There are all kinds of people in the world. However, there are two kinds of people you should always be good to.
1. Those who are kind to you
In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), a gentleman called Mr. Sun was well known for his kindness. He always did good deeds to help others. His life was smooth and his children were respectful. Therefore, people believed that Mr. Sun was being rewarded for his goodness.
Unexpectedly, while approaching his 60th birthday, Mr. Sun suddenly fell ill with sores on his face, which was very scary. None of the doctors he visited could help him with his sickness.
His children were worried that the disease might be life-threatening in the long run. So they decided to try another way to find the possible cause. They invited a famous master who lived nearby to see if he could find something.
It did not take long for the master to establish that the sores were caused by karma. After the master questioned him for awhile, Mr. Sun finally remembered an event that happened many years before.
At the time, Mr. Sun was a youngster aged around 11 or 12 years old, and he fell into the river while playing. Fortunately, he was rescued by a passing beggar.
After being rescued and while still in shock, he found that it was a beggar who saved him. The boy felt disgusted and ran home crying without saying thank you to the beggar.
Upon learning that the event was the cause, Mr. Sun immediately sent people to find the beggar. Fortunately, the beggar was able to be found. When Mr. Sun saw the beggar, he hugged the man, cried loudly, paid his appreciation, and announced that the beggar would live at his home for the rest of his life.
Sun’s bad sores improved the next day, and they finally healed without medicine. There is a saying: “You should repay the grace of a drop of water with a spring.” Certainly, that includes the grace of having your life saved!
There are numerous kindnesses shown to you during your life. So it is likely you already owe a lot to those who help you through different hardships. If you hurt them, you will owe more.
2. Those who do good deeds without others’ knowledge
Mei Lanfang (1894-1961) was a notable Peking opera artist. This story is about his father Mei Zhufen.
Mei Zhufen started learning the huqin, a type of spiked fiddle, at a very young age. Mei Zhufen then became a Chinese opera artist and often performed in the palace. Over the years, he accumulated more than 5,000 taels of silver. Finally, his family urged him to return home to get married.
He took a carriage filled with his luggage to go home. Reaching the south of Beijing, he saw many thatched huts filled with countless refugees. It was a year of famine and there were many hungry people.
Seeing this scene, Mei Zhufen felt sympathy. He considered the matter: “I have more than 5,000 taels of silver. If I donate 3,000 taels of silver, and there will still be 2,000 taels remaining. That will be enough for me to get married.”
So he took out 3,000 taels for the victims, but there were too many people suffering from the disaster and 3,000 taels were not enough to distribute evenly. Looking at the begging victims, Mei Zhufen gave away the remaining 2,000 silver pieces to the victims.
Then Mei Zhufen felt comforted. But all the money he had earned over the years was gone in one day. Without money how, could he go home and get married?
After thinking about it, Mei Zhufen decided to delay the marriage a few years and returned to Beijing. People around him were very puzzled at his returning so soon. They laughed and called him stupid after he told them what had happened to his money.
Mei Zhufen worked another three years before returning home to get married. Years later, his son Mei Lanfang was born. His son earned both fame and fortune in his life, becoming a legend in the Peking Opera industry, and in the 1930s and 1940s, he was earning up to 10 gold bars for each performance. This was a staggering amount of money.
In Chinese traditional culture, it is believed that people with good hearts will be blessed. Those who have the happiness of others in their hearts are not only known by the people around them, but also by the gods. Their good deeds are all recorded by Heaven. If you hurt these good people, you will naturally incur retribution.
Translated by Jean Chen
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