Throughout the Ages, Good is Rewarded While Evil Provokes Karmic Retribution (Part 1)
 
Ancient sayings state that, “The Heavens grace the good with blessings; the Heavens punish the bad with disaster,” and “Blessing and disaster are not set in stone; they are influenced by individuals’ actions.” Therefore, gentlemen treated others with compassion and thus accumulated blessings and virtue. They realized that everything happens for a reason. Since the beginning of time, there have been countless examples of good being rewarded and evil provoking karmic retribution. The following are two stories recorded during the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644 AD).
 
Saving the Drowning and Hungry People
 
Dahui, an abbot in his 70's in the Qingyun Temple in Dinghu Mountain, Guangdong, was a solid cultivator who had come to understand a few heavenly secrets. Although he mastered medicine and fortune telling by reading facial features, he would not demonstrate his abilities easily. When the magistrate of Gaoyao County visited Qingyun Temple, he was accompanied by a member of his staff named Liu. Liu was an old acquaintance of Dahui. Liu told the magistrate about Dahui’s knowledge of fortune telling, so the magistrate asked Dahui to tell his fortune.
 
Dahui was unable to decline the request and agreed reluctantly. He asked the magistrate to sit down and relax. After reading his face, Dahui told the magistrate, “There are lives in your hands. Accumulating virtue can protect your longevity.” The magistrate asked him about his career prospects. Dahui answered with a smile, “I am not very good and dare not predict your future. A man with great virtue naturally will have good fortune. Your kind heart is the greatest fortune of the people in your county.” Seeing that Dahui was being very subtle and knowing that he did not talk a lot, the magistrate left after finishing the tea. He then told Liu to ask Dahui for more information privately.
 
Dahui frankly told Liu that, from looking at his face, the magistrate had lost brilliance and auspicious energy. “The magistrate has dark energy on his face and he may not live past one year. The good thing is that his original good energy is not completely gone, which means that he can still be saved from danger and he is not bound to die. Being a public servant of many people, his every move and every policy is closely related to the people's lives and safety. If he sincerely keeps kindness in his heart and helps the people, he can benefit many people. It was not a groundless statement when I predicted that accumulating virtue can protect his longevity.”
 
Liu nodded his head many times. He did not dare tell the magistrate directly everything that Dahui told him. He tactfully told the magistrate that he needed to do one thing that could save the lives of many in the next few months so he could extend his lifespan.
 
Soon after, there was a disastrous flood in the Xiliao area. The level of the floodwater rose several feet overnight and swallowed up the surrounding farmland and houses. Many villagers were drowning and yelling for help. The magistrate quickly went to a nearby hillside and surveyed the scene from there. What he saw was terrifying and there was not much that he could do at that moment. He saw the young and strong villagers getting on boats and fleeing for their lives but no one was helping small children and infants, who were floating on the water. The magistrate suddenly gave an order: a person who saves a child will get one liang (one unit) of silver as a reward, and the more he saves, the more rewards he will get. As a result, people with boats began to save children and infants. In total, over 400 children were saved. After the flood subsided, the magistrate opened up the grain reserve to relieve the people and arranged places to settle the flood victims.
 
Later, the magistrate was promoted to the prefect of Huizhou. When he traveled past Luofu Mountain, he met with abbot Dahui again. The minute Dahui saw him, he said, “The person with a kind heart finally gets rewarded. You lifespan is prolonged.”
 
A man's destiny can be changed by doing good deeds and accumulating virtue. When one has a good heart, his fate will be good, and when he has an evil heart, his life will be full of evil. If one wants to predict their own future blessings or disaster, one only needs to observe their own heart and history. When a person commits crimes, his good fortune will disappear and he will end up with disasters.


善恶各有报 (上)
 
古语云：“为善者天报之以福，为恶者天报之以祸”，“福祸无门，唯人自召”，因此君子敬天知命， 修善修德，善待他人，是以积福。任何事情的发生，都有其因果关系，从古至今，因果报应无不历历应验。是福是祸，要看种的是善或恶的因。以下为古籍中记载的明代的两个故事。
 
拯饥救溺　福泽绵长
 
广东鼎湖山庆云寺的主持大慧长老，养气悟道的工夫相当深厚，知道一些天机。他七十多岁时，仍然仙风道骨。虽然他精通医术和相面，却不随便轻易表现。当时高要县的县令来到庆云寺游览，随行的有位姓刘的幕僚官，因为与大慧长老熟悉，知道他精于命理，便告诉县令。县令便请大慧长老为自己看相。
 
大慧长老推辞不了，只好勉强答应县令的请求。他请县令闲坐休息，心情放松，自己定神看过后，便告诉县令说：“生灵操在手，积德能保寿。”县令又问：“我的前途如何呢？”大慧长老微笑地说：“老衲愚昧，不敢预言您的前程。大德之人自有福泽。只要您能保持虔诚的仁爱心，便是县民的大幸。”县令知道大慧长老不轻易畅谈，又见他说话很含蓄。于是茗茶完毕时，便请刘幕僚官私下去探问玄机。
 
大慧长老坦白告诉刘幕僚官：“老衲观看县令的相，发现他脸上的光华和瑞气已经消失了，呈现灰黑色的气。他的寿命恐怕不出一年。幸好原来的气色尚未退尽，表示：险中有救，命不该绝。他身为百里的父母官，举手投足，布施政令，关系著百姓的性命安危。如果他本著一念的善心，济人助人，未尝不可以造福万民。所以老衲最后断言他积德保寿，并不是空口乱说话啊！”刘幕僚官一直点头说：“是！”他不敢直接把话禀告县令，只是委婉地告诉县令：“老僧的意思是：尊县在数个月内，必须做出一件拯救许多苍生的善事，才可以增长寿元！”
 
不久，西潦一带泛滥成灾。洪水在一夜之间涨了数尺，淹没了农田，接著又淹浸许多房屋。不少灾民身溺水中，急声呼救。县令急忙赶到附近的高岗瞭望，惊心惨目，一时无法处理善后。只见年壮而且勇敢的乡民纷纷驾小船逃命，但是年纪较小的孩子婴儿却没有援救，任他们在水中浮沉。见到这种情景，县令突然下令：救起一位小孩的人，可以获赏一两银子，多救多赏。于是，有船的人家相继出动拯救小孩，一共救了四百多位孩子。随后县令又开仓赈济、安置灾民，使很多百姓得以活命。
 
后来，县令升任惠州的知府。当他路过罗浮山时，又会晤了大慧长老。大慧长老一看见他，便说：“善心人终于得到报应，您的福泽以后绵长了。”
 
人生在世，寿夭贪富，虽说命中注定，但也可以靠行善积德来改运。所以说，心为一身之主，心善则命善，心恶则命恶，欲知吉凶祸福，但问自心便知。如有的人任意非为，种下罪根，虽本有福而终得凶灾，难逃因果报应之理。