no longer be bound by the mathematics. Once we understand these principles and know that everything is fated, we will look at this world with a non-discriminatory mind. We will not feel happy in favorable circumstances or unhappy in unfavorable circumstances.

I invited Mr. Kong to my home and told my mother about him. She said to treat him well. As we tested Mr. Kong's ability at prediction, we found that he was always correct whether it was for big events or for minor everyday matters. I became convinced of what he had said and again began to think of studying for the examinations. I consulted my cousin who recommended Mr. Haigu Yu, who was teaching at the home of a friend, and became Mr. Yu’s student.

Mr. Liaofan invited Mr. Kong to his house and being a filial son, told his mother about him. She said to take good care of Mr. Kong and recommended that they test him. When someone tells us something, we would usually want to check its validity before believing it. When Mr. Liaofan did so and found Mr. Kong’s predictions to be accurate, he became naturally convinced and heeded his advice.

Mr. Kong then did some more calculations for me. He told me that as a scholar, I would be placed fourteenth in the county examination, seventy-first in the regional examination, and ninth in the provincial examination. The following year, I placed exactly where Mr. Kong had said for all three examinations.

Mr. Kong told Mr. Liaofan that he would rise through several stages of examinations to become a scholar. In the second year, the results of the examinations were exactly as expected.

From Mr. Kong's predictions for Mr. Liaofan, we can see that everything is destined. Everyday, every month, when and how we will live, when and how we will die. Regardless of how we try to plan or even scheme, ordinary people cannot escape from this reality.

I then asked him to make predictions for the rest of my life. Mr. Kong’s calculations showed that I would pass such and such a test in such and such a year, the year that I would become a civil scholar, and the year that I would receive a promotion to become an Imperial Scholar. And lastly, I would be appointed as a magistrate in Sichuan Province.

After holding that position for three and a half years, I would then retire and return home. I would die at the age of fifty-three, on the 14th day of the eighth month between one to three o’clock in the morning. Unfortunately, I would not have a son. I carefully recorded and remembered everything that he said.

The outcome of every examination turned out exactly as predicted. Mr. Kong had also predicted that I would only be promoted after receiving a ration of two hundred fifty-nine bushels of rice. However, I had received only twenty bushels of rice when the Commissioner of Education, Mr. Tu, recommended me for a promotion. I secretly began to doubt the prediction. Nevertheless, it turned out to be correct after all, because Mr. Tu’s replacement turned down the promotion.

It was not until some years later that a new Education Commissioner, Mr. Yin, reviewed my old examination papers and exclaimed, "these five essays are as well written as reports to the emperor. How can we bury the talents of such a great scholar?"

When Mr. Liaofan’s salary reached almost twenty bushels of rice, Mr. Tu approved his promotion. Mr. Liaofan began to doubt the predictions. However, either due to a promotion or a transfer, Mr. Tu was replaced by another person who disagreed with Mr. Liaofan’s promotion and overruled it. It was a few years later that another official, Mr. Yin, went through the papers of those who had failed the examination. These papers were kept and re-read occasionally with the hope of finding talented individuals who had been overlooked. He read Mr. Liaofan’s papers and was very impressed with them, saying they were as well written as official recommendations from government officials to the emperor. Obviously, Mr. Liaofan was very knowledgeable and his papers were extremely well written.

The new Commissioner wanted the magistrate to issue an order for me to become a candidate for Imperial Scholar under his authority. After undergoing this eventful promotion, my calculations showed that I had received exactly two hundred fifty-nine bushels of rice. From then on, I deeply believed that promotion or demotion, wealth or poverty all came about in due time and that even the length of one’s life is pre-arranged. I began to view everything in a detached manner and ceased to seek gain or profit.

We can see that Mr. Tu was an exceptional person for he had wanted to promote Mr. Liaofan as soon as he read the examination papers. However, his replacement overruled the promotion. It was simply a case of two people having different opinions.

Mr. Liaofan was obviously very talented. From this we learn that even a talented person is still bound by fate. Whether fate, time, or cause and condition, everything is predestined. Mr. Liaofan had to wait until another government official read his papers for the proper conditions to mature in order to receive his promotion.

From then on, Mr. Liaofan was awakened and he truly understood. All of our encounters in life, whether good fortune or bad fortune, good luck or bad luck, wealth or poverty – all are destined. Ordinary people cannot change this. If we are not supposed to have something, no amount of trying to hold on to it will succeed for long. Conversely, we will naturally receive what we are supposed to. It is not worth the effort to do what is wrong and to risk all in the hope of attaining self-satisfaction.

Understanding this, Mr. Liaofan no longer had any thoughts of demand or of gain and loss. He was truly at peace. We can say that at this point, he was a perfect "ordinary person." Today, people cannot even meet this standard for "ordinary." Why? Our minds are impure and filled with wandering thoughts. Mr. Liaofan did not have wishful wandering thoughts since he already knew everything that was going to happen in his life. Ancient sages said that a wise and virtuous person knows that everything including "one sip and one bite" is destined. However, foolish people relentlessly pursue things that are already destined to be theirs.

Ordinary people are bound by their fate. At this time, Mr. Liaofan only knew that life was destined. He did not yet know that there was a variable and that by practicing in accordance with true principles and methods he could change his fate. In this way, he could attain whatever he wished for, as he became the master of his future.

For example, if we wish to attain wealth, we practice the giving of wealth. To attain intelligence and wisdom, we practice the giving of teaching. To attain health and longevity, we practice the giving of fearlessness. This is the correct way to change our fates. By following the right principles and methods, we can even attain Supreme Enlightenment much less worldly enjoyment and happiness.

After being selected as an Imperial Scholar, I was to attend the University at Beijing. During my yearlong stay in the capital, my interest in meditation grew and I often sat in silence, without giving rise to a single thought. I lost interest in books and did not study at all.

Mr. Liaofan was now meditating daily. From this, we can see how peaceful and quiet his mind had become. When the mind is tranquil, wisdom will naturally arise. The wisdom of most people is non-functional because their minds are not pure. Mr. Liaofan was able to remain calm because he knew his entire future. He knew that it was useless even to think about it. Without wishful thoughts, his mind naturally became settled.

Master Yungu’s Advice on Changing Destiny

The Principle of Changing Destiny

The following year I went to Nanjing. Before I was to enter the National University there, I paid a visit to Master Yungu, a venerable Zen Master at Qixia Mountain. We sat in meditation, face to face in the Zen hall for three days and nights without sleep.

Master Yungu said: "The reason why ordinary people cannot become sages is because of wandering thoughts. In our three-day meditation, I have not observed a single thought arise in you. Why?"

I replied that Mr. Kong had clearly predicted the entire outcome of my life. I had seen that the time of life, death, promotion, and failure are destined. There was no need for me to think of anything. The master smiled and replied: "I thought you were someone of remarkable capabilities! Now I realize you are an ordinary person!"

Mr. Liaofan and Master Yungu sat face to face in the meditation hall for three days without fatigue or sleep. How? Because they did not have any wandering thoughts, they were able to conserve all of their energy. Master Yungu thought Mr. Liaofan to be extremely young to have achieved this difficult and rare level of cultivation.

Ordinary people are unable to become Arhats or attain higher levels of achievement because they have too many wandering thoughts. The Flower Adornment Sutra tells us: "All sentient beings have the same wisdom and virtuous abilities as the Buddha; but, because of wandering thoughts and attachments, sentient beings are unable to uncover these abilities." So, the cause of not being able to become a sage is our wandering thoughts.

Feeling confused by what Master Yungu had said, I asked him to explain. He told me that an ordinary person’s mind is forever occupied by wandering and imaginary thoughts, so naturally his or her life is bound by the mathematics of destiny. We cannot deny the fact that destiny exists, but only ordinary people are bound by it.

Destiny cannot bind those who cultivate great kindness or those who have committed flagrant wrongdoings. Since I had lived my life just as Mr. Kong had predicted and done nothing to change it, I had been bound by destiny. Thus, I was a typical ordinary person. Taken aback, I asked Master Yungu if we could change our destinies. He answered: "We can re-create our own destiny and seek good fortune. It is the true teaching and is found in Book of Songs and Book of History."

Master Yungu explained that if one has not yet attained the state without wandering thoughts, then one is still at the mercy of fate. Why? If a person had reached the state of no wandering thought, he or she would have transcended the control of fate. Did Mr. Liaofan reach this state of no wandering thought? No! He simply did not wish to think about anything because he realized the futility of doing so. But he still had wandering thoughts. He still thought: "I do not need to think about anything. My destiny has been foretold; thus, I clearly know my whole life." Having yet to reach the state of no wandering thought, we are still bound by our fates.

Profoundly deep concentration is not achievable by ordinary people in our world. When the Zen Patriarch Huang Bi was in this state of deep concentration, he was able to break through the dimensions of time and space. At this point, the past, present, and future all become one; thus, everything is perfectly visible. Using mathematics to deduce the future is achievable by ordinary people in this world. However, they are unable to actually see the past, present, and future. It requires deep concentration to reach the state of being able to see the future. This is only achievable by beings with deep concentration beyond the third stage of sagehood in Theravada Buddhism.

Master Yungu told Mr. Liaofan that although ordinary people are bound by destiny, it cannot control those who have accomplished numerous exemplary deeds. Neither can it control those who have committed flagrant offenses. Mr. Liaofan had been bound by Mr. Kong’s predictions for twenty years. He had done nothing to change them and so he was indeed an ordinary person. A person of great virtue also had a set destiny but he or she has changed it. The same applies to those who have committed excessive offenses, for they too have changed their destinies. We can see that Mr. Liaofan did not cultivate either extremely good or bad deeds since his life accorded so completely with what had been predicted.

Can fate be changed? Can we escape it? Yes. To escape is to transcend. Although there are variables in the set numbers, Mr. Kong, either not knowing about the variables or not knowing how to calculate them, had predicted just the set numbers. Since the variables are within our control, we can re-create our own destinies. We can seek our good fortune.

Before meeting with the Master, Mr. Liaofan did not know about these variables. Did the Master believe that the set numbers existed, that the future could be calculated? Yes. "Before a person achieves the state of no wandering thought, he or she is bound by destiny." Master Yungu completely acknowledged the reality of predestination. However, Buddhism is not about predestination; it is about re-creating destiny. We can only depend on ourselves to do this, to become awakened; no one else can do this for us.

"We re-create our own destinies and seek our good fortune." Since Mr. Liaofan was a scholar, he knew the teachings of Confucius and so the master cited principles from Book of Songs and Book of History to awaken him. Master Yungu understood these teachings, and confirmed that they were important and true.

In the Buddhist teachings, it is written that if we wish for and seek wealth, a high position, a son, a daughter, or long life, we can attain it. Since the Buddha told us that lying is one of the greatest transgressions, we can be assured that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas would not deceive us.

As Buddhists, we learn that in seeking wealth, one will attain wealth and in seeking children, one will attain children. Even if we were not meant to have children in this life, upon practicing goodness we can have a child. We learned from the text that Mr. Liaofan was not meant to have a long life; he was supposed to die at fifty-three (but he lived until the age of seventy-four). By cultivating according to the teachings, we will attain whatever we seek. Buddhism encourages us to re-create our destinies rather than be constrained by them.

Living Buddha Master Zhang Jia said, "in Buddhism, all of our sincere pleas will be answered." He explained that most people are unable to attain what they want because they do not accord with the teachings. If we understand the principles and methods, and have sought something in accordance with them, then we are assured of receiving a response to our sincere requests. If we do not receive the desired response after having accorded with the teachings, it is due to our karmic obstacles. Once we have successfully eradicated these obstacles, we will gain the desired results. As Master Zhang Jia said, with proper seeking, we can receive everything.

Once we understand the fundamental principles, we will understand that everything in this world and beyond arises from the mind and changes according to our perceptions. If we seek to become Buddhas, we will become Buddhas. If we seek to become heavenly beings, we will become heavenly beings. Everything accords with the mind. The Flower Adornment Sutra tells us, "We should observe the nature of the Dharma Realm as everything is created by the mind." Therefore, the way of seeking is to accord with the principle that everything arises from the mind and is changed by our perceptions.

The teachings of the Buddha are appropriate and perfect. Then if we seek youth, health, eternal life in accordance with these teachings, can we attain them? Certainly! In this case, Master Yungu only taught Mr. Liaofan some of the related principles and methods because Mr. Liaofan was not very ambitious and only sought fame, wealth, and prestige.

Master Yungu told him that lying is one of the worst transgressions in Buddhism. There are four fundamental precepts: no killing, no stealing, no lying, and no sexual misconduct. Since, no lying is one of these precepts, how could the Buddha ever deceive us? Thus, the master spoke the truth when he said that whether a person sought children, wealth, or long life, all could be obtained. We will see that as Mr. Liaofan had strictly practiced according to the master’s guidance, he obtained what he sought.

I told Master Yungu that I had heard that Mencius once said: "Whatever is sought can be attained. The seeking is within ourselves." This refers to inner qualities such as virtue, integrity, and kindness. These are all values we can work toward. However, when it comes to outside factors such as wealth, fame, and prestige, how can we seek to attain them? The Master replied that Mencius was right, but that I had misunderstood his meaning.

Enhancing our intrinsic qualities to become sages and virtuous people is within our control. But how do we seek fame, wealth, and prestige? Although these are external benefits, they are also attainable through seeking. It would seem that they were destined because if we are not supposed to have something, how could we seek it. This is the general understanding of destiny, a constant in predestination. The constant is the cause that we have created in our past lives and the result that we should receive in this life. Most people do not know that there are variables within the constants and that the results will change with the addition of variables. Fame, wealth, and prestige are indeed attainable.

Master Yungu said that Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of the Zen School taught: "All the fields of merit are within one’s own heart. If one seeks from the true mind within, one can be in touch with all that one wishes for." By seeking within ourselves, we will not only attain the inner qualities of virtue, integrity, and kindness; we will also attain (external benefits such as) wealth, fame, and prestige. To be able to attain both inner qualities and external benefits is invaluable.

Whether attaining something outside of ourselves such as material objects or inside ourselves such as virtues, we still need to seek from within, from the mind. Seeking from the outside would be futile. Why? The outside factor is a constant; it cannot change. The mind is a variable; it changes. For twenty years, when compared to ordinary people, Mr. Liaofan’s mind was pure. Not knowing of the variables, his mind accorded completely with the constants and his life had unfolded exactly as predicted, without the slightest deviation.

Master Yungu explained that the seeking is in ourselves. Virtue, morality, kindness, and integrity are on the inside and are the cultivation of virtuous conduct. Fame, wealth, and prestige are on the outside and are the enjoyments in life. To be able to receive both kinds of benefits is of great value. As is said in the Flower Adornment Sutra, "not to be hindered in the matter of phenomena or principles" is the ultimate and perfect enjoyment. This is the great perfection of everything going as we wish, when we are satisfied with everything. This is to be liberated; it is to do all that is benevolent and noble as we wish. If we cannot attain such wonderful results, there would be no point in our practicing.

Buddhism is neither negative nor passive; it is eminently realistic and practical. Today, many people talk about practicality. Well, there is nothing more so than Buddhism for it addresses reality, something truly attainable. It is crucial that we understand its importance so as to derive its benefits. The truth is that people have misunderstood Buddhism and thus have missed its benefits. If we are able to personally experience the benefits, we will know that of all teachings, Buddhism is an unsurpassed, profound, and complete education. It is definitely not outdated. It is as appropriate now as it was three thousand years ago and it is fitting for all people whether in the east or in the west.

Master Yungu then told me that if one does not reflect inside one’s own heart; but, instead blindly seeks fame, fortune, and long life from outside sources, no matter how one schemes to pursue them, one can only attain, at most, what had been destined. Seeking from the outside, one might lose both inner purity and what one was destined to have; thus, the seeking would have been in vain.

As ordinary people, can we attain everything we want? No. When we obtain something, it is because we are destined to have it. Only when we receive what we are not destined to have, can it be said that we have gained what we sought. It does not count when we receive what we are supposed to have for we would have gained it regardless.

We have all heard of those who made millions of dollars in the stock market. But, these people simply received what they were supposed to have. Others who are not destined to make money will eventually lose it in the stock market. Not everyone profits from it. Likewise, money won from gambling is something the gambler was meant to have. Even the thief was meant to have what was stolen. If he was not supposed to have it, he would have failed in his attempt to steal it. (If he did not steal, the items would have come from another source).

The ancients said that a person of noble character and integrity is happy to be such, but it is not worth the effort for a fool to be so. Why? Because each will not be able to escape their own destiny, the constant. If we could just understand the principles, we would all be content with what we have. In this way, we would enjoy fulfilling lives, society would be stable, the world would be peaceful, and there would be no more conflicts or wars.

Buddhism teaches us to seek something not destined in our lives, not within the constant. What we attain from seeking comes from the variable. How do we seek? From within. We have not been able to seek awakening and to develop great virtue from within because we do not yet understand the principle. We have been seeking from without: working and even scheming every day. But in seeking, we need to follow the right path, for even if we have the method, the plan, and the means, we will merely attain what we are destined to. If we are not supposed to have it, we will not get it.

All that we attained was destined, our constants. Mr. Liaofan understood that there were constants; so, he did not worry or seek in an improper way. He knew his destiny. He knew that to give rise to wandering thoughts or to use whatever means possible was doomed to failure if it was not supposed to be. Seeking from without, we will be totally at a loss because our minds will be impure and we will only obtain what is destined. How could we not give rise to afflictions when such seeking is frustrated? For twenty years, Mr. Liaofan conformed to Mr. Kong's predictions. He maintained a state of contentment and a mind of purity. He had no wish to seek anything for he felt that everything was destined.

Ordinary people who do everything possible in seeking things from without will find that their knowledge and experiences are incomparable to those of Mr. Liaofan because he had achieved peace of mind. Ordinary people will end up living with afflictions and unsettled minds. Whatever they attain is something they are supposed to have; thus, they sadly lose from both within and without.

The Ways of Changing Destiny

To Acknowledge our Faults

Master Yungu next asked about Mr. Kong’s predictions for the rest of my life. I honestly told him everything. He asked if I felt that I deserved imperial appointments or a son. Reflecting on my past deeds and attitudes, I answered no I did not. Those who received imperial appointments all had the appearance of good fortune but I did not. I also did not work towards accumulating virtues to build up my good fortune. I was very impatient and narrow-minded, and would show off my intelligence and abilities by putting others down. I behaved as I pleased and spoke without restraint. These were all signs of scant good fortune and virtue. How could I possibly receive an imperial appointment?

Master Yungu did not directly answer the question. Rather, he asked Mr. Liaofan a question to teach him to reflect and to find the cause of his faults and sufferings; to determine whether he deserved an imperial appointment or not, and whether he deserved to have a son. Of course, the discussion between Master Yungu and Mr. Liaofan did not only include these two questions, but to Mr. Liaofan these two were the most important. There was no need to mention the rest. Mr. Liaofan thought for a long time about what the master had asked. He then honestly answered that no, he deserved neither an imperial appointment nor a son.

On his honesty, Mr. Xiyin You in his commentary on Liaofan’s Four Lessons stated, "honesty is the foundation in developing virtue. If a person hides or glosses over his or her faults, or covers up mistakes, how can his or her future be promising?" When we are honest and encounter benevolent teachers, they will take care in guiding us. If we are dishonest and arrogant, they will smile but will not seriously teach us.

Mr. Liaofan deeply regretted his faults and this became the key to changing his destiny. He told Master Yungu that he did not deserve an imperial appointment because he did not have the appearance of good fortune that was very important for government officials. Citizens will suffer under the rein of an official that lacks good fortune, but benefit when the official has it.

Upon examination of ancient social systems, we see that educated and logical people did not quarrel. We can also see that some emperors were very wise. For example, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was extremely learned, broad minded, and admired by the people. He asked: "What is so good about being an emperor? To be one is a grave responsibility. If you wish, you can take my place." As the emperor, he did not enjoy or use his position to intimidate others, but served the people and enabled them to enjoy happiness. Also, to better serve the people, he found capable scholars to work on behalf of the empire.

All caring government officials have the appearances or signs of good fortune. Mr. Liaofan at this time in his life had very little good fortune and was unable or unwilling to cultivate any. Thus, he did not even have the appearance of a government official and consequently, was inadequate to serve or to lead.

Next, Mr. Liaofan explained that he was very impatient, intolerant, and undisciplined - three serious faults. Being impatient and bad-tempered gives us the appearance of little good fortune. Being narrow minded renders us unable to tolerate others. These bad qualities would cause a person to improperly supervise, lead, or justly serve others.

Also, he frankly admitted that he was self-indulgent and liked to show off his intelligence. He did whatever he wished to. This is also something not readily endured by others. He was indiscreet and irresponsible in his speech and lacked consideration for others. All these faults bring misfortune rather than good fortune.

People who truly have good fortune are kind hearted, honest, and tolerant. Their speech and manner are calm and dignified. Confucius said, "without dignity, one is unable to inspire others." Only with dignity and the ability to inspire respect are we able to effectively interact with others. Mr. Liaofan admitted that when he was young, he simply was not calm or dignified and cited this as one of the reasons that he lacked good fortune and was thus, undeserving of an imperial appointment.

There is an old saying that "life springs from the dirt of the earth while clear water often harbors no fish." The first reason why I felt that I did not deserve a son was that I was obsessive about cleanliness. The second reason was that while harmony is the cultivator of life, I was quick-tempered. Third, although lovingkindness is the cause of fertility and harshness the cause of sterility, I was selfishly concerned about my reputation and would not sacrifice anything for others.

The fourth reason was that I talked too much and this wasted a lot of energy. Fifth, I drank too much. And sixth, I did not have a son because I often stayed up all night and wasted my energy. Aside from these, I had many other faults that were too numerous to mention.

Fish are generally not found in clear water. Why? They know that when they are seen they are easier to catch. The saying also pointed out that nothing would grow without dirt. Mr. Liaofan had an exaggerated fear of things not being clean. Being clean and neat is a good quality; however, to be overly so can become an obsession. It is not good when one cannot tolerate even the slightest bit of dirt. This was one reason why he did not deserve a son.

Harmony can help a family to prosper and friendliness is conducive to wealth. Mr. Liaofan’s bad temper was one of the reasons he was not wealthy and this placed his family in a precarious financial situation. Also, he was easily angered by the least provocation and could not tolerate anything displeasing. To behave in this manner resulted in a lack of good fortune and this was another reason he did not deserve a son.

Lovingkindness is caring for others. Mr. Liaofan understood the principles, but was unable to act on them. Why? He was a very unkind person. He overvalued his own reputation and was unwilling to help others. This was another reason why he did not deserve a son. Also, he talked too much, which wasted a lot of energy. Mr. Liaofan came up with six main reasons why he did not have children. The first three were being obsessive over cleanliness, being quick tempered, and lacking lovingkindness. These were from the aspect of intention, or the mind.

The next three were talking too much, drinking, and staying up all night. They were from the aspect of behavior, or the body. He liked to talk and criticize others. He indulged in gossiping about other’s faults and was argumentative. These harm the body and exhaust one’s energy. He also liked to drink excessively and this harms the mind and tires the spirit. Finally, he said he did not deserve a son because he spent his nights talking with friends, drinking, having a good time, and not bothering to look after his health.

By realizing that he had so many bad habits and faults, Mr. Liaofan honestly admitted and regretted all his flawed behavior. To acknowledge all of one’s offenses without hiding anything is to regret and eradicate one’s karmic obstacles. This must be done sincerely to be effective. Awakening is achieved when we are able to identify our faults. Cultivation is accomplished when we have realized these faults and corrected them. Since most people are unaware of their mistakes, they are not truly cultivating. Therefore, the first step is to recognize our bad habits. Mr. Liaofan was so unusual because once Master Yungu questioned him; he was able to carefully reflect and to discover all his faults. This is how he was able to change his future from then on.

How was he able to do this? And why are we unable to do so? Completely unaware of our bad habits, we are of course unable to correct them. Mr. Liaofan was able to reflect, uncover, and change all of his improper behavior. In this way, he attained what he sought. On the inside, he attained virtuous and caring conduct, and on the outside wealth and children. He did not seek from without. We did not see him bowing and burning incense in front of Great Compassion Bodhisattva to seek children, fame, and wealth. But today, people seek what they want by merely going through the formalities of blindly worshiping. They do not understand the principles. They seek what they desire, but just going through the formalities is the wrong way to do so and will lead to failure.

Day and night, we see countless people going to temples, burning candles and incense while asking for wealth and children, basically to attain what their destiny had already ensured them of receiving. In their ignorance, they would think what they received was granted by the grace of heaven. Practitioners need to understand the reality and to seek in accordance with the teachings. As Master Yungu said, it is to gain from both within and without. In this way, we can attain whatever we seek.

Master Yungu said: "According to you then, there are many other things in life you do not deserve, not only fame and a son! Those who have millions of dollars in this life cultivated the good fortune worthy of that amount in the past. Those who have thousands of dollars must also have the good fortune worthy of that sum. Those, who die of starvation, were in fact meant to die in that manner. The karmic result today is simply the fruit of their own deeds and has nothing to do with external powers.

This advice from the master is most important and must not be regarded as mere superstition. If we do so, it is due to our delusion and inability to believe what the sages have told us. Master Yungu taught Mr. Liaofan to honestly reflect within and doing this enabled him to recognize his many faults. The greatest virtuous deed is that we recognize and change our mistaken behavior.

Making offerings to infinite sages is also a great virtuous deed. But, we learn from the Infinite Life Sutra that it is even better to turn back from delusion and to conscientiously cultivate. Cultivation is to change ourselves. The ancient sages regarded it as the great virtue of regretting and reforming.

Master Yungu told Mr. Liaofan that apparently he felt there were many things in life that he did not deserve, not only a son or an imperial appointment. Attaining a high grade in the examinations and the resultant imperial appointment both relied on the cultivation and accumulation of merit from one’s past lives. We need the right conditions to have millions of dollars or social position. These are not randomly attained. In Buddhism, it is said that for us to possess wealth in this life, we needed to have extensively practiced the giving of wealth in our past lives. Can we force nature to give us wealth? Impossible. To try to do so will bring disaster and misfortune. "Neither misfortune nor good fortune come without reasons and conditions; we incur them."

The ancients who created Chinese characters had great wisdom. The two characters for "good fortune" 福 and "misfortune" 禍 differ only by a little. This illustrates that a small discrepancy leads to a serious error. All this helps us to understand cause and effect. When we seek fame, wealth, and prestige in accordance with the teachings, we will find that everything is attainable.

"Millions of dollars" represents wealth of the upper class. "Thousands of dollars" represents wealth of the middle class. Because of the good causes planted in past lives, some people will possess great or moderate wealth. Those who starve to death committed numerous offenses in their past lives. Being miserly, they did not practice giving. Today unfortunately, many such people are unwilling to do the slightest of good deeds or to give even a little. While encouraging others to give, they do not follow their own advice. They will undergo poverty in future lifetimes. We reap what we sow.

Our lives are not controlled by external powers. The master said that the heavens do nothing more than punish those who are bad with the suffering they deserve and reward those who are kind with the good fortune they have earned. Some people assume that everything is arranged by the will of Heaven; but, this is not so. The true cause of everything that happens to us is our thoughts and behavior. Heaven does not have any plans for us. With true wisdom, we will clearly see the truth. To be wealthy with a good social position or to be poor with none all lies within us.

"For example, if a person has accumulated enough merits and virtues to last a hundred generations, then he or she will have a hundred generations of descendants. One who accumulates enough merits and virtues to last ten generations will have ten generations of descendants to live out that good fortune. The same applies to three or two generations. Those who have no descendants had too little merits and virtues.

This talks about the destiny of having or not having children. If we have accumulated enough merits and virtues for a hundred generations, then we will have a hundred generations of descendants. Patriarch Yin-Guang often praised Confucius, who cultivated the "virtue of a hundred generations." Confucius constantly thought of benefiting the country and its people, without the slightest thought of himself. He dedicated his life to education and passed on his ideals and hopes to his students. He was the greatest educator in Chinese history.

There have now been over seventy generations of Confucius’ descendants and his current descendant, Mr. Decheng Kong, is still respected by people all around the world. Not only the Chinese, but also others are also courteous and respectful, warmly welcoming him upon hearing that he is the descendant of Confucius. From this, it becomes evident that by planting good seeds or causes, we reap good harvests or results.

In Liaofan's Four Lessons, we read that when we accumulate enough merits and virtues for ten generations, we will have ten generations of descendants to enjoy that good fortune. Throughout Chinese history, emperors tried to establish dynasties that were able to reign for many generations, such as the Qing Dynasty that lasted for ten generations. But, if their ancestors had not accumulated enough merits and virtues then it would have been impossible.

Today, people do not know or believe this. They think all they need is ability, good political tactics, and knowledge. But they are wrong. Virtues accumulated by our ancestors plus our virtuous conduct from our past lives will result in having additional virtuous people being born into our families, assuring their continuation.

Similarly, how many generations will a family business last? In Taiwan, there is a chain of medical stores called "Universal Compassion Hall" that originated in Beijing. By the accumulation of virtues and merits, it has been in business for over a hundred years and has been passed down through succeeding generations. Compassionate ancestors, whose driving ambition was to save lives, founded it. Unconcerned about profits, they only wanted to make enough to live very simply. Their goal was not to enjoy a comfortable life, but to benefit society and to help those who were suffering. With this objective, they were able to found a business that has lasted over a hundred years. If the descendants do not deviate from their ancestor’s objectives, this chain will continue forever. They will not be like those who lack merits and virtues, and find their businesses going bankrupt after only a few years.

Some people may only have enough merits and virtues to last for two or three generations of descendants. The Chinese say that of the three serious offenses of being unfilial, having no descendants is the most critical. This lack of merits and virtues results in not having any descendants.

In the past, people were extremely concerned about this, but today things are very different. Many couples do not even want to have children, thinking they will be too much trouble. Also, we now have social welfare. Who takes care of the elderly? Countries do. With no need to rely on their children to provide for them when they become older, many couples have decided that they need not have children. They can retire in their sixties and collect social security every month from the government. This is possible because today’s social welfare system is much better than what transpired in the past, when the elderly had to depend on their children for support. Now, more governments are helping to care for the elderly. This system is more filial than many children are! However, (children need to remember that) the Law of Cause and Effect remains unchanged.

"Just as one stores up grain against lean years, one raises children against old age" has been a commonly held idea. In his commentary, Mr. You said: "Sages transcending this world consider the cultivation of ending desires and attachments, eradicating delusion to attain wisdom, and transcending the ordinary to reach sagehood to be the utmost virtue and merit. Unfortunately, this level of attainment is not understood by ordinary people."

This idea of raising children against old age still exists today. Usually when young people give rise to the compassionate heart to become monks or nuns, their family and friends try their best to stop them. Not understanding, they think that their biggest concern is not having descendants. Buddhism looks into the past, present, and future, and understands the truth of life and the universe. Ordinary people see only a tiny portion of the universe. Of this portion, they have only witnessed the human realm. Of this realm, they only see the present. They do not see the past or the future; therefore, they are unable to perceive as clearly as Buddhas and Bodhisattvas do.

When someone in a family becomes a monk or nun, it is truly the most joyous occasion for this is an outstanding pursuit. However, monks and nuns must sincerely practice in renouncing worldly life for if we do not achieve, we will fall into the Three Bad Realms. In Buddhism, it is often said that an offering of one grain of rice is as great as Mt. Sumeru and not transcending the cycle of birth and death in this lifetime, consigns monks and nuns to repay the debt as an animal (in the next or following lives).

As Pure Land practitioners, we have to achieve a certain level of attainment and to transcend the Six Realms to be born into the Western Pure Land. Theravada practitioners need to reach, at the least, the level of Stream-enterer, which is achieved by severing various wrong views. It is the lowest of the four stages of sagehood in Theravada Buddhism. At this point of attainment practitioners will continue to be born into the heaven and human realms for seven more times. In this way, they are assured of attaining the state of Arhat although it may take them a long time to do so. But by not falling into the Three Bad Realms, they are considered to have achieved attainment.

According to this criterion, the minimum standard to achieve attainment in Mahayana Buddhism is to rid ourselves of a portion of our attachments, to sever the eighty-eight kinds of deviated thoughts and views. If we cannot sever these, we have not yet achieved attainment. Mahayana practitioners, who successfully sever them, reach the Initial Belief Stage. Theravada practitioners who sever various wrong views reach the stage of Stream-enterer.

Without these accomplishments, we will still be reincarnating within the Six Realms, still repaying our debts. For monks and nuns, this means we will have to repay every single offering from throughout the universe that was enjoyed during the time we were monks and nuns. These offerings given by practitioners to monks and nuns were given in expectation of rewards.

If Theravada practitioners are able to achieve the levels of Stream-enterer or if Mahayana practitioners are able to sever the eighty-eight kinds of improper thoughts and views, those who have made the offerings will receive good fortune. Then, there is no need for us to repay them because they have harvested from the fields of merit. Using these requirements as the standard, such attainment is not attainable by monks and nuns of this generation.

However, there is still another way: to seek birth into the Western Pure Land. Otherwise, attainment is not possible. If we cannot go to the Pure Land, we will have achieved nothing. Seeking birth into the Pure Land is actually much simpler than severing the eighty-eight kinds of improper thoughts and views because we do not need to sever them all, but can carry our remaining karma with us. As long as we have unwavering confidence, the vow, and proper conduct, and are constantly mindful of Buddha Amitabha, everyone will achieve attainment. The Buddha explained this to us in the Infinite Life Sutra and the Amitabha Sutra. Therefore, when we renounce worldly life to become monks or nuns, we must achieve attainment.

To Reform Faults Thoroughly

"Now that you recognize your shortcomings, you need to do all that you can to change and correct your misdeeds that caused you not to have a child or not to become an imperial official.

Master Yungu taught Mr. Liaofan how to correct his bad habits and shortcomings. Since he knew what these were, the master told him to do everything he could to improve. Mr. You said in his commentary, "each of us has our faults and weaknesses, but if we are able to calmly think and find every one of them, we will know where to begin."

Changing our conduct and improving ourselves is true cultivation. It is by no means just a formality of reciting sutras, prostrating before the Buddha, or chanting mantras. To have cultivated an entire lifetime and still be mired in the Six Realms is to have simply gone through the formalities. For others, formalities exemplify the teachings so that they might see them and begin to awaken. For us, they serve as reminders of the teachings.

For self-cultivation however, importance is not placed on the formalities but rather on discovering our faults. This is awakening. To correct our faults is to improve in our cultivation. Therefore, the most important point is for us to be calm, introspective, and be watchful of our conduct as we look for our bad habits and faults. When we know these, we will know where to begin, what to correct, and how to proceed. We can then concentrate and use all of our energy to reform.

In his commentary, Mr. You has provided us with some examples. "We can change from a miserly and greedy person to become one who is generous to those in need," was one of them. When we are miserly, we are unwilling to give to others. When greedy, we are always trying to gain what we do not have. If we find that we are habitually doing this, we can become generous through the practice of giving. What I have and others do not, I can freely give to them upon request. Or better yet, when I see others who have an urgent need, I can take the initiative and simply provide them with what they need. This is the cultivation of good fortune through the first of three kinds of giving, that of giving wealth.

This second kind of giving is teaching and is practiced when we help others by sharing our skills or wisdom. If we are good at what others are not, we can enthusiastically teach to them so they will have the skill or uncover their wisdom. The third kind of giving, the giving of fearlessness, is helping others to be calm and secure in both body and mind. It is to help relieve their uneasiness and their fears. For example, if someone is afraid to walk home alone at night, we can accompany him or her so he or she will no longer be apprehensive.

Today, many young people serve in the armed forces to protect their countries from invasion. This is another form of the giving of fearlessness because soldiers protect a country and its people, and maintain the peace by not allowing harm from foreign forces to befall its people. We can see that the scope of these three kinds of giving is extensive. With the giving of wealth, we gain wealth. With the giving of teaching, we gain intelligence and wisdom. With the giving of fearlessness, we gain health and longevity.

In many countries, freeing captured animals is another form of the giving of fearlessness. However, many improper practices have arisen because of this. Since many people wish to free captured animals, others have gone into the business of capturing them. Freeing animals in this way is not the giving of fearlessness but subjects them to harm. If we did not have the intention of freeing animals, others would not capture them. We would do well to thoroughly understand the situation so that in our attempts to be kind, we do not inadvertently cause harm instead.

In some countries, we can properly practice this giving by freeing animals that we find when shopping in the food market. We do so in the knowledge that they will be able to survive once they are freed. This is genuine compassion and kindness for it is saving those in suffering. However, we need to be aware that many pet shops sell animals that are domestically raised and therefore would be unable to survive on their own. If they were freed, they would die and our good intentions would become transgressions.

Therefore, we need to consider the consequences to everything that we do. When we do occasionally find animals in a food market and buy them to set free, the proper way to do so is to chant the Three Refuges of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, and then chant a Buddha’s name. In this way, we are saving their lives.

The commentary next talks about changing from an angry and agitated person to one who is calm. Easily giving in to anger or becoming irritated is a major fault and was one that Mr. Liaofan had. The master encouraged him to remain calm instead. When we are able to accomplish this, we will naturally be gentle. Both Buddha Shakyamuni and Confucius stressed this important quality of our virtues. The students of Confucius praised his five virtues of gentility, kindness, respectfulness, thriftiness, and humility that he exhibited towards everyone and everything. Confucius did not live an extravagant life but one of simplicity. Being courteous and humble, he never argued, always accorded with others, and was a model of moral excellence.

The commentary continues with, "to change from a person who exaggerates and is boastful to one who is modest." When people exaggerate, we automatically doubt whatever they say. As a result, it is difficult for them to win our confidence because basically, they are dishonest. Therefore, we need to be modest and honest in all that we say and do.

"To change from a person who is flighty and impatient to one who is settled." If we can remain calm, we will attain purity of mind. "To change from a person who is arrogant and insolent to one who is courteous." There really is nothing to be arrogant about. If we accomplished something successfully, it was our responsibility to do so. If we did not, we should be corrected and told how to improve. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, who are enlightened beings, respect everyone and everything, as did Confucius and Mencius. Given that we are far behind them in attainment or understanding, we need to regard others with respect and courtesy for these are natural virtues.

"To change from a person who is lazy to one who is diligent." Being lazy is a serious affliction for the person will not succeed in anything. Instead, we would do well to be purposeful and energetic. One of Buddha Shakyamuni’s students, Anuruddha was known for his laziness. After being reproached by the Buddha, he resolved to go without rest for seven days and nights. Due to his enthusiasm, he damaged his vision. The Buddha compassionately taught him the "Illuminating the Diamond of Delightful Observation Samadhi," a form of deep concentration that enabled him to see far better than before. Consequently, he was able to see one Buddha land, an area that is comprised of one billion galaxies.

We also need to be inspired with enthusiasm and determination. Nothing is accomplished through laziness. Not only are we unable to achieve attainment in our practice and learning of Buddhism, but we will also fail to accomplish anything in our daily lives. In ancient times or today, in the east or in the west no one has become successful through laziness. Diligence is the good cause for Mahayana practitioners and Bodhisattvas.

"To change from a person who is cruel to one who is compassionate. To change from a person who is cowardly to one who is courageous." As being overly fearful is another serious fault, we can instead endeavor to be conscientious and resolute. Mr. Liaofan admitted to having all of these faults. We would do well to be more like him and do everything we can to improve ourselves.

Next, the master taught Mr. Liaofan several essential points for his cultivation.

"You need to cultivate virtue and tolerance, and to regard others with good will and compassion. You also need to care for your health and conserve your energy and spirit.

First, Master Yungu encouraged Mr. Liaofan to accumulate merits by avoiding all that was bad and embracing all that was good. This is our foundation for improvement in Buddhism and in worldly teachings. If we do not earnestly accumulate merits and virtues by avoiding evil and practicing goodness, how can we hope to be "those who have thousands of dollars" or "those who have accumulated enough merits and virtues for a hundred generations?" An entire country respected Confucius. The entire world respected Buddha Shakyamuni. The former accumulated great merits of the world. The latter accumulated great merits of the universe.

Second, we can strive to be tolerant of others as we broaden our minds and hearts. If we do not, we will encounter more afflictions and this will present further obstacles to our cultivation. We cultivate awakening, proper thoughts, and pure minds. If we cannot attain purity of mind, then we will not be awakened. This will result in deviated thoughts. Proper and great-enlightened thoughts rely on the foundation of purity of mind. We accomplish this through tolerance.

There is no need to be overly serious or to criticize everything. As we learn in the Diamond Sutra, "all phenomena are illusory, like dreams, mirages, bubbles and shadows." Nothing is real. As the ancients said, all phenomena are as fleeting as clouds. There is nothing worthy of anger or dispute. There is no point in dwelling on things, for this will hinder our cultivation of purity of mind.

There is every point in being gentle, loving, and peaceful. Failing to be so was Mr. Liaofan’s biggest problem. We can strive to practice lovingkindness and compassion for everyone and everything. The Buddha taught that these are non-discriminatory and are to be held equally for all. Confucius also taught of lovingkindness, explaining, "the benevolent person has no enemies." If we cannot accept anything that is contrary to what we think, then we are neither kind nor compassionate. Conflict simply does not exist within the heart of lovingkindness. This is also what is meant in Buddhism as great compassion and is what we need to learn and practice to truly benefit ourselves.

In the Pure Land sutras, we read about "One Mind Undisturbed." This state is unattainable if anything exists in opposition. To have opposition is to have a mind of differentiation. Master Huineng said, "originally, our true mind contained nothing." If the mind still clings to even one wandering thought, then it is not the true but an illusory mind. The pure and uncontaminated mind will not have opposing thoughts. When there are no more opposing thoughts, the true mind can be uncovered, purity of mind can arise, and we will attain One Mind Undisturbed.

The states of One Mind Undisturbed and Constant Mindfulness of Buddha Amitabha begin from here. In Constant Mindfulness of Buddha Amitabha, initially the mind remembers the Buddha and does not forget. After prolonged cultivation, we ceaselessly contemplate the Buddha. If we have been chanting "Amituofo" for many years and have not yet reached the state of Constant Mindfulness, we need to determine where the problem lies and correct it.

When we have eliminated our obstacles, we will be able to achieve this state and be assured of birth into the Pure Land. Regardless of our state of cultivation, we will know when we have achieved it. There is no need to ask others.

When we are born into the Pure Land through the state of Constant Mindfulness, we will be born into the Land where Both Sages and Ordinary Beings Dwell Together. With the state of One Mind Undisturbed in Mindfulness, we will be born into the Land Where Everything is Temporary. With the state of One Mind Undisturbed in Enlightenment, we will be born into the Land of True Reward. The level of attainment we achieve determines which land we will be born into.

There are also different levels in the state of Constant Mindfulness; thus, there are nine levels of birth. People who are born into the higher three levels of birth are able to pass away whenever they wish. At that time, they can go without any illness and may be standing or seated. If they do not feel like leaving this world yet, they can stay longer. Everything can be achieved at will. People who are born into the middle three levels of birth are able to know a few months in advance when they are going to pass away. Again, they may leave this world standing or seated. In the lower level, people will know several days in advance of their death, but they may become ill before their time of death.

People reaching the state of One Mind Undisturbed have even higher abilities. There are two levels of One Mind Undisturbed: Mindfulness and Enlightenment. These levels are not achievable by ordinary people like us in one lifetime, whereas, Constant Mindfulness is. Therefore, in this lifetime we can attain the state of Constant Mindfulness in which we will have the ability to pass away at ease, to leave whenever we wish. This is to be born into the higher three levels of birth, into the Land Where Both Sages and Ordinary Beings Dwell Together, and to carry our remaining karma along with us.

The master told Mr. Liaofan that he should care for his health and conserve his energy and spirit. Because Mr. Liaofan liked to sit up all night and did not know how to take care of himself, he needed to pay special attention to caring for his health and energy.

"Live as if everything in the past dissolved yesterday and a brand-new future begins today. If you can accomplish this, then you are a person born anew, a person of virtue and sincerity.

Everything that happened yesterday is in the past. Do not dwell on it. If we do, it is as if we have committed or undergone them again. To do so will leave additional impressions in the Alaya Consciousness. Therefore, let bygones be bygones and forget them. The important thing is to correct what is in the present and what will be in the future. Doubts and regrets are afflictions that are conditions or causes of grief and distress that disturb the body and mind.

The Buddha taught us not to dwell on the past. We read in Mr. You's commentary, that this is the key to changing destiny for the Perfect People. The Perfect People are those with higher levels of wisdom and who are awakened. There are six steps to accomplish this, beginning from the need to cultivate and accumulate merits and virtues, and culminating in becoming "a person born anew, a person of virtue and sincerity." These are the keys to changing destiny.

Mr. You said in his commentary, "The first step in changing destiny is to correct our faults. To brush away all the accumulated bad habits one by one and to pull out the roots of our problems one by one. At all times and in all places, to be constantly vigilant of our every thought, word, and act. We restrain and discipline ourselves. We protect our innocent and the virtuous as we would a newborn baby." The full responsibility for changing destiny is in our hands, not in the hands of heavenly or enlightened beings. People of utmost virtue are no longer bound by destiny.

We need to be strict with ourselves. If we constantly forgive ourselves, we will limit our futures. However, while we are exacting and stern with ourselves, we ought to be generous and lenient with others. We need to protect those who are pure, virtuous, and innocent. What is innocence? It is to not have any selfish thoughts. If we constantly have wandering thoughts, then we lose our innocent, true, and pure minds.

The responsibility for changing what is predetermined is entirely up to us. Once we understand the truth about re-creating our futures, we will no longer need to ask psychics or fortunetellers what the future holds. We can carefully reflect to know what it is supposed to be and how to change it. Knowing this, others would no longer be able to deceive us.

Previously Master Yungu told Mr. Liaofan about people who were of the utmost virtue. In the Pure Land sutras, we learn that they live in the Pure Land. People of utmost virtue are able to feel regret and reform. In the Western Pure Land, they do so daily, until there is nothing left that requires correction. Then they become Buddhas.

Even the highest-level Bodhisattvas still have faults. What kind? They still have one degree of ignorance yet to be broken through. If Equal-enlightenment Bodhisattvas still need to regret and reform, we can imagine how much we need to do! From now on, we need to have the compassionate heart to feel remorse and change for the better. Even upon reaching the level of Equal-enlightenment Bodhisattvas, we will still need to do this. Only when there is nothing left to correct will we become Buddhas. We cannot attain supreme enlightenment if we still have one remaining fault.

Enlightenment is to know and correct our faults. Bodhisattvas are enlightened sentient beings. We are also sentient beings, but are unenlightened since we do not know our faults and thus do not know to correct them. We believe that we are already correct. We question, "do I have any faults?" and think for a long time without finding any. Thus, it is said that ordinary people do not have faults while Bodhisattvas have many. They constantly watch over their every thought, word, and deed, knowing that they have many shortcomings, continuously correcting them and doing so for three great eons. When we think about how many faults there can be, how can we possibly think that as ordinary people we do not have any!

What is the difference between "enlightened" and "unenlightened"? One who knows that they have many faults is an enlightened being - a Bodhisattva. One who does not know they possess numerous faults is unenlightened - an ordinary person. Bodhisattvas are not deities, but are beings who know their faults and constantly strive to correct them. If we were to improve, not only would we correct our faults, but we would also give rise to the vows of Buddha Amitabha and this would be the most remarkable way of changing our destinies.

We recite the Infinite Life Sutra daily to be very familiar with it, but this is only the initial step. The second step is to use the sutra as a mirror, reflecting once with each recitation to make a comparison and to find our faults. By looking at reflections in a mirror, we can see what parts are soiled and immediately clean them. To clean is to correct. We recite the sutra to find the pollution in our mind that we are not yet aware of. The sutra is like a mirror that sees and reflects what parts of our minds have faults so that we may immediately correct them. Therefore, we initially become familiar with the sutra and then we accord with its teachings.

In cultivation, first we give rise to vows. We need to think carefully if we have given rise to the forty-eight vows of Buddha Amitabha, to adopt these vows as our own, and to be of one heart and vow with him. Then, we will be the same as him and become his manifestation. He is our role model to help us to mold and transform ourselves to be the same as him. This is to be of one mind, one heart, and one vow. How could we not be born into the Pure Land when our hearts and vows are the same as his? When this happens, we will think, speak, and act the same as Buddha Amitabha as we relate to other people and circumstances, become constantly mindful of Buddha Amitabha, and always remember to encourage others to chant Amituofo.

When our three karmas of body, speech, and mind are the same as Buddha Amitabha, we become his manifestation. We return to this world to fulfill his original vows. This is even more remarkable than being a person of virtue and sincerity. Originally, we reincarnated into this world to repay our karmic debts, but now each of us is Buddha Amitabha coming to this world through the strength of our vows! This is the most remarkable and unsurpassable method in changing our destinies.

"If even our body is governed by destiny, then how can a body of virtue and sincerity not evoke a response from Heaven?

Here Master Yungu was talking of wandering thoughts and attachments. Our bodies really have nothing to do with destiny. What matters is the mind, for it influences the body. To be honest, the minds of most people are selfish and thus, they are governed by destiny. We also fall under the control of destiny when we use the conscious mind or our Eight Consciousnesses.

Enlightened beings are able to transcend because they have turned their Eight Consciousnesses into the Four Wisdoms. Not using the Eight Consciousnesses, enlightened beings are not controlled by destiny. After we have reached a certain level of enlightenment, we too will use our enlightened mind. Currently, we are using deluded feelings. If we used our enlightened wisdom, how could we not "evoke a response from Heaven"?

In the commentary, we learn: "Utmost sincerity can split a stone of diamond, can evoke a response from Heaven, and can change destiny." Consider the well-known account of what happened to the famous General Guang Lee who lived during the Han Dynasty. One time he and his soldiers were on a march. On one side of the road, the grass was very long. There was a large stone partially hidden in the grass and he mistakenly thought it was a tiger. He immediately shot an arrow and it went deep into its target.

After getting off his horse and going to survey his marksmanship, he was amazed to see that it was a stone! He thought, "I must be very strong to have shot an arrow so deep into a stone!" He tried again and again, but failed to repeat his accomplishment. From this, we can see that the first shot resulted from the utmost sincerity of having no wandering thoughts.

Similarly, when Great Master Kumarajiva was about seven years old, he lifted up a great iron bowl without so much as a thought. But then he thought, "I am so small. How could I have lifted it?" He tried to do so again, but failed. General Guang Lee had mistaken the stone for a tiger and was able to shoot an arrow into it. Master Kumarajiva thought nothing of the weight of a great iron bowl and was able to lift it. Once General Guang Lee realized that the tiger was actually a stone and Master Kumarajiva realized that the iron bowl was extraordinarily heavy, they were unable to repeat their previous accomplishments. Both initially acted from the mind of sincerity that had no wandering thoughts. Thus, the stone was split open and the iron bowl was lifted up.

From these two examples, we can confirm what is said in the Flower Adornment Sutra, "there are no hindrances among phenomena or principles." This is achieved when the mind attains a certain degree of purity as we sever our wandering discriminatory thoughts and attachments. If the mind is not pure, then all phenomena present obstacles. But, when the mind is pure, there are no obstacles.

"Utmost sincerity thus evokes a response from Heaven." Confucianism speaks of wrestling with materialistic desires, teaching us to let go of and no longer be influenced by desire. Utmost sincerity can change destiny. It is the true mind as explained in the Visualization Sutra. It is the Bodhi mind: the mind of utmost sincerity, profundity, merit dedication, and vow generation.

As is said in the ‘Tai Jia Chapter’ in Book of History, ‘one may run away from the retribution of Heaven, but one can never escape the retribution for one’s misdeeds.’

To say that we may run from the retribution of Heaven means that although we had committed offenses in former lifetimes, the retribution for them is changeable by our current cultivation, and the accumulation of merits and virtues in this lifetime. The retributions of Heaven are destined and changeable.

"But one can never escape the retribution for one’s misdeeds" is about the offenses of this lifetime. The retributions of Heaven are meted out for offenses of past lives but they are changeable, as are our destinies. However, nothing can be done regarding the retribution for the misdeeds that we commit in our present lifetimes. And if we continue to commit these, then we will be unable to regret and reform, unable to change our destinies.

When bad causes created in the past, encounter present adverse catalytic conditions, the retributions for these wrongdoings mature. However, if we refrain from committing further misdeeds, we can suppress the adverse conditions. The bad causes still exist but without the catalytic conditions, they will not mature. The principle in changing destiny is based on this conditional aspect of the Law of Cause and Effect. Cause is what was created in the past and is unchangeable; but condition is changeable and controllable.

We reap what we sow. We can plant melon and bean seeds that are causes. When we do so, we will grow the melons and beans that are fruits. However, we cannot grow beans from melon seeds or melons from bean seeds. Cause is a constant here. What we will harvest depends on the conditions. If we would like to harvest beans, we plant the seeds for them and put away the melon seeds. For a cause to come into effect, appropriate catalytic conditions are required. For example, seeds need the right conditions, which are good soil, fertilizer, sun, and water to grow well. Even after the seeds are planted and the cause is created, we can prevent them from maturing. We simply withhold the water and sunlight. They will not grow. The seeds will not mature into fruits because they do not have the right conditions.

Therefore, although we have created bad causes in our past lives, if we refrain from wrongdoings in this life, end our erroneous behavior, and cultivate kind deeds, we will not provide the bad conditions for these causes to mature. Surely, we also created some good causes in our past lives. How could a person have only committed bad deeds or only performed good deeds? Such a person simply does not exist. Therefore, life after life all of our deeds have been a mixture of good and bad. Sometimes more good; sometimes more bad.

We do not need to be afraid that we have committed more transgressions as long as we refrain from committing any more. If we can block the bad conditions, although we may only have a small amount of good deeds, these will blossom and mature.

"It is said in Book of Songs, ‘to permanently accord with the mind of Heaven and to seek our own great good fortune.’"

This reveals the real purpose of our morning and evening classes. The morning class serves to remind us of Buddha Amitabha’s vows. The purpose of the evening class is to look back on the day to see if we had followed the sutra’s guidance and whether we had been watchful over our thoughts, words, and deeds. Thus, it is meaningful to participate in both. In Buddha Shakyamuni’s time, the content for both morning and evening classes was the Three Refuges from the "Chapter of Purification of Conduct" in the Flower Adornment Sutra: "To the Buddha I return and rely, vowing that all living beings will profoundly understand the Great Way and bring forth the heart of great understanding."

Ancient virtuous people compiled our current recitation handbooks and the content was suitable for the people practicing together at that time. But is this recitation suitable for our current practice? If not, the handbooks need to be modified so that they will allow us to continue to benefit from them by correcting our faults. The same applies to repentance ceremonies. If we participate in these and do the many prostrations with an impure mind, not only will we not eradicate our karmic obstacles, we will increase them.

This is similar to taking medicine when we become ill. If the medication proves ineffective, we have to change prescriptions. The purpose of sutra recitation and repentance prostrations is to treat the illness in our minds to cure our afflictions. If they are ineffective, we need to find a better prescription. This is why the Jewel King Samadhi Repentance Ceremony compiled by Mr. Lianju Xia is more suitable than other similar books in treating our current problems. Upon careful reading, we will understand that many of its phrases are appropriate today. Hence, we need to choose the morning and evening recitations based on our illnesses and problems.

For the morning and evening classes, many Pure Land practitioners now recite the Infinite Life Sutra to cultivate concentration. If we do not have enough time to recite the entire sutra, then we can recite chapter six that comprises the forty-eight vows for the morning, and chapters thirty-two to thirty-seven for the evening. These six chapters talk of cause and effect, and of learning how to change ourselves. Doing this, we will permanently accord with the minds of Heaven and seek our own great good fortune.

"The minds of Heaven" means the original True Nature; it does not literally mean Heaven, Earth, and celestial beings. If we can accord with this Nature, we will achieve the basic virtue and return to it.

The master then told me: "Mr. Kong had predicted that you would not receive an imperial appointment or have a son. These are the retributions of Heaven, but even they can be changed. You only need to develop your virtue, diligently strive to practice goodness, and work to accumulate many hidden merits and virtues.

Master Yungu told Mr. Liaofan that not receiving an imperial appointment or not having a son were the consequences of his accumulated negative karma from previous lifetimes. However, these were changeable for while destiny exists, it is not fixed. What is from the past is a constant: what is done in the present is a variable.

Master Yungu explained that to change what is supposed to happen we begin from our hearts and develop our virtues. From this, we can see that if we are to seek and change only from without, we will be "at a loss, within and without." We have seen people who try to improve their environment by changing the placement of doors, windows, etc. all to be at a loss, within and without. On appearance, they seemed to gain, but actually what they gained was what they were destined to have. It was still within their destiny, a constant, and not a variable.

We need to change from our minds and hearts, to refrain from wrongdoings and to cultivate goodness. The master also said "work to accumulate many hidden merits and virtues." These are good deeds that others do not know about. If we did something that was good and then made it widely known, so that others praised us, we would lose our merits and virtues as these have now turned into praise. To do what is good but to cancel its benefits at the same time will prevent us from accumulating merits and virtues. It is much better to practice goodness without letting anybody know and even better if some people reproached us, for this will help to reduce our negative karma. It would be best if our negative karma and retributions were reduced and even eradicated, while our merits and virtues remained hidden.

Today, when we do good and are criticized or even slandered, we feel it is undeserved. Why do we have bad consequences when we do good? Actually, these are good consequences. If we are immediately complimented upon doing good deeds, we will lose our merits and virtues. Therefore, we can strive to accumulate merits and virtues while hiding them from others, for only then is this truly a good deed.

"These are your ways to re-create good fortune. How then is it possible that you will not get to enjoy it?

We will be able to enjoy all the good fortune that we have created in this life. The sutras tell us, "cause and effect are linked through the past, present and future." What we undergo in this lifetime are the consequences of what we had done in our previous lifetimes, while what we do now will determine what we undergo in our future lifetimes. If we cultivate very diligently, we need not wait until our next lifetimes to reap our rewards; instead, we may see our deeds bear fruit in this lifetime. Due to this principle, Mr. Liaofan completely changed his destiny. He had accumulated so many good deeds that he did not have to wait until his next life to enjoy the results.

"I Ching, Book of Changes, was written to help people accrue good fortune and to avoid adversity. If everything is destined with no room for change, how can we hope to do this?

The I Ching is considered by many to be the earliest philosophy book in ancient China and teaches people to become sages and virtuous people. It accomplishes this through mathematics and the use of sixty-four six-line figures representing all possible combinations of broken and unbroken lines. There are three hundred and eighty-four possible predictions. Changes as small as those that affect individuals to those that affect countries and even the world can be deduced from these figures. The book uses mathematics to determine the natural course of cause and effect.

What Master Yungu said regarding the surpassing of mathematics is where the techniques of I Ching fail. I Ching works well with constants, but although it understands that there are variables, it fails to work with them. This teaches us to accumulate merits and to avoid bad deeds. One virtuous thought is a plus and one negative thought is a minus. So, every day is simply a matter of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. If the margin of change is not too much, others can foretell our destinies with a reasonable degree of accuracy. This is how Mr. Kong foretold Mr. Liaofan’s destiny.

For twenty years, Mr. Liaofan neither increased nor decreased his bad or good thoughts and deeds, but completely accorded with his destiny. For most people there are usually some variances - one virtuous thought, one unkind deed. Mr. Liaofan, who had no interest in doing either good deeds or bad deeds, maintained constancy for twenty years; thus, his destiny was remarkably accurate. If the variance is large, we will surpass the constant to "accrue good fortune and avoid adversity."

We read in the commentary: "Because all thoughts and behavior are changeable, so all the consequences of gain and loss, joy and pain seem flexible and changeable. These consequences can be added, subtracted, multiplied and divided: gained and lost in accordance with the behavior of the individual."

A constant is the cause. A variable is the condition. The key to changing destiny is determined by the condition and this is what Buddhism stresses. "All the infinite creations in Heaven and on Earth arise from conditions." All existing things arise from the condition, which is a variable. By controlling this variable, we can change destiny. Then, we can pursue our wishes and goals to gain remarkable, perfect results. The Buddha also told us in the sutra, "impermanence, no ego, Nirvana." Understanding this principle, we can become virtuous people and sages, Arhats, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas.

"The first chapter of I Ching said, ‘families who often perform good deeds will have an excess of good fortune to pass on to the following generations.’ Do you believe this?" I replied, "yes."

From this, we know that those who wrote I Ching understood the constant that is the cause in this world and throughout the universe. They also knew that there is a variable that is the condition. By controlling this variable on a small scale, we can change our own destiny and on a larger scale, we can pursue lasting stability and peace for our world.

The I Ching is truly extraordinary; however, it is a pity that now it has virtually become a fortune-telling book. As Mr. Guangxi Mei said in the preface of the Infinite Life Sutra: "Originally, the Amitabha Sutra was a teaching that helped us to transcend the cycle of birth and death to become a Buddha. But now it has become something for people to recite at memorial services to send off the deceased!" That the Amitabha Sutra has been reduced to this sad state is just like I Ching being reduced to a book for telling fortunes! It is a sad reflection of our times.

I Ching was intended to teach us how to obtain happiness, world peace, and stability; to change our destinies by accumulating merit and virtue. To do this, we first need to regret and reform. The master asked Mr. Liaofan if he believed that a family, which practiced good deeds, could have so much good fortune that it would be passed on to the following generations. Mr. Liaofan replied that he did.

The reason why Mr. Liaofan was able to change his destiny was due to his good roots and good fortune, thus enabling him to believe in good advice. His meeting with Master Yungu was the ripening of the appropriate conditions. As the Buddha told us, "when our good roots, good fortunes and right conditions mature, how can we not change our destinies?

Mr. You told us in his commentary: "One who hears good advice from sages and slanders them has committed a bad deed; doubt is one of the fundamental afflictions." Good advice is the teachings of the sages of this world and beyond. Later generations called these teachings sutras. The sutras speak of truths that do not change with time. The truth that surpasses time is the same now, as it was thousands of years ago; it never changes whether in the east or in the west.

The writings and teachings of sages did not come from their personal experiences and opinions, for if they did they would be biased or inappropriate. History is not made up of opinions but of accumulated experiences whereas sutras contain the truth that arises from the original True Nature. Thus, the teachings in the sutras are the absolute truth that surpasses time and space.

We will benefit and improve if we believe in the teachings, but if we do not, then we will miss these remarkable benefits. This is why we say that doubt is one of the six fundamental afflictions of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, doubt, and deviated views.

The commentary also stated: "One who hears kind words of advice and gives rise to belief will nurture the appearance of good fortune and merit. This belief is the mother of good fortune." "Mother" means to give rise, to grow. All good fortune and merit arise from belief in the teachings of the sages. If we are able to believe in the words and teachings of the sages, we will find that infinite good fortune and merit are generated from this. Mr. Liaofan was indeed a rare person: to deeply believe upon hearing the master’s advice.

To Surpass Destiny by Cultivating

Good Fortune and Accumulating Virtues

I gratefully accepted his advi