Book Review

I have been reading “The Four Lessons of Liao-Fan”by Liao-fan Yuan. The lessons in this book can serve as a guide who those who want to change their original destiny.
This book was written by the author to teach his son how to recognize the true face of destiny, how to tell good from evil, and the method for correcting one's faults and practicing kind deeds.
It also provided proofs of the rewards and outcomes of people who had practiced kind deeds and cultivated virtue and humility. Relating from his own experience at changing destiny, Mr. Yuan himself was a living embodiment of his teachings.
At first Mr Yuan like any ordinary humans thought that everything in life was predestined as events in his life occurred accurately as predicted by Mr Kung, a fortune teller. So he thought that promotion, wealth, life and death are all predestined. However a meeting with Master Yun Ku-hui, a Zen master at Ch’i-hsia mountain changed him.
 According to Master Yun, fate cannot control a person who has done extremely great deeds. Destiny is not set but is created and determined by man himself. Both good fortune and misfortune are created by his actions.
Mr Yuan was able to change his destiny by following the teachings of Mater Yun. Mr Kung had predicted that the highest position he would reach was as a magistrate and he would retire after holding that post for three years. He would die when he was 53. He would have no son which is something very important in a traditional Chinese family.
However by following Master Yun’s teachings, he changed his destiny. He had a son, passed various imperial examinations and became a mayor of Pao-ti prefecture. He lived until 74 years old.
The 4 lessons to change one’s destiny:

Lesson 1: Principles of Destiny

We need to develop our virtue, diligently try to practice kind deeds and work to accumulate as many hidden merits and virtues as possible. These are our own transactions to create and improve upon our good fortune and avoid adversity.

Lesson 2: The Method of Repentance

To invite good fortune one should first repent even before performing good deeds.

There are 3 conditions for to reform and to repent.

1. One must have a conscience or shamefulness
2. One must have respectfulness
3. One must have determination and courage to stop wrong behavior or to change

There are 3 stages in repentance.

1. Changing one’s behavior.
2. Changing through understanding from a mental level.
3. Changing from the heart

Lesson 3: The Ways of Accumulating Merits

It is easier for those who have money and power to accumulate merits and virtues than for those who are poor. For those who are poor and without prestige, doing kind things for others is very difficult. However, if in this difficulty one can still manage to help others then it would be even more valuable

The ways of helping others can be simplified into ten important categories.

        I.            Supporting the practice of kindness

In today’s era of low morality, social breakdown and loss of proper thinking, it is most difficult to find a good standard of behavior. Therefore, when those around us have shortcomings, we do not use our good points to highlight their deficiencies. When others are unkind, we do not use our kindness and compare ourselves to them. When others are not as capable as we are, we do not purposely surpass them with our abilities. We should not boast our intelligence and competence. Instead, we need to behave even more modestly. When someone makes mistakes, we tolerate them, providing them the opportunity to reform without the loss of self-respect. When we see strengths or small kindnesses in others, we can learn from them and praise them to others. In daily life, we should refrain from speaking and acting with selfish intention.

      II.            Revering love and respect for others

Sometimes it is hard to tell from appearance whether one is an honorable person or a fraud. The difference lies in their intentions. The heart of a genuinely honorable person is filled with loving-kindness and respect for others. There are thousands of different types of people in this world. We should neither hate nor disrespect anyone. When our hearts are filled with loving-kindness and respect for others, it is the same as if our hearts were filled with loving-kindness and respect for virtuous people. When we understand and agree with others, it is the same as if we understand and agree with the virtuous people. All virtuous people want the people on this earth to obtain what they wish for. Therefore, if we can have loving-kindness and respect for people and help them to achieve in their endeavors, we are doing the job of a virtuous person.

   III.            Helping others to succeed in doing good

When we see people whom we feel have good potential for doing a good deed or working towards a proper goal, we can guide, support, praise and encourage them, helping them to succeed in their endeavors. If others wrongly accuse them, we can try to clear their name and share their burden of slander. Only when we have helped them stand on their feet and become a part of society will we have fulfilled our responsibility in helping others to do good.

There are always more bad people around than good people. Therefore, those who are good often have difficulty standing on their own. Good people have good abilities and virtues, which allow them to achieve fame. They can easily be wrongly accused, so striving to do good can be a challenge. When this happens, it is entirely up to virtuous people to protect and help those who are good and need to stand on their own. They can provide what the good people need to practice goodness. The merits of these virtuous people who do this will be great.

    IV.            Persuading others to practice kindness

Although we want to do good, the necessity of surviving in a world filled with hardships can result in our forgetting to do good. When a friend is about to ignore his or her conscience to do something unworthy, we can remind and warn this friend, hoping to wake him or her from delusion. We can persuade others by word of mouth as well as by writing books to promote virtue. Compared with teaching others through behavior this is much more direct and obvious. Sometime, we do not have time to teach others through behavior. Then verbal or written education will be more effective.

      V.            Helping those in desperate need

If we meet people who suffer from serious difficulties, we can help that person as if we were the one who was suffering. We immediately come to this person’s aid. It does not matter whether a favor is big or small. What is important is that it is done at a time when others need it most.

    VI.            Developing public projects for the greater benefit of people

Small construction works are needed for villages and big construction jobs are needed for cities. As long as it is beneficial to the people, it should be built. Public projects can be the construction of systems to irrigate farmlands, dams to prevent flooding or bridges to facilitate travel. Also, we can give food or water to those who are hungry or thirsty. Whenever we have the opportunity, we need to encourage others to do their share as well to help accomplish the project, either through the sharing of wealth or of labor.

 VII.            Practicing merits by giving wealth

In Buddhism, giving is considered the foremost practice among all the methods. Giving is to let go. A wise person who understands this principle would be willing to give away everything. There is nothing we cannot give away. When we find ourselves unable to do so, we can start with the giving of wealth. When we practice giving without hesitation, we can cure stinginess and at the same time, help others in dire need. This is very difficult to do, at first. But, gradually it will become more natural the more we give. This is the best way to cure selfishness and to rid ourselves of attachments and stinginess.

VIII.            Protecting and maintaining the proper teachings

For millions of years, proper teachings have been a standard of truth and provided spiritual guidance for all living beings. Therefore, whenever we see way places, memorials of past virtuous people or sages, pictures of sages, or Buddhist texts, we should be respectful. If they are in need of repair, we should repair and put them back in order. We can propagate and carry forward the proper teachings and help others to learn their value. In this way, we can repay our gratitude to the Buddha. We should encourage others to do so as well.

    IX.            Respecting elders

It is making an extra effort in being attentive to and respecting parents, elder siblings, leaders, superiors or elders or those of high virtue, prestige and learning. When taking care of our parents at home, we are to do so with loving hearts and a gentle, accommodating appearance. We should not raise our voice but maintain a peaceful bearing. As we cultivate these virtues, they will become a part of us and we will change into a gentle-hearted person.

Families which practiced loyalty and filial piety have descendants who prospered for a long time and had bright futures.

      X.            Loving and cherishing all living things

A person who wants to accumulate merits should also cultivate a compassionate heart. Therefore, we should not eat meat under four circumstances. First was if we heard the killing, second was if we saw the killing, third was if we raised the animal themselves and fourth was if we had the animal killed for our consumption. Even if we cannot stop eating meat immediately, we can still try to start by following these four guidelines. In this way, we are gradually increasing our compassion. We would not only refrain from killing any living creature.  

Lesson 4: The Benefits of Humility

Humility receives benefit and arrogance invites trouble. Only those who are humble can receive the teaching of others and that is how one can receive wisdom and fortune and benefit a great deal.