There is a universal belief in Chinese culture — good begets good, and evil begets evil. As stated in The Book of Changes, in the section on the Kun hexagram: “A family that accumulates good deeds will have abundant blessings, while a family that accumulates evil deeds will suffer calamities.” The historical records left by our ancestors contain numerous accounts of “retribution for good and evil,” where some families who have practiced virtue for generations receive extraordinary blessings. In contrast, individuals who commit evil deeds face immediate consequences. These historical facts are undeniable, even to an atheist.
Five generations of blessings
In the 26th year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign during the Qing Dynasty (A.D.1761), the Yellow River suffered a devastating flood. From the 15th to the 19th of July, the tributaries of the Yellow River, along with the main river course, were all heavily hit by torrential rains. In total, 26 breaches appeared downstream, submerging numerous counties in the provinces of Henan, Shandong, and Anhui. Many residents found their homes almost entirely swallowed by the floodwaters.
Chenliu County, located on the south bank of the Yellow River, suffered greatly from this disaster, with water levels reaching 10 feet. A local family surnamed Cao saw their house entirely submerged.
After three days and nights, the floodwaters began to recede. A miraculous sight met the survivors — the Cao family’s house stood unscathed, not collapsing despite the flood. Even more astonishing, all members of the Cao family were safe. Curious survivors asked: “How did you survive underwater?” The Cao family replied: “We only felt surrounded by thick fog and saw no sunlight, completely unaware that we were underwater!”
Upon learning of this extraordinary event, the county official visited the Cao family and asked if they had performed any good deeds in their lifetime. The family responded: “Every year, after paying taxes and covering living expenses, we strive to use the remaining income from renting out our fields to help our impoverished neighbors. This practice has been passed down since our great-great-grandparents, continuing for over a hundred years without interruption.”
The county official immediately reported this incident to the court and praised the Cao family’s benevolent acts. The saying “Goodness begets goodness” was proven true once again. The Cao family’s generations of unceasing benevolence resulted in divine protection during a disaster, leaving their house and family untouched after being submerged for three days and nights. (Source: Annotations and Proofs on Yin Zhen Wen)
Destroying Buddha statues brings karmic retribution
The Four-Faced Buddha Temple in Wuchang County, established during the Ming Dynasty, had stood splendidly for several centuries by the time of the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty. Among its statues, a Buddha with four faces on its head, made of iron and copper, stood about 22 feet tall.
During the Yongzheng period, 36 scholars argued that the temple obstructed the province’s “dragon vein,” and that by doing so, the Feng Shui in the region would not be good. Being unable to benefit from the “dragon vein” would affect the luck, prosperity, health, and overall fortunes of those living and working in the area. With civil service examinations coming up soon, they thought it could potentially jeopardize their performance and have a negative impact on their future careers. Therefore, they proposed the temple’s destruction and requested official approval.
After receiving approval, they began their demolition work. However, the Buddha’s body was large, and its head was exceptionally sturdy. Despite spending the day trying to demolish it with axes, they could not even leave a single mark on it. After this, they discussed turning the six Buddha statues around. As they were rotating and moving them, the head of the Four-Faced Buddha fell off.
The scholars were enticed by the pure copper and decided to divide it among themselves. Soon after, they all began to experience a strange illness. Sores erupted on their backs, spreading and festering until they reached their necks, ultimately leading to their death as their heads fell off.
Every person who had signed or supported the proposal to destroy the temple suffered from severe headaches, and not even one escaped. It was later discovered that among them was a man named Xu, who had used a false name to support the destruction. He had repeatedly wanted to withdraw from the matter, but he feared the resentment of others, so he had remained involved.
When he saw his fellow petitioners punished and dying, he became uneasy. Thinking he might avoid punishment as he was not the instigator, he tried to ignore his fears. However, when he was about to leave for a new post, he suddenly looked up at the sky and cried out in fear, claiming a golden-armored god was striking his head with a large stick. He died instantly from the severe pain.
Those involved in this incident were all scholars, yet they lacked an understanding of cosmic principles. They were superstitious about Feng Shui and showed disrespect toward Buddhas, with some even seeking personal gain from the destruction of the statues. Recognizing that human life emanates from the divine, the act of desecrating gods and Buddhas is essentially self-defeating. The swift retribution they faced in this life is an expected outcome according to the universal law of cause and effect.
Translated by Joseph Wu
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