There is no coincidence in life. Ancients Chinese said, ‘Any one sip of water and any one bite of food (in this life) are determined by what a person did in their previous lives’. Who determined it for you? You did. It has nothing to do with anyone else. Sakyamuni Buddha taught us that two types of karma determine a human being’s life in this world.

Listen to my teacher’s lecture in Chinese: Why was your child born into your family?

Listen to the podcast in English: What Brings People Together?

The first type is ‘directing karma’. It directs us to be reincarnated in one of the ten dharma realms (in the Universe). This is ‘directing karma’. We produced the causes of directing karma in previous lives. The directing karma (of us gaining rebirth in the human realm) is the Five Precepts and the Ten Virtues. Because we practised the Five Precepts and the Ten Virtues quite well (in our previous lives), the karma (or the good energy) generated by us practising the Five Precepts and the Ten Virtues directed us to be reborn in the human realm and gain rebirth in a human body in this life.

As for being reborn into which family and who would be our parents, it depends on various causes. Without these causes, we would not be reborn into those specific families. Sakyamuni Buddha explained clearly that the causes are very complicated. But in general, they fall into four main categories, that is, 1) repaying kindness, 2) taking revenge, 3) recovering debts, and 4) repaying debts. These are the four main categories.

If the child born into your family is to repay your kindness, they are loving and respectful to you. They were born to be like that.

If the child is to take revenge on you (because you hurt him/her in previous lives), it is troublesome. The child will bring down your whole family at some point in this life. Why? Because he/she is there to take revenge on you hurting him/her.

If the child is to recover debts from you, you will then happily bring them up. When they become an adult, they die. The amount of money you have spent on them in this life is the amount that you owed them (in previous lives). Because they have recovered all the debts, so they leave.

If the child is to repay the money they owed you, they will look after you when you are old. But they do not respect you, do not love you, they only cater for all your needs for daily living. Why? Because they are just there to pay off the debt. They owed you, so they pay it back.

These are the four types of causes. Without these four types of causes, a child will not be born into your family.

So, we must clearly understand it. Once we understand it, we can turn the karma causes into Dharma causes. We can then be said to be awakened. Whether the child is here to repay kindness or take revenge, we guide them to be mindful of Amituofo’s name (Amitabha Buddha’s name), be mindful of Amituofo, to learn to become a Buddha, and to follow Buddhas’ teachings. This practice will turn the karma causes generated in previous lives into dharma causes. How wonderful it is! This is true wisdom.    

The second type is ‘filling karma’. Filling karma determines what we have for enjoyment in this life. Things such as the amount of wealth you gain in this life, your social status and your academic degree are the consequences of the good and bad thoughts, speech and deeds that you did in previous lives. Some people are super rich, it is because they gave a huge amount of wealth to others in their previous lives without thinking of themselves.

Giving wealth is the cause, gaining wealth is the effect or consequence.

Giving one’s knowledge is the cause, being intelligent and wise is the consequence.

Giving fearlessness (e.g., helping a human being from being frightened or an animal from being killed) is the cause, good health and long life are the consequences.

If you practise all these three types of giving, you will get prefect consequences. You will be wealthy, intelligent, wise, healthy and have a long life. This is perfect good fortune.

We have seen many people who are wealthy, but they are not intelligent and has no wisdom. But they enjoy good conditions. They have many undergraduates and postgraduates working for them. They are the boss and their employees are willing to work for them. It is because the employer were kind to the employees in previous lives. What the employees doing is repaying their boss’ kindness given in previous lives. They owed their boss in previous lives, so they are here to repay the boss’ kindness.

So, we must practise the Ten Virtues and accumulate efforts and gains of practising the virtues. Consequently, we will have good ‘filling karma’. If we are leading a hard life in this life, it is because we did not practise much virtues in our previous lives. But now we have learned the Buddha’s teachings, we can start to practise virtues properly. It is never too late. If we practise the Ten Virtues hard and properly from now on, in three years’ time, good consequences will definitely arrive without us expecting them.

We have seen many real-life examples. After three, five or ten years of practising good deeds, good consequences will definitely arrive.

Your destiny will definitely change. Destiny does exist, but it can be changed.

If we practise good thoughts, good speech, and good actions, the consequences that we receive will be better and better.

If we practise bad thoughts, bad speech and bad actions, even though we have good fortune now, it will disappear sooner or later, and the span of time for us to enjoy it will also be shortened.

Once our good fortune is all used up, bad consequences will arrive. It is why nowadays many wealthy people, such as some business people, go into bankruptcy after only a few years of running the business.

Why is it? It is because they have not practised virtues in this life although they did practise the Ten Virtues in previous lives. Consequently, good fortune can be easily used up. We must understand these principles.

Wishing whoever reads this post good mental and physical health, peace, harmony, auspiciousness, happiness, healthy long life and infinite wisdom. Thank you.

DEDICATION

The effort and gains of explaining, transmitting and listening to Buddhas’ teachings are dedicated to

the entire Universe and all beings of all dimensions and all existences. May they all listen to Buddhas’ teachings, awaken to the truth of the Universe, be mindful of the name ‘Amituofo’ (Amitabha Buddha),

aspire to go to the Pure Land, and become Buddhas. (Read this line three times.)

I pray to Buddhas and bodhisattvas for unconditionally solving all man-made and natural disasters around the globe.

For all of those who died in man-made wars and natural disasters across the world,

and for all of those who are related to me in all kinds of ways in this life and previous lives, may they listen to Buddhas’ teachings. May they awaken to the truth of the Universe, aspire to unearth their innate and most sincere, pure, equal and awakened mind, be single-mindedly mindful of Amituofo, aspire to go to the Pure Land so as to see Amituofo and listen to his teachings, removing all their delusions and unveiling their innate wisdom, gaining the real peace and happiness, instantly escaping from the cycle of birth and death, speedily becoming Buddhas, and helping all beings (in the entire Universe) like all other Buddhas.

The effort and gains are dedicated to the leaders of all countries on the Earth. May all countries be prosperous. May all disasters be solved. May the world enjoy eternal peace. I use the effort and gains to return the help from the enlightenment of Buddhas, by the correctness of Buddhas’ teachings, from the purity of sangha, from all beings, from my parents (in this life and previous lives), and from my country(ies). I also use the effort and gains to help alleviate the suffering of those who are already in and will be reborn into the animal realm, the ghost realm and hells as the result of their bad thoughts, speech and deeds. For anyone who sees and hears me chanting or being mindful of Amituofo and doing other good deeds, may they aspire to unearth their most sincere, pure, equal and awakened mind so as to go to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, together with me, at the end of our present lives.

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