【Description】
Is it possible to be born with a prosperous destiny? Indeed, some people are born prosperous, while others must rely on hard work to generate wealth. Why do some people hit rock bottom after achieving a lot in life? Why did a great general in history end up starving to death?
A truly wealthy life is not just about living luxuriously, it’s about having the ability to generate great wealth and pass on one’s riches, achievements and reputation.
How can we achieve this? Find out in this teaching by Grandmaster JinBodhi.
【You will learn】
- The risks of succeeding at a very young age
- How to obtain wealth and sustain it
- The inauspicious facial signs based on Chinese physiognomy
- The downfall of a rich businessman
- The consequences of being unworthy of blessings
- The story of the Second Patriarch Huike
- Ways to pass on wealth and blessings in life
- The key to managing your fate well
- The story of children who’ve been “cursed” with wealth
【Featured aphorisms】
- True sweetness is not known without first tasting bitterness; lasting wealth is not known without first experiencing poverty.
- Being one with the world makes your life better.
- Happiness comes when you face the world with compassion and kindness.
- Only when parents abstain from wastefulness can their descendants work hard and strive to achieve success.
- Kindness and gratitude are two key factors in having a prosperous and long-lasting fate.
- Pass on wealth and it will not reach beyond the third generation; pass on virtues and the family heritage will last forever.
- Act auspiciously to be surrounded by auspiciousness, which attracts the blessings and protection of the deities.
- Compassion brings the best luck and feng shui.
【Content】
Good day, everyone! (Good day, Master!) It is nice to see you again. Let’s continue to learn about and discuss fate. This is such a difficult topic. The harder to understand, the more people want to learn. The study and analysis of the past few days benefited many practitioners. Even our young practitioners have a clearer grasp of their fate. They were confused at first but have clearer vision now. We don’t need all the details like asking a fortuneteller. It is good enough to have a basic idea, better than knowing nothing at all.
We also need to work on our speech, the attitude toward our work, our boss and even our family members. There are lots of things for us to learn in all aspects of life. And these are the most essential elements for our destiny. Our life is nothing without our family as well as society. Our family is where we came from, the source of our joy and happiness, and our sanctuary when we need a break. Also, we can’t live without society. It is where we work, meet our friends, and a place we can have fun and refresh our body and mind. Society is the way we keep in touch with others and explore the outside world.
Without bitterness, no one knows what sweetness is. Many people haven’t lived a tough life, so even when they are living a rich and comfortable life, they still don’t feel happy. If there is no poverty, no one understands what prosperity is. When you haven’t been poor, you don’t know how to live a rich life. Most importantly, you don’t know how to cherish.
Of course, some say, “I am living in poverty and hardship.” They have no choice because that is their destiny. Living such a life and working under such conditions, they think it is normal since they have never lived in abundance. However, after striving for a better living and more achievements, gaining a happy family, owning a big house and a nice car, and having some lovely children, they are growing old but also becoming confused.
Because they have lost their pursuits and beliefs, thus they lose the motivation to manage their behaviors. They have never lived a rich and noble life before. They don’t know what to do. Although they don’t worry anymore about living and expenses as their financial status is more sufficient and secure, they might start worrying about something else. Such a change in lifestyle could cause people’s behaviors to become confused, corrupt, muddled, weird and even evil.
An ancient saying goes, “when the glass is full the water will spill.” What does it mean? Say, the bucket is already full of water, and you still want to add more; can the bucket hold more water? No way. Or, say, a container that is already filled with grain, can you stuff more grain in it? No, you can’t. When you think you are rich, or you have earned way beyond what you expected, such as you aimed to make $1 million and ended up making $50 million: “I am a rich man, but I am not the wealthiest in the world.” Being rich, someone is feeling satisfied and very content.
There is nothing more they need to pursue. Thus, foolishness and arrogance arise. Even if the greatest advice is offered to them, they would refuse to listen. So if you talk about business plans with a successful man, he won’t let you speak and will tell you, “I know better than you do. I know everything.” He hasn’t really experienced any bigger ups and downs in life. When will he stop being arrogant? Probably never. Before he dies, he can’t tell if he has lived a successful or lousy life.
Many people who become world champions at a young age and get famous tend to live miserably later in life. Do you know why? Because they only focus on their talents. For example, a young kid in a mathematics competition, when the experts ask him for a calculation, shortly after moving his fingers he gives the correct answer, which shows he is talented. Say, you are a world-class swimming champion, and you can swim very fast. What about being a man? It doesn’t mean you are a decent man.
If you only focus on your calculations every day and don’t even know how to behave properly, or you practice swimming diligently but you are very impolite, all you care about is being the champion. Once you are the champion, what is next? Your champion halo makes you arrogant; you ignore others. “I am the world’s fastest calculating champion. What gives you the right to teach me?” “Well, I am no champion, I am nobody.” Once they become the champion, it is not the same as before. They won’t listen to your advice.
For young people, early success might not be a good thing. They might start declining faster and earlier. I have met several athletes in China who were world champions. When I was sitting near them, I smelled something, and then I looked at them: They were on drugs and looked like ghosts. I was shocked at first: “They are world champions. Why would they do that?” I didn’t know how to comment on such a discovery. The earlier you make your achievement, the sooner you start declining.
When you haven’t earned enough fortitude and life experience, your success might ruin your life. Well, that is another topic, since we are talking about fate. Being a champion with a specific talent or the best in the world doesn’t mean that your destiny will always be perfect. Without such a big halo and title, no one will care if he is on drugs because he is a nobody. He is not famous and it is less embarrassing. If he is a world champion and caught by the police for taking drugs or being a drug dealer, he would be in big trouble and his career would end.
So, let me remind you to always be very careful to behave and manage your life. Let’s consider a more practical example. Say, a couple worked very hard for their small business, they set the goal of making $1 million for a better life. Surprisingly, they made $50 million. At this point, arrogance arises. They become impolite and ignore whatever others say. They start complaining, taking drugs, clubbing or barhopping. They acquire many bad behaviors. What they’ve built will soon collapse and be ruined.
Building a career is challenging, like constructing a building. Even if you have the money, you can’t have a skyscraper built overnight. It takes a year or a few years. It takes even longer for a family. From being penniless to having a house, your kids going to prestigious schools, then owning a couple of cars, it takes decades to build up a living. However, if you want to ruin such a perfect prosperous living, it is akin to pouring boiling water on a tree; it will wither rapidly. It is very dangerous.
Therefore, I wish you would manage your family and career with gratitude. Regardless of who you are, be grateful for your family members, your job, your friends and your environment. Always show them your gratitude. That is how to make your life more beautiful.
(Being poor to understand wealth; taste bitterness to know sweetness. Being arrogant and rude does no good. Humility and gratitude bring achievements.)
I have been thinking: Why do people experience afflictions after they create achievements? I also analyzed why they reject others’ advice when they become successful: They are too proud and arrogant to accept others’ suggestions. This happens because the virtue isn’t enough for the blessings received. When wealth approaches, your accumulated virtues and conduct are not enough to support the glorious building you built, so you will become very annoyed and afflicted by the prosperity.
Being rich is equated with happiness; however, it turns out the opposite, all because of a lack of virtuous conduct and accomplishment. What is virtuous conduct? It is good manners. Without good manners and gratitude, you will be confused and invert black and white. To be able to bear the wealth, we need to build a foundation first.
Say, like my… Let’s say a big tree. When a normal big tree has an extra large crown… The crown is the extending branches. When the crown is developed, it is almost round in shape like a big mushroom. If the crown’s diameter is 50 meters, the roots would extend about 50 to 80 meters, or even 100 meters in radius to support the whole tree. Otherwise, when a strong wind blows, without such extensive roots, the tree would fall easily. Then the roots would be exposed above the ground and the tree would die. Thus, a huge crown needs an extensive foundation.
Say, a 70-story skyscraper, if each story is 3 meters high, 70 stories would be about 200 meters in height. It requires a foundation with the same depth underground. In case an earthquake or strong typhoon occurs causing shaking, such a strong foundation and sturdy structure can resist the force and prevent the whole building from collapsing. That is the importance of a foundation. Therefore, if you want to carry all the blessings such as great prosperity, fame and fortune, you must have the foundation of wisdom.
What is it, exactly? The foundation of accumulated merits and virtues from doing good deeds. That is how you transform a miserable life into a glorious one. Originally, you are fated to die of hunger. Someone with the highest rank Emperor Liang Wu starved to death. Another one was Zhou Yafu, a renowned great general in Han dynasty. He also died of hunger. Being such high-ranking officials as general or chief commander, how could they die of hunger? They lacked merits and virtues.
Their facial features had the proof of being fated to die of hunger. It is the 2 lines on both sides of the face next to the mouth. The physiognomist had foreseen that. Zhou said, “You are such a liar. Do you know who I am? How dare you? I am Zhou Yafu!” People were shocked hearing that. But the physiognomist was calm and said, “I know that you are Zhou Yafu. I just wonder why you have such a ‘die of hunger’ destiny!” Zhou said, “I don’t believe it. Let’s see.”
Finally, Zhou really starved to death. No one had ever thought such a rich man would end up dying that way. But it happened. When you are fated or the god of destiny is calling for your punishment with the “order” from Heaven, you have nowhere to hide. You die by whatever means you are fated to die. You just don’t deserve the blessings. He must have committed crimes or killed someone he wasn’t supposed to.
In ancient times, the truly great generals would never kill the old, weak, women, children, or surrendered soldiers. There was no explanation about this rule, but it was inauspicious to violate it. Horses, donkeys and cows that helped in wars and transportation, and even the hunting dogs, were not allowed to be killed. If the generals killed the captives, they would be condemned by the military and common people. Heaven would not forgive such people.
A code of honor was practiced even on the battlefield. Soldiers were supposed to kill each other, but not after surrendering. Beheading or burying surrendered soldiers alive will send you to hell. That is the cause and effect created by one’s own behavior. If you kill someone that you are not supposed to, it shows that you lack moral sense. What is moral sense? Compassion. If you lack compassion and kill those you shouldn’t, or rob those you shouldn’t, you will have to pay the price and face judgment from Heaven.
If you gain prosperity but lack sufficient virtues, then even though you wear splendid clothes, live in a mansion, drive luxurious cars, and have big savings, none of it is yours. You will be disturbed. The god of destiny and the evil spirits won’t spare your life. The evil spirits will say, “You are so wicked and living so well. Let’s play.” You are going to be afflicted every day.
Now that I have brought this up, let me remind you again: Try to accumulate virtues to match your blessings. Be compassionate and grateful. With gratitude and contentment, think about the superior life you have now. Be grateful to the generous people. If you inherit your parents’ wealth, be grateful to them. Be careful and serious with your conduct. Don’t live a lavish life. If you become arrogant and ignorant, it is because you are not grateful. Without gratitude, arrogance arises.
A life without gratitude is a rotten and extravagant life. You will just focus on buying lots of luxury items and handbags. I heard about a woman in Hong Kong who was a Bodhi practitioner. Her friend once asked me, “Master, do you know how many pairs of shoes she owns?” She meant the beautiful designer heels. Shoes? I wasn’t impressed much at first. What about shoes? Then I heard that she had collected 280 pairs of designer high heels. I said, “Is she sick or what? Shoes are supposed to be worn for walking.” She said, “Hers are special, they are works of art.” Won’t she be affected by negative energy with that many pairs of heels?
What she pursued was all material desires. Her lack of gratitude didn’t match the blessings she was given. I said before that wealth rarely passes to the 3rd generation. Her wealth won’t pass to the next generation, since her son can’t manage it. Just look at their bad behaviors. The mother collected so many pairs of heels and other negative things. Her son liked basketball and collected name-brand basketball shoes. Even a fake Michael Jordan autograph, he would spend a fortune for it. He owned a few hundred pairs of basketball shoes. It is just crazy. Another one who got affected by the negative energy.
Her wealth won’t last to the third generation. Her son will use it up. They didn’t deserve the blessings. One day, she made some risky investment and lost all she had. That happened 20 years ago. Now, they are bankrupt. Forget about the third generation. Some parents claim, “I have always told my kids to be good and achieve big!” That is when you were making a point. What about the daily conversations? Whatever you said was automatically imprinted in their mind. Their conduct and behaviors, and views of life, values and habits will be passed down from the parents. And then multiplied by 2, which means they will be intensified. They are going to spend a lot more money than you.
I have mentioned, if you remember, a person in Hong Kong. He used a whole story of a building as an office and had more than 300 employees doing his trading business. He owned the most expensive car with a front as big as a tractor, which cost more than 10 million RMB. They owned 2 or 3 of them. His assets were said to have reached one billion USD about 20 years ago. Super-rich, right?
In his office, on his desk, there was a photo which was taken when he was 16 in his hometown in China. His clothes, looks and hairstyle were outdated, like in an old movie. I asked, “Who is this?” He said, “It is me.” “Why were you so ugly?” He said, “I was malnourished.” Anyway, he worked very hard and earned a lot of money. He asked me for advice, but I guess he never listened.
He also sought help from feng shui masters for his business: “Look, I have put 8 big water tanks at the best spot for wealth convergence.” I told him, “Not bad.” But when I looked at his family, his and his kids’ facial features, though I am not a fortuneteller, I felt he was fated to be poor. How come he had so much money? My God, please tell me why! I had no clue.
He lost everything 2 years later. He became penniless and had a huge debt. What happened? He had a brother who was a big fat guy. He is taller than me. He looked quite blessed but also like a gangster. He wore a long braid. In his office, he kept a lot of hardcover books all about capitalism, Lenin and other great people’s stories. There were over a thousand of them, all in black and red. He must have been very knowledgeable. He wore lots of gold and diamond rings on his hands. His hands were fatter than pigs’ trotters.
It is him who suggested smuggling things into China. They invested everything they had and lost everything in the end. I wish what I had heard was: “They were poor and then rich and long-lived, enjoying tea and playing with their grandchildren, the whole family living harmoniously and joyfully.” But not the case. His family was totally ruined even before he had a grandchild.
He sought help from the best feng shui master, remember? He was told to place the water tanks at the wealth spot in his house. The tanks sold by the master were supposed to hold lots of money. But the master didn’t say how long the money would last. Once the family was bankrupt, his tanks were all taken away to “bless” another family. Those expensive cars were all forfeited by the government.
It proved I was right about him having the face of a pauper who couldn’t carry so much money. He said, “I can’t go against my big brother.” I don’t think that was the problem. He didn’t have enough virtues to sustain all the blessings he was given.
(Lacking the virtues to sustain blessings will attract disasters. Only a deep virtuous foundation will sustain prosperity.)
So, what should be done to keep our blessings and pass them to our future generations to sustain? Here is the answer. Listen carefully. Use virtue to manage your family; pass virtue to descendants. Have gratitude; always be thankful to the people around you. Be compassionate, even to your business rivals. Compassion is about giving, helping and contributing. If you care about nothing but money, you will have endless greed and desire. In running a business, people try all means to earn their fortune. But rarely do they think about whether they can sustain wealth. No. They can’t. So they make risky investments elsewhere that they might not be able to control. Problems and disasters follow.
How do we avoid this situation? It’s easy. All thoughts start with your mind and in your heart. Buddha said, “A serene mind creates a serene world.” As long as we are grateful, with compassion to guide us and with gratitude to face our family, bosses and children, we will not inflict harm. We’ll be more grateful, willing to praise, care and give joyfully. Many don’t know much about parenting. They just cry when something happens.
As ordinary people, we often complain about and blame those around us. We don’t cherish them until we have lost them. When you lose someone, it is like the end of the world and pain will follow. Many people, through their actions, are plotting the end of their world. Although they might not mean it, their curses and destructive complaints are bringing great harm to their own families. As complaints accumulate, it leads to betrayal. To complain is a betrayal, indeed. When negativity accumulates to a certain point, it explodes and destroys your whole family.
Only by becoming one with the world can you live a good life. Being ordinary, you might not know how to be one with the world. First of all, you have to be one with your family. Then with the environment that you’re living in. Have your thoughts in sync with those of your boss. Be one with your city. Your mentality and emotions are starting to transform, and soon your problems will be resolved.
Learning Buddhism is also a great way to help solve psychological issues. When you realize others are not living as well as you, their husbands or wives are not as capable and loving as yours, their children are not as smart as yours, and some are disabled, you should be grateful and contented that your family is in good health. Show your gratitude to your family members, colleagues, bosses. Be grateful for being blessed to live in such a good society where you feel safe, comfortable and at peace.
In the past, Buddhist masters used to greet with: “Are you at peace?” “Yes, I am at peace.” When Grandmaster Bodhidharma’s disciple, Hui Ke, went to meet him, Bodhidharma was meditating in a cave on Songshan. It was snowing heavily. Hui Ke could keep climbing as he was a soldier. He had killed many people in battle. He had committed much wrongdoing and couldn’t find inner peace.
When Bodhidharma saw him, he asked, “What is your problem? It is so cold. Why are you here? You are disrupting my meditation.” “Master, please put me at peace.” Master said, “Give me your heart and I will put you at peace.” Hui Ke said, “I don’t know where it is.” That means he didn’t even know where his afflictions came from. Master said, “You can’t find it because I have put it at peace already.” Hui Ke then felt better. His afflictions came from the things he had done wrong. By letting them go and starting a new life, he would be good as new.
A concept in meditation practice says that Buddha is in our heart. It is clouded by your greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance and doubt. By removing the dirt, your heart is still pure and bright as Buddha. As I said, a serene mind creates a serene world. When our heart is pure, we see the beauty of the world. When we are wise, we feel grateful. With such kind thoughts and compassion, we can feel and sustain the joy and bliss.
If you are capable and successful, I bet you will wish your descendants were also as positive, motivated and hardworking as you. Right? Here is the way: Firstly, quit your lavish living. Such living will only make your child corrupt and lazy. As parents, we can be rich but we must spend wisely. Don’t buy super-luxurious things. Avoid places that are foul or improper such as casinos and drug dens. Many countries have such improper activities and entertainments. Stay away from them.
To have our kids inherit our wealth and happiness, we need to make a big investment: Parents have to stop being extravagant. Stop talking nonsense and vulgarities. Speak kindly and morally. Do things properly. Your behaviors are impacting your children. Although your teenage children won’t care to learn your behaviors, they will pick up from you naturally without being aware of it. Before they are truly mature, or, say, before 35, their behaviors, problem-solving, view of the world and values are all reflections of yours.
They have copied from you. They don’t have other references so they can only follow yours. They are a copy of you. A copy of their father or mother, or a combination of both. Some parents claim their children are badly influenced. I am more worried about them being a role-model at home. They say, “I told them to behave well.” If the parents don’t behave well, how could they have good kids? The parents don’t even know good from bad.
So I must remind you, if you want to learn from me about how to forge a good fate, decide between good and bad, kind and evil, as you learned in the last class. After you have chosen to be good and kind, you need to be contented and grateful.
(Be contented and grateful; good thoughts come from a good mind. Rich but thrifty; quitting luxury brings peace of mind. Spread and pass on virtues for better future generations.)
When you sulk about your life, think about those less fortunate. Then you should be contented. You don’t want to be worse than them, right? You are better than the worst, worse than the best, there is room for development on both good and bad sides. Do you want to be better or worse? For sure better, right? Then have kind thoughts, do kind actions, and speak kind words. To your children, spouse and friends, your words should be elegant and moral.
Some have a habit of rudeness; polite speech feels false to them. No problem. Just keep doing it until you are used to it. Then you will be a truly elegant person with a noble heart and mind. If your children have learned morality, your family assets will pass down. They might even surpass you and achieve more than you, thanks to their parents being good role models. What your children become depends on you.
If you want your children to protect the family heritage and pass on virtues, then do your part: pass on virtues and compassion. If you don’t teach them compassion, your family heritage will only go as far as the 3rd generation. To ensure your family heritage lasts, help your children learn virtues. They will live gratefully and simply, even though they are rich. That way they will have more room for growth. If they already have the best things for living, eating and daily use, they won’t strive for further achievement. They will say, “Why do I need to work hard for more achievements?”
Look at those employees who made little mistakes, they got yelled at and docked pay by their bosses.” I met a few smart rich kids who quit their jobs after 2 years or less. They had entered a morbid state and self-isolated at home. The son of a Hong Kong practitioner was doing well in a world-famous firm as a scientific researcher. His family is super-rich; they own all the properties on half a street. That young man who stayed at home caused his mother such worry; she sought help from the psychologists, sorcerers, and feng shui masters. But all in vain.
Nothing she tried moved the young man one bit. The son simply didn’t leave his room. Why? It was their bad karma. They are so rich that even the teacups were gold-plated. Why should the kid work hard? The young man was a team leader at his firm. After receiving a minor blame from the boss, he got angry and quit. Ever since, he stayed home doing nothing. His mom tried to find him a girlfriend a couple years later. The son said, “OK, sounds good.” Since they were so rich, she brought 38 girls home for him to choose from. She said, “Son, pick the one you like.” Wow, my goodness!
His mom couldn’t find a solution despite being so rich; she came to me. “Master, what is wrong with my son?” I said, “You guys are too rich.” His mom didn’t understand: “You mean the god of wealth is evil?” I said, “The god of wealth can be wicked too, especially when it is a wicked family. Being rich will ruin the whole family.” But if you are virtuous and decent, you will be able to bear the wealth. Otherwise, wealth can ruin your life anytime.
Most people admire such a wealthy family, right? Who would’ve thought their wealth would trouble them so much? Therefore, as parents, you must practice righteousness and compassion. Remember, right mind, right thoughts and right actions. Especially for the ladies, please mind your words even when you are talking to your family. Don’t curse, defame, attack, tease or belittle. Do more chanting, praising, encouraging, caring and dedicating.
I mean not only to strangers but also to your family. That will create harmony in your family. Harmony is a manifestation of compassion. Harmonious behaviors create a harmonious environment. The compassionate deities will bless you. Your family will have good feng shui and great prosperity. You need to revere and protect this blessing. With this blessing, you will gain wisdom, and you will be able to pass on the prosperity, compassion and virtue to your future generations. You need to put great effort into it.
Some people think it only relates to them if they believe in it. No. Not like that. It is philosophy. If you don’t behave yourself, what you and your children have right now will all disappear. Yes, the gods, including of luck and wealth, will leave. Even the rats will run away from you, needless to say the gods. You will be ruined by your own behaviors, not the gods. Your lousy behaviors caused by wealth bring harm to others and make you ignorant.
Compassion is the best fortune and feng shui. Gradually, it will lead us to live in harmony and prosperity. Your whole family will be happy and joyful. Everything will be under control. Family members will respect each other. It will be a family with a stately father, a loving and dignified mother, and children that fulfill filial piety. This is the order which should exist in a family. When the parents speak, the children should respect and listen. This is a virtuous and fortunate family.
Without such blessing, even if living in a house with good feng shui, you will be afflicted because you lack the capacity to bear. The gods of fortune and auspiciousness will not bless you just because you live there. No, they won’t. Disasters await if you don’t deserve the blessings. It is smooth sailing when your virtues are worthy of the blessings. If your clothes are tailor-made for you, they will fit and make you beautiful and comfortable. If the size is not right, either too big or too small, the clothes will be uncomfortable.
So your conduct, environment, wealth, even your family members should all be matching. The wealthier you are, the more you should mind your conduct and behaviors. Conduct affects actions. Virtuous conduct equals good performance. Performance comes from actions. So please pay attention. Alright? Compliments bring your family the sunshine of compassion.
(Let’s manage ourselves with right mind, right thoughts and right actions. Treat your children with kind thoughts, kind words and kind actions. Be a good role model and show respect for family members. Harmony brings the prosperity to the family.)