📜 Opening Quotation and Explanation
“凡祈天立命。都要从无思无虑处感格。孟子论立命之学。而曰。夭寿不贰。夫夭与寿。至贰者也。当其不动念时。孰为夭。孰为寿。”
If you wish to understand Heaven’s mandate and establish your own mind, you must realize it in a state of no thought and no worry, with a mind as still as a calm surface. What Mencius calls “establishing destiny” means that in any circumstance the mind does not waver, and is not disturbed by short life or long life, fortune or misfortune. When the mind truly has no arising thoughts(分别心）, then life and death, long and short, are no longer differentiated; everything accords with Heavenly principle and rests at ease.
♾️ On Non-Duality of Longevity
Short life and long life are one, not two. This statement is very profound; ordinary people cannot understand it. Short life and long life differ so greatly—how can they be one, not two? It is because we view them with a mind of discrimination and attachment that we see them as two. If your mind does not move, not a single thought arises, and there is no discrimination, then long life and short life are indeed one, not two. Where there is discrimination, there are two and three.
🌌 On Relativity and the One True Dharma Realm
Sages and Buddhas-Bodhisattvas have no discriminating mind; ordinary beings do, and thus they turn all phenomena of the world into opposites—big and small, long and short, good and evil, true and false. Opposition is what scientists call relativity; living in a relative world, this is an illusory world. The Diamond Sutra says “like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow”—this is not the true reality of the universe and life. The truth of the universe and life is “one reality.” One reality by definition has no relativity; if there is relativity, it is not true. The Six Realms are relative; the Ten Dharma Realms are relative; the One True Dharma Realm is without relativity. Without relativity, is there the absolute? There is not. Absolute and relative are mutually established; without the relative, the absolute does not exist either. The Buddhist scriptures say this realm is inconceivable. “Si” is discursive thought—you cannot think it; once you think, you are wrong. “Yi” is discussion—you cannot discuss it; once you speak, you are wrong. “The moment you open your mouth you err; with the stirring of a thought you are already astray.” That is the genuine One True Dharma Realm—truly equal.
🧭 Three Non-Dualities and Establishing Destiny
“细分之。丰歉不贰。然后可立贫富之命。穷通不贰。然后可立贵贱之命。夭寿不贰。然后可立生死之命。”
If one can, in years of abundance and in years of scarcity, not give rise to two minds, then one can settle the destiny of poverty and wealth;
If one can, in favorable and adverse circumstances, not move into discrimination, then one can settle the destiny of honor and lowliness;
If one can, before life and death, have no fear, then one can settle the destiny of birth and death.
🛤️ How to Establish Destiny
How to establish destiny? The poor are at peace with poverty, the rich are at peace with wealth, the honored are at peace with honor, the lowly are at peace with lowliness—each abides in its place; this is establishing destiny. If people mutually respect, mutually cherish, mutually help and cooperate, this is truly knowing Heaven’s mandate. Thus the world is forever peaceful; society will by no means fall into turmoil. This is genuine learning.
🧥 On Life and Death Not Being Fearful
“夭寿不贰，然后可立生死之命。” Is life and death fearful or not? Not fearful. Life and death are entirely normal. As long as you understand the principle, you will not cling to life or fear death. Life and death are one matter, not two matters. Those who are thoroughly understanding treat the discarding of a body and the receiving of a body just like taking off clothes and changing clothes. We use clothes as a metaphor for the body: after wearing clothes for a long time, they become dirty and torn, and naturally we take them off; this body is then no longer needed. Changing to another set of clothes is changing to another body. We must pay attention: the clothes should be changed to ever more beautiful ones; if they become worse and worse, that is not good.
🔁 On Karma, Rebirth, and Benefiting Others
If a person commits many evils, after discarding this body, in the next life it will be worse than this body—changing into an animal body, a hungry ghost body, a hell body—becoming uglier and uglier. If a person throughout life practices goodness, delights in goodness and accumulates virtue, then after this retribution is shed, one is born in heaven; a heavenly body is more adorned than our present body. If one recites the Buddha’s name and seeks rebirth in the Pure Land, one changes into a Bodhisattva’s body or a Buddha’s body—becoming ever more adorned. Only when you understand this fact and principle will you truly be willing to stop evil and cultivate goodness. Though stopping evil and cultivating goodness benefits others, in reality benefiting others is benefiting oneself—this is the truth. People in the world often say “harming others to benefit oneself.” This saying has a flaw: harming others certainly harms oneself. Benefiting oneself may seem to gain a little immediate advantage, but decades later, when you die and turn into a hungry ghost, an animal, or fall into hell, that truly harms yourself; at that time you will regret it. Therefore, deeds that harm others must never be done. Truly wise and understanding people definitely do things that benefit all sentient beings. Moreover, hatred not only harms others—it destroys one’s own good karma and directly summons the hell realms; especially at the very last moment of life, if hatred arises, one will fall into hell. Only by countering it with compassion and forbearance can one transform karma and avoid the evil destinies.
🪷 Penetrating Life and Death
Therefore, once you penetrate the matter of life and death and know the facts, the thought of clinging to life and fearing death disappears. No matter when, no matter by what manner of death, you will be joyful. Why? Because you know that after this body is shed, you will immediately change into a body better and more sublime than the present one. We must have confidence and assurance. What can I do now?
✅ What Can I Do Now?
The present single thought determines the body of the next life—to go to a good path, from this moment onward do good deeds, speak good words, keep good thoughts, diligently bushi (布什means generosity/giving), bushi wealth; only then can you be wealthy in the future/next life. Help others more, and in the future/next life you can be healthy and long-lived; guide others and teach the right path, and in the future you can obtain wisdom and talent. If you say, “But I don’t have much money—how can I bushi wealth?” When Venerable Jingkong was young he was also extremely poor; his teacher taught him to bushi one dollar each month. Over time, his financial fortune improved more and more, and then he gave more and gain more; later he was able to do charity in many countries around the world. He said that as long as your intention is not selfish and self-serving, your wishes will be fulfilled; whatever you think of, you will have. That's his true experience.
You must know that all sentient beings and we are one body/entity; helping others is helping yourself, making yourself stronger. To set yourself in opposition to others is to harm yourself. From now on, do not oppose anyone; resolve discrimination and attachment with gratitude and fulfillment; in this way, day by day, weave a more adorned “new garment,” causing destiny to turn with goodness.
✨ Next week in The Four Lessons of Liao-Fan Series #11: We will discuss since anger leads to the hell realms, how do we let it go?
✨ 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.
🌌 Why does Buddhism say long life and short life are “one, not two”?
The teaching points to the mind.
Long and short appear different only because we grasp, compare, and discriminate. Once the discriminating mind drops away—no thought, no worry, no duality—longevity and brevity merge into a single principle.
In the One True Dharma Realm, nothing is divided. Dualities belong to relativity—the realm of illusion.
Without grasping, life and death, rise and fall, gain and loss all become one suchness. This is what Mencius calls “establishing destiny”—a mind unmoved by change.
♾️ What does it really mean to ‘establish destiny’ in poverty, wealth, honor, or adversity?
To establish destiny is to rest in one’s place without agitation.
If one can meet abundance without pride and scarcity without complaint, then the destiny of poverty and wealth becomes settled.
Likewise, if one meets honor without arrogance and lowliness without inferiority, then the destiny of rank becomes settled.
And when one meets life and death without fear, then the destiny of birth and death becomes settled.
This equanimity aligns one’s heart with Heaven’s heart—impartial, loving, without bias.
Such a mind naturally stabilizes destiny and brings peace to one’s world.
🧥 Why are life and death compared to changing clothes? What determines the next “garment”?
The body is like clothing—borrowed for a time through karma.
When karma is exhausted, the body is shed naturally, just as one removes an old garment. There is nothing to fear.
What matters is the next garment.
If one has lived with hatred, greed, self-benefit, or cruelty, the next “clothes” become coarse—animal body, hungry ghost body, or even a hell body.
If one has cultivated goodness, kindness, patience, compassion, and Buddha-name recitation, the next garment becomes beautiful—heavenly body, bodhisattva body, or even a lotus flower in the Pure Land.
Understanding this dissolves the fear of death and strengthens the resolve to stop evil and cultivate goodness.
🔥 How does the final thought at death determine one’s next life?
The last thought is the most powerful because it reveals one’s habitual mind.
If anger, hatred, or resentment arise in the final instant, they immediately drag the consciousness to lower realms. Hell corresponds exactly to hatred.
If compassion, clarity, Buddha-name recitation, or faith arises, then one is lifted upward—to good rebirth or even Pure Land rebirth.
Thus, daily cultivation matters.
Our moment-to-moment thoughts train the mind for its final moment.
When the mind is habitually calm, kind, and filled with Amituofo, the final thought naturally follows that direction.
🪷 What can I do right now to shape a better rebirth?
The present thought shapes the next life.
Doing good, speaking kindly, and cultivating pure thoughts all weave the “new garment” that will appear after death.
Generosity is especially powerful.
Even giving one dollar a month, if done sincerely and without self-benefit, begins to change karmic fortune. This was Venerable Jingkong’s own lived experience.
Equally important is dissolving opposition.
Helping others is helping oneself—because all beings share one body of life.
From now on, do not oppose anyone. Replace resentment with gratitude and fulfillment. Replace comparison with acceptance and compassion.
Day by day, this purifies karma, strengthens virtue, and creates a radiant, adorned “new garment” for the next life.
📚 Source: Venerable Master Chin Kung’s lecture on The Four Lessons of Liao-Fan, delivered on April 16, 2001, on Phoenix TV