Everyone wants to get rich, but some people can seize opportunities and make their dreams come true; although some people can take advantage of random opportunities and work hard, they will never achieve success after working hard all their lives; and some people have accumulated a lot of wealth. Wealth does not last long, and one mistake can lead to eternal regret. For more than ten years, I have heard many people ask questions in this regard in front of the old monk Miaofa. I will choose two stories to tell readers.
Do you still remember in the chapter of the teachings of the old monk Miaofa in the previous book “Modern Cause and Effect Record”, a layman asked how to gather more money and help build a monastery? The old monk taught him: “Money is firewood, more money is firewood.” It is useless to gather it together, and it is often set on fire, and it can easily cause fire and burn yourself. Firewood can keep you warm, and it can be found everywhere when needed. Don’t be greedy for too much, as it will become a hidden danger.”
There is still half of the story and I will continue it now.
Why did this layman ask for advice and wanted to raise more money to build a temple? Because he is already a successful person in his career. The family of three took full precepts soon after converting to Buddhism, Dharma and Sangha. He has a family of tens of millions, but he can keep the precepts strictly, which is really admirable. It seems that it is not difficult to learn Taoism if you are wealthy. The key is whether you have the root of wisdom in your past life and whether you have a relationship with the Buddha.
His son Cheng Wei, who had just entered high school, was walking with a few classmates after school one day. One of the classmates, probably hungry, bought a sesame seed cake, took a bite, chewed it, spit it out, and threw the sesame seed cake in front of him. On the ground, Cheng Wei asked: “Why did you throw it away?” The classmate said: “It’s not delicious.” As he spoke, he walked up to the sesame cake, raised his leg and kicked it a few meters away.
Cheng Wei hurriedly ran forward, picked up the sesame cakes and handed them to his classmates, saying, “It’s a pity to throw them away. Eat them. It’s sinful to waste food.”
The classmate laughed and said: “Throw away the sesame cakes I bought if you want. What crime are you committing? Are you afraid of wasting your own food?”
Cheng Wei hesitated for a moment and said, “Then let me eat it for you.” Then he blew the dirt on the sesame cake and started eating while walking. When Cheng Wei’s mother said this to the old monk, her eyes were a little red. She said her son cried when he told her this.
After hearing this, the old monk looked at the silent child sitting aside with admiration and said, “Good boy, study hard and you will have a bright future!”
Cheng Wei’s father said: “Cheng Wei has been fond of meditating since he was a child. Sometimes he would be playing in the house, but he could not be found, and he did not hear the door ring. When his mother and I were wondering, suddenly there seemed to be something in the closet. I heard some movement. I opened the cabinet door and saw that my son was sitting cross-legged inside, with his eyes closed and his little mouth muttering something silently. I took him out and asked him what he was doing sitting there. He said: ‘Playing’ Bah! ”What are you muttering about?’
He said: ‘I don’t know either. ’ Master, do you think this child has a predestined relationship with Buddha? He has long said that he will not get married in the future and will not cause trouble. “
The old monk said to Cheng Wei’s mother: “Yes! You should train him well and let him become a knowledgeable Buddhist so that he can make great contributions to the cause of spreading Buddhism in the future.”
Cheng Wei’s father said: “I have something that I can’t figure out. I have been thinking about it for several years. I want to ask a teacher. I originally only had a junior high school education. Then I met an opportunity and wanted to do something on my own. Who wants to start doing things as soon as possible? It went very smoothly, and until today, although it is not a big company, it is still okay. Sometimes I have doubts about myself. I know many people who are highly educated and smart, and they even started this industry earlier than me. They never developed, and some prospered for a few years but suddenly fell into trouble. But not only did I develop smoothly, I was also lucky enough to encounter Buddhism, recite Buddhist scriptures, print sutras and Buddha statues, and the business was getting better and better. This cannot but be said It’s a blessing. Master, can you tell me what causes I planted in the past to have the results I have today?”
The master said: “This kind of problem should be solved by practicing Zen yourself. You will understand it when you have the time. You must be doing business all day long and only think about making money, and you have no time to meditate. In order to let Cheng Wei and everyone understand cause and effect, Let me tell you a story:
During the time of Sakyamuni Buddha, there was a time when thousands of Buddha’s disciples were sitting in a hall full of Buddha, listening to Sakyamuni Buddha’s sermons. A monk sitting in the last row at the door of the lecture hall suddenly made a cry of “Guru, Guru” in his stomach. The surrounding monks were listening intently to the Dharma, and no one paid any attention to him. The bhikkhu suddenly heard laughter behind him. He turned around and saw an eighty-nine-year-old boy outside the door. He was laughing and chewing something, holding the remaining half of the cake in his hand. He asked in a low voice: “Are you hungry?” The bhikkhu nodded, so the child handed him half of the cake, turned around and ran away to play. “
The old monk said: “That child is your predecessor, because you gave that monk half a piece of cake to satisfy his hunger, so that he could listen to the scriptures and listen to the Dharma with peace of mind. This merit is very great. This is the reason why you can be rich in this life. “Earth” The Tibetan Sutra says: In the future, if a good man or a good woman plants a few good roots in the Dharma, as much as a hair or a grain of dust, the benefits he or she will receive are indescribable…
In the future life, if there are good men and good women who encounter Mahayana sutras or hear a verse, they will be sincere in their thoughts, praise and respect them, and give gifts and offerings, they will receive great rewards, immeasurable and boundless. If they can return to the Dharma Realm, their blessings will be unparalleled. Metaphor.
That child, out of curiosity, came to the door of the lecture hall and listened to a few words of Buddhist teachings. Or maybe he did not understand the meaning, but in this life after many lives, the karma matured and he not only became a disciple of the Buddha, but also became very rich. That is you. You know, the bhikkhu who was succumbed to hunger by the child with half a piece of cake may have become enlightened and achieved fruition just because he could listen to the Dharma with peace of mind. Because of the karma with you, I might come to this life to meet you or meet you, and jointly promote Buddhism. As long as you continue to work hard and meditate, you will understand one day.
Those who cannot succeed in doing things are mostly those who were unwilling to give in their previous lives or this life, or who have other obstacles. If you want to change your destiny, you must know how to give, do more charity work that benefits the country and the people, and do not engage in killing, stealing, and prostitution. If you persevere, you will achieve success.
Those who get rich and then lose their money are mostly caused by spending money to create karma. For example, if evil and sexual activities are rampant, such as killing for food, etc., or the money is earned from improper activities, such as killing, stealing, and committing adultery, once the causes and conditions mature, evil retribution will appear. Therefore, people who are engaged in these industries should change their profession as soon as possible and repent of their sins, which will reverse their future evil retribution. “
