People believed that accumulating hidden virtues through good deeds was paramount in ancient times. The highest virtues were protecting life and abstaining from lust. It was said that those who remained unmoved by lust would accumulate hidden virtues and receive great blessings, with heaven bestowing immense fortune and the fruits of good deeds becoming evident.
Wang Yangming’s father, Wang Hua, was known for his upright and dignified character from a young age. As a young man, he exhibited excellent qualities and high moral standards, truly deserving the title of a gentleman.
When Wang Hua was young, he taught at a wealthy household. Due to his excellent character and profound knowledge, the affluent man greatly admired his talents. This man had many concubines but no children. One night, a young concubine came to Wang Hua’s room, but he refused her. She presented a piece of paper saying: “This is the master’s wish!” On the paper, it was written: “Seeking a child on earth.” Wang Hua immediately wrote beside it: “Fearing to alarm the gods in Heaven,” and firmly rejected her. The next day, he resigned and left the wealthy household.
When Wang Hua was young, he taught at a wealthy household. Due to his excellent character and profound knowledge, the affluent man greatly admired his talents. (Image: Lucia Collazos Gonzalez via Dreamstime)
Desperate for a child, the wealthy man sought other methods. He invited a Taoist priest to perform rituals and pray for a child. The priest conducted various ceremonies, wrote talismans, chanted spells, and burned sacrificial texts, continuously bowing to the ground. Seeing the priest kneeling for a long time, the wealthy man felt curious and repeatedly asked why he wouldn’t rise. The priest replied: “Just now, my spirit delivered the text to the Southern Heavenly Gate and encountered the reception of the top scholar’s list, which delayed my time.”
The wealthy man hurriedly asked: “Do you know who the new top scholar is?” The priest, fearing retribution for revealing heavenly secrets, only said: “The top scholar’s list has a couplet at the front: ‘Seeking a child on earth, fearing to alarm the gods in Heaven.'” The wealthy man was stunned and stood there in shock.
After the grand imperial examination, the results were announced, and Wang Hua indeed topped the list, becoming the top scholar. Later, he continuously received blessings, had a successful official career, and was appointed Minister of Personnel by the emperor. This story advises people to uphold virtue and integrity, as Heaven bestows blessings and a bright future.
Indulging in lust and losing everything
In the late Southern Song Dynasty, during the Chunxi era, there was a scholar named Liu Yaoju from Shuzhou, Shandong (now Teng County, Shandong). His father was recommended for an official position in Pingjiang, Hunan. Coincidentally, Liu Yaoju was also heading to Xiuzhou, Zhejiang, for an examination, so father and son hired a boat to travel south together.
The boat owner had a daughter who was quite attractive. Liu Yaoju developed improper thoughts upon seeing her and often took advantage of the boat journey to flirt with her, though he couldn’t get close because his father was on board. After his father disembarked in Hunan for his official duties, Liu Yaoju still couldn’t fulfill his desires due to the boat owner’s presence. After arriving in Xiuzhou and completing his examination, Liu Yaoju seized the opportunity when the boat owner went to town to buy goods and engaged in inappropriate acts with the boat owner’s daughter.
Meanwhile, Liu Yaoju’s father eagerly waited for the good news from his son’s examination in Pingjiang. One night, he dreamed of two men in yellow clothes holding a piece of paper, joyfully announcing that his son had topped the list. However, another person took the paper, saying that Liu Yaoju had recently committed a shameful act and had been demoted. The father woke up in shock, realizing it was a dream, and wondered what his son had done, fearing he had lost his chance.
Indeed, when the examination results were announced, Liu Yaoju was not recommended. What happened? One examiner found Liu Yaoju’s essay excellent during the grading and wanted to rank him first. However, another examiner preferred another essay and wanted Liu Yaoju to be second. Out of spite, the first examiner decided that if Liu Yaoju couldn’t be first, he shouldn’t be ranked, thus demoting him.
When Liu Yaoju returned home, his father asked if he had done anything shameful. Liu Yaoju denied it, but was secretly shocked. Could this be true? Only after learning about his father’s dream did he realize that his failure was due to his lustful actions with the boat owner’s daughter, committing a grave sin. Although he deeply regretted it, it was too late. He spent the rest of his life in poverty and misery.
The gods observe every action and word of a person. Indulgence in lustful acts is seen as dirty and corrupt behavior, and the gods view it as sinful. Many people, driven by momentary pleasure, violate moral standards, bringing upon themselves lifelong, irreparable losses.
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