Buddha crossing a predestined person: Dharma and wisdom in life

Chapter 38 Cultivate the mind of cause and effect with the Buddha's mind - the karma of the past life, the retribution of the present life (4)
Henry once said: "I am the master of my destiny, and I am in charge of my heart." A man should be his own master, should be in charge of his own destiny, and should not entrust himself to others.

We have the right to decide what to do in life, and we cannot let others make decisions, let alone let others influence our will, while we ourselves become puppets.In fact, only you know yourself best. Others are not necessarily better than you, nor will you know your own strength better than yourself. Only your own decision is the best.

We should be the masters of our destiny and not let our destiny dictate us.Mozart and Van Gogh were not treated fairly by fate during their lifetime, but they did not succumb to fate, did not bow to fate, they challenged fate, and finally defeated it, becoming their own masters and masters of fate.

The great Norwegian playwright Ibsen has a famous saying: "What is a man's first vocation? The answer is simple, to be himself." Yes, to be a man is to be yourself first, to recognize yourself first, and to grasp your own destiny. Realize your own life value, in this way, is the true self.

So far, we have introduced the four basic laws of causality that determine destiny. It is because of these four basic laws that our society can become orderly and life can become fair, just and reasonable.

Good and evil are divided into retribution, karma is fixed

If you don’t accumulate good, but concentrate on accumulating evil, I absolutely don’t believe that life will be particularly good; on the contrary, as long as you accumulate good, you may not be rewarded for the time being, but as long as you continue to accumulate good, I absolutely don’t believe that you will not be rewarded.

If you sow melons, you will reap melons, if you sow beans, you will reap beans, and what you sow will reap the same results. This principle of karma is not only emphasized by Buddhism, but also by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato in his immortal masterpiece "Utopia". He advocated that a mortal who committed a crime in this world should receive ten times the punishment after death; a mortal who is just and brave in this world should also receive ten times the reward after death.

Voltaire, a French thinker in the [-]th century, rejected superstition very much, but firmly believed in karma between good and evil. A God with clear rewards and punishments is necessary. If everyone does not believe in God, can this society survive?Religion should be necessary to build a well-mannered society.

The great scientist Newton once said: Limited knowledge capacity often keeps us away from God, and increasing the capacity of knowledge often brings us back to God.

Einstein didn't believe in God when he was young, but he believed more and more in God's existence as he got older.Once he said: I am convinced that the so-called axioms of human life that are now interpreted by scientific theories are not only completely wrong, but that this view should be condemned.

On his deathbed, the great scholar stated the conclusion of his life experience: the universe is mysterious and God exists.

Gallup in the United States once surveyed and studied the 90.00 most famous scientists in the past three centuries, and found that [-]% of them unexpectedly believe in the existence of God!
Almost all the successive presidents of the United States were devout believers in God. When they took the oath of office, they held the Bible in their left hand and raised their right hand to swear to God, and prayed for God to bless their country and people.They all agree that God or God is not only the embodiment of compassion and fraternity, but also has the supreme power to reward the good and punish the evil, because only in this way can the existence of justice and axioms in the universe be maintained.

Darwin, who advocated the theory of evolution, said before his death at the age of 73: I observe the world, especially the characteristics of human beings, and I do not agree that "the world is governed by purposeless forces." Whether it is good or evil, there must be a law that is omnipresent, meticulous, and pervasive throughout the universe.

From this it can be seen that belief in the law of karma is not limited to the ignorant lower classes. On the contrary, philosophers, religionists, scientists, politicians, and many great wise men who possess the highest knowledge and understand the truth of nature and life agree. It is recognized and firmly believed, so the phenomenon of cause and effect is by no means a superstition of foolish men and women.

Some people think that the phenomenon of causality cannot be trusted, the main reason is that this kind of occurrence is a coincidence, not a certainty.This statement seems reasonable on the surface, but as long as you observe carefully and pay attention to verification, you can find that it is not the case. We know that the so-called coincidence or chance can be said to be a temporary and short-term phenomenon. However, the author mentioned above These incredible phenomena can last for five years, ten years, or even a longer period. In addition, many miracles of good rewards almost only occur in the generally recognized families of good people. This obvious phenomenon Can it be explained by chance or coincidence?

Science attaches the most importance to evidence. How will we explain these living evidence?In addition, we know that due to the differences in the karma and fate of each person, the timing of various retributions cannot be exactly the same. Just like a farmer sows, some seeds (such as vegetables and beans) tend to grow and harvest in a short period of time, while others Seeds (such as tree wood) must wait for five, ten or more years to bloom and bear fruit. Even the same kind of seeds, after sowing, are often affected by geological, water, fertilizer, sunlight, climate or other environmental factors. There are different growth conditions due to differences, so we can know that various retributions are not not repaid, but that the time has not arrived. However, we cannot mistakenly believe that various retributions are just accidental phenomena.

Another main reason why some people don't believe in cause and effect is that they can find that some actions have no retribution, or the retribution is very contradictory. fate.

We do not deny that this phenomenon seems to be often found at first glance, and many people often use such examples to criticize the absurdity or unscientificity of causal phenomena. It can be found that this is not the case.

Where is the truth?First of all, we can quote a passage from Buddhism to explain: Doing good will prosper, doing good is as good as not prospering, but the ancestors (or yourself) still have lingering disasters, and it will be prosperous if the disasters are exhausted; doing evil will bring disasters, and doing evil is as good as not , it means that the ancestors (or themselves) still have more prosperity, and the end of prosperity is disaster.

Once a person does good deeds, he should of course receive good rewards, but before he does good deeds, or before (including the past, or even earlier past) there are still evil causes, and such evil retributions have not yet been exhausted, it is reasonable to still receive good rewards. We should continue to bear these evil retributions, and accept the due good retributions after the evil retributions are exhausted (the same should be true for the retribution of evil deeds). Only in this way is a fair and reasonable phenomenon, and only in this way can we be reasonable. Explain why some people suffer various retributions before they have the ability to do good or evil. For example, some people are lucky enough to be born into wealthy and happy families, while others They are very poor and humble, even their parents died shortly after they were born, and they became orphans; Encounters and so on, these are nothing more than the result of karma.

In addition, some people suspect that loyal and great men like Yue Fei, Wen Tianxiang, and Lincoln were later framed and murdered.In fact, it is just the opposite. Although they suffered misfortune for a while, they received more sympathy and memory from the world because of this misfortune. They worshiped and imitated them, and their names will last forever, and they will remain in history forever.
Therefore, the general so-called good intentions are not rewarded, and bad people enjoy great blessings can only be said to be temporary or transitional phenomena. As long as the time comes in the future, disasters will inevitably lead to prosperity or prosperity will be disasters, and retribution cannot be escaped after all.

Sow good causes, reap good fruits

Recently, many psychologists have done a lot of research on the psyche, so that we can obtain more powerful proofs of causal phenomena.

Helen Wambach, a psychologist at the University of California in the United States, once performed hypnosis experiments on more than 1000 people and found that about 90.00% of the subjects could relive what they saw, heard, and felt in the past many times, and it was clear and vivid.He believes that past experiences can explain many emotional disturbances in this life. For example, those who have killed people in the past often have symptoms of emotional anxiety.

Dr. Netherton and Schiffling's book "Past Therapy" says:
Almost all my patients find that their mental distress in their lifetime can be traced with certainty to some past physical condition.If the patient is extremely afraid of heights, the patient may find out that he fell to his death from a very high place.One patient said that he killed his wife in the past because she flaunted extramarital sex to his face, and now they are still together as a couple (in this life), but somehow he always felt really sorry for her.

Dr. Hastings also found that a patient was very afraid of leaving home. The reason was that she had once left home in the frontier areas and found her wife and children burned to death when she returned.

Stevenson also found that some people who are usually very afraid of water, said in hypnosis that they had drowned in the past.Some children have a special penchant for spirits and claim to remember being alcoholics in the past.There are children who, at an early age, learn to sing and dance, use a sewing machine, or some complex skill and turn out to have been good at it in the past. Some gifted children have been famous scholars or experts in the past.He even found that some birthmarks on people's bodies also proved to be the parts that were shot or wounded to death in the past.So he came to an astonishing conclusion: the formation of personality may have been traced back to an earlier time, long before conception and birth.

It can be seen that the results of modern scientific research are completely in line with the law of cause and effect in Buddhism, and it also proves that the theory of "good will be rewarded with good, and evil will be rewarded with evil" is extremely correct.

It is an obvious and undeniable fact that doing good deeds is the happiest and getting more help. There was a legend in the past that although a prince lived in a resplendent palace, he lived a life of fine clothes and fine food and servants like clouds every day, enjoying all the glory and wealth in the world. , but always depressed and unhappy.One day I asked a famous philosopher how a person can be truly happy.

The philosopher told him: This is very simple, as long as you do one good deed every day, one charitable deed every day.Although the prince was half-believed after hearing this, he still followed his words. Unexpectedly, he soon discovered that all the people he helped and cared for expressed their sincere gratitude to him, which was different from the hypocritical flattery in the past. It was very different, so he was very happy.A year later, the prince said to the philosopher: "Your words are not wrong at all. Only by helping others sincerely can one win a person's true respect and gratitude, and only in this way can one obtain real satisfaction and happiness."

Many people who often donate often do not expect to get anything in return, but most of them without exception feel that they always feel happier after doing good deeds. This kind of spiritual ease and happiness can actually be said to be a An excellent return.If a person can maintain this happy mood on a regular basis, the body will naturally become healthier, and the chances of illness and distress will be relatively greatly reduced.

Conversely, a person who commits crimes and has a bad conscience often feels nervous, fearful and anxious, which naturally leads to various diseases and accidents.Some recent scientific experiments have also proved the authenticity of this phenomenon. The American "National Weekly Magazine" once published a research report entitled "Unpleasant Moods Create Toxins".

The main contents are as follows:

Recent experiments at the Washington Psychological Laboratory have shown that the evil thoughts of our species can cause chemical changes in the physiology and cause a toxin to be injected into the blood.If a person exhales into an ice cup in a normal state of mind, what he condenses is a colorless and transparent object. The objects of different substances show different colors, and if they are analyzed chemically, most of them can prove that these substances contain deadly toxins.Condensations born of jealousy can often kill a guinea pig in a few minutes, and if the deep-seated resentment lasts for an hour, it can kill dozens of people.

Therefore, if a mother breastfeeds her baby when she is angry, the baby will often have diarrhea, and if the baby breathes the exhaled air at this time, the baby will easily have a high fever.In addition, science tells us that worry is bad for our health, whereas joyful emotions produce beneficial chemicals that stimulate cells and increase energy.In addition, Dr. Willy of the U.S. Food Inspection Service once said: fright and terror can turn a certain fluid in the body into toxins, which penetrate into the organs, causing the body tissues to disintegrate and cause diseases.

On the contrary, people feel refreshed when they meet happy events, and all happy moods and pure beliefs can make this fluid clear and clean, change their physiology, and lead to health and happiness.If you want to ask why there is such an effect, it belongs to the science of tomorrow. It is still a mysterious phenomenon that cannot be understood, but it is an iron-like fact.

From this we can see that it is an undeniable fact that long-term good deeds can lead to health and happiness.In addition, the author has further discovered that a person who likes to do good deeds often has kind thoughts in his heart, so most of them appear benevolent and kind-eyed in appearance.Talking with him is often like spring sunshine, and I feel extremely warm. Not only does it make people like to get close, but it also often makes people feel sincere admiration.

Because they usually have a wide circle of people and are well-known, so once something happens, most of them will undoubtedly be able to make a difference, or even turn a bad luck into a good one, and as a result, they will often be able to achieve greater or more careers.The so-called auspiciousness and auspiciousness are actually well-founded.Some examples listed earlier in this book can be said to be the best proof.

Since all deeds have rewards, one must strive to do good deeds in order to obtain good rewards, but what are good deeds?Generally speaking, it can include the following aspects:

One is to engage in financial charity, to help the poor with property, and to take care of other people's lives.

The second is to practice the law, engage in the work of enlightenment, and promote the principles that are beneficial to the world and the hearts of the people.Donating good books, persuading people to do good, crossing the maze, and no longer being obsessed with doing evil, this kind of merit of saving people's souls can be said to be the greatest, so Martin Luther most respected school teachers, because this is the best, greatest and most effective. Useful profession.However, if the teacher misleads the students, the crime is the greatest.

The third is to do fearless charity, relieve the suffering of all living beings with one's own power, build bridges and roads, heal the sick, save and release lives, serve others, and share joy with orphans.In addition, when performing any kind of charity, if it can be based on the pure motive of helping others, without any selfishness or fame, this kind of devotion and altruism can be said to be a real good deed.

The fourth is that filial piety is the first of all good deeds. If you want to do good deeds, you must first do filial piety, because if you fail to give due repayment to your dear relatives who have given birth to me and raised me, even if there are other good deeds, in fact, most of them will not be able to fully complete. Compensation for crimes caused by unfilial piety.We know that no matter ancient or modern, Chinese or foreign, any person who has accomplished a great cause is almost without exception a filial piety to his parents.It can be seen from this that filial piety is the first of all good things, the foundation of being a person, and the key to success.

At the end, the author remembered a few interesting stories. Someone asked the great scientist Einstein: What are the elements of a person's success?He replied: If A stands for success, then its formula is A = X ten Y ten Z, where X stands for hard work and Y stands for entertainment, so what about Z?Just keep your mouth shut.The author thinks that it is best for Z to do more good deeds instead, because the result of doing more good deeds can not only obtain real happiness, but also help a person achieve success.

The most basic standard of Buddhist moral life is to observe the five precepts.

To develop a noble moral sentiment is to do the ten good deeds.The five precepts and the ten good deeds are the requirements and implementation of faith in behavior.The five precepts and the ten good things overlap in content, but each has its own focus.The ten virtues have a broader meaning.The five precepts focus on body and speech, while the ten good deeds include all three karmas, which require purification of body, speech and mind.What to use to purify the three karma?It is to use the ten good methods to purify.

The precepts of Buddhism, no matter whether it is the precepts of ceremonies, the precepts of good deeds, or the precepts of benefiting sentient beings, they are not empty preaching, nor are they deduced from abstract concepts. They are all formulated on the basis of the Buddha's insight into the law of cause and effect.

The precepts of Buddhism emphasize the heart as the foundation, the convenience of refraining from doing all kinds of evil, the pursuit of goodness, and the purification of one's own mind. The ultimate liberation of the individual, the self-improvement of the individual, the stability and harmony of the whole society, the conscious needs of the individual and the inevitable requirements of the society for the individual are organically unified.

The magnificence of the moral value of life proposed by Buddhism lies in the fact that it integrates the moral life with the individual's desire for liberation, rather than being external to each other.It does not have the slightest coercion. People obey the precepts out of a voluntary and self-requirement.

(End of this chapter)