THE WAYS TO CULTIVATE GOODNESS

A Family that Accumulates Kind Deeds is Sure to Have Abundant Prosperity

Ten True Accounts of Virtuous People

I Ching, the Book of Changes explains that, “Families who perform good deeds will accumulate prosperity which can outlast many generations". Let me give an example. Once there was a family by the name of Yan. Before they agreed to give their daughter in marriage to the man who later became Confucius’ father, they looked into the past deeds of the family. After finding the family to be one that practiced kindness and accumulated virtues, the Yan family felt assured that their daughter would be marrying into a family that would be prosperous with outstanding descendants.

I Ching, the Book of Changes is used as the introduction for the principle in this lesson. A family that accumulates good deeds is bound to have prosperity to spare. Even if we could not enjoy all the good fortune during this lifetime, we would have enough left over for our descendants to enjoy for generations. There is profound meaning within this.

People in the past were very different from those of today. Since ancient times in China, the decision of the parents and the advice of the matchmakers have always determined a union of marriage. When we compare freedom of love in today’s society with the traditional ways, the latter has its advantages. Parents who were well-educated and high in moral standards undoubtedly chose the best and most promising spouse for their children. On the other hand, the disadvantage is that parents, who had no education and did not know better, often sold their daughter out for a good price. Therefore, children were unwillingly forced together as they followed their parents’ wishes and were unhappy for the rest of their lives. This is an obvious disadvantage but we should not let this overshadow the advantages.

Liang-Ge Shu was Confucius’ father. The maiden name of Confucius’ mother was Yan. The “Yan family” spoken of here is Confucius’ maternal grandfather who married his daughter to Confucius’ father, which proved that careful thinking went into this match. He knew that the family had accumulated virtues and practiced kind deeds for several generations. This proves that “by the decision of the parents and the advice of the matchmaker”, many happy families have been joined since ancient times.

In ancient times, all those who held power, whether it was an emperor who ruled an empire or a mayor who ruled a city or town were to faithfully follow three guidelines. They were to “act as leader, parent and teacher”. First, it was necessary to act as the leader of the governed area. To act as the parent meant to be the parent of the citizens in the area that he was responsible for. He was supposed to behave towards the people as if they were his relatives in terms of protecting them, caring for them, nurturing them. To act as the teacher meant that he should be a role model for them and teach them what they did not understand. Consequently, the responsibilities of acting as the leader, the parent and the teacher all fell upon the shoulders of the ruler. If he could fulfill these responsibilities, then he had performed infinite goodness. Unfortunately, these three guidelines do not exist in today’s democratic system.

Confucius had once praised Shun on his filial piety, 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, many generations.” These sayings were later proven true by history. Now I will show in some true accounts that merits can be attained through performing good deeds.

Confucius highly praised Emperor Shun. In ancient Chinese history, Shun was the first person recorded in history for his greatness in filial piety. He saw only his own faults, not those of others. In Buddhism, he was a prime example of a practitioner. The Platform Sutra says that, “A true practitioner does not see the faults of others". Shun accomplished just this. As history proved, the virtues he had accumulated guaranteed his descendants prosperity. 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 innumerable generations of Chinese.

The examples of the people who had performed kind deeds are all supported by historical fact. All of the people and events, which Mr. Liao-Fan used as examples, were from his own time, the Ming Dynasty. All of the events that happened were only a few decades apart and were familiar to everyone of his time. He used these examples to encourage people to practice good deeds and accumulate goodness because these would result in good rewards.

In Fujian province, there was a prominent man named Rong Yang who held a position in the imperial court as the Emperor’s teacher. His ancestors were boat people who made a living by helping people cross the river. Once, there was a storm, which lasted so long that fierce flooding washed away all the houses. People, animals and belongings were carried downriver by the current. Other boaters took advantage of the situation and strove to collect the floating belongings. Only Rong Yang’s grandfather and great grandfather took interest in rescuing the drowning people. They did not take any of the goods that floated by. The other boaters all laughed and thought them to be very foolish. Later, when Rong Yang’s father was born, the Yang family gradually became wealthy.

When I was young, I lived in Jianou for six years and often went with schoolmates to play in what had formerly been Rong Yang’s house. It was of an ancient style filled with many antiques. There were two stone lions on either side of the front door. Lanterns were also hung in front of the door, similar to those outside of a way place.

At the time of this account, when there was too much rain, the rivers would overflow and cause serious flooding, destroying houses and washing away belongings. Other boaters took advantage of the situation by collecting the victims’ belongings in order to make a small fortune. Only Rong Yang’s grandfather and great grandfather were the exceptions as they were concerned with rescuing those who were drowning and took no interest in any of the passing possessions. The other boaters all laughed and thought they were very foolish in passing up such a great opportunity to become rich and instead chose to save lives. It was only with the birth of Rong Yang's father that the family's living conditions improved.

Consider how much money they could have made rowing people across the river. Sometimes, the passengers did not have had money to pay the fare, but they would still have to be transported across the river. Therefore, the fee was given at will and depended on how much the passenger was able to pay. A small container was placed on one side of the boat and the passengers would put in whatever amount they wished. There was no set rate. This was the accepted practice in Fujian during that time. Students did not even need to pay. With good causes, there will be good rewards.

One day a heavenly person manifested as a Taoist monk came to the Yang family. He told them that their ancestors had accumulated much hidden merit. Consequently, their descendants would enjoy wealth and prominence. He said that there was a special place where they could build their ancestral tomb. So, they followed the Taoist’s suggestion. Today it is called the White Hare Grave.

Feng-shui, which is an early science of placing buildings in a way that will take maximum advantage of the natural chi or energy of the landscape has its factual basis. However, we need to have the good fortune to receive good Feng-shui. Good or bad, it depends largely on our good fortune, virtues and conditions. It has a natural course. If a knowledgeable person shows us a good Feng-shui spot, this will only enable us to receive what we are supposed to have sooner rather than later. If we do not deserve good Feng-shui, then not only will we not benefit from it, it will actually bring us misfortune. This is because we do not have the good fortune to enjoy it. Therefore, do not be too happy seeing a good thing coming. Think first whether we will be able to bear it.

After reading Liao-Fan’s Four Lessons, we will realize that everything that happens does so for a reason. Indeed, for an ordinary person "one sip, one bite all is predestined". If we do not acknowledge this fact and do not go about reforming our faults and practicing good deeds, then there will be no variable in our life; it will always remain a constant. Only when we truly understand the way to accumulate kindness and reform faults will we have changing factors and be able to truly change our lives and create our destiny. In our lifetime, we have seen many happenings that have been totally proven by Buddhist and Confucian principles.

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 his grandfather and great grandfather with the same imperial honors. Today, his many virtuous and prosperous descendants are still very prominent.

In ancient China, males were initiated into adulthood at the age of twenty. We can see here how young Rong Yang was when he passed the highest imperial examination, the Jin-Shi level and attained the highest academic degree at that time. It is equivalent to earning a doctorate degree today. His appointment was extremely high, similar to today's National Affairs Advisor. In other words, he was an advisor to the Emperor, obviously a very prestigious position. Later, he received the rank of Imperial Teacher.

The Emperor also conferred the same honors on his grandfather and great grandfather. In ancient times, it was a great honor to the family’s ancestors if an individual became an imperial official. Although Rong Yang’s father, grandfather and great grandfather were only common citizens, due to Rong Yang’s high position, the Emperor bestowed upon his ancestors the same honors although they had already passed away. This was the way to honor ancestors during ancient times in China.

Today, we encourage and reward good deeds. Governments praise and cite good people and their accomplishments. Frankly speaking, the methods used in citing good deeds were a lot more effective in ancient times and had a deeper educational meaning. Because the descendants of a particular family had contributed to the country, it could bestow honor on the individual as well as on his ancestors. Today, the praise or honor ends with the individual and does not extend to his ancestors; whereas, in ancient times, the Emperor could bestow the same honor on the three previous generations.

We may not see any reason in bestowing an honor upon a person who died so many years ago. What was the point? Actually, there is a very good one for there is a valuable lesson to be learned from this. It can help us to realize that 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 fortunes that stemmed from them. Realizing this, why would there be any reason not to practice good deeds? If this situation arose when the ancestors were in the Six Realms then they could still obtain an honor that was bestowed by the Emperor, regardless of which realm they were in. If they were in the hungry ghost realm, then all the kings of ghosts would respect them. Being great virtuous persons, they would gain the respect of heavenly beings and spirits. This is why it is such a valuable lesson. It can provide a wonderful incentive, which can encourage people to practice acts of kindness. Therefore, the true merits and virtues from this lesson are inconceivable.

Mr. Liao-Fan wrote how Rong Yang's descendants were still very prominent in his time. This happened because so many generations had accumulated goodness, had built a solid foundation. They held official positions for generations thus these descendants also had virtue and remained very prestigious and prosperous.

Zi-Cheng Yang, from the county of Yin in Zhejiang province, is another example. Zi-Cheng worked as a member of the staff of the county courthouse. He was kind and humane, fair and law-abiding.

Once, the county magistrate punished a criminal by beating him until his blood spilled out onto the ground. The magistrate’s anger did not subside and as he was about to continue, Zi-Cheng knelt and pleaded with him to stop beating the prisoner. The magistrate said, “It is all right for you to plead, but how can I not be angry when this person has broken the law!" Zi-Cheng replied that when those in a position of leadership in the government do not follow the proper path, ordinary people would lose their way. Once we realize this, we should feel sorrow rather than joy. And if we should not feel joy, then how could we feel anger? Thus, a case like this called for more understanding. The magistrate was touched by Zi-Cheng’s speech and ceased the beating.

Mr. Zi-Cheng Yang had a job in the county courthouse, which is similar to today’s section chief. It was not a very high-ranking position. He had a kind and generous heart and he was very honest, impartial and law-abiding. At the time of this incident, the county magistrate also handled judicial matters. The magistrate was also the judge. When the criminal refused to tell the truth and even talked back, the magistrate became angry. He beat the criminal severely until his blood fell on the ground. But even then, the magistrate remained infuriated. When Zi-Cheng saw this, he felt compassion for the prisoner, kneeled and pleaded with the magistrate to stop. Because of the seriousness of the prisoner’s offense, the magistrate was infuriated.

This took a great deal of courage because what he said was a direct accusation against the behavior of the government. If the superior officer had not agreed and blamed him for being so blunt, Zi-Cheng could have gotten himself into serious trouble. However, if the superior officer were virtuous, moral and wise, he would not become angry. He would have realized that his staff was only reminding him to be rational.

Zi-Cheng spoke of those in positions of leadership in the government. He was talking about the provincial and city magistrates. Zi-Cheng said these officials did not follow the "Proper Path”, which means that the government did not do a good job in political education. What is the “Path”? It is the Three Guidelines for a ruler to follow, to act as "the leader, the parents and the teacher". When a district government official who presided over the local administrations did not fulfill the duties similar to those of a parent or a teacher, then he did not properly look after his people. When a citizen had committed an offense, it was because the ruler did not teach them well. This is why Zi-Cheng said that when those in a position of leadership in the government do not follow the proper path, fellow citizens would lose their way because they had no guidelines to follow and no one to turn to for advice. If the administration behaved properly, then the people would have set principles to comply with.

During the Han Dynasty (approximately twenty-one hundred years ago) the philosophies of hundreds of scholars were replaced by those of Confucius and Mencius. Confucianism was used as the basis for the educational system. Before this time, during the Spring Autumn period, there were so many philosophies and scholars that it was difficult for the people to know which one was appropriate. In the numerous volumes of books written by hundred of scholars, each one had its distinct point of view and its own theories. Upon a rough examination, each seemed to make sense; however, with so many selections, people were at a loss as to which one to choose. This was why it was imperative to choose one as the model. The teachings of whoever was chosen had to be widely accepted, even by those with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Once this model had been chosen, then the works of other scholars could be used as supplementary references. Thus this established the objectives of the national education.

In China, the main moral standards derived from the philosophies of Confucius and Mencius. This system was used from the Han Dynasty up to the time of the Qing Dynasty. It naturally became the basis of the teachings for the Chinese people. Confucius and Mencius taught us the Five Human Relationships and the Ten Moral Responsibilities. These are the fundamental principles for people to follow, they are the proper path.

The Five Human Relationships concentrate on relations among people. They start with the basic relations between a married couple within their own bedroom. The husband should fulfill the responsibilities pertaining to his role as a husband and the wife should do likewise. Those responsibilities are a form of obligation. Each person must fulfill his or her obligations. A harmonious couple is the basis of all prosperous families. Outside of the bedroom is the larger family. There are the parents over us, children under us and siblings around us. Each holds a different role with different responsibilities, which we need to fulfill. These duties are innate, not assigned by another. Nor are they ideas of a particular person. They are moral principles, the proper path.

Beyond the family are society and the country. At the top is the leader of the country. Below the leader are the government officials. On the same level with us are our friends. The Five human Relationships refer to husband and wife, parent and child, siblings, friends, and political leaders and the public. To expand into a broader view, everyone in this world is like a sibling to one another. Therefore, the five relationships among people are the unification of a country. In this way, the entire country is like a big family. This is the proper path.

In the minds of the ancient sages and virtuous people, government officials would be considered as great people and so they were addressed as such. They had the responsibility to educate their people, 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 their people proper moral principles (such as loyalty, filial piety, humanity, faith, honesty and peace).

The basic educational goal in Confucianism is to “sever material desires, obtain awakening, have a sincere mind and a virtuous heart, discipline ourselves, have a harmonious family, rule a country and foster world peace”. Today, schools do not teach these anymore. Emphasis is now placed on technology rather than humanity. Therefore, our thoughts, viewpoints and behavior have no guiding principles. The latter teach us that when we see the misdeeds of others, we would do well to take a hard look at ourselves and see if we have fulfilled our duties as a government official.

Once we know the motive behind a criminal offense, we should feel compassion for the offender rather than joy at having solved the case. Why should we not feel joy? Because we have yet to fulfil our own responsibilities. And if we should not feel joy, then we certainly should not become angry. Fortunately for Zi-Cheng, in ancient times, in order for a person to hold a government position such as that of a county magistrate, he would have to pass an imperial examination. In other words, he would be well-educated. Therefore, the magistrate immediately realized his error when Zi-Cheng reminded him of it.

It was extremely brave for Zi-Cheng to speak up on behalf of the prisoner. The magistrate immediately recognized this and ceased to be angry. From this example, we could see that Mr. Yang had considerable wisdom, virtue and insight. Thus, it was good for him to accumulate virtue and merits in the court because he could do many good deeds.

Although Zi-Cheng came from a very poor family, he never took any bribes. If the prisoners were short of food, he would always take food from his own home even if it meant going hungry himself. One day, several new prisoners needed feeding. Zi-Cheng’s home was short of food. If he gave them what he had then his family would go hungry. But, if he kept the food for his family then the prisoners would go hungry. He felt that the prisoners needed the food more than his family did. A deplorable situation. He discussed it with his wife who asked where the prisoners came from. Zi-Cheng answered that they were from Hangzhow. They had to tolerate hunger along the way.

Zi-Cheng's family was very poor. At that time, government officials received only a small salary and a lot of them retired with hardly any savings. If an official retired with a lot of money, it was most likely that he had taken bribes or embezzled money during his office. Where else could the money come from? In ancient times, scholars did not learn how to run a business. If a scholar became a high-ranking official and contributed great services to the country, then he would in turn receive rewards in the form of farmlands and houses. So, it was possible to become wealthy in this way. However, if he held just an average position, then his salary would be quite meager. Zi-Cheng only held a very low rank in the county government.

Regardless of this, he refused any gifts that were offered to him. Sometimes relatives of the prisoners would offer him bribes in exchange for a lighter sentence or better care in the prison. It was inevitable that he would receive such offers. However, he never accepted any of them and always acted justly and fairly in all circumstances. It was difficult to be so honest in such a tempting environment. Also, at this time the amount of food provided for the prisoners was meager. Often when the prisoners were moved over a long distance, they went without food. Zi-Cheng always did his best to try to help them.

It is quite a distance from Hangzhow to Ningpo. The prisoners had to walk with shackles so the travelling time was considerably slower than usual. At the maximum, they could cover maybe fifty or sixty kilometers a day. This means that they would have to spend several days on the road. Zi-Cheng felt great compassion for these prisoners who went without food for all those days. If he gave his small amount of rice to the prisoners, his family would go hungry. If he gave the rice to his family, the prisoners would go hungry. So, after discussing the situation with his wife, they came to a solution. They would take what little rice they had, make a pot of rice porridge and share half of it with the prisoners.

Later, Zi-Cheng had two sons. The elder’s name was Shou-Chen and the younger was named Shou-Zhi. Both sons became very prominent and held important government positions. His eldest grandson became Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. His second grandson was a member of the government staff in Sichuan Province. They were both prominent. Today, the government official, Chu-Ting Yang, who is known for his virtuous deeds, is also their descendent.

The two sons received the good fortune, which was accumulated by their parents. The government office they worked in would be equivalent to today’s Ministry of the Interior. There were only six ministries at that time. Today, there are over a dozen in Taiwan. Therefore, the positions held in ancient times would be higher and entailed greater responsibilities than a similar position today. Zi-Cheng’s two sons were both in what was then called the Department of Civil Personnel. Their rank would be similar to a vice-minister. Usually, there was one minister and two Vice-Ministers. One handled administrative matters and the other took care of general matters.

The eldest grandson was a vice-minister in the Ministry of Justice. The second eldest grandson was on the administrative staff, which was one rank lower than the Governor. He supervised each county’s magistrate and oversaw approximately eight to twelve counties. Both grandsons were well known for doing a good job. A current descendant, Mr. Chu-Ting Yang also held a government position and was known for his honesty and fairness. This proves that the goodness accumulated by this couple benefited the following generations.

Here is another true example that happened during the Zheng-Tong period during the time of Emperor Ying-Zong. Once, a group of rebels appeared in Fujian Province. Many intellectuals joined them. The Emperor appointed Imperial Censor General Zhang to go south and subdue them. The general tricked the rebels and captured their chief. Later, official Zhang dispatched General Xie to subdue the remaining rebels, in eastern Fujian Province. General Xie managed to attain a list of those who belonged to the organization and commanded that a white flag be secretly given to those who did not belong with the rebels. They were told to place the flag on their door when the imperial army came to town and the soldiers were ordered not to harm the innocent. With this one thought of goodness, General Xie saved tens of thousands of people from being killed. Later, his son Chian Xie achieved first place in the imperial examinations and later became an advisor to the Emperor. His grandson Pi Xie, also placed third in the imperial examinations.

This happened over five hundred years ago. The rebels were actually a revolutionary army preparing to revolt. This talks about the effects of preventing unnecessary killing. When we look back in Chinese history, we see very few descendants of famous generals who had good fortune. Why? They caused too many deaths. They made too many mortal enemies. There are probably less than ten generals in Chinese history who have descendants who received good fortune and General Xie was one of those few.

Another prime example of the Law of Cause and Effect is the famous General Zi-Yi Guo who lived during the Tang Dynasty, (approximately thirteen hundred years ago). He had prominent descendants because he accumulated goodness and virtues. During the Song Dynasty (approximately one thousand years ago), there were two generals under the leadership of Emperor Zhao, Kuang-Yin; Bin Cao and Han Cao. The descendants of Han Cao had very little good fortunes, which did not even last three generations. The daughters became prostitutes and many family members became destitute. Bin Cao, on the other hand, was a very benevolent general. He did not kill any innocent people and his descendants were all quite prosperous.

So, if a general did not strictly discipline his troops to keep them from harassing the civilians, then the burden of the blame would be on his shoulders. So in this example, we talked about the consequence of unnecessary killing. General Hsieh was smart. He taught his troops how to distinguish the rebel supporters from the civilians. In this way, he would not mistakenly cause the death of innocent people. The prestige and prosperity of his descendants' proved that there is no escaping the Law of Cause and Effect.

Another example is the Lin family from Putian, in Fujian Province. Among their ancestors was an elderly lady who was very generous. Everyday she made rice balls to give to the poor and always gave as many as they asked for. There was an Immortal who manifested as a Taoist monk and came everyday for three years and each day, would ask for six or seven rice balls. She always granted his request. The Taoist monk then realized her deep sincerity.

This is another example of an ancestor who accumulated good fortune for her descendants. She made some rice balls every day to distribute to the poor. She treated everyone the same and gave the rice balls to whoever asked for them. It is easy to be good occasionally, but to be continuously generous is very difficult. She was tireless in this good deed. A heavenly being who manifested himself as a Taoist monk requested six or seven rice balls from her every day for three years. Thus, he knew that the elderly lady was indeed sincere in the good deeds that she did. Sincerity is an accumulation of virtues and giving is an accumulation of goodness. She had no other wish but to help those who were poor.

He said to her, "I have eaten your rice balls for three years with nothing to show my gratitude in return. Perhaps I can help you in this way. On the land behind your house, there is a good place for you to place your grave. If you are placed there in the future, the number of your descendants who will have imperial appointments will be equivalent to the number of seeds in a pound of sesame seeds". Her son followed his recommendations and buried her there.

Having some knowledge of Feng-shui, the Taoist monk suggested to her a good place for her grave. If his advice were followed, then an unimaginable number of her descendants would receive imperial appointments. Just imagine how many sesame seeds there are in a pound! When she passed away, the Lin family followed the heavenly being’s suggestion and buried her at the designated place.

The first generation after that, nine men passed the imperial examinations and it continued that way for every succeeding generation. There was a saying in Fujian that the results of the imperial examination always had the surname Lin on it.

Because of the good fortune, the elderly lady had accumulated from her good deeds, not only did she have many descendants but they were prosperous as well. The Lin family in Fujian province was the largest family and was very prosperous. This is the effect from the cause of sincerely giving away food to the poor.

Another example comes from the father of an imperial historian whose name was Zhuo-An Feng. One winter many years ago, Zhuo-An Feng’s father was on his way to school when he encountered a person lying frozen in the snow. Finding the man still breathing, he quickly took off his coat to wrap around the frozen man. He carried him back home and revived him.

This example tells of the good fortune accumulated by saving someone’s life. Zhuo-An Feng held his official duties in what is equivalent to the National Academy. When Zhuo-An’s father was a young scholar himself and was on his way to school one morning, he saw a person alongside the road lying frozen in the snow. We can imagine that the person must have been poor and ill to have fallen to that state. Zhuo-An’s father touched the poor man and realized that the man was on the verge of death. He immediately took his coat off to wrap it around the man, carried him home and nursed him back to health.

A lot of common sense is needed when treating a person who is suffering from a freezing condition. Northerners are familiar with this kind of procedure; however, southerners tend to be ignorant of it. In a case like this, cold water must be used. Use a towel soaked in cold water and rub it against his body in order to let the cold within his body slowly seep out of the pores.

That night, Zhuo-An’s father dreamt of a heavenly being telling him, “You helped a dying man out of utter sincerity, this is a great virtue. I will bring the famous General Qi Han of the Song Dynasty to be reborn as your son”. Later, Zhuo-An 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 very famous general during the Song Dynasty. He was greatly admired by the Emperor who bestowed a noble honor to his title. General Qi Han was highly regarded in Chinese history; so, the heavenly being arranged for Qi Han to be reborn into the Feng family by being reincarnated into the Human Realm. It was because Zhuo-An’s father saved someone’s life that he was rewarded with a good son. This also exemplifies that reincarnation within the Six Realms is factual. The ancient Chinese all deeply believed in it.

Another example is Mr. Ying, the Minister who lived in Taizhou. When he was young, he used to study 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 say happily 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 here and will replace me. Then I can be reborn!"

In times past, when scholars wished to study, they usually lived in Buddhist way places, because only they were equipped with extra rooms and a library. Each way place had its own library of sutras and the collections were quite complete. Not only did they have Buddhist sutras, but also would have had the Four Books and the Five Classics. Most would also collect the works from the numerous schools of thinkers from the late Zhou Dynasty (over twenty-two hundred years ago). They usually referred to the library as the sutra collection chamber.

During ancient times, there were no public libraries. Buddhist way places were often regarded as a school and the sutra collection chamber was essentially the local library. Most scholars preferred to reside in these way places, which were usually located in the mountains or in some woods. They provided a quiet and fresh environment for pursuing academic study.

Ghosts do actually exist and they live among humans. They usually appear in sparsely populated areas or when a person’s energy is low. Mr. Ying’s mind was pure and honest; he neither paid heed to nor was afraid of them. However, one day he overheard one ghost telling another that a young woman was going to commit suicide. Anyone who commits suicide needs to find a replacement before he or she can be reborn. If no replacement can be found, then the ghost would undergo much suffering. Another person must commit suicide in exactly the same spot, in exactly the same manner for the previous ghost to be set free. The same applies to car accidents. Although the deceased did not commit suicide but was the victim in an accident, he or she would still need to find a replacement. Thus, it is very unlucky to die in an accident so we need to be careful of places where fatal accidents frequently occur for they may have spirits waiting for substitutes.

This example is about a ghost who had hung himself and was looking for a replacement. He had known in advance of the death of the young woman. He said that there was a family whose son was away from home on business and had failed to return home for a long time. The family knew nothing of his whereabouts and consequently, was forcing the daughter-in-law to remarry. She did not wish to comply 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. It was this conversation that Mr. Ying overheard.

Mr. Ying heard this and immediately set out to sell a parcel of land that he owned. He received two hundred grams of silver for it, made up a letter from the daughter-in-law’s husband and sent it to her home along with the silver. The in-laws 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 truly alive and well.” Consequently, the daughter-in-law did not need to remarry and her husband returned home after a while. The couple got back together and were like before.

This was a critical matter of life and death. But, Mr. Ying was a poor scholar. Where would he get the money? He immediately went home to sell his land and obtained two hundred grams of silver. He then made up a letter and sent it along with the silver to the family. The parents knew right away that the letter was not from their son, but who on earth would send them that much money? The silver was certainly real. They decided that their son must still be alive and well. Not long after, their son returned home.

Mr. Ying saved the breakup of a family, an act of great merit. When he was selling the land and sending the money, he did not consider for one moment that he would be accumulating merit. He simply acted out of compassion by wanting to help the woman, to save her life and keep the family intact. He thought no further of what he had done and returned to the way place to continue his studies.

Mr. Ying heard the first ghost say, “Originally, I was supposed to be able to leave this place to be reborn, but Mr. Ying messed up my chance!” The second ghost asked, “Why don’t you get even with him?’ The first ghost replied, “I cannot. The heavenly beings have recognized his goodness and virtue and he is going to receive a prominent position in the future. How can I harm him?’”

The first ghost was so upset because it took a long time to find a replacement and Mr. Ying had just destroyed his chance to be reborn. When the other ghost asked him why he did not get even with Mr. Ying, he answered that the heavenly beings had already recognized his goodness and virtue and so he could not hurt him. From this, we know that if a spirit or a heavenly being can harm a person, it is because that person did something to deserve it. If a person has committed no wrongdoings, then the spirits would not be able to harm him or her.

There is an old Chinese saying, “There is a thirty percent possibility that people may be afraid of ghosts, but a seventy percent probability that ghosts are afraid of people”. It is silly for us to be afraid of ghosts because they are much more afraid of us. Only when we have done something wrong do we need to be afraid of them because only then, are they able to harm us. If our conscience is clear, then malevolent spirits can do nothing to us. There are several books, which tell of such accounts. They are collected in several volumes, such as, Notes from Yuewei Chamber by Xiao-Lan Ji, Spiritual Collections by Sung-Ling Pu and the Twenty-five Books of Official Records. In the first year of the Republic of China, there was a publication called A Record of Response and Retribution in History. These all provide numerous examples of the Law of Cause and Effect.

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.

Mr. Ying heard this and became even more diligent in practicing kindness and accumulating merits. Whenever there was a famine, he would give grain from his storehouses to the poor and needy and was always eager to do whatever he could to help relatives in emergencies. When things did not go his way, he always reflected within himself rather than complain of external conditions. Thus, he always quietly complied with conditions. Even today, his descendants are still very prominent.

When people were rude to him or infringed on his rights, Mr. Ying always examined his own actions first to see if he was at fault. He took everything in stride and never argued with anybody or had any thoughts of revenge but practiced tolerance. Not only did he reach the high position of Minister, but his descendants who were also very capable and virtuous were likewise prominent. All of this happened because Mr. Ying had saved a family from being torn apart.

There was another person, Feng-Zhu Xu, who lived in Jiangsu province. His father was very wealthy. Whenever there was a famine, his father would be the first waive the rent on the rice fields, hoping that other wealthy people would follow suit. He also donated grain from his storehouses to the poor.

Feng-Zhu was his courtesy name; his formal name was Shih. At that time, wealthy people owned all of the land, which they rented to farmers. When there was a disaster or a bad harvest, Feng-Zhu’s father would waive the rent to help the farmers hoping that other wealthy landowners would follow suit. Most of the farmers would be able to survive a bad year as long as they did not have to pay the rent. This was a great act of goodness. Not only did he waive the rent, but also he shared his stored grain with the poor.

One night, he heard ghosts outside his home, “No kidding! 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 Feng-Zhu passed the examination. After that, Feng-Zhu’s father became even more diligent in accumulating good deeds. He spent money to repair roads and bridges and provided food for monks as well as the poor. He would do anything he could to help others. Sometime later, he heard the ghosts again, “No kidding! The provincial scholar from the Xu family is going to hold a high position in the government.” Eventually, Feng-Zhu became the governor for Zhejiang Province.

People who live in the countryside hear many ghost stories. Sometimes ghosts can be seen or heard clearly. Outside the house of the Xu family, they sang that a family member was going to pass the provincial imperial examination. Indeed, his son Feng-Zhu passed the examination. Good fortune is the reward for good deeds. Those who are aware of this will try even harder to accumulate goodness. The ghosts sang that Feng-Zhu would receive a high position in the government. He first became an imperial judge in the Supreme Court. Later, he became governor of Zhejiang Province. All of this resulted from his father sincerely helping the poor.

Another example is Kang-Xi Tu who lived in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province. Mr. Tu used to work 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 a secret report to the Minister of Justice, telling him why a prisoner was innocent. The Minister would then question the prisoner accordingly and clear the case. Through Mr. Tu’s effort, 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 judgement.

Helping a prisoner who had been wrongly accused was most admirable. No matter how careful one might be when examining a case, there was always the possibility of a wrong judgement. Even when an error has not been made intentionally, 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 so that he could learn everything about each case to clear up any wrong accusations. When the prisoners were being questioned in the courtroom, sometimes they would become extremely frightened and would not be able retell the true account of the circumstances of the case. Trials usually began at the break of dawn so that the courtroom was still very dark. It was quite similar to being held for judgement in hell. The whole atmosphere was frightening. Therefore, it was like taking the prisoner to meet the king of the underworld, which is quite different from trials today.

Mr. Tu worked in the judiciary department, which is similar to today’s Supreme Court. His position was similar to that of section chief. It was not a high rank. 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 this to the Minister of Justice so that all the credit went to his superior officer. His superior was, of course, very pleased with this for when he tried the cases at dawn, he already knew the truth of what had happened. After detailed questioning, he acquitted over a dozen innocent men. This was talked about throughout the imperial city and everyone praised the minister for bringing true justice to the system.

Soon after, Mr. Tu also made a report to the Imperial Judge saying, “If even in the Imperial City so many innocent people are imprisoned, there must be many more throughout the country. I recommend that the Imperial government send investigators to check the prisons for innocent people every five years. The sentences can be reduced or canceled in order to prevent the innocent from remaining in prison.” The minister, his superior, took his request to the Emperor, who agreed to Mr. Tu’s suggestion. Mr. Tu was chosen as one of the special agents in charge of reducing sentences for those who were found innocent.

The imperial city, which was where the Emperor resided, was considered the best area. Circumstances there should have been a model for the country. Therefore, the capital city was called “capital master”. Master means to be a model for all the other cities. Mr. Tu understood that if the capital city had unjustly sentenced prisoners, then there must be many more such cases outside the city. So, he suggested that there should be a thorough investigation at least once every five years. An investigator appointed by the Emperor would re-open all of the questionable cases and free any innocent prisoners. The Imperial Judge carried this recommendation to the Emperor who willingly agreed. The Imperial Judge was very fond of Mr. Tu and knew him to be an honest, just and humane individual. After this investigation system was established, a new position became open, Agent in Charge of Reducing Sentences. The Court appointed Mr. Tu as one of the agents who were was assigned a number of districts to investigate.

One night, he dreamt that a heavenly being came to him and said, “You were not supposed to 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 men in society.

Similar to Mr. Liao-Fan, Mr. Tu was not destined to have sons. Mr. Liao-Fan sought a son and received one. Mr. Yu received a son due to his accumulation of good deeds.

Another example of attaining good outcomes from practicing kindness is Ping Bao who lived in Jiaxing. Ping was the youngest of the 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 very knowledgeable and talented, but he was never able to pass the examinations. He spent his time studying Buddhism and Taoism.

Once, while traveling to Lake Mao, he came to a village and saw a way place in desperate need of repairs. 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 of the temple, asking him to please use it to restore the way place. The Abbot replied “It will be a very big project, I am afraid this amount is not enough to complete your wish.” Ping Bao then took out all his luxurious belongings 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.”

This was an act of sincerity, donating money to restore way places. Ping’s father was the head of the local government. Ping had failed in several attempts to pass the imperial examinations. Therefore, he had given up the hope of a government career. The finances of his family were adequate, so he was able to spend his time studying Buddhism and Taoism. One time, he happened upon a Buddhist way place and saw that the statue of Great Compassion Bodhisattva was wet from a leak in the roof. It was obvious that the way place was in desperate need of repair. When he saw this situation, his immediate thought was to help repair it. So his opened his purse and took out sixteen ounces of silver, all the money he had and gave it to the Abbot to repair the damage. Doing this was an act of pure sincerity.

This was quite a large amount of money at that time and yet the Abbot told him that it was not enough. When Ping heard this, he took out the four bolts of cloth that he was carrying with him along with some fine clothing from his luggage to donate to the Abbot so that he could trade them for silver. Some of the clothing was new, made out of very good material and very expensive. Ping’s servant advised him to keep it for himself. Ping answered that if it would help to fix the way place and protect the statue of Great Compassion Bodhisattva he would donate all of his clothing.

The abbot, with tears in his eyes, exclaimed, “To give up money and clothing is not a difficult deed to accomplish, but your deep sincerity is truly rare and precious to encounter”. After the way place was repaired, Ping Bao asked his father to visit the temple and together they spent the night there. That night the Dharma Protector of the way place, Qie-Lan, came in his dream to thank him and said, “Since you have accumulated these merits and virtues, your children and descendants will enjoy having imperial appointments for generations to come.” Later, his son and grandson both passed high examinations and were appointed as imperial officials.

It was not hard for a wealthy individual to donate money in aid of others, but his sincerity in thinking only of the statue and not of himself was very rare. He was the sole benefactor in repairing the way place, so they issued an invitation for him to return and view the restoration. He took his father with him and that night, he dreamt of the Dharma protector Qie-Lan, who thanked and told him of his good fortune, which he deserved due to his kindness in repairing the way place. Like the other examples, the good fortune was also rewarded to his descendants. So good results come from good causes and bad results come from bad causes.

Li Zhi from Jiashan County, in Zhejiang Province is another example. His father used to be a clerk in the provincial courthouse. Once, Li’s father learned of an innocent man who was given the death penalty and tried to save his life. When the prisoner heard about this, he told his wife, “I am so indebted to this man who has spoken on my behalf but I have no way of showing 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.”

Li Zhi’s father, knowing of the prisoner’s innocence, took pity on him and pleaded with his superior to spare the inmate’s life. If he could save the prisoner, he would also save the entire family. The prisoner knew of the clerk’s intent so when his wife came to visit him in prison, he told her to try to repay the favor by giving herself to the clerk. He felt that by so doing, he would have a greater chance for a reduction of his sentence.

The wife cried as she listened to his request. However, it was the only way she could help her husband at this critical time. Therefore, the next day when the clerk came to visit, she offered him wine and told him of her husband’s wishes. The clerk refused, but continued to do all he could to clear the case. When at last the prisoner was released, he and his wife both went to the clerk’s house to thank him. The man said, “One with such virtue as yours is truly rare these days, how can I show my gratitude? You do not have a son. Please allow me to offer my daughter in marriage to you, this is the only way I can repay you. Please accept.”

Li Zhi’s father refused the prisoner’s offer of his wife because he did not wish any reward for his action. He had acted out of a sense of morality and justice, feeling that it was part of his job. Li Zhi’s father was not wealthy. His only source of income came from the small salary paid by the government. He had been married for many years, but 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. This was an accepted custom at that time.

So the clerk accepted and soon afterwards, she bore him his son, Li Zhi. Li passed the higher level imperial examination when he was just twenty years old. Later, he was appointed to a high government position. Li’s son Gao, grandson Lu and great grandson Da-Lun all passed the examinations and received imperial appointments. These ten examples all tell of the different deeds cultivated by different people. Although their actions differed, their intent was the same: doing good deeds.

Li Zhi’s final appointment was similar to present day First Secretary in the Central Research Institute. It was a very prominent position. This was the reward for saving an innocent life. In this lesson, Mr. Liao-Fan told of ten examples. They illustrate how good fortune is the result of accumulating goodness. These numerous examples serve to prove that the good fortune that the families experienced was not mere coincidence. The dates of these events all happened quite close to Mr. Liao-Fan's time. Some of the cases were those that Mr. Liao-Fan knew of personally or which had been related to his family. All this shows that goodness will result in good fortune, while meanness will result in bad fortune.

What Is Goodness?

To Recognize Goodness

If we were to examine goodness closely, we would find that there are many different kinds. There is real goodness and false goodness, honest goodness and crooked goodness, hidden and visible, apparent and actual, proper and improper, full and half, big and small, and finally, difficult and easy. These different types of goodness each have their own reasons, which are to be carefully learned and understood. If we try to practice good deeds but do not learn how to differentiate between right and wrong, we may end up doing more harm then good. Then, all of our efforts would have been in vain.

Sincerity is the most important factor in practicing goodness. It is to do so without asking for anything in return. This is true goodness. However, good acts based on certain conditions would not be considered true goodness but as wrongdoing. 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 way place to pay their respects to the Bodhisattvas, they do so to ask for something. If there is nothing that they want, they do not go. They burn incense in front of the Bodhisattvas and pray for assistance and guidance. If the Bodhisattvas would just grant what they want, then they vow that they will return the favor with special offerings. This is trying to strike up a bargain! Not only are they not sincere, but they view the Bodhisattvas as beings who are bribable. This is a serious offense!

Li Zhi’s father was a virtuous man. The prisoner’s offering of his wife as a reward inadvertently reduced him to being immoral. Li Zhi’s father was not offended and continued to help the prisoner. This was an act of generosity. Therefore, it was only right 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 would do well not to be ignorant of principles and proper ways to accumulate goodness. First, we will talk about the difference between real goodness and false goodness.

What is "real goodness and false goodness"? In the Yuan Dynasty, a group of scholars went to visit Master Jung-Feng. One of them asked, “Buddhism often speaks of the karmic reward for good and bad, saying that ‘It is like the shadow, following the form wherever it goes.’ Then why is it, that there are people who practice good deeds, but their family and descendants are neither prosperous nor successful? On the other hand, there are bad and wicked people who behave immorally, but their family and descendants do quite well. What has happened to the Law of Cause and Effect? Are there no standards in the Buddha’s teachings?’”

Master Jung-Feng lived during the Yuan Dynasty (approximately seven hundred years ago). His name should be quite familiar to many of us because he edited the Thrice Yearning Ceremony Book, which we use. This is one practice of the Pure Land method. At that time, some scholars went to visit the Master and asked him some questions. Buddhism and Taoism both teach that the Law of Cause and Effect is immutable, is permanent. But, they said that nowadays, good people did not have good descendents yet those of bad people prospered. So, the scholars posed the question to the Master saying that this contradicted what they saw.

Master Jung-Feng answered, “Ordinary people are blinded by worldly views, they have not cleansed their minds of impurities and cannot see with true perception. Therefore, they look upon true goodness as wrongdoing and mistake wrongdoing as goodness. This is very common nowadays.”

Ordinary people only see ordinary things. When our minds are impure due to worldly emotions, we are still bothered by many wandering thoughts and attachments. We do not have the "eyes of wisdom" to discern the truth. This is why people often mistake good for bad and bad for good. This is delusion. Although many people were like this, the Master was very courteous in his speech and only said that these people do exist.

The Master continued, “Furthermore, these people do not blame themselves for failing to understand, but instead, blame their misfortune on the heavens. This is unfair!” The scholars questioned how good and bad could be mistaken for each other.

The Master explained that not only did these people not examine their actions to determine good from bad, but they blamed their misfortune on others, complaining that the heavens were not fair. But the scholars were still confused and asked the Master how people could mistake good for bad and bad for good.

Master Jung-Feng asked each of them to express their thoughts on what was good and what was bad. One scholar said that to yell at and hit others was bad, to respect and treat others in a mannerly way was good. The Master replied, “Not necessarily”. Another scholar then said that being greedy and taking another’s money was bad, not being greedy and behaving properly was good. Master Jung-Feng again replied, “Not necessarily”. The remaining scholars all expressed their views on what was good and what was bad, but Master Jung-Feng always concluded, “Not necessarily”.

Upon the Master’s request, the scholars gave their opinions on what was bad and what was good. The Master said that their standards of good and bad were unreliable and did not agree with any of the examples provided by the scholars. With this, everybody asked the Master to explain his standards, since his differed from theirs.

The Definition of Goodness

Master Jung-Feng said, “To do things with the intention of bringing benefit to others is good. To do things to benefit oneself is bad. If what we do is for the sake of benefiting another, then it does not matter if we yell at or hit that person, it is still considered good. If our intention is for self-benefit, then regardless of our appearance of respect and courtesy, it is still considered bad.”

This talks of the standard for good and bad in Buddhism. Anything done with the intent to benefit others is considered good, even if a certain amount of corporal punishment is involved. On the other hand, anything done with the intent to benefit only the self is considered bad, no matter how courteous and polite we may be towards others. For example, we may ingratiate ourselves with or fawn on others.

Master Jung-Feng continued, “Therefore, when we practice good deeds with the sole intention of benefiting others, this is considered public benefit. If it is for the public, then it is real goodness. If we only think of ourselves while doing good acts, then that is considered private benefit and that is false goodness.”

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

All the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, sages and virtuous people think only of others and not of themselves. This is true and full goodness. We have seen a good example of this in Zhong-Yan Fan. His actions were those of true and perfect goodness and thus he was an excellent role model. He never had any concerns for himself or of his family, but only of the country and how to benefit society to create good fortune. When we read his biography, we can see that not only he himself, but also his descendents practiced and accumulated good deeds. Mr. Fan served as Prime Minister and two of his five sons became Prime Ministers as well. The Emperor appointed another son High Scholar.

When Mr. Fan died, he did not have enough money left for his children to purchase a coffin. Where had all the money gone? He had given it to help others. This was why Master Yin-Guang praised Mr. Fan as having virtuous conduct second only to Confucius. Until the early 1900s, his descendents remained prominent and prosperous for eight hundred years. It was the result of having accumulated an abundance of virtues and goodness.

Today, when we practice good deeds, we do so sparingly, exerting only one or two percent of our effort. And yet we consider ourselves good people. Not only that, we also expect numerous 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 has the most profit in it. A dollar invested for millions in return. So they burn incense and worship the Buddha because they think that by doing so, they will gain good fortune in return. They think that maybe if they donate a dollar today, they will win ten thousand dollars in the lottery tomorrow. This kind of thinking degrades the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas into someone with no character at all.

Therefore, when we see that these apparently sincere people, their families and even descendants suffer from bad fortune, we will know the reason why. They do not intentionally view the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as bad, but inadvertently view them as beings who take bribes. Although it is not obvious, this attitude is still there. This is a major mistake! Sometimes when some people want something from a government official, 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 not good people. Consequently, if a Buddha accepted the bribe, would that not make him a bad person as well? That would be a major offense!

Master Jung-Feng further explained that, "When goodness springs from within the root of the heart, it is real goodness. When we do good just because others are doing so, it is false. In addition, when we do good without expecting anything in return, it is considered real goodness. When we practice good deeds for some purpose other than to benefit others, it is false. Those who wish to practice true goodness need to contemplate all these differences.”

The “root of the heart” is generated from true sincerity. It is true goodness. What is true goodness and false goodness? We must look into our hearts to see if we are really practicing goodness. When we simply follow others, we are not acting out of sincerity for this is “false goodness”. When we wish for nothing in return, it is "true goodness". When we hope for a return, it becomes an act “with a purpose” and thus is false goodness. We would do well to consider this and examine the difference to see if we are doing things correctly. The scholars said greed and excess possessions were bad, but Master Jung-Feng said “Not necessarily”. If money and possessions were used to do good deeds, to benefit the public, then this is also considered good, not bad.

Often, businesspeople who are Buddhists have come and told me that they felt they could not abide by one of the Five Fundamental Precepts, which is not to speak vainly or falsely. Consequently, they asked, “When in the course of doing business, our main objective is to convince others to entrust us with their money, how can we do so if we always speak truthfully?” My answer to them was “When you use the profits to solely benefit others, to practice the Bodhisattva Way then it is OK.”

Nowadays, 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 the Bodhisattvas? If we resort to using deception (of course, this would be under extreme circumstances) to trick them into handing over the money, but we in turn use it to do good deeds on their behalf, then we are practicing the Bodhisattva Way. But, if we cheat them out of their money with the intent of enjoying ourselves, then it would be a bad deed. Ordinary people do not know how to perform good deeds. They do not know how to practice goodness so we do it for them, we create good fortune on their behalf. This is a good thing. If we see things only from the surface, then sometimes it really is hard to differentiate between what is good and what is bad. It all depends on the heart. The accumulation of great goodness and merit all arise from the heart of sincerity. This is especially true for great Bodhisattvas. Appearing as ordinary people, they do not dwell on the fact that they are Bodhisattvas nor do they dwell on trivial matters, but purely on benefiting all beings. Therefore, their viewpoints are very different from those of ordinary people.

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

“Honest” means being virtuous, dignified and just. “Crooked” means being corrupt and dishonest. When we see a “Yes Man” who is very respectful and subservient to others, we think he is a good person. Presently, many people prefer to employ this type of person. Why? Because he or she is compliant and willing to do whatever he or she is told to do. People think this type of person is good and they like to have them around. He is like a “servant/slave” obeying every command, 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 everyday actions, they may be liked by all 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 the sages and virtuous people.

The great sages and virtuous people do not favor those who appear to be compliant and careful although most people consider these individuals good. They prefer people who have ability although they are stubborn, arrogant and sometimes, even a little rude. Why? These individuals possess particular skills. They may not always agree with us, but are capable of high achievement. Those who are compliant, who are considered nice and kind, sometimes cannot accomplish given tasks because they act according to convention and lack initiative. This is why sages and virtuous people prefer those with courageous and aspiring characters who are not caught up in trivialities.

Although most people may like those who are compliant, sages often call them “thieves of virtue”. They are usually confused about the truth of a matter and cannot tell right from wrong. And this is why they are called “thieves of virtue”. Virtue refers to customs and morality. When people cannot differentiate between right and wrong, then they have broken the moral tradition, like thieves who have broken the law.

Because of this, it is possible that our judgement could be erroneous. Beings and spirits of Heaven and Earth all look upon good and bad from the same viewpoint as do the sages. They do not view things from the same perspective as ordinary people.

We cannot always differentiate between real goodness and false goodness. Why do spirits and gods of Heaven and earth hold the same standards as the sages and virtuous people? Because they all have the same viewpoints and intentions.

Therefore, when we wish to accumulate merits, we must not give way to greed or be affected by the sights and sounds of the world. We need to be aware of our deviated thoughts as soon as they arise and to purify them.

Honest goodness comes from the thought to sincerely help all others. Crooked goodness arises from the thought of flattering others to obtain what we want. Loving others is being honest. Hating others and being jealous is being crooked. Honest goodness is when we are respectful and crooked goodness is when we act without sincerity. These are all to be carefully differentiated.

We must aspire to eliminate all that is bad and practice all that is good. We start from the self. 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 be able to let go of them. As long as we cling to them, we will never be rid of our selfishness. The thought of benefiting ourselves is the root of all negative karma. Any good deeds, which are done out of bad intentions will become bad. This is why Master Jung-Feng did not agree with what the scholars categorized as good because good things done with selfish intent would be considered as impure and false. Therefore, we must become less attached to worldly desires. Slowly, one by one, try to eliminate each of them until we are totally unaffected by them. In this way, we will be able to detect the desire as soon as it arises in our mind and immediately act to curb it. Also, we would do well to eradicate the deviant and impure feelings from our hearts. The Infinite Life Sutra explains this as “cleansing our hearts and correcting our past erroneous ways” to attain a pure and bright mind, which 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 them 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 the bad and practice the good. Therefore, the foremost merit in Buddhism is that it helps people to learn about the true reality of life and the universe. Once they have accomplished this, then they will be free to choose their existence within any one of the Ten Dharma Realms.

The Buddhas will not interfere with our choice nor will they try to change our minds. Buddhas do not teach 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 be reincarnated as human beings, then the Buddhas will teach us the principles in becoming good people. If we wish to be born into the Three Bad Realms, then we can just immerse ourselves in greed, anger and ignorance. Then we will smoothly sail into the Three Bad Realms. Buddhas will not try to stop us nor will they try to help us. They only teach people how to break through delusion and attain awakening. This is the supreme benefit. This is honest goodness.

Crooked goodness arises from thoughts of flattering others so that we can obtain what we want, for example, fame and wealth. But, this is not the proper way to achieve fame and fortune. Any good acts performed out of motives such as this would be “crooked”, not “honest”. We should be careful and respectful when interacting with beings, matters and objects. Acting without sincerity is a fault and we would do well to be able to recognize it.

What is "hidden goodness and visible goodness"? When we do something good and people know about it, it is visible goodness. When no one knows about it, it is hidden virtue.

It is very important to be able to understand hidden and visible goodness. Ancient sages and virtuous people all taught us to accumulate hidden virtues. What are hidden virtues? Any good acts or deeds that are known by others are considered “visible”. When others praise us for what we have done that praise is our good fortune. For example, if the government commends our deeds and rewards us with a certificate or a plaque honoring our actions, then that is our good fortune. In other words, we have used up all that good fortune in the form of praise from others.

This is why it is so important that we realize the best way to accumulate goodness is to let our good deeds remain “hidden” and unknown. There is no need to let others know about them, just keep on accumulating, while asking for no rewards. This is how to accumulate goodness. Once people know about our deeds, then the good fortune that comes with it will begin to diminish because people will start to reward us for our actions. If we receive immediate reward for every good deed we do, then there is no accumulation at all. In fact, we might start to accumulate faults without realizing it. The more faults we accumulate, the worse our outcome will be.

Those with hidden virtues will naturally be known by the heavens and will be rewarded. Those who practice visible goodness will be known by people and will enjoy fame. Fame itself is good fortune, but it is forbidden for heaven and earth do not favor fame. We can see that those who have great fame, but lack the virtue supporting it will eventually encounter some kind of overwhelming adversity. A person who truly has not done any wrong but continues to be falsely accused by others will have descendants who will suddenly become prosperous and successful. From this, we can see how important it is to understand the minute differences between hidden and visible goodness.

If we have greed for popularity and fame, they are considered one of the good fortunes. Then, our reward for our good deeds may be popularity and fame. 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. Even worse, if we falsely take credit for virtuous conduct we do not have, then adversity will surely follow.

On the other hand, if we do not have faults but were wronged or despised by others for bad deeds, which we did not commit, then we are actually accumulating goodness. The more unsatisfied people are, the more jealous they are and the more they slander us, the better it is for us. Why? Because this slander and these obstacles will reduce our negative karma. When we accumulate virtues, it is best to do it quietly with the least amount of people knowing about it. There is no need to seek praise and respect from others. When all of our negative karma has been eliminated, then our accumulation of goodness will become even stronger. Consequently, our good fortune will be greater. This will result in the sudden prosperity of our descendants. When we carefully observe those who attain sudden prominence, we can see that most of their ancestors possessed a great deal of hidden virtues. Once we understand this, we will truly know the value of hidden virtues.

What is apparent and actual goodness? In the Spring-Autumn Period, there was a country named Lu that made a law, which rewarded those who paid the ransom to free their fellow citizens who were servant-slaves. At that time, Confucius had a very rich student named Zi-Gong. Although Zi-Gong paid the ransom to free his people, he did not accept the reward for doing such a deed.

This example addresses the difficulty of differentiating between "apparent and actual goodness". The difficulty arises because ordinary people's standard for goodness is different from that of sages and virtuous people.

How would someone have become a servant-slave in the homes of the nobility? Because they had broken the law and been sent to the homes of various nobles to serve their sentences. However, the government passed a law, which stated that as long as someone was willing to pay their fine, they could be released and regain their freedom. This was a good deed and the government encouraged the wealthy to perform the good deed of paying the fine for the criminals. The intention was to provide the criminals with the opportunity to reform. Therefore, Zi-Gong paid the fines for a servant to be released from the house of a nobleperson, but did not accept the reward offered through the government.

When Confucius heard this, he was very unhappy and scolded him saying, "You acted wrongly in this matter. When sages and virtuous people undertake anything, they strive to improve morality, teaching people to be good and decent. We do not do something just for personal virtues or reputation. In the country of Lu, the poor outnumber the wealthy. By refusing the reward, you lead others to think that accepting the reward money is being greedy. If this happens, no one will pay the ransom to free our people again".

Confucius was displeased with Zi-Gong’s action. Why? Because Zi-Gong did not see the situation as clearly as virtuous people did. A virtuous person's perception of right and wrong is sometimes different from that of average persons. His or her goal is to improve social behavior and moral standards. Their teachings are set up for all people, not for any particular individual. Zi-Gong’s action, from an individual standpoint, was extraordinary and praiseworthy. However, he went against local customs and disrupted a set pattern. And that was where his fault lay.

At that time in Lu, the poor greatly outnumbered the rich. Therefore, the reward offered by the government was designed to help motivate the average citizens. Because Zi-Gong refused the reward, everyone praised him as a good man. Consequently, anyone who performed a similar good deed would not dare to accept the reward, for to do so could result in others thinking that the deed was done solely for the reward. If this were so, then no one would be willing to pay the money to free the servants anymore. This would ruin the system established by the government. If the purpose was to encourage everyone to perform good deeds, then Zi-Gong should have accepted the reward, not for the benefit of the individual, but for the benefit of the public. This exemplifies how the sages and virtuous people interpreted things differently from average people.

Another student of Confucius, Zi-Lu, once saw a man drowning in the river and rescued him. Later, the man thanked him by giving him a cow as a token of gratitude. Zi-Lu accepted his gift. Confucius was happy when he heard this and said, "In the future, people will be willing and eager to help those who are drowning in deep waters or lakes”.

If we look from the eyes of ordinary people, Zi-Gong, who did not accept the reward money, was good. Zi-Lu, who accepted the cow, was not as good. Who would have known that Confucius would praise Zi-Lu and scold Zi-Gong? 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. We would also do well to not only consider our own gain and loss but look to see the impact made on the public.

Zi-Lu was traveling along the road when he saw a man drowning. He immediately jumped into the water to rescue the man. Out of gratitude, the man gave Zi-Lu a cow, which he accepted. Confucius praised Zi-Lu because when others realized that a reward might be given out of gratitude when a life is saved, then it would become a good incentive for people to be braver in helping others in need. These are some examples of Confucius’ truthful and honorable teachings. We can learn much from them.

When Confucius praised Zi-Lu instead of Zi-Gong, his viewpoint was diametrically opposed to that of ordinary people. However, he had sound reasons for doing this. When we look at the sages and virtuous people, we will see that their vision is much farther than ours and that their viewpoints are much deeper than the apparent superficial meanings. Ordinary people have very limited vision. We only see the immediate results. 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 or even the entire world. We should also consider how history will regard events. When we realize the broad scope involved, our viewpoints will be very different than before and we will understand that Confucius’ viewpoint was correct. Therefore, good and bad cannot always be determined by present actions. We need to see whether the long-term effects are positive or negative in order to make a wise judgement.

What we do right now may be good but with the passing years, it may bring harm to others. Therefore, what seems like goodness may actually be bad. What now appears to be bad may actually have positive long-term effects, turning out to have been goodness after all. So, what seems like a bad deed may actually be goodness. There are some examples of what appears to be good but actually is not. Apparent responsibility may be actual irresponsibility, apparent propriety may be actual impropriety, apparent trustworthiness may be actual untrustworthiness, apparent kindness may be actual unkindness. In these instances, we need to differentiate carefully and know how to behave properly.

What we see superficially may appear to be goodness, but actually, it is not. It may be good for a particular individual or it may be good at one particular time. However, it may not be good for society as a whole and 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 appears to be good throughout history is the real goodness for it is good for generations thereafter. What is good now but is not good for future generations or that which has destined us to be born into the Three Bad Realms or the hells 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 seen the development of weapons of mass destruction. The intent, to keep the peace was apparent responsibility. 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.

In the case of Zi-Lu, who accepted the cow as a reward, his actions may not have seemed to be good at that time; however, since the long-term effects were good, it was good. This is a good example of what is "apparent" and "actual" goodness. What are responsibility and propriety? What are trustworthiness and kindness? There is "apparent" and "actual" goodness in all of these. If we are unable to differentiate between them, then we may have often actually committed great offenses when we thought that we were doing good. If we wish to practice to accumulate good fortune, we must first possess wisdom. Without wisdom, no matter how hard we try, we will not be able to obtain good fortune.

What is "proper goodness and improper goodness"? In the Ming Dynasty, there once was a Prime Minister named Wen-Yi Lu. When he grew old, he retired to his hometown where he was widely loved and highly respected. Once, a drunken villager went to his home and proceeded to insult him. Mr. Lu was not angered by his words but instead, told his servant, "This man is drunk. Let’s not argue with him". With this, he closed the door and ignored the onslaught of insults.

A year later, the same man committed a grave crime and was given the death sentence. Upon hearing this, Mr. Lu said with great remorse, "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 only thinking of being kind and unknowingly encouraged an arrogant and malevolent personality. Now he has been given the death penalty". This is an example of doing something bad while having good intentions.

Although Mr. Lu had already retired from office, his virtuous conduct and great merit had earned him respect from virtually everyone. When a drunken dissatisfied man came to his home and verbally abused him, Mr. Lu, who was tolerant and patient told his servant not to argue but to just close the door. He did not take the incident to heart. Later, Mr. Lu heard that the drunkard had committed a serious crime and was sentenced to death. Mr. Lu then felt deep remorse and believed that he had mishandled the situation when the drunkard had insulted him. Had he pressed charges and sent him to jail at that time, then he might have learned to discipline himself a little more and avoided the deadly offense he had committed.

We see many examples of "doing something bad while having good intentions”. This is especially true with today's young parents. They unwittingly spoil their children so that when they grow up, they do not respect their parents and may even commit various crimes. Then, too late, the parents realize the serious mistake they have made. Children must be properly taught when they are young. The personality of the child will become the character of the adult. If children are not disciplined when they are young, then it will be too late to do so when they have grown. They would undoubtedly rebel against their parents’ every wish and be disgruntled at the slightest disagreement of opinions. When this happens, it is outrageous!

In ancient China, a criminal sentence could be issued under the heading of “Parental rights”. This meant that if a parent went to the judge and complained that the child did not fulfil his or her filial duties and he wished the child to be sentenced to death, the judge would immediately 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. If the parent wished the child to go to jail for three years, then that was exactly what the judge would sentence. Why? “By order of the parents” was indisputable. No trial was necessary because everyone took the side of the parents. After all, what parents did not love their children? If our parents did not love us, then we would not be able to survive in society, we would be discriminated against.

“Parental rights” existed through the 1940's but was abolished soon after. With this kind of a law, no children dared not to fulfill filial duties. They could not even ask for a lawyer because with “parental rights”, no defense was allowed. This law helped people practice filial piety and is worthy of reflection.

There is also an example of those who achieved goodness although they had acted from improper intentions. Once, a famine devastated the land and people stole food from others in broad daylight. A rich family reported these losses to the authorities. However, the government, did nothing to stop the thieves. Eventually, the poor grew more daring and chaos was imminent. So, the rich family took the law into their own hands and proceeded to catch and punish those who had stole from them. In this way, peace was restored and people stopped their stealing. Otherwise, the turmoil would have gotten completely out of hand.

When a famine strikes, those who are 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. The thieves became more daring and the authorities had no way of controlling them. So the wealthy people formed a vigilante group, caught and punished the thieves. 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 all benefit from understanding this.

Good intentions are “proper” and bad deeds are “improper”. In the previous example, Mr. Lu had committed a bad deed although his intention was good. This is the “improper within the proper”. The standard for good and bad are determined by the effect an action has on morality and on society. For instance, becoming a vigilante and punishing someone on our own is obviously not considered good. But in this situation, the authorities had ignored the criminals and the riots were getting out of control. Thus, some action needed to be taken to protect their own lives and possessions. By taking the law into their own hands, the wealthy family restored order. 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 is "half goodness and full goodness"? I Ching, the Book of Changes said, “People who do not accumulate virtuous deeds will not achieve honor. On the other hand, people who do not accumulate bad deeds will not bring about self-destruction”. The Book of History said, "The last emperor of the Shang Dynasty, Zhou, had committed the worst of crimes". The dynasty ended with his death.

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

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

This analogy of a container is easy to understand. If we want to accumulate goodness, it will eventually become filled if we persist in our efforts. But if we are not persistent, the container will not become filled. This shows the importance of accumulating goodness. And most importantly, we must not accumulate wrongdoings or we will destroy ourselves.

Once a poor woman went to visit a Buddhist way place 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 dedicate her merits. Later, she was chosen to enter the imperial palace and obtained wealth and prestige. Clad in her riches, she again went to the way place to make a donation, this time bringing thousands of silver pieces.

To her dismay, the abbot only sent his student, another monk to help her dedicate her merits. The lady did not understand and questioned the abbot, “In the past, I only donated two cents, yet you personally helped me express my regret for past offenses. Today, I come with great wealth to give and you will not help me perform my merit dedication. Why?” The abbot replied, “Although the amount of money you gave in the past was small, it came from a true and sincere heart. It was necessary for me to repay your sincerity by personally performing your dedications. Today, although your donation is much greater, the heart of giving is not quite as true and sincere as before. Therefore, it is fitting and sufficient that my student performs your dedications for you.” This is an example of how thousands of silver pieces are only considered “half goodness” and two cents are “whole goodness”.

This is a true account in Buddhist records. A laywoman wished to make an offering to a Buddhist way place but she was so poor, she only had two cents with her. Nonetheless, she donated them to the way place. Because her sincerity was true, the abbot personally helped her to dedicate the merits from this good deed. Later when she moved into the imperial palace and became wealthy, she returned to the way place and brought a thousand ounces of gold as an offering. To her surprise, the abbot did not greet her personally and only asked one of his students to dedicate the merits for her. 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 exhibiting improper behavior.

In the past, those with high moral standards judged people by their sincerity regardless of the amount they donated. If people were truly sincere, then no matter how little they donated, the abbot would have personally performed the dedications. If not, then the abbot was not obligated to do so. With a heart of sincerity, the donors nurtured good fortune by making offerings to the Buddha. With the heart of sincerity, they had only to donate a little to gain infinite benefits in return.

However, in this example, the woman had become wealthy and prestigious and her sincerity had been covered by her new manner of living. Therefore, by sending his student to greet her, the old abbot was actually trying to awaken her from her deluded state. This is the greatest kindness and compassion. He was trying to show her where she had erred in the hopes that she would feel remorse, acknowledge her mistake and correct her behavior.

When the woman had donated two cents on her initial visit, 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 we are practicing to accumulate good fortune, it is important for us to realize that the determining factor is not the amount of money or the number of good deeds done but the heart of sincerity. As long as we do things with utmost sincerity and effort then 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. I wish to attain clarity of the true mind to uncover my original self-nature. Second, I dedicate my merits to awakening. 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 wish that the Buddhas will help all to break through delusion and attain enlightenment, to leave suffering and gain happiness. I dedicate my merits for all others, not for myself”. If this is truly our intention, then with this thought, we will be able to achieve full merits and virtues. But, if there is the slightest thought for ourselves, for example, for fame or wealth, then we will not be able to gain anything in return, 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 Li Zhong, an immortal of the Han Dynasty. He was teaching his student, Dong-Bin Lu, the art of transforming iron into gold. They would use this gold to help the poor. Dong-Bin asked his teacher, “Will the gold ever change back to iron?” Li Jung answered, “After five hundred years, it will return to its original form”. Dong-Bin said, “In that case, I do not want to learn this art for it will harm those who possess the gold five hundred years from now.”

These are two of the “Eight Immortals” who are highly respected by the Chinese. Li Zhong offered to teach Dong-Bin alchemy, the art of turning iron into gold. Then, Dong-Bin could help the poor. But Dong-Bin was very cautious. He wanted to know if the transmutation would be permanent. Li Zhong told him that it was not. Dong-Bin’s immediate response was that he did not want to learn alchemy because although it could benefit people for a few centuries, it would hurt those who possessed the gold five hundred years later. This would have been a bad deed. When we look around today, most people are only concerned with what they can get now. They 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.

Li Zhong 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 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 in Buddhism. In the latter, we must possess purity of mind before we can achieve the state of mind of Buddhism and become a Dharma repository. Taoists do not seek to attain purity of mind; they seek the compassionate heart. It is more difficult to cultivate purity of mind than the compassionate heart.

With this single good thought, Dong-Bin had instantly accomplished the three thousand virtuous deeds required to practice immortality. His concern about not harming any sentient beings had actually surpassed the three thousand kind deeds. Thus, one single thought was sufficient to fulfill the requirement. This is similar to what Mr. Liao-Fan did in the act of reducing the taxes on the farmers. That one kind thought alone fulfilled the vow of ten thousand kind deeds. This teaches us the benefits from practicing from our hearts.

When we perform a good deed, it is best for us to not attach to how much we have done. If we practice in this manner, then all our good deeds will reach fulfillment and success. If, instead, we always think of the deeds that we have performed, looking for a reward of some kind, then no matter how diligently we practice, even for an entire lifetime, the deeds will still be considered as half goodness. For example, when we donate money to the poor, we can practice what is called “pure donation”. In this type of giving, we do not linger on the thought of “I” who is giving. We do not dwell on the importance of the object that is given. We do not think of the other who has received. We are simply giving out of true sincerity and respect. When we give with this “pure donation” then one pound of rice can bring infinite good fortune and the merit from giving one cent can wipe away the transgressions of a thousand eons.

If we always keep in mind the good that we have done and expect rewards for our actions, then even a donation of two hundred thousand gold pieces would not bring us the reward of a fully good fortune. This is another way of explaining whole goodness and half goodness.

If we have tried our very best then we will achieve full goodness. If we still have any reservations and have not done all we can then we have achieved only half goodness. Therefore, the thing to remember when we are accumulating virtuous deeds is to do everything with complete sincerity. Many people in this world do not understand the true reality and consequently, they hold many doubts about Buddhism. This doubt is what we discussed earlier as one of the Five Poisons of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt. They believe and act according to what we have told them. However, in the act of practicing good deeds and in donating, they still want to reserve something, to hold something back. They are still unable to let go of everything. They are afraid that if they give everything away, then they will have nothing left to live on. This is doubt. They do not have the understanding, the wisdom or the determination to practice full goodness. They can only achieve half goodness. This is why although many people are practicing good deeds, they do not obtain good fortune in return and why they do not see any immediate results. Do we want to understand where the problem lies?

If we truly want to practice for good fortune then we must fully understand and believe in Buddhism without the slightest doubt. (Sometimes, worldly people will say that we are foolish and superstitious and when we think about it, we may think this is reasonable.” 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 viewpoints.) When we truly believe and act accordingly, then the results will become easily recognizable.

They will be so much more than what was described in Liao Fan’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 will gain a return of a thousandfold for a fraction of our effort. This is a fact. However, if we act with the hope of gaining a lavish return for our efforts then we have not acted with the heart of sincerity. We could give everything that we have but we would only gain "half" of the good fortune, not the "whole". Also, by keeping the good acts in mind, we have been unable to eliminate all of our longings. This is 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. It is as natural as the laws of heaven and earth. If we perform good deeds 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 receive full and complete everything. Is this not being free and at great ease?

Of course, we will still gain something if we perform good deeds as we seek, but it will not be full and complete. Why? When we no longer have wants and 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 is incredible. And what is most wonderful is that we will be able to go to the Pure Land, the Hua Zang world. The pure land of each Buddhaland is manifested from the true nature. But, if we possess just one longing, then this is no longer a reflection of our true nature. And all the prestige, wealth, health and long life that we have gained through practicing good deeds will eventually be lost. What we will have gained is limited, for it is measurable and one day, it will be used up.

Only a virtuous nature is similar to our 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. No ordinary person would be willing to do so. This is why we can only find Bodhisattvas and Buddhas practicing great merits because even Arhats cannot practice them. They do not wish to be bothered with problems. For example, if we want to help someone and they rejected, slandered or embarrassed us, we would become angry and abandon the attempt. This would be incomplete.

Bodhisattvas, however, are very different. Bodhisattvas are aware of the bad habits, problems and rebellious ways of ordinary people. They would not mind these obstacles and would use their patience and compassion to help them. Therefore, the heart of a Bodhisattva is different from that of an Arhat or a Pratyekabuddha. The latter two still use a false heart, whereas, a Bodhisattva uses his true heart. We seek wealth and prestige not realizing that these do not have to be sought because they are already within our true nature. People who practice Buddhism are trying to uncover their true nature and the abilities that lie within it.

Therefore, one of our goals as Buddhists is to return to reality, to uncover our self-nature, our intrinsic nature. This self-nature possesses everything. There is no need to seek outside, only within. The self-nature has infinite wisdom and abilities that are inexhaustible. Everyone has this self-nature, we just do not yet realize it. Until we do, we can rely upon the Buddha to teach us how to develop it. This is why the benevolence shown to us by the Buddha is so magnificent! This is the true reality behind all the reasoning. We would do well to understand this. As long as we are sincere in our every good deed, then it is true that freely giving one pound of rice can bring infinite good fortune because it fulfills the integrity of the self-nature. And the good fortune from freely offering one cent to the Buddha