A lasting legacy is defined by two things, it’s historic impact and the moral virtue it represents. Humans are forgetful in nature, and in a process of constant self discovery. Legacies are like memories that remind us of our perils, our potentials and of our highest ideals.
Introduction to the lasting legacy of Fan Zhongyan
Qin Kuai, the traitorous prime minister of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), once used his power to coerce Lai Bouyi, a feng shui master at that time, to find a good feng shui site that would enable him and his descendants to be rich and prosperous for a long time, and to be crowned as a prince or a marquis. Once found, he would relocate his ancestral tombs in order to enjoy lasting blessings. As his family’s lives were threatened, Lai Bouyi had no choice but to give in to the threat and set up a feng shui design that would surely produce kings and noblemen.
The curse of Lai Bouyi
Afterward, Lai Bouyi and his family went to the south to avoid Qin Kuai’s harassment. Before leaving, Lai Bouyi stood in front of the blessed land he had chosen and said sadly, “There is no feng shui if this place does not develop, and there is no Heaven’s will if this place develops!”
One night, the sky and the earth were darkened, with violent winds, rainstorms, thunder, and lightning, and the mountains and rivers in the blessed land where Qin Kuai had moved his ancestral tombs to be buried were all shifted to a different position! The shape of the land was changed, and the difference was a world of difference. The original blessed land was changed overnight into a place where the family would be annihilated and copied.
The power of Virtue
According to feng shui and Yi (the Book of Change) Theory, Lai Bouyi’s feng shui design would certainly be successful. If not, it means that Feng Shui’s theory is not accurate and it is a lie. However, according to the heavenly principle of “good and evil will be rewarded,” a person like Qin Kuai, who had created many unjust cases, collaborated with the enemy, and betrayed the country to victimize the people, should not enjoy the blessings of gaining auspicious land. On the contrary, he and his descendants should be subjected to evil retribution!
From this, we can see that it is not power and money, but virtue that will bless future generations of a family. It is in accordance with heaven’s law to do good deeds and accumulate virtue. Only when ancestors accumulate virtue can their descendants and families prosper. The famous prime minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, Fan Zhongyan, is such a case.
The legacy of Fan Zhongyan
Fan Zhongyan came from a humble background and was very poor when he was young. He had a compassionate thought: If he could make a name for himself in the future, he would surely help the poor and needy. Later, when he became the prime minister, he took out his salary to buy charity fields and gave them to the poor who had no land to cultivate. He also provided them with food and clothes, and subsidized them with money for their marriages and funerals. In this way, he supported more than 300 villagers with the income of one person.
Once when he bought a house in Suzhou, a feng shui master praised the house for its excellent feng shui, which would lead to the birth of great officials in the next generation. However, Fan Zhongyan immediately donated the house and turned it into a school. He thought that it would be better for the children and grandchildren of the people of Suzhou to be successful than for one family to selfishly enjoy their own happiness.
The lasting legacy of Fan Zhongyan
There is a saying that goes: “Wealth does not last more than three generations.” However, the Fan family has prospered for 800 years! Four of Fan Zhongyan’s sons were all highly qualified and became prime ministers and high-ranking officials. The descendants of the Fan family never forgot the ancestral teachings of “worrying about the country before the countrymen worry, and rejoicing for the country after the countrymen rejoice” and “accumulating virtue and practicing good deeds.” The descendants of the Fan family remained prosperous until the early years of the Republic of China (R.O.C.). There are still descendants of the Fan family today.
The moral of the story
After reading the above two short stories, you can see that the blessings of future generations do not depend on power and influence, but are bestowed by Heaven because of the good fortune of your ancestors. It is clear that the power of virtue is far greater than the power of money and influence, and that the legacy of Fan Zhongyan is a testament to the lasting power of virtue.
Translation by Audrey Wang
