Chapter 8 The Laws of the World 1 The Law of Goodness
“Those who can see the essence of things in a second
and those who cannot see the essence of things in a lifetime
are destined to have entirely different fates.”
—— Movie The Godfather
1. The Law of Goodness
When a person does good, blessings may not have arrived, but misfortune is already far away; when a person does evil, misfortune may not have arrived, but blessings are already far away.
Let's start with two small stories.
In the United States, an ordinary fourth-grade elementary school teacher posted a plea for help on Facebook: there was a very introverted little boy in her class who couldn't afford to wear his favorite Tennessee University T-shirt for a school spirit day. The teacher encouraged him to wear an orange T-shirt as a substitute. On the event day, the boy wore an old orange T-shirt with a piece of paper pinned to the front, on which he had drawn the Tennessee University logo. (Figure 8.1) When he showed it to his classmates, he was ridiculed by everyone.
Figure 8.1: The boy's dream and the kindness of Tennessee University
This seemingly insignificant post quickly garnered widespread attention and support from the community. Cards of encouragement and concern poured in, and Tennessee University also expressed their desire to give the little boy a gift. When the gift arrived, both the teacher and the students were stunned. Inside were T-shirts, hats, backpacks and even uniforms, all bearing the Tennessee University logo. The university extended an olive branch to this ambitious child, promising a full scholarship if he passed the entrance exam. The school even used the boy's design to make real T-shirts, which became incredibly popular upon release. The sales exceeded a million dollars, and all proceeds were donated to charity to fight against school bullying.
Kindness and goodness are the most powerful energies in our world! When this child was ridiculed, the kindness shown by those around him created a safe space for him. This small act of kindness will inspire the boy for the rest of his life, and this kindness will continue to be passed on.
The second story took place in 1963. A little girl named Mary wrote a letter to the Chicago Tribune, asking a question: "Why is it that when I help my mother bring freshly baked cookies to the table, I only get a 'good girl' compliment, while my naughty brother David, who does nothing but mischief, gets a cookie? So, is God really fair?"
"Why doesn't God reward good people?" — this question stumped Mr. Seale, the host of the children's section, and he didn't know how to answer it. Later, at a friend's wedding, the groom mistakenly put the ring on the bride's right hand. The pastor humorously reminded him that the bride's right hand was already perfect and that he should use it to adorn her left hand.
Hearing this, Mr. Seale had an epiphany and immediately wrote back to Mary: "Although the bad child got a cookie, you received the best gift from God, which made you a good child."
This story tells us that: God's highest reward to the right hand is making it the right hand. Similarly, if the heavens make you a naturally kind person, it is the highest reward you can receive!
A few years ago, there was much debate in society about whether to help elderly people who had fallen. This caused many kind-hearted individuals to hesitate when seeing an elderly person on the ground. However, whether an elderly person intentionally staged a fall and whether to help them up are two separate matters. The goodness in people's hearts should not be extinguished just because it isn't rewarded.
"Filial piety is the foremost of all virtues"（百善孝为先）, and this principle begins at home. Many readers of this book are young and may not understand what "filial piety" is, thinking that they can't even take care of themselves, let alone their elders. In reality, frequent visits to the elderly, not causing them worry, following their wishes, respecting them, putting their minds at ease, helping them solve their concerns, and ensuring they have no lingering worries—all these small acts constitute filial piety.
Ancients believed that simply adhering to filial piety could lead to enlightenment and virtue, and lacking in filial piety meant going against natural principles. Therefore, filial piety is the fastest way to accumulate blessings. Start with filial piety, with treating family well, and with improving relationships between spouses and children. As the saying goes, "A harmonious family prospers in everything." Only by changing your personal and family energy can the external energy gather around you, leading to smooth sailing in work and life. This is the way of living in accordance with the heavenly "Tao". Practicing this way of life brings invaluable treasures such as good health, prosperous homes, and success in all endeavors.
All theological wisdom conveys two main points through religion: love and transcending death. "God loves the world". In the three dimensional world, the greatest energy we feel is "love". The most fundamental existence in this universe is love. The sun and the air we feel are omnipresent and given unconditionally, regardless of status and without expecting anything in return. This is the essence of love. "Sunlight bestows upon all things yet never speaks, and water nourishes all things yet never contends." Therefore, love is the truth when it is given, bringing immense joy, happiness, and satisfaction.
We all have this experience: parental love for their children and the affection between lovers. When we truly love someone, in the moment of giving love, we experience a very beautiful feeling, filled with joy and satisfaction. However, when we think about how to receive equivalent returns, the best feeling immediately disappears. Thus, the true nourishment we get from love is in the moment you give love, not when you seek to receive it.
Laozi stated in the "Tao Te Ching": "The highest good is like water. Water benefits all things without competing with them. It dwells in places that others disdain. Thus, it is close to the Tao." To be a good person, one must always have an altruistic spirit like water, because ultimately, only those who benefit others can truly benefit themselves.
In a certain sense, our space is following "the Law of Goodness". As we walk through the world, all good deeds are encouraged and rewarded. The good deeds performed by people accumulate as personal blessings, and this accumulation of blessings is an "Entropy Reduction". Conversely, evil and unkindness also accumulate, transforming into "karma", which increases entropy and makes people endure the consequences. As the saying goes: "Fortune and misfortune have no doors; they are summoned by people themselves. The rewards of good and evil follow like shadows."
Wang Yang-ming (Ming Dynasty) summarized his teachings in four sentences: "The mind is neither good nor evil. Good and evil arise from intention. Knowing good and evil is mind-conscience, Doing good and eliminating evil is the practice way." The origin of the universe is beyond the distinction of good and evil. Human nature gives rise to good and evil, both of which result from mental activities. Distinguishing between good and evil is a manifestation of one's innate knowledge. People should accumulate cultivation through practice and introspection, eliminating evil actions.
Although the world's religions worship different deities, they share a common principle: love others as yourself and be kind to others. They almost all began during the same period—the Axial Age. During this era, great spiritual teachers emerged in various civilizations—Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle in ancient Greece, Judaism in Israel, Buddha in ancient India, Confucius and Laozi in China. (Figure 8.2) The principles they proposed shaped their distinct cultural traditions, yet they all adhered to the same "Law of Goodness", though expressed in different languages, with different deities, and through different scriptures. This encapsulates a universal worldly principle: to gain more blessings, one must perform good deeds and accumulate virtue.
Figure 8.2: The advent of the sages of the Axial Age
This reminds me of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mother Teresa's (1910-1997) "Anyway Poem" :
"People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway."
Willpower > Karma > Ability
Buddhism holds that: willpower for good is the greatest force in the universe. One kind thought benefits the entire world; one evil thought brings disaster to humanity.
When people are led by karma, no matter how capable they are, their abilities are difficult to manifest. Some people, despite having vast wealth, cannot avoid bankruptcy overnight; despite their high positions, cannot escape family breakdowns; despite their smooth careers, cannot evade the inescapable net of fate. Karma determines your experiences, and when it comes, it is inevitable, and no amount of ability can reverse it. However, "the Law of Goodness" has a simple principle: the willpower to do good surpasses karma. When you are willing to benefit others, all resources of the universe will flow to you. This power can break fate and change karma. It is said that: "When a person's heart is inclined to good, even if the good is not yet done, auspicious deities follow."
The greater the Will, the greater the corresponding inner motivation. Helping others is helping oneself. There is a saying: "Those with Great Will have no great matters in reality." Zuo Zongtang (Qing Dynasty) had a couplet: "Formulate lofty aspirations, establish moderate connections, enjoy humble blessings; Stand in high places, sit in plain places, walk in wide places." This shows that making Great Wills and having lofty ambitions are the most crucial steps in life.
After making Great Will, one must take action, first by "seeking within oneself". Look for the reasons within your own heart, reflect on why you have such perceptions, and correct any misguided ones to "eliminate karma". In the moment of transcending these perceptions, we connect with our higher dimensional inner source and achieve true growth, which is "enlightenment".
Some people have experienced "Dharma joy"（法喜）, a serene and profound happiness that surpasses any worldly joy. It is an inner peace that radiates outward. It is essential to understand that recognizing one's emotions in the moment, controlling them, and even transforming one's mind and actions to counter the karma of one's life is the true practice of life. When our lives are connected by a series of moments filled with Dharma joy, we feel at ease in every present moment. This leads to careful words and actions, kindness, sincerity in dealing with others, and gratitude for the gifts of life.
To quote a line from the book "The Distant Savior":
" Without self-awareness and enlightenment, you cannot grasp it.
Only when you realize and enlighten yourself, can you achieve it.
Furthermore,
Those who act according to the law are gods."
The "Law of Tao" includes the dual properties of things: yin and yang, which move towards their opposites and return at the critical point, creating a cycle. The moon wanes when full, water spills when full, and things reverse when extreme. Being good does not mean being foolish, inactive, incapable or weak.
Prof. Zeng Shi-qiang said in his lecture on "I Ching":
"There is one trigram—Humble Trigram（谦卦）, which is good from beginning to end, so people should be humble. But it also has a prerequisite: you must have ability, contribution, and achievements to be qualified speak humility. If you have no ability, no achievements, and poor performance, and you still talk about humility, it is incompetence."
A famous quote from the movie The Godfather says:
"He (Don Vito Corleone) had long ago learned that society imposes insults that must be borne, comforted by the knowledge that in this world there comes a time when the most humble of men, if he keeps his eyes open, can take his revenge on the most powerful. It was this knowledge that prevented the Don from losing the humility all his friends admired in him."
The cheapest things in this world are a poor sincere heart and a gentle manner with no accomplishments. Kindness is not only reflected in seclusion from the world; the truth is: born as a human living in the world, you have responsibility to society and to bring a better life and more security to your family! Therefore, do not trap yourself in the lies of "lying flat" and "accepting fate", using "goodness" as an excuse for cowardice and laziness. The journey of being human is not about cultivating a "fragile heart" that hides in deep mountains; but about tempering a "diamond heart" in the world of turmoil.
