Life is unpredictable. So what good is accumulating vast wealth and possessions since no one can take them away upon leaving this world? This wise and worldly principle will enable parents to consider: “What is the most important and long-lasting wealth you can impart to your children?”
Traditionally, there has been a well-known saying among people stating: “Family wealth does not last for more than three generations.”
The following two stories from the Northern Song Dynasty (A.D. 960-1127) and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (A.D. 907-979) may allude to the answer.
The flagrant practice of taking advantage of others will lead to misfortune for children
Cai Jing was a notorious and treacherous minister of the Northern Song Dynasty. Due to his greedy and extravagant lifestyle, he was known for committing many evils.
According to ancient records, Cai Jing loved to eat quail soup. Unfortunately, taking this dish required killing 300 quails. His children and grandchildren, born into a wealthy family, were ignorant to the point that they thought the white rice they ate daily was grown from straw mat bags.
After the old emperor’s abdication and the new one’s crowning, Cai Jing was sent to a remote area as punishment for his evil deeds. Unfortunately, the local people of that region were unwilling to sell him any food, and eventually, Cai Jing died of starvation in an abandoned and ruined temple.
As a result of the father’s previous crimes, Cai’s sons equally did not have good lives — six ended up suffering tragic deaths, and two were sent to serve in the army and were killed in action.
Accumulating virtue can bring blessings to future generations
Qian Liu was the forefather of the Qian clan in Hangzhou during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. A man with a good heart, Qian Liu built and repaired countless bridges and temples during his lifetime and accumulated a lot of good fortune for his family.
Lasting for more than a thousand years and up to the present day, the Qian family is still full of talented individuals. For example, Qian Xuesen, Qian Weichang, and Qian Sanqiang are scientists, and Qian Zhongshu is a gifted writer. Moreover, these descendants are all prosperous.
According to records, Qian Liu left more than 10 family mottos while on his deathbed, requesting his children and grandchildren to be loyal, kind, thrifty, and respectful. This led to a very different family ending. Passing through many dynasties and generations, the Qian family has not declined, but has kept thriving. Why is that?
Accumulating good fortune is far more helpful than stacking up monetary wealth, as shown by China’s famous and exemplary Qian family.
Righteous actions and deeds accumulate virtue
Families that foster and earn goodness will naturally flourish from generation to generation, and their children and grandchildren will enjoy peace and prosperity.
Parents who lavish their children with lots of money and endless pleasurable pursuits are undermining the blessings of their children. True love and genuine care for children is for parents to set an example by engaging in more good deeds that gather blessings and virtue for the next generation.
Families that do good deeds and give to charity will produce noble children, while families that do evil deeds have no such blessing. The law of “good is rewarded, and evil is punished” is rarely acknowledged by people as they traverse their current lifetimes.
This world’s repayment for good and evil is like a shadow following a body. It is believed that if you suffer now for your misdeeds, you will be blessed in the future. Thus, it could be said that God never needs to punish people since they do this to themselves unknowingly.
Parents’ goodness is the most significant inheritance for their children, and it is a true family heirloom.
Parents who are genuine exemplars of righteousness and goodness will leave their children and future generations with the best inheritance — goodwill, peace, abundance, and prosperity.
