Liao-Fan's Four Lessons Audio Book The Third Lesson: The Way to Cultivate Kindness^ [Narrator]: The previous chapter spoke about the many ways to correct one's faults in this present life, naturally assuring that a good life will not become a bad one. However, we are still unable to transform a bad life into a good one. Though we may be good and virtuous in this life, we do not know if we committed offenses in past lives. The retribution for past deeds still has to be undergone. Therefore, in order to change a bad life into a good life, we not only have to reform our faults, but also have to practice all forms of kindness and build upon our virtue. Only in this way can we rid ourselves of the karma created in the past. Once the number of our kind practices accumulate, our bad life will naturally turn into a good life; thus, the practice of changing destiny can be proven!
[Liao-Fan]: The I Ching/Book of Change stated: [Narrator]: "Families who perform kind deeds will accumulate fortune which can outlast many generations". [Liao-Fan]: Let me give you an example. Once there was a family by the name of Yen. 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 Yen family felt assured that their daughter would be marrying into a family that would be prosperous with outstanding descendants. Sure enough, their daughter later gave birth to Confucius.
[Liao-Fan]: Confucius had once praised Shwun, an emperor of early China, on his filial piety, saying: [Confucius]: Due to his great filial piety, Shwun and his ancestors will be known and respected by others. His offspring will be prominent for many, many generations.
[Liao-Fan]: These sayings were later proven true through history. Now I will prove to you in these true stories that merits can be attained through performing kind deeds.
[Liao-Fan]: In Fukien 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 people's houses. People, animals, and goods were carried down river by the current. Other boaters took advantage of the situation and strove to collect the floating goods. 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 stupid. Later on, when Rong Yang's father was born, the Yang family gradually became wealthy. One day a saint disguised as a Taoist monk came to the Yang family and said: [Taoist]: Your ancestors have accumulated a lot of merit; your offspring should enjoy wealth and prominence. There is a special place where you can build your ancestral tomb.
[Liao-Fan]: So they followed the Taoist's suggestion and shortly after, Rong Yang was born. Rong Yang passed the imperial examination when he was only twenty years old and later received imperial appointments. The emperor had even bestowed his grandfather and great grandfather with the same imperial honors. His descendants are still very prominent today.
[Liao-Fan]: Zi-cheng Yang from the prefecture of Ninpo, Chehkiang province is another example. Zi-cheng worked as a member in the staff of the prefectural courthouse. He was a kind, humane, and law-abiding man. Once, the prefectural 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: [Magistrate]: It's all right for you to plead, but how can I not be angry when this person has broken the law! [Liao-Fan]: Zi-cheng replied: [Zi-cheng]: When even those in government positions of prestige and power are corrupted and do not follow the Righteous Path, how can one expect the common people to abide by laws and orders? Also, extreme beating can force an innocent suspect to plead guilty. Thus in a case like this we should be more understanding.
[Liao-Fan]: The magistrate was quite touched by Zi-cheng's speech and ceased the beating. 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. This practice of compassion never ceased and eventually Zi-cheng had two sons. The elder's name was Shou-chen and the younger was named Shou-zi. Both sons became very prominent, and held important government positions. Even the descendants of the Yang family remained prominent for a long time as well.
[Liao-Fan]: Here is another true story that happened during the Ming Dynasty. Once, an organization of bandits appeared in Fukien Province. The Emperor appointed General Hsieh to lead the imperial army to pacify them. General Hsieh wanted to make sure that the innocent were not accidentally killed in the hunt for bandits. So, he managed to attain a list of those who belonged to the organization and commanded that a white flag be given secretly to those who did not belong with the bandits. 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 kindness, General Hsieh saved tens of thousands of people from being killed. Later, his son Chian Hsieh placed first on the imperial exams and later became an advisor to the emperor. His grandson Pei Hsieh also placed highly on the exams.
[Liao-Fan]: Another example is the Lin family from Fukien. Among their ancestors was an old 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 a Taoist monk who came everyday for three years and each time would ask for six or seven rice balls. The old lady always granted his request and never expressed any displeasure. The Taoist monk, who was actually a heavenly being who came to test the depth of her kind heart, realized the deep sincerity of this woman's kindness and said: [Taoist]: 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 where you can build the ancestral 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.
[Liao-Fan]: When the old lady passed away, the Lin family followed the Taoist's suggestion and buried her at the designated place. The first generation after that, nine men passed the imperial exams, and it continued that way for every succeeding generation.
[Liao-Fan]: Another example comes from the father of an imperial historian whose name was Chi Feng. One winter many years ago, Chi Feng's father was on his way to school when he encountered a person 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. That night he dreamed of a heavenly being who told him: [Heavenly being]: You helped the dying man out of utter sincerity, this is a great virtue. I will bring the famous General Han-chi of the Sung Dynasty to be reborn as your son.
[Liao-Fan]: Later the child was born and his nickname was Chi.
[Liao-Fan]: Another example is of Ta-jo Ying, the imperial secretary who lived in Tai-chou. When he was young, he used to study in remote mountain areas. At night he often heard the sounds of ghost and spirits but he never feared them. One day he heard a ghost say happily to another ghost: [Ghost 1]: There's 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 so that I can be reborn.
[Narrator]: The souls of those who commit suicide have to wait for another to die at the same place they did in order to leave the ghost realm and attain rebirth at a higher level.
[Liao-Fan]: Mr. Ying heard this and immediately set out to sell his parcel of land. He attained four lians of silver and made up a letter from the daughter-in-law's husband and sent it to her home along with the silver. The father-in-law noticed that the letter was not in his son's handwriting, but examined the silver and said: [Father-in-law]: The letter may be a fake, but the silver's not. Besides, who would send us this much money? Perhaps our son is truly alive and well, and we should not force our daughter-in-law to remarry.
[Liao-Fan]: Therefore the daughter-in-law did not commit suicide and her husband returned home after all. Mr. Ying heard the ghosts converse again: [Ghost 1]: Humph! Originally I was able to leave this place for rebirth, but my chance got messed up by Mr. Ying!
[Ghost 2]: Why don't you inflict some harm on him? [Ghost 1]: No, I can't. His goodness and virtue has been recognized by the gods and he's going to receive a prominent position in the future. How can I harm him?
[Liao-Fan]: Mr. Ying heard this and became even more diligent in practicing kindness and accumulating merit. Whenever there was a famine, he would use his own money to buy food for the poor and needy and was always eager to help those in emergencies. When things did not go his way, he always reflected within himself rather than complain of the outside conditions. Even today, his descendants are still very prominent.
[Liao-Fan]: There was another person, Feng-chu Hsu, who lived in Changso, Chiangsu province, whose father was very wealthy. Whenever there was a famine, his father would donate his own grain and all the rent on the rice fields to the poor. One night he heard ghosts singing outside his home: [Ghosts]: No kidding! No kidding! A person of the Hsu family is going to pass the imperial exam!
[Liao-Fan]: This went on for several days and sure enough, that year his son Feng-chu passed the imperial exam. From then on, he was even more diligent in doing good deeds and accumulating merit. He often fixed bridges and took care of travelers and monks. One day he heard the ghosts sing again: [Ghosts]: No kidding! No kidding! A person in the Hsu family is going to pass an even higher level on the imperial exam!
[Liao-Fan]: And sure enough, Feng-chu passed the higher exam and became the governor of two provinces.
[Liao-Fan]: Another example is Kung-hsi Tu who lived in Chia-shing, Chehkiang Province. Mr. Tu used to work in the courthouse and would spend nights in the prison cells, talking with the inmates. Whenever he found anyone to be innocent, he would write a classified report to the judge, informing him of innocent cases. The judge would then question the prisoners accordingly and clear the case. Through Mr. Tu's effort, ten innocent people were released, and all of them were extremely grateful to him. Soon after, Mr. Tu also made a report to the Imperial Judge saying: [Mr. Tu]: If even in the Imperial City there are so many innocent imprisoned, there must be many more throughout the nation. I recommend that the Imperial Judge 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.
[Liao-Fan]: The Imperial Judge 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 may be innocent. One night he dreamed of a heavenly being who came to him and said: [Heavenly being]: You were not supposed to deserve a son in this life, but this act of reducing prison sentences for innocent people is in line with the wishes of the heavens. You will be bestowed with three sons and they will all attain high positions.
[Liao-Fan]: Soon after that, his wife gave birth to three sons who all became prominent men in society.
[Liao-Fan]: Another example of attaining good outcomes from practicing kindness is Ping Bao who lived in Chia-shing. Ping was the youngest of the seven sons of the magistrate of Chih-chou, An-hui Province. He was sought into marriage by the Yuan family at Ping-hu Prefecture and was a good friend of my father. Ping Bao was very knowledgeable and talented, but he was never able to pass the exams. He put his time into studying the teachings of Buddhism and Taoism instead. Once, while traveling to Lake Liu, he came to a village and saw a temple in desperate need of repairs. He saw that the statue of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva stood wet from the rain which 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 temple. The abbot replied: [Abbot]: It will be a very big project, I'm afraid this amount is not enough to complete your wish. [Liao-Fan]: Ping Bao then took out all his luxurious belongings and handed them to the abbot. His servant tried to persuade him into keeping his best outfit, but he refused, saying: [Ping Bao]: It does not matter to me. As long as the statue of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva remains undamaged, I do not care if I have to go without clothes.
[Liao-Fan]: The abbot, with tears in his eyes, exclaimed: [Abbot]: To give up money and clothing is not a difficult deed to accomplish, but your deep sincerity is truly rare and precious to encounter! [Liao-Fan]: After the temple was repaired, Ping Bao led his father over to visit and spent the night there as well. That night, Ping dreamed of the Dharma Protector of the temple, Chie-lan, coming to thank him saying: [Chie-Lan]: Since you have accumulated these merits and virtues, your children and descendants will enjoy having imperial appointments for a long time. [Liao-Fan]: Later on, his son and grandson both passed high exams and were appointed as imperial officials.
[Liao-Fan]: Another example is a person named Li Zhi from Jia-shan prefecture. His father used to be a clerk in the prefectural courthouse. Once, Li's father came to know about an innocent man who was given the death penalty. He attempted to plead this case with his superior. When the prisoner heard about this, he told his wife: [Prisoner]: I am so indebted to this man who has spoken on my behalf, and I have no way of showing my gratitude. Will you invite him over to our house and offer yourself in marriage? Perhaps this will please him and increase my chances to live.
[Liao-Fan]: The wife cried as she listened to his request, for she really did not want to do it. But it was the only way she could help her husband in this time of need. So, the next day when the clerk came to visit, she offered him wine and told him of her husband's wishes. The clerk refused the offer of marriage, but continued with great effort to clear the case. When at last the prisoner was released, he and his wife both went to his house to thank him. The man said: [Man]: One with such virtue as yours is truly rare to encounter 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.
[Liao-Fan]: So the clerk accepted, and soon afterwards, she bore him his son, Li Zhi. Li passed the higher level imperial exam when he was just twenty years old. Li's son Gao, and grandson, Lu, and great grandson Da-lwun all passed high examinations and received imperial appointments. [Liao-Fan]: The ten examples above all tell of the different deeds cultivated by different people. Although their actions differ, their intent was the same: to do good. If we were to examine goodness closely, we would find that there are many different kinds.
[Narrator]: There is real goodness and false goodness, honest goodness and crooked goodness, hidden goodness and visible goodness, seeming goodness and unseeming goodness, improper goodness and proper goodness, half goodness and full goodness, big goodness and small goodness, and finally, difficult goodness and easy goodness.
[Liao-Fan]: These different types of goodness each have their own reason, which should be carefully learned and understood. If we practice kind deeds but do not learn the way to differentiate between right and wrong, we may end up doing harm instead of good. Now I will explain the different types of goodness one by one.
