✨ In this lesson of The Four Lessons of Liao-Fan, we learn how accumulating goodness can truly transform destiny. Through Mr. Liao-Fan’s vows and actions—confessing past faults, committing to 3,000 good deeds, and cultivating a pure, one-pointed mind—we see that fate is not fixed. With cause and effect as the guiding principle, each of us can reshape our future by practicing virtue, nurturing sincerity, and dedicating merit for the benefit of all.
🏠 Section 1 — A Household That Accumulates Goodness Has Surplus Blessings
The ancients said, “A household that accumulates goodness is sure to have surplus blessings. Do you truly believe this? As for me, I believe these words; I bow and accept the teaching.” (A family that, over the long term, with a pure mind practices the Ten Wholesome Deeds, filial piety and fraternal harmony, generosity, the protection of life, and the protection of the Dharma will not exhaust its merits in this very lifetime; they will naturally “overflow” to protect descendants and those around them. This is not something mysterious, but the law of cause and effect. Do you truly believe this? I deeply believe it, and I receive and practice the teaching.)
As for the writings of the sages of antiquity, Mr. Liao-Fan was very familiar with reciting them in his daily life. Although he recited them fluently, his understanding was not deep enough; in other words, he could not put them into practice in daily life and work, nor in dealing with people and affairs, so his destiny could not be changed in the least. These words from Chan Master Yungu awakened Mr. Liao-Fan: destiny is indeed created by oneself and can be changed by oneself; therefore, one must seek much good fortune from oneself.
📚 Section 2 — Why Master Chin Kung Studied Buddhism: Elevating State and Virtue
Someone asked me, “Venerable Master Chin Kung, why do you study the Buddha-dharma?” My answer is very simple: “My purpose in studying the Buddha-dharma is quite pure—to elevate my own state (this is speaking from the standpoint of fruition); and speaking from the standpoint of causes, to elevate my own virtue.” Accumulating merits and virtues is the cultivation of causes; when the cause is good, the result will naturally be excellent. When karmic causes and their retributions become something one can personally discern, one constantly gives rise to joy—there are no afflictions, anxieties, or attachments, no idle thoughts or clinging—and one lives one’s whole life in the joy of the Dharma. How delightful and happy such days are! Therefore, Professor Fang Dongmei (one of the Master Chin Kung's teacher) said, “Studying Buddhism is the highest enjoyment in life.”
✨ Section 3 — Liao-Fan’s Roadmap to Changing Destiny: Confession, Vow, and 3,000 Good Deeds
Liao-Fan, recognizing many faults in his past, decided to turn his life around. In front of the Buddha he made a complete confession—holding nothing back—and wrote a petition inviting the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to witness his vow. At the same time he vowed to first seek advancement in public standing—specifically, to attain 举人—because his allotted fate reached only 秀才 (at best gongsheng) and thus conferred no official degree. Therefore, to change his destiny he combined vow and action: he swore to complete 3,000 concrete good deeds, expressly aiming to gain honorable career merit (功名) through goodness. His practice framework was: repent and cease evil → make a vow and set the intention → quantify goodness (3,000 deeds) → dedicate the merit in gratitude to Heaven, Earth, and his ancestors—so that vow and practice reinforce one another and transform his lot.
Mr. Liao-Fan was a person of mid-to-lower spiritual capacity, so Chan Master Yungu helped him with a “merit-and-demerit ledger” (功过格). He taught him to record each day both the good deeds he had done and the faults he had committed, to compare good and evil and see whether that day held more good or more evil. At the beginning, good and evil will surely be mixed—perhaps even with more evil than good—so one must heighten vigilance and apply earnest effort, aiming to achieve pure good without evil; when one can do this, reform has succeeded. This is reform at the level of conduct, and it is very effective for ordinary people.
He also taught him to recite the Cundī Mantra (准提咒). The purpose of mantra recitation is to cultivate a pure mind by focusing one’s thoughts on the mantra, using a single thought to replace all deluded thoughts—that is the principle. The same applies to methods such as Chan contemplation (参禅), mantra recitation (持咒), and Buddha-name recitation (念佛, i.e., reciting “Amituofo”). There are many such methods; one may choose one or two to gather in the mind and dispel wandering thoughts. When the mind-ground is pure, the true mind appears, and wisdom appears.
Human beings cannot be entirely without stray thoughts, yet stray thoughts (妄念) harm us greatly: they not only destroy purity of mind, but also negatively affect bodily health. Therefore, to maintain health, one must first reduce stray thoughts; when stray thoughts lessen, one’s food intake also decreases. A practitioner can live on one meal a day, because with a pure mind and few stray thoughts, energy expenditure is small and the body naturally remains healthy.
🕉️ Section 4 — How Practice Becomes Effective: One-Pointed Mind, Mantra/Buddha-Name Recitation, Pure Mind
Chan Master Yungu told him, “Talisman specialists often say: ‘Those who cannot draw talismans will be laughed at by spirits and deities.’” In fact, drawing talismans, reciting mantras, and reciting the Buddha’s name work in much the same way: though the methods and forms differ, their principle and aim are exactly the same—to use the true mind. When taking up the brush to draw a talisman, one must lay down all deluded thoughts so that not a single thought arises. From the first stroke to the last, if not even one stray thought appears and the mind is pure, the talisman is effective. If stray thoughts remain while drawing, the talisman is ineffectual.
It is the same with mantra recitation: one must not mix in even a single stray thought; if a stray thought intrudes, the mantra is ineffectual. From this we know: the longer the mantra, the harder it is to recite without stray thoughts. Buddhists often say, “Reciting sutras is not as good as reciting mantras; reciting mantras is not as good as reciting the Buddha’s name.” Sutras are longer, so it is difficult not to engage in discursive thinking; mantras are also fairly long, and it is likewise not easy to avoid stray thoughts. The Buddha’s name is short—‘Amituofo’—so it is easier not to mix in a single stray thought, and then the Name is effective.
All of these methods gather in the mind and help us attain a pure mind. A pure mind is the true mind; the true mind is without thoughts, whereas having thoughts in the mind is the deluded mind. The deluded mind arises and ceases; the true mind neither arises nor ceases. Cutting off arising and ceasing and returning to the state of non-arising, non-ceasing—this is the highest goal of cultivation in Buddhism.
✨ Next week in The Four Lessons of Liao-Fan Series #10: We will explore what life and death truly mean, why they are described as changing clothes, and what kind of body one receives in the next life.
✨ Essential Questions & Takeaways
Here are the central questions drawn from this chapter’s teaching. They are designed to clarify the main ideas and help you integrate the lesson into your daily thoughts and actions.
1️⃣🌿 Why does “a household that accumulates goodness will have surplus blessings”?
Blessings are the natural result of long-term wholesome causes—filial piety, kindness, generosity, protecting life, and purifying the mind. These virtues overflow not only into one’s own life but also to future generations. Fate changes only when goodness is practiced sincerely, not merely recited.
2️⃣📚 What is the real purpose of studying Buddhism?
Master Chin Kung says the goal is simple: elevate one’s state and elevate one’s virtue.
Good causes bring excellent results. When cause and effect become clear, the practitioner lives in Dharma-joy with fewer afflictions, fewer cravings, and a life filled with ease. Studying Buddhism is “the highest enjoyment in life.”
3️⃣📜 How did Liao-Fan actually change his destiny through 3,000 good deeds?
He followed a concrete 4-step roadmap:
1.Confess faults thoroughly
2.Make a vow and set intention (attain juren rank)
3.Quantify goodness (3,000 deeds recorded daily with a merit–demerit ledger)
4.Dedicate merit to Heaven, Earth, and ancestors
This combination of repentance, vow-power, and quantifiable virtue transformed his fate.
4️⃣🧘 How do mantras, Buddha-name recitation, and meditation purify karma?
All methods share one principle: use the true mind without a single stray thought.
-Drawing talismans requires no delusion from first stroke to last.
-Mantras must be recited with a pure mind; even one stray thought weakens their effect.
-The Buddha’s Name (“Amituofo”) is most effective because its brevity allows for one-pointed purity.
Purity → true mind appears → wisdom appears → blessings increase.
5️⃣🔥 Why do stray thoughts harm both spiritual progress and physical health?
Stray thoughts agitate karma, disrupt mental purity, and drain the body’s vital energy. When the mind is scattered, life force leaks and health deteriorates; when stray thoughts lessen, energy stabilizes, appetite decreases naturally, and the body becomes light and strong.
Thus, purifying the mind is both a spiritual path and a health practice. A mind that is quiet, focused, and sincere nourishes life force and accelerates the transformation of destiny.
📚 Source: Venerable Master Chin Kung’s lecture on The Four Lessons of Liao-Fan, delivered on April 16, 2001, on Phoenix TV