【Description】
What do we cultivate in self-cultivation? Why do some people become demanding and picky after practicing for a while?
Many people use knowledge of dharma to pick on others rather than focusing on self-improvement. When critical people point a finger at others, they don’t realize that all their other fingers are pointing at themselves. When they criticize, they forget that they are deviating from the right path of practice.
In this video, Grandmaster JinBodhi analyzes the essence of spiritual practice in accessible language, and helps practitioners rediscover their original intention.
【Content】
Hello, everyone. (Hello, Master!) We meet again. Let’s continue learning about and discussing fate. I still believe in this important idea: Pass on virtues as family inheritance. Preserve fate via virtue. Cultivate a compassionate and moral mind. Practice compassion, kindness and quietude. Engage in a legitimate occupation to support your family. Pass down virtues and auspiciousness to your future generations. This is very important.
Today, I will analyze some data regarding the different stages of life for everyone. From birth to 20 years of age, this is the period of growth and learning. From 20 to 30, it’s the period of making 3 major decisions. Deciding on what? On academic career, marriage and professional career. These are the 3 major decisions. OK, next. From 30 to 50, people work hard in their career. From 50 to 60, they reap the fruits of their labor. This is the golden period. From 60 to 80, it is the period for resting. They start self-cultivation.
Let’s predict that you will live till about 80 years old. If you live a year longer, it is an extra year earned. If you live till 120, you will earn 40 extra years. This is very good.
The first 20 years of life, the period between birth and 20, are not easy. As a youngster for the first 4 or 5 years, you have to rely on your parents, for you can do nothing. After 5 or 6, you start to learn knowledge and go to school, until 20. During this period, you compete with others in intelligence and diligence in order to get into a better school. Kids are competing and fighting under pressure.
If they don’t spend these 20 years well, they will have a very uncertain future. As the old saying goes, “A young idler, an old beggar”. I would like to remind young friends: Working hard for 10 years could earn you happiness that lasts till you are 70 or 80. If you don’t work hard for the first 10 years, then you will work hard for a lifetime. It is a pattern like this. So it is crucial to learn and go to school when you are young.
OK, after a period of hard work, we finally reach the period of 20 to 30. During this period, it is the most important time for determining your fate. In this period, there are 3 major things. In no particular order, let’s talk about your academic career first, especially your studies in university. This is an important thing. You need to select your major. Will you select art or science? When you step into society without a university degree, you will find it difficult to get a decent job. So in this period, you will have to pursue higher education.
Next, let’s talk about relationships. You have reached an age suitable for marriage. From being in a relationship, to falling in love and getting married, it is not easy for all of this to happen before 30. So people who can marry before 30 feel very lucky; “I am finally married.” This is another major thing in this stage of life.
The third major thing is the decision about your professional career. It is best to figure out which industry to be in before 30. As the saying goes, “Men are afraid of entering the wrong career path.” It means to do what you like and you are good at. For kids who are interested in numbers and math, their brain structure is suitable for calculating. They feel happy when they solve complex problems. Some kids feel dizzy when they encounter math problems. So they need to do other things, things they like and are good at.
People normally choose their profession at 17 or 18 years old in university. It is better to decide your career path before 30; otherwise, there will be a big problem. Before 30, your academic career, marriage (not love), and professional career should be finalized. Then you can have enough energy for the next journey of your life.
Between 30 and 50, it is the period for career. People are the most energetic during this period. Your body is at its most mature state, and hasn’t yet started aging. It is the peak of life. If you have settled your marriage, decided your professional career, and completed higher education, that means you have got your 3 important things settled. Now you can gather all your energy to focus on your professional career.
This period between 30 and 50 is the golden peak for everyone. It is also a period when you are under various pressures. You have to support the young and old in your family. The elders are still alive. You have been married for a few years, and have children to raise, right? You need to take care of the elders and teach your children. For both the elderly and young, you need to provide support. This is the responsibility that you can’t avoid. This period is also very hard.
If you are married at 28, you will have one more thing to consider. You go from single to married life, and feel prepared for the marriage because you have fallen in love and hit the marriage age. After getting married, you will find it hard to adapt to married life in the first 3 years. When you are in love, you can’t wait to get married. After getting married, you realize many things are not as good as in dating life. There are many things, such as personality, habits, values, dietary habits, etc. that you can’t adjust yourself to.
Some say that the divorce rate is high within 7 years. I think both parties are unaccustomed to each other. Even a small difference of opinion could result in unpleasant feelings. These tiny trails of minor cracks create little flaws that could become problems. If they can’t get used to each other, how can they live together? So at 30, people who have married may have difficulties in adjusting to marriage. During this period, a little baby comes.
Finally, the couple has a common topic to talk about. They raise and discipline the child. The couple even stops fighting and starts to forget the bad habits of each other. They forget each other’s snoring, and just talk about the child. If there is no kids, the divorce rate could be double. When a child comes, all attention is put onto the child. Both the mom and the dad feel the child is from their blood, their kid. “I don’t feel close with you, but I do with my child. So I will continue to be on autopilot with you.” “Autopilot” means to continue their marriage. Why is that? They live together without thinking much.
Besides, they have parents on both sides who need to be taken care of. They may live with you, so you both refrain from fighting loudly. You guys can’t just cook what you like to eat, you need to take the elders into consideration. You can’t only focus on taking care of your child. If you ignore the elders’ needs, they will get upset. “All the stuff you buy are for the kids. How about me? Don’t you remember how I raised you?” The elders would have complaints.
Of course, you need to respect and take care of elders. But you are too busy to remember everything. People are used to taking care of the young first; few people think about the elderly first. Unless the young ones have grown up; then they have time to take care of the elderly. So people from ages 30 to 50 need to support the elderly and raise the young.
You can’t just feed them, right? Next, your child needs to go to school, starting with kindergarten. Kindergarten is expensive in many countries. Given the national average income, the cost of kindergarten is high. If you want a better life, better education, meals and clothing, and want to find a nanny, you need to spend a lot. Where would the money come from? Whether it is one person or a couple, you need to work very hard to make money.
A person’s golden age is between 30 and 50 years old. After listening to this, does anyone think it’s happy? It is not easy at all. But this is the process in life that everyone needs to experience.
OK, let’s continue. When you finally reach 50, life after that, in my imagination, would probably be better. In terms of career, you have been working for more than 20 years. Whatever your career, you have already perfected your skills. Not only are you used to it, you have even made a name for yourself. You are a senior in your company. If you are doing business, you are now a capable and experienced boss.
In your 50s, if you have no genetic issues, your brain is in the most powerful state. It is time for your abilities to be utilized to the ultimate. So you start seeing the achievements as the results of your hard work. So between 50 and 60 years of age, it is pretty good from all aspects.
What are the negative things that you encounter during this period? Probably that your child has reached puberty. Or, it is the education and guidance for kids who have reached adulthood. This is the biggest problem. Also, some have older parents. For those who are 50, their parents are at least 70. At that time, parents’ agility, health conditions, and mental state are starting to really decline. They need people to look after them. They need more care.
So when people reach 50 years of age, aside from pressure from the young and elderly, their own body starts degenerating. Our hand-eye coordination no longer works as well as before. You can’t squat down or get up whenever you want. So during this period, there are troubles from several aspects.
The next one is the resting period. After 60 years of age, we will truly have times when the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. This body is no longer controlled by your brain. It gets worse as days pass. There is a gradual decline. During this period, you should exercise and self-cultivate more to stay healthy. So you suffer less; your kids worry about you less; your family spends less on healthcare; and you live longer.
If we want health and longevity, starting to care for our body at 60 is not too late, but the sooner the better. Pay attention to caring for your health. After 60 years of age, throughout society, most people retire. You almost can’t work. If you are 75 or 80 years old, and you can still do things normally without causing trouble for others, I have great respect for you. I praise you and congratulate you. You are awesome.
Many have learned meditation and Energy Bagua from us. They were struggling with their agility; they needed family and friends to help them. They can now live independently. The first criterion for a quality life is being able to do daily routines on your own. Another criterion for a quality life is being able to walk on your own.
When young people say “let’s go,” they actually run, right? When people get older, who doesn’t want an agile and healthy body? Everybody wants that. But when you squat down to go to the bathroom and want to get up, you feel your legs are weak and you can’t get up. This is aging. So after 60, to sum it all up, you are suitable for a retired and resting lifestyle. Our physical strength, energy and intelligence are not suitable for working.
(The 5 major stages in life: Age Birth to 20: Growth and Learning; Age 20 to 30: Three Major Decisions; Age 30 to 50: Professional Career; Age 50 to 60: Harvest; Age 60 to 80: Resting.)
There is another thing we need to discuss. You see, we live for so many years. It is very long. If you live past 80, and you haven’t had any accidents, bad habits, crimes or other inherited malignancy, you are very lucky. In reality, many people don’t live this long. We won’t focus on this. Let’s assume we all live past 80 years old due to a strong immune and cardiac system.
OK, let’s conduct a calculation: If one lifetime is about 30,000 days (82 years), and we sleep 8 hours every day, how many years have we slept through? (Around 27 years.) We spend 27 years just sleeping. (Right. One-third of our life is slept through. 10,000 days.) OK, let’s cut down a bit. How about sleeping for 7 hours a day? (That is still 24 years.) 24 years? (Right.) How about 6 hours a day for sleep? (That is 20 years.) 20 years of sleeping. (One-fourth of life is slept through.)
So you see, there is a few years of difference between sleeping 6 hours and 8 hours a day. (7 years.) There is a 7-year difference. Based on my personal experience, we should form a habit of waking up early. Especially for parents who wake up early to cook breakfast for kids, getting up 2 hours earlier can make your schedule less tight. If you get up 2 hours later, you will be bombarded with all kinds of stuff. It is all messed up.
In life, if one wakes up 2 hours earlier to work on a particular skill such as calligraphy, karate, meditation, chanting, house chores, reading, or other skills, what they can achieve is conceivable. It is a 7-year difference in life; others can become the best and experts at something, while you are still mundane. They have achieved what you don’t. They have 2 extra hours per day, which makes a great difference.
In my experience, practicing Energy Bagua for one hour is completely different from practicing for 2 hours. Because you are aging and have some health issues, the energy from an hour of practicing can only maintain your basic health. You will get extra energy if you practice for 2 hours. You will restore your youth. If you are 70, you will look younger than 70. Your physique and health condition would probably be 50 years old.
You will look even younger if you keep practicing. You will get better results if you put in more time. After practicing for 100 days by adding an extra hour every day, the difference in effects will be significant. See how big a difference you can make by getting up 2 hours earlier every day.
If we live 82 years, the time spent sleeping is about 27 years. Our best times in life are approximately only 20 years. Sleeping takes up so much of our time. People normally sleep 7 or 8 hours per day. Many like to sleep for over 10 hours. Let’s calculate again. Say, you sleep 10 hours a day, and live till 82 years old; how many years would you have slept? For those who sleep for more than 10 hours a day, see what you have done. (10 hours; that is 34 years sleeping.) Sleeping for 34 years.
How is that compared to diligent people who sleep 6 hours a day? People who sleep 6 hours a day spend 20 years asleep in their lifetime, right? (Right.) So you will sleep 14 years more than others. For 14 years of your life, you are in a state of unconsciousness. Do you think it is a good deal? Calculate it yourself. It is not a riddle, but simple math. It is scary. Why would I advocate waking up early? The time that you gain is spent in a state of being alive and creative.
Also, my grandma would yell at my grandpa whenever she wanted, and complained about different things for 30 years; that is how my grandpa trained his endurance. My grandpa didn’t love cultivating; he had to do it because of my nagging grandma. He ended up in the meditative state of ignoring my grandma completely.
Look at my grandma’s problem. If she reprimanded for 10 hours a day, how long did she spend doing nothing but hurting others? (10 hours?) 34 years. She yelled at others for 34 years. (34 years, right.) What if you reprimand for an hour a day? How many hours do you spend scolding others in your whole life? How long is that in total? (Close to 3.5 years.) Oh, about 3.5 years.
I am not here to discuss problems my grandma had. Many women have the same problems. How much time is wasted on nagging uselessly? How much time is used to express your emotions? So we have wasted a lot of time. I think the time in life is precious. I really feel like time is money, and there is a sense of urgency. But a lot of our time is spent on petty stuff. Many people even say that they have nothing to do and go out to cause trouble.
So don’t wake up late any more. You need to change your routine. The first thing is waking up early in the morning. The second is to do everything yourself, no matter big or small. Only then can you know what you are doing clearly, and be confident about it. Everything feels easy because you know everything. Regardless of the size of your family or business, you still need this mentality and behavior to manage well.
(Our lifespan is just 30,000 days. Use it well and cherish every day. If you want achievements in life, put in the hard work.)
If you don’t want to waste your life, set up an aspiration from an early age. We call it an ambition or a dream You need to set an expectation and pursue it. It doesn’t need to be very specific. Some want to be a dentist. In the process of studying medicine, you may become a family doctor. That is OK too. You should set a general goal, such as “I want to study medicine.” Give yourself a direction to work toward. The earlier you set this direction, the sooner you can have achievements; and the potential for you to succeed is greater.
I just showed you an image that shows one’s lifespan over 80 years. Few people start a career before 20 years of age. Even if some do, few are in the high-tech or sophisticated industries. Right? For example, computer design, architectural engineering design, and even modern clothing design all involve computer skills and extensive knowledge. So these fields are usually for those who are older than 20, right? In the first 20 years, most people are not ready to go into a career. This is the period to study and accumulate knowledge.
From 20 to 25, it is time to choose a career. If your goal is relatively clear, you have already selected your major when entering university. If you selected a major in the medical field, you would start studying related subjects. And that makes it possible for you to work in healthcare. Once you have determined an aspiration, you have a direction to work toward. When studying in middle school, you should have already browsed books on medicine. This knowledge could further spark your interest in the medical field. When you learn new things, you feel that you suddenly know so much. You feel a sense of accomplishment. It makes you happy.
So before age 30, you have already started a career in your dream field. When you come to 40 years of age, you have already become a specialist or even an expert in a specialized field. You will be an absolute expert at 50. At 60, you are a senior expert, right? So if you want to become an exceptional expert or a top figure in the industry you like, you need to set an aspiration from an early age and start planning and working hard toward it. When you are 50, you will definitely be an expert.
It is the same for doing business. No one can manage smoothly from the start. Many struggles are needed to get things working. From small to big and from simple to complicated, the practical experience needed to manage a big enterprise well needs to be accumulated gradually. It is rare for a new grad who studied management to manage an enterprise well immediately after graduation. That is impossible. There is a distance from knowledge in books to reality. So you would need at least 10 years of experience to apply what you have learned. It takes time. So the earlier we set an aspiration, the earlier we reach our success.
I will also talk about being trustworthy. It is a crucial factor for us to succeed. Most people want to live life at its best. They want to achieve something meaningful and beneficial to others. Everyone has this aspiration. But when it is actually time to execute it, they would rather stay in bed when they need to get up; when it is time to be trustworthy, they lie; when it is time to exercise, they sleep; when it is time to be cheerful, they are depressed; they behave in the opposite manner. Without parents or someone teaching or reminding you, your entire life would be ruined by these habits. What is your great aspiration? It is all lies. Dreams will remain part of your sleeping life and not become reality. It is fake and unreal.
A promise is a promise. Be someone who is trustworthy. I will do anything that I promised to do. Promises must be kept and actions must produce results. I’ll do whatever I promised to do, and do it well. Make a habit of this; your aspirations will come true, unless the divine plans to destroy you. I would like to remind you: Being diligent, trustworthy, etc., these qualities are important in realizing our aspirations. You need all of these in order to succeed.
(If you don’t want to waste your life, set an aspiration early and create a plan and execute it with diligence and trustworthiness.)
Next, let’s talk about our achievers of the ancient world. Review their achievements and the age when they succeeded. After that, we will know what dignity looks like.
(Many founding emperors, including Zhu Yuanzhang of Ming dynasty, set their goal at a young age. When Zhu played with his friends, he used to act like an emperor and assigned positions and tasks to his little friends. At that time, he actually already had a life goal in mind, even though it was not as clear. He joined the army at 25 and worked under General Guo. He led his army of revolutionaries later. So in his 20s, he started to put his career into action. This is Zhu Yuanzhang.)
(Same with Liu Bang. When he was young, he saw Qin Shi Huang out on parade. The formation of horses and vehicles was very majestic. All citizens had to bow down at the roadside with heads bent low. He took a quick glance at this majesty, and felt the stateliness. He then swore in his mind to be someone like that. So he set an aspiration secretly in his heart. After that, there was the uprising army that went through years of fighting to create Han dynasty.)
(During Han dynasty, there was a great emperor called Emperor Wu of Han. His father and grandfather experienced the very famous period called “The Rule of Wen and Jing”. At that time, the country needed to rest and avoid war. His father and grandfather governed through noninterference and followed Nature’s Way. As a result, the Huns became very aggressive. They constantly raided across the borders.
Emperor Wu of Han had a great aspiration when he was still young. He said to himself, “How can I let the great Han dynasty suffer the bullying and insults from these savages?” When he became the emperor, his greatest desire was to eradicate the disturbance caused by the Huns and help the Han Kingdom become truly powerful. He was only 15 when he was enthroned, but his aspiration of eradicating the Huns was very determined.
Later, a childhood friend, Wei Qing, was also a great general who strongly supported him during his entire administration period. Wei Qing became an accomplished general when he was in his early 20s. Together, the young emperor and his young general created a very magnificent part of the history of China. It was very impressive. When Emperor Wu reached his adulthood, another young hero came to him; he was Huo Qu Bing. He went to battle at just 18 and his name was feared by all enemies. He was really a young hero.)
(When Genghis Khan was young, Mongolia was composed of different tribes. He was elected the chief commander of his tribe when he was 20. He started conquering all the other tribes all the way. When he was 44 years old, he brought all of Mongolia under one tribe. Later, he was called Genghis Khan. Like what Master said, as a teenager, his aspiration was very clear. He already started showing his potential at 20. When he was over 40, that was his harvesting period. After that, it was a very mature period for him.
Being similar to Genghis Khan, Master Xuanzang, a monk in Tang dynasty, started his journey to obtain sutras at 27. He became a monk at an early age and was very determined about his destiny. At 27, he left Chang’an and went to the West for sutras; the journey lasted 14 years. He returned to Chang’an in his early 40s and started a life of translating. He led numerous scholars and monks in translating all the sutras obtained from India into Chinese. He promoted and carried forward Buddhism. He also set an aspiration at a young age and started executing it in his 20s. In his 40s, he started harvesting.)
(Looking into modern society, we can see the great historical figure, Prime Minister Churchill from England. He started politics when he was 26. This unlocked his political career which was longer than 60 years. He made great contributions to his country and world peace.
There is another person whom I have great respect for. She started her career as Queen Elizabeth of England when she was only 26. For many girls, 26 is the time when they’re looking for love and happiness. Yet she already took the responsibility for a country. Now she is in her 90s but still dedicating herself to her country. She really deserves our praise and respect. This old lady is very admirable.)
Very impressive. As we have talked before, people who had great accomplishments in history all achieved success or started doing big things when they were very young. It is very impressive. The young people I see today are different. In the world nowadays, it seems popular for youths to jump from one job to another. When you are 30, you have already worked for more than 10 firms. You think that you have a broad range of knowledge.
In history, all achievers’ success resulted from working toward one particular goal diligently and continuously. Before diving into the goal, they have made the judgment and decision. Is this what I want? Is this what I love the most? If yes, work hard to achieve the goal. Don’t keep jumping. This is also one of my reminders. Dive deep into a field, do what you are supposed to do, and do it well. When you dive deep into a field, what do you get in return for your learning? It is what we normally call a skill for stable jobs.
According to what my master taught me, when you have learned a particular skill for yourself, firstly, skills will never be burden; secondly, anything that belongs to you could be taken away, but not your skills. Thirdly, he called it a golden bowl. What is a golden bowl? Having a golden bowl means that you can always use your skill to earn money to support your family. The skill doesn’t need to be super-impressive. Any skill could suffice.
Many people may look down on a locksmith. Once I met a locksmith in Taiwan. We started chatting. We moved on to the topic of real estate. He said to his wife, “That house has been rented out again.” What? I asked him, “Which house?” His wife answered, “We have 3 houses to rent out. We are too lazy to manage it, so we have an agent in place.” You see, a locksmith has 3 houses rented out and one to live in. Can you think of that?
When you are proficient in a skill, you have a guaranteed job that you will never lose. No one can take it away from you. You can create value no matter where you go. That is why it is called a golden bowl. This golden bowl can support your family or even become a business around the world. The platform we use for broadcasting is called Facebook. The founder of Facebook created an application for chatting when he was in university, and then gradually extended it to the entire world. You see: Techniques multiplied through space-time spread to the entire world.
I have talked a lot about the story of making tofu, right? When Grandpa and Grandma made tofu back then, they would get a mule to help grind the beans; then made tofu, and sold it in small villages. After urbanization, the process of making tofu became automated. Machines replaced human labor. The old couple kept the secret of their formula. They started supplying a village of 1,000 people, and they live a middle-class life. If they start supplying a city with a population of 5 million, how big would their assets be? So after multiplying skills through space-time, a venture becomes gigantic and infinite.
The ancients told us that the 3 basic factors for a successful career are timing, place and people. I am reminding everyone, especially young people, to set a dream early. So you can start working hard in advance. Put your words into action and work hard. The next is diving deeper into the subject. Don’t switch frequently. You think you’ve learned a lot by jumping around, but you actually miss a lot of opportunities to dive deeper into a subject.
(Set a goal and dive deep into it. Have one skill on hand, multiply it through space-time. You’ll receive infinite wealth and success for a lifetime.)
If you want a successful career and a fulfilling life, live your life with virtue. People who live by virtue and charity have a good fate. This is what I believe. Our facial features come from genetic inheritance and don’t change easily. But the appearance and impression that people convey can be changed. The changes are due to a change of fate. The face is an embodiment of the mind. For people who always have compassionate and kind thoughts, their facial expressions, muscles, eyes, and skin show a comfortable and favorable impression.
Everyone can test this out. When you come across cats and dogs, see if they come to befriend you. If they do, it is because of the auspicious feeling that you have. Small animals will only get close to you willingly when they feel safe. With a peaceful magnetic field, people can be auspicious. So our words, looks, actions, voice, breathing, the way we walk and our movement all reflect our fate. These can represent your luck, wealth and hardships.
So there is a lot we can get from looking at one’s appearance and behavior. For people going through good fortune, ancient scripts usually describe them as having a bright forehead and gleaming eyes. People who read classical novels are all familiar with these words, right? It means that this person is experiencing good luck. if this glow appears on you, more people would find you appealing.
How to appear glowing then? Maintain kind thoughts; sleep and rise early. Always carry Buddha in your heart, and do good deeds every day. For women, assist your husband and raise children. This is not just about cooking meals and doing laundry. You need to have a positive influence on your husband and children to help them become good and kind people. It directly correlates to whether your children can become good kids or not. This is a big responsibility that parents carry.
In ancient times, Mencius’ mother relocated 3 times in order to provide a good environment for her kid. It took 3 moves to find a peaceful place for study. The kids and adults in that place were sophisticated and studious. So Mencius became one of the most famous philosophers in history. It became a tale, that his mother relocated 3 times.
To raise a good child, both internal and external environments are important. The success of a kid is the result of his wise mother. While our parents are busy making money, going to work, arguing, and divorcing, Mencius’ mother was focusing on how to educate her son to become a great figure with morality and knowledge. That is why Mencius had a glorious life with many achievements. So this is not easy.
In order to make our life better and more auspicious, we need to cultivate ourselves. After that, we use our knowledge to guide our family and kids. We found a lot of research data. In China, some families have been so auspicious for tens of generations.
I.M. Pei was a world-renowned architect. If you are interested in architecture, you would know he created many excellent designs in China. He was a world-renowned architect. He was originally from Suzhou. His family practiced medicine for more than 10 generations. They have a longstanding tradition of saving and helping people. They have accumulated many excellent merits and virtues; that is why the family has so many talented individuals for generations. In his day, most of his family went into medicine, and he was a world-famous architect.
In the U.S., an incredible detective, recognized by the world, is Dr. Henry Lee. He is in his 80s. His family is known to be very well-mannered, right? His father died in middle age, and his mother had 13 children. The 13 kids all became doctors. Outstanding kids must have outstanding parents steadfastly behind them. So guidance and influences are very important.
When someone is as famous as Henry Lee, normally the person is very arrogant. I looked over some information about him. In one interview, he said that he was afraid of only one person in the world: his mom. He is already 70 or 80, and he still speaks like this. He said, “Whoever my mom wants me to help, I have to go help him. If my mom wants me to be somewhere at a specific time, I have to be there.”
This is the upbringing. As such a famous and successful person in the world, Lee still obeys and respects his mom; this is called being well-brought-up. People who are well-brought-up tend to have great achievements, and pass down the good fortune to future generations.
You have heard the historical information that I have provided. Overall, 2 factors determine our fate. The first one is related to inherited features. It is the specific intelligence and ability that you have naturally. The second is your personal effort. Do you work and study hard every day? Do you spend every day meaningfully? Our fate is determined by both inherited factors and our personal effort. So it is great to have a good fate, but we have to work hard to make full use of our good fate.
Gradually, we will know more. At least through this discussion, we know to learn and work hard to make our fate more compassionate and auspicious. We now know that our behaviors can affect our families and future generations. I hope that everyone can think carefully, correct their actions, and allow their family to have better fortune, auspiciousness, happiness, wisdom, and knowledge.
I also hope that everyone’s family can become a torch that never burns out, and become a family that’s always smooth, peaceful, happy, wealthy, and long-lived. (Received.) OK, everyone, see you next time. (Thank you, Master.)
(Compassionate thoughts create favorable facial features, including bright forehead and eyes. Accumulate merits and maintain kind thoughts. Preserve fate via virtue to support family continuity.)