This article explains that goodness and virtue are never lost: when a family consistently practices compassion, righteousness, self-restraint, and care for others, those unseen merits become blessings that protect not only one generation, but also future descendants. Through principles of cause and effect and historical examples, it shows that true prosperity does not come from cleverness, force, or temporary gain, but from stopping evil, doing good, and accumulating hidden virtue over time.
🌱 The Ways to Accumulate Goodness
📜 “The family that accumulates goodness will surely have abundant blessings.”
“The Yi Jing says: ‘A household that accumulates goodness will surely have surplus blessings.’”
Mr. Liao-Fan quotes these two lines from the Yi Jing to explain:
Since ancient times, any family that is solid and rich in virtuous deeds will naturally have prosperous descendants. Even if they do not rise to great prominence, they will at least live in peace and avoid calamities. We can verify these two lines throughout history, and we can observe them clearly if we pay attention today.
A family whose ancestors—and even the present generation—commit evils, bully others, and constantly act for their own benefit at the expense of others, cannot enjoy wealth and status for long. Even if they appear to be wealthy now, this blessing lasts only for a short time; eventually, decline will come.
🤔 Why Do Evil People Sometimes Seem to Prosper?
Some people see this and feel confused: “This family commits all kinds of evil—why do they still enjoy great fortune?”
The reason is: either they themselves or their ancestors cultivated vast blessings in past lives.
But they cultivated blessings without cultivating wisdom. Without wisdom, they commit evil in this life, and evil will certainly consume and diminish their previous blessings.
For example, if someone cultivated blessings equivalent to wealth in the tens of millions in a past life, then even if they behave immorally now—bullying others and acting harmfully—their blessings may shrink from tens of millions to only a few hundred thousand. But a few hundred thousand is still wealth compared to ordinary people.
Karma spans three lifetimes.
If one’s remaining blessings in this life are exhausted, retribution will manifest—either later in life or in the next lifetime. Some people decline in old age; some fall into ruin sooner. This is the natural outcome for families that accumulate evil.
Therefore, we must understand the principles and reality of cause and effect.
Stopping evil, cultivating goodness, and accumulating virtue will bring great benefit—not only to ourselves but to our families and future generations. 🌿
👨👩👧 Historical Example
⭐ The House of Yan Predicted Future Prosperity
“In the past, when the Yan family was about to marry their daughter to Shuliang He, they recounted the long lineage of accumulated virtue in his ancestors. They foresaw that his descendants would surely flourish.”
“Xí”—in former times.
“Nì”—to foresee.
When the Yan family wished to give their daughter in marriage to Shuliang He, they carefully reviewed the moral conduct of his ancestors through the generations. They found that his family had accumulated virtue for many lifetimes. As a household that had long cultivated goodness, they foresaw that his descendants would certainly prosper.
Thus, the Yan family married their daughter to Shuliang He—who later became the father of Confucius.
Because their ancestors accumulated virtue generation after generation, their family produced one of the greatest sages in history. 🌟
🌿 The Filial Piety of Shun
👑 “Honored in the ancestral temple, protected by his descendants.”
“Confucius praised Shun’s supreme filial piety, saying: ‘The ancestral temple offers him reverence; his descendants receive protection.’ These are indeed the highest teachings.”
Among the Chinese teachings on filial piety, Shun is regarded as the foremost model. Confucius honored him with the words: “Honored in the ancestral temple, protected by his descendants.” These are statements of utmost truth.
After Shun’s mother passed away, his father remarried, and the stepmother gave birth to another child. The stepmother treated him extremely poorly, and Shun’s father—misled by her—also acted with hostility. Thus, his father, stepmother, and half-brother all harbored malicious thoughts toward him and even tried multiple times to kill him.
Despite this harsh family situation, Shun remained deeply filial. In his heart, he never saw his parents or brother as mistreating him; instead, he always felt he himself must not be doing well enough, so his parents and brother did not like him. Therefore, he corrected himself every day. After several years, he transformed the entire family through his sincerity.
This is great filial piety—true, extraordinary filial piety.
Shun complied with everything his parents required, but within that obedience lay profound wisdom. In Buddhist terms, this is “skillful means” (善巧方便): he avoided harm, protected his life, and still served his parents and brother with utmost sincerity and love. This is something ordinary people cannot achieve, yet he accomplished it.
📚 “Look to past events as evidence.”
十大积善之家（案例一）
“Look to the events of the past as evidence.”
History records many examples showing how the descendants of families that accumulated goodness flourished. Here, ten examples are provided. Below is the first one.
🛶 Example 1: Minister Yang Rong
“Saving people, not taking goods — and blessings followed for generations.”
“Yang Rong, the Junior Preceptor to the Crown Prince, was from Jianning. For generations, his family made a living by ferrying travelers across the river. After long, heavy rains, the river swelled, overflowed, and swept away houses; the drowned floated downstream. Other boats rushed to retrieve goods, but only the ancestors of Yang Rong focused solely on saving people and took not a single item. Villagers mocked their ‘foolishness.’ When Yang’s father was later born, the family gradually became prosperous. A divine being, appearing as a Daoist, told him: ‘Your ancestors have accumulated hidden virtue; your descendants will certainly become eminent. You should bury them in a certain place.’ He followed the instruction and buried them at what is now known as White Rabbit Mound. Later, Yang Rong was born, passed the imperial exam at age twenty, rose to the rank of Grand Councillor, and his ancestors were all granted titles matching his own. His descendants remained distinguished, and many virtuous men continue to emerge from that family.”
“Junior Preceptor” was the tutor to the Crown Prince.
“Jianning” is present-day Jian’ou in Fujian.
“Weak crown” refers to the age of twenty.
Yang Rong’s ancestors lived in poverty, making a humble living by ferrying people across the river. Once, after prolonged rainfall, the river flooded, destroying homes and drowning many people. The bodies drifted downstream.
Most people rushed with their boats to seize floating valuables, ignoring the drowning. But Yang Rong’s grandfather and great-grandfather saved only people and refused to take even a single item of property.
The villagers mocked them as foolish:
“Why save people? The goods floating downstream belong to whoever grabs them.”
But they would not take any goods—they saved lives.
This was accumulating virtue.
Later, blessings manifested:
The family’s circumstances improved, a divine figure pointed out an auspicious burial site, and generations thereafter rose to great prominence. Yang Rong himself became one of the highest ministers of the empire, and his descendants continued to flourish.
🌿 The Blessings of Accumulated Goodness
🏡 “A family that gathers virtue will surely have lasting prosperity.”
🧡 Yang Rong’s Family (Continuation)
“When Yang Rong’s father was born, the household gradually became more prosperous. At that time, a divine being transformed into a Daoist priest and told his father: ‘Your grandfather once saved many people and accumulated hidden virtue; your descendants will certainly become noble and eminent.’ He then pointed out a piece of land with excellent geomantic qualities where he could bury his ancestor. Yang Rong’s father buried his grandfather exactly at the location the Daoist indicated, which is now known as White Rabbit Mound.
Later Yang Rong was born. At the age of twenty, he passed the imperial examination as a Presented Scholar, and his official rank eventually rose to the level of the Three Excellencies (with the Junior Preceptor being one of the Three Excellencies). The emperor deeply appreciated him and posthumously honored his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father with the same title of Junior Preceptor. His descendants remained prominent, and even up to the present time (in the era of Mr. Liao-Fan, i.e., the Ming dynasty), many worthy and virtuous individuals still arise from this family. This example of Yang Rong clearly proves the saying, ‘A family that accumulates goodness will surely have remaining blessings.’”
🌱 Example 2: Yang Zicheng of Yin County
⚖️ Compassionate, Law-Abiding, and Fearless in Justice
“Yang Zicheng of Yin (today’s Ningbo, Zhejiang) first served as a clerk in the county yamen. He possessed a benevolent heart, treated others as he wished to be treated, upheld the law, remained fair, and absolutely did not accept bribes. The county magistrate at the time was extremely stern. Once, by chance, he flogged a prisoner so severely that blood flowed everywhere, yet his anger had still not subsided.
Yang Zicheng, moved with compassion, knelt on the ground to plead for the prisoner.
The magistrate said, ‘This man has violated the law and defied reason—how can one not be angry?’ This was the magistrate’s justification for his rage.
Yang Zicheng bowed his head to the ground and replied, ‘The ruling authority has lost the Way, and the people have long become disheartened. Even if this man has committed serious wrongdoing deserving of heavy punishment, you should feel pity and sorrow for him. One should not feel delight—how then can one be angry?’
Yang Zicheng had virtue and courage, and dared to speak the truth. After hearing his words, the magistrate’s anger subsided, his expression softened, and he no longer continued in anger.”
🌿 The Meaning of True Responsibility in Teaching and Guiding Others
“From this we can understand: when common people violate the law, where does the fault lie? The fault lies in the fact that no one taught them. And who is responsible for teaching them? The local officials — the county magistrates and city governors, who are the people’s ‘parent-officials.’
The Confucian teaching says, ‘Act as their ruler, act as their parent, act as their teacher.’ The word ‘their’ refers to the people. The local leader is the people’s guide, their parent, and their teacher. If your citizens behave wrongly or commit crimes, it means you have not taught them well.”
🍚 The Compassion of Yang Zicheng
🧡 Giving Even When His Own Family Lacked Food
“Yang Zicheng’s household was extremely poor, yet he often helped those in suffering, especially prisoners. Some people attempted to give him gifts or bribes, but he accepted nothing at all—utterly upright and impartial, handling all matters purely by conscience and never taking unlawful gain.
When prisoners lacked food, he would find ways to seek donations from kind families in order to help them eat their fill.
One day, several newly arrived prisoners waited to be fed, but his own home was also out of rice. If he gave rice to the prisoners, his family would have nothing to eat; if he kept the rice for his family, the prisoners were pitiful. He discussed the situation with his wife. She asked, ‘Where did these prisoners come from?’
He replied, ‘They came from Hangzhou, enduring hunger along the road; their faces show extreme malnutrition.’
Thus they took the little rice they had and cooked thin porridge to feed the prisoners.”
🌸 The Reward of Hidden Virtue
👨👩👦 Two Sons and Two Grandsons Becoming Distinguished Ministers
“Later he had two sons, the elder named Shouchén, the younger named Shǒuzhǐ. Both became Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Personnel, one in the Southern Court and one in the Northern Court.
His elder grandson became Vice Minister of Justice, and his younger grandson became the Lianxian of Sichuan (the regional inspector, equivalent to an imperial commissioner).
Both were upright and renowned ministers. And even now, Chu-ting’s virtuous governance is also from this same lineage.”
🌿 The Fruit of Accumulated Virtue in the Yang Family
“Later, Yang Zicheng had two sons, both of whom became Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Personnel in the Southern and Northern Courts. His eldest grandson became Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and his second grandson became the Lianxian (Regional Inspector) of Sichuan. His descendants at that time were all well-known, virtuous ministers. Chuting and Dezheng were also descendants of Yang Zicheng, though historical records about them are not detailed. Because he himself accumulated goodness and virtue, his sons and grandsons became honorable and prominent — this is the karmic reward.”
🌸 Accumulating Virtue Applies to Everyone
🧡 Regardless of Career, Status, or Wealth
“From this we can understand that accumulating merit and virtue can be done by anyone, regardless of what kind of life one currently lives, what social status one holds, or what occupation one engages in. As long as one’s intention is to benefit society and benefit the people, one is accumulating merit and virtue.
Doing good without seeking any reward brings even greater merit; when one does not seek reward, the resulting blessings will naturally be even more extraordinary. When one accumulates great goodness and much goodness, one will personally experience the reward. Mr. Liao-Fan is such an example, and Yu Jingyi, who lived in the same era as Mr. Liao-Fan, is another example — both enjoyed blessings in old age, and those blessings continued throughout their descendants for many generations.”
⚔️ A Historical Example: General Xie’s Great Compassion
🏳️ Protecting Innocent Lives During Chaos
“In the era of Zhengtong, Deng Maoxi led a rebellion in Fujian. A great number of scholars and common people followed the rebels. The imperial court appointed Zhang Kai of Yin County as commander to march south and suppress the rebellion. He captured the rebel leader through strategy. The court later assigned Xie, an official of the Provincial Administration Commission, to hunt down and eliminate the remaining rebel forces in the eastern region.
Xie first sought to obtain the registry of those affiliated with the rebels. For all who were not members of the rebel factions — meaning their names were not in the registry — he secretly instructed them to place a small white flag at their door on the day the army arrived, warning the soldiers not to kill innocently.
In this way, he saved the lives of ten thousand people. Later, Xie’s son Xie Qian ranked first in the imperial civil service exam and became Grand Chancellor, and his grandson Pi ranked third in the exam (the rank of “Tanhua”).”
🌼 Proof of “A House that Accumulates Goodness Will Have Surplus Blessings”
“This example shows a military commander who understood how to accumulate virtue — he did not wrongfully accuse people nor take innocent lives. All of this is historical evidence of the truth that ‘a family that accumulates goodness will surely have remaining blessings.’”
🙏 Amituofo 🙏
✨ Essential Questions & Takeaways
How many can you answer? Your score shows how well you've internalized the chapter.
🤔 1. Why do some people who do wrong still seem to prosper?
Inner level: Blessings and wisdom are different. If a person has blessings but lacks wisdom, they may misuse their good fortune and create new negative causes. Their current prosperity is actually the remaining result of past virtue, gradually being consumed.
Fundamental truth:Cause and effect operate across lifetimes. What we see today is only a small portion of a much larger karmic process. No action is lost—goodness eventually brings blessings, and wrongdoing eventually brings suffering.
🌱 2. Why is accumulating goodness the safest way to secure future blessings?
Daily level: Doing good—helping others, being honest, and avoiding harm—naturally creates trust, harmony, and opportunities. Over time, these actions lead to stability and support from others.
Inner level: Every good deed plants a seed of merit. These seeds quietly accumulate and later manifest as protection, opportunities, and good circumstances.
Fundamental truth: Virtue aligns one with the natural law of cause and effect. Accumulating goodness is not merely moral behavior—it is participating in the moral structure of the universe.
👨👩👧 3. How can one person’s virtue influence an entire family for generations?
Daily level: A virtuous person creates a positive environment for their family. Children learn from example, and their lives are shaped by the habits and values they inherit.
Inner level: Hidden virtue (doing good without seeking reward) creates powerful karmic blessings. These blessings may appear not only in one lifetime but also in the lives of descendants.
Fundamental truth: Families share karmic connections. When one person cultivates deep virtue, the karmic field surrounding the family becomes purified, allowing future generations to receive the resulting blessings.
❤️ 4. What does true virtue look like in everyday life?
Daily level: True virtue is simple: helping others in need, refusing unjust gain, and acting with kindness even when it is inconvenient.
Inner level: Real virtue often appears as hidden goodness—doing the right thing without seeking recognition, praise, or reward.
Fundamental truth: The value of an action is determined by the intention behind it. When actions arise from compassion and sincerity rather than self-interest, they become genuine merit.
🌟 5. What is the most important practice taught in this lesson?
Daily level: Stop harmful actions and increase good deeds. Even small acts of kindness accumulate over time.
Inner level: Reflect on one’s intentions and correct oneself daily. By constantly improving one’s heart and conduct, virtue gradually grows.
Fundamental truth: The transformation of destiny begins with the transformation of the mind. When the heart turns toward goodness, one’s destiny—and the destiny of one’s family—begins to change.
✨
📚 Source: Venerable Master Chin Kung’s lecture on The Four Lessons of Liao-Fan, delivered on April 16, 2001, on Phoenix TV