【Description】
Although our appearance is inherited from our parents and we are born with a predetermined destiny, it is possible to seize opportunities to alter them for the better.
How did a poor young man of modest intelligence go from being a small greengrocer with a street stall to a big boss with millions in assets in just a few years? Not only did he become rich and respected, but his appearance also drastically improved without plastic surgery. How did he accomplish such massive improvements?
This story begins about 30 years ago, when Grandmaster JinBodhi met him for the first time.
【You will learn】
- The secret to getting rich
- Ways to change appearance and fate
- The spirit of diligence and how to win big with minimal resources
【Featured aphorisms】
- Although our appearance is inherited from our parents and ancestors, inner improvements alter the outer reality.
- Kindness makes one a blessed person.
- Don’t be stingy in business; give back when you can.
【Content】
About 30 years ago in Qinghai Province, I was young at that time, not even 20 yet. One day, I saw a young man on the street close by where I lived. He was older than me, selling vegetables on the side of the street. I was in need of some vegetables. An old lady was in front of me buying vegetables. She looked like a local peasant. She wanted a bundle of vegetables. Because there were lots of vegetables and he couldn’t sell them one by one, he used a rope to tie them into bundles. That way, he didn’t need to weigh the vegetables.
“How much is one bundle?” the old lady asked. The young man answered, “50 cents.” Vegetables were cheap at that time. It was 50 cents per bundle. The old lady searched all her pockets and found only 30 cents. She was determined to buy a bundle. “What if I only buy a portion from this bundle? Because right now I only have 30 cents.” This young man was pretty stubborn. “I sell my vegetables not by weight, only by the bundle. Each bundle costs 50 cents. If I take a portion out, how can I sell the rest? I don’t know how much I could charge.”
He was stubborn. He was only willing to sell a bundle for 50 cents. The old lady didn’t have more and got frustrated. “My family is waiting for me to cook at home. “I only have 30 cents, and all you have to do is take some out. “Why are you so stubborn? How about I help you?” “No, you can’t do that.” I was there watching the whole time, and was curious how this would be resolved.
In the end, the old lady asked if she could bring the rest of the money the next day. The young man agreed and sold it for 30 cents. That way he wouldn’t need to take a portion out. The old lady was ecstatic. “I will give you the rest of the money next time.” He said, “No worries, this is fine.” After the old lady left, this young man was still complaining. “I am so unlucky. Didn’t earn any money. I met someone even poorer than me.”
It was my turn now. I had brought one yuan. After watching this scene, I wanted to test him. I took out 30 cents and wanted to buy a bundle from him. This man was so angry. “Why am I so unlucky today? I bought the vegetables for 25 cents. Now you want to buy it for 30 cents. You are making me lose money! You lack morals.”
He was always saying bad stuff. I pretended to be like the old lady: “I only have 30 cents.” He was mad and wouldn’t sell it to me. “You want me to lose money. How could you do that?” Of course he wasn’t this civilized in reality. He was cursing and swearing. He was really getting anxious. He spent 25 cents on each bundle of vegetables, and adding in other costs, he wouldn’t make any money.
“How about this? Can I give you the rest of the money tomorrow?” “I don’t even know who you are. What if you are a scammer?” He was very stressed. “I am not. I live nearby. You can just sell this to me. I don’t look like a scammer, right?” “No, you don’t. But many scammers look pretty innocent.” I said he was right. He was getting all riled up and cursing. After that, he agreed to my proposal. “It is OK, you can have it.”
This is actually the answer I wanted. It was not that I didn’t have enough money. I just wanted to test him. He really gave it to me. I thought he was a pretty good man. I said I would give him the rest of the money tomorrow, but he said, “Forget about it, just take it. I am unlucky.” I said this was not unlucky. This young man started to make an impression on me.
I looked for him again 2 days later. He was still there selling vegetables. He pretended that he didn’t see me. “This guy is here to scam me again.” After he said that, I gave him the 20 cents. “Why would I lie to you? I live nearby, and here is the money.” He was happy to hear that. He even offered a cigarette to me. I refused it as I didn’t smoke. He didn’t have any customers right then, so I started talking to him and got to know him better.
“How’s your family?” “They are all good.” “How many siblings?” “A bunch.” I said that was impossible. “Do you have a father?” “Of course, who doesn’t?” “Is your father still present?” “Of course!” I said, “That is impossible.” He was startled; his eyes were wide open. “How do you know? Do you know me?” “I do. Also, you have a brother, right?” “What? You know this as well?” “Yes. It is written on your face.” “Who told you?” “Your face.”
“OK, yes, I will admit all this. How did you know?” “I am a practitioner.” After hearing that, he was a bit surprised and scared. “Then do you know when I will be able to have a wife?” This was on his mind because he was almost 30. I asked, “Has anyone introduced any girls to you?” “They have introduced many to me, “but after seeing how poor my family was, none of the girls wanted to be with me. So the biggest wish I have is to earn money and get a wife.” “This is a pretty big aspiration. Nice, you have a good future ahead.”
I learned that his mother was always sick, so he had to use the money he earned to support and take his mother to see doctors. His family was in a pretty difficult situation. I think this man had a pretty good heart. He started to trust me. After that, he asked me if he could get married. I said he would, and his wife would be pretty. He was ecstatic, as if he had already married a girl.
“Wow, I am that good? What does she look like?” “She has 2 eyes.” “Yeah, of course.” “I am not done yet. She has very big eyes, almost the size of a cow’s eyes.” “How about her mouth?” “Very cute and small.” He said, “That is fantastic!” “How about her figure?” “Very pretty.” I didn’t lie to him. It was real. I felt that he had good fortune, but I hoped he could improve upon it. I want kind people like him to be wealthy. So I was testing him.
I saw him believing in me and in the truth of what I said, so I gave him an offer. “Do you want a better future?” “Of course!” “OK, that is good. You want to get a wife, own a few houses and get a big motorcycle, right?” “Wow. I can even get a motorcycle? That is for a big boss. I am just someone who takes care of cows. Can I really achieve that?” “Yes, it is pretty big.” “Really? Do you see it in me?”
“I think so. You didn’t start out looking like someone who will have all that. You were really someone who just took care of cows. But because I am a practitioner, I want to ask you something. Can you offer some of your vegetables to me? That way, when I achieve enlightenment, you’ll also have merit. Right? After I make it as a practitioner, I will be in a better state. Then, I will be able to give you wealth. Even the deities will help you.”
He asked, “Really?” “I think so. But to do it or not? It depends on you, consider it for a few days.” And then I left. I had done all my talking; it was up to him.
I found him 3 days later. He talked with me for a bit, and I could tell he was hesitating. He hadn’t made a final decision yet. In the end, he looked at me sideways and said, “Hey, young master, I have made up my mind. I will give you vegetables to eat. What if you are right about the motorcycle?” I said, “I can’t guarantee that. It really depends. But I feel like this will be good for you.” “OK, it is a deal.” He even shook hands with me.
I told him where I lived. He sent me vegetables every 2 or 3 days. Sometimes, he even brought potatoes from his home and other vegetables from other farmers. So when it was close to the fall/winter, he gave me bags and bags of potatoes. He was very good to me. He gave me vegetables to eat for about a year. We became very close. Because he was older than me, I often called him Brother Veggie.
He was inspired by me, and I was teaching him. When he was giving offerings to me, I was his master, right? Even though it wasn’t official, he was very well-mannered. When he saw me again, he knelt on the ground and said, “Master, I want to ask you: Do the sutras mention how to get rich?” He was always thinking about money. He was very poor. Having food to eat is the most important thing. I understand that. This was someone who truly aspired to practice Buddhism.
As stated in the sutras, I told him, “Give more, gain more.” I told him to give more to people. He said, “That is stupid. What about the startup cost?” “As long as you can cover the cost, don’t be stingy. Give when you can.” So I told him more about this concept. “If other people sell it for 50 cents, you can sell it for 45 cents. You can also sell it for 50 cents with free green onion, cilantro or garlic. If the potatoes are ripe, give out free potatoes for every vegetable purchased.”
The people in that area had just undergone economic reform. They all liked to eat flour-based foods. A Chinese white bun cost approximately 6 or 7 cents. He used his family connections and told his cousin to steam buns for him. He gave a free bun for every $1 purchase made at his stall. This was a very cheap deal. He gave out the buns for free, and sold noodles without adding the labor costs. Everyone thought he was an idiot, especially those who sold the same things as he did.
Everyone knew that he was not shrewd, so people went to buy his vegetables. He was earning very little profit, right? How did he sell his vegetables? One day, he brought in a big 5-ton truck and sold everything in around 2 or 3 hours. Everyone left with a big bag of groceries. That was how it went. Some people even went to him for wholesale purchasing. The retailers ordered a bunch from him to sell in another place at a higher price. Imagine how cheap he was selling stuff for.
But how much did he earn? In 1995, he had already saved 3.5 million RMB. What was the average earning of people in Beijing? Not even 5,000 RMB. Beijing is one of the top cities in China; the average yearly earning was less than 5,000 RMB. Yet, as an idiot from the countryside, he had already saved 3.5 million RMB. He even bought 2 big trucks, motorcycles, and hired a bunch of people to make buns and noodles, collect vegetables and deliver vegetables.
How big did his business get? People wanted to partner with him. He probably had 200 to 300 franchises in his province. People would purchase his brand for better sales. He didn’t know how the money was split, yet no one lied to him despite knowing that he was stupid. All the partnerships went well and everyone made money. He would specifically find those who were stupid and poor but willing to work hard for the money. In the end, all of them became rich.
In 2008, he told me his net worth was around 30 million. As someone with a first- or second-grade education, he had that much money. Now he has even more. He barely earned profits; many of the things were given out for free.
Before I left, before he had gotten rich, when he was selling vegetables on the roadside, I told him to take a picture of himself at a photo studio. It was a card-sized ID photo. There were no phone cameras back then. I told him to enlarge his photo, frame it and hang it in his home; after approximately 10 years, he could compare himself with that photo. But in less than 10 years, he came to see me with the 8-year-old photo. He compared the old photo with a newly taken photo. He looked so different.
When I saw him, he had nice clothes and was wearing a suit. The suit he was wearing got dirty when he was working. He made you question if he was really wearing a suit. His shoes were worn, and his hair looked like it hadn’t been washed for 2 or 3 years. The doorman didn’t let him enter the hotel I was staying in. The doorman let him in after seeing his pretty wife.
All his facial features had changed. His nose bridge had risen. It was not as high as mine, but it was still completely different from before. His nose symbolized his personality. His nose was round and not pointy. People with this feature are quite honest. He has an even higher nose bridge now. Before, his chin was short. That is a feature of those who will die young. But everything had changed. His ears had also gotten bigger and looked rosy.
Comparing the 2 photos, I said, “I bet the police won’t recognize it is you.” He said he had to redo his ID card. He looked completely different. The police thought he had had plastic surgery, but that wasn’t true, right? How did he change? He said by practicing Buddhism. He actually didn’t pay attention when learning. I have always told him to give more in order to gain more. Give more, sacrifice more, help others more, and offer when you can. As long as you have food to eat, offer what you can. That was the business concept he lived by.
No one saw any good in him before; he lacked good looks, family status and intelligence. But he turned into a boss who could manage a business well. After he got rich, he saw others in the same situation he previously was in and invited them to do business with him. The other people said that they didn’t have the knowledge to run a business. He just had them get half a truck of vegetables and told them how to sell it.
Who did the young man usually hire? People who didn’t know how to read scales, they could only sell by the bundle. He only hired such people, or those who couldn’t give change for $20. Those hired by him all became millionaires in the end. It is like that. His fate and facial features changed.
I would like to tell those who don’t have perfect facial features, “Have a kinder heart and do more good deeds.” You will get good facial features that lead to a better fate. I hope everyone can learn from this story.
(Give more often. You will receive more when you give more. This will change your fate from poor to rich.)