chinese philosophy, cosmic justice, historical anecdotes, karma, karmic retribution, moral choices, song dynasty, traditional chinese culture

Karma and Consequences: Tales of Moral Retribution in Traditional Chinese Culture

The concept of moral retribution is fundamental in traditional Chinese culture. The saying “People act, Heaven watches” implies that every choice between good and evil shapes your future. Regardless of modern belief, this principle continues to influence actions and events. The Song Dynasty scholar Hong Mai documented various actual events of karmic retribution in his ...

Mikel Davis

Rock painted with the Yin-Yang symbol sits on a beach.

Good Deeds Will Always Be Rewarded With Blessings

Many stories abound from ancient times to today of people’s good deeds being rewarded. The story of a villager and the county official During one particular year, Xinxian County suffered a great famine in the Yuzhang area. The people there barely survived. One villager had nothing but the walls of his home and only a ...

Emma Lu

Rice spilling out of a sack.

Historic Chinese Tales Reveal the Consequences of Good and Evil Deeds

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 ...

Mikel Davis

Mural of a bronze Buddha with his disciple kneeling in the front to pray.

Words Have Consequences: Two Tales of Karmic Retribution

Here are two stories that illustrate the idea of “words have consequences,” emphasizing that people should keep their promises and act virtuously. These tales of karmic retribution reveal that the principle of cause and effect is not an empty concept. Words spoken, immediately proven Lei Feng was a soldier in the Chinese Communist Army, and ...

Max Lu

Lightning strikes over sandhills.

Horrible Retribution for Cruelty to Animals

In life, we unconsciously create many karmic debts, including the killing of animals. Since our actions create karma, the karmic retribution for those actions will inevitably come. Sincere repentance allows three mute sons to speak In the past, there was a scholar in the state of Pei whose wife gave birth to triplets. However, by ...

Mikel Davis

Large group of African safari animals.

The Power of Sincere Repentance

As the ancient saying goes: “To err is human, to forgive is divine.” It means that recognizing one’s mistakes and offering sincere repentance is one of the most valuable things a person can do. Let’s look at an ancient story about someone who sincerely offered repentance and stood firm even when he was tested by ...

Mikel Davis

Chinese painting of bamboo and the full moon at night.

2 Stories of Reincarnation

In his book The Record of Marvels and Eccentricities, Chinese scholar Lu Can (1494-1552) collected stories of strange and extraordinary events during the Ming Dynasty, including reincarnation. 2 such stories involving reincarnation 1. The silver watchdog In the city of Suzhou in eastern China, there was a family living near the west gate of the ...

Mikel Davis

Pink cherry blossoms in full bloom in a park.

The Elder of Yue Nan: A Story of Greed and Karma

In ancient India, there was an elderly rich man who had wealth equivalent to that of an entire nation, but he didn’t have the generosity to match his wealth. He was stingy, jealous, and ruthless. Before he died, he told his son not to give alms to others. Unexpectedly, he was reincarnated as a blind ...

Mikel Davis

The word 'karma.'