Chapter 9-3 Destiny Can Be Altered

When it comes to fate, one often hears the saying, "What is destined to happen will happen, and what is not meant to be cannot be forced." Prof. Zeng Shi-qiang once said, "Can the script be changed? Of course it can, and it can be changed at any time, but only by oneself." By rewriting one's own script, with the combined forces of internal and external influences, it is indeed possible to change one's fate.

The "Four Lessons of Liao Fan（《了凡四训》）" narrate a real-life case of altering destiny, which is worth elaborating upon.

Liao Fan lost his father at a young age, and his mother instructed him to abandon his studies to learn medicine, believing that this would not only support the family but also help others. At the age of 15, while gathering herbs in the mountains, Liao Fan encountered an elderly man Mr. Kong, who advised Liao Fan to take the imperial exams and become an official. Although Liao Fan and his mother were skeptical, Mr. Kong predicted the exact results of Liao Fan's exams the following year: he would rank 14th in the county-level exam, 71st in the provincial-level exam, and 9th in the imperial examination. Sure enough, the next year, these predictions came true one by one. Later, Mr. Kong also foretold that Liao Fan would have no children, that the highest official position he could attain was that of a county magistrate, and that he would leave this world on August 14th, 53 years old, at the hour of the Ox（丑时）.

Liao Fan could only accept that his life was predetermined, with no need to strive forcefully. It seemed that everything that was meant to happen had already been arranged, and all he had to do was perform each scene as it unfolded. This outlook on life left him feeling deeply confused and lost.

One year, Liao Fan visited a high monk, Master Yungu, at a temple. They meditated together for three days and three nights, during which Liao Fan did not entertain a single delusional thought, which greatly surprised the monk. Liao Fan explained that because his fate had already been calculated long ago, leaving him unable to harbor any delusions. Master Yungu then told Liao Fan: "Fate is shaped by oneself, and blessings are sought by oneself! As long as one still harbors selfish desires, constantly thinking of themselves, one will inevitably be bound by the ropes of fate, unable to escape. However, there are two types of people whose destinies change: the destiny of extremely good people changes for the better, while that of extremely evil people changes for the worse."

This statement illuminated Liao Fan's life, allowing him to truly understand the principles of destiny and to reconsider it. Later, Liao Fan used the method taught by Yungu to change his life trajectory through repentance, accumulating virtue, and cultivating humility. From then on, Mr. Kong's fortune-telling became inaccurate, and Liao Fan not only achieved fame and wealth but also had a son. At the age of 69, he wrote the book "Four Lessons of Liao Fan", a moral guidebook for future generations, and he ultimately passed away peacefully at the age of 74.

The book illustrates numerous acts of kindness by ancient figures, proving the core idea of "virtue brings blessings". In essence, it elucidates the law of "kindness in human space": when people perform good deeds, the heavens will reward them and their descendants. To admonish future generations, Liao Fan proposed the "method of correcting faults" using the "merit and demerit record." He summarized ten specific paths for doing good:

 

• Be kind and tolerant towards others.
• Maintain a heart of love and respect, showing mutual care.
• Help others achieve their goodness, supporting them in their virtuous actions.
• Encourage others to turn back from wrongdoings, helping them to awaken early.
• Aid those in distress, alleviating their suffering.
• Build public facilities, benefiting the masses.
• Donate money and goods to those in need.
• Repair temples and promote righteousness.
• Show respect for elders.
• Cherish life and cultivate a compassionate heart.

These ten principles represent the righteous and virtuous path in life, applicable universally today. Doing good is not just about donating money or goods but also about making a heartfelt effort, showing filial piety to parents, and handling everyday interactions with others. Everyone can achieve this. Consequently, everyone can alter their destiny.

The ultimate endpoint of "fate" is death. In Buddhism, death is categorized into three types: death by the end of one's lifespan, death by the exhaustion of one's merits, and "untimely death".

People often wish for infinite longevity, but that is impossible; life has a finite duration. When one's merits are exhausted, it means that during their time as a human, their blessings are on a "point system". If one merely consumes these merits without accumulating more, or if they squander them carelessly, then when the merits that provide for one's necessities (like clothing and food) are depleted, and the points are used up, that person's life will come to an end.

What about "untimely death"? This occurs when neither one's merits nor lifespan have been exhausted, and one could have continued living, but they die prematurely due to natural disasters, unfortunate circumstances, human conflict, or by engaging in reckless behavior that harms their body, such as suicide. Buddhist teachings encourage people not to squander the opportunity of human life and to strive for liberation, recognizing the value of life. Such self-destructive behaviors, including self-abandonment or even self-harm, represent grave violations of the precept against killing and will incur serious consequences.

When can destiny be changed? How can it be changed?

We know that the Eight Characters represent high-dimensional energy. At the moment of our birth, the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches present a relatively fixed image in the three-dimensional space, determining the energy distribution for our entire life. In other words, from a four-dimensional perspective, one can clearly see this energy distribution and fully observe the entire process from beginning to end. However, there is a crucial point: as long as the projection source changes, the projected image will change. When the high-dimensional energy field undergoes a transformation, the projection source shifts, and the image will follow suit. The predetermined nature of fate applies only if the projection source remains unchanged. Since most people cannot alter the projection source, fortune-telling tends to be very accurate.

For an enlightened person, their fate changes from the moment of their awakening, and their destiny becomes impossible to predict. "All phenomena arise from the mind, and all actions return to the heart." The "Four Lessons of Liao Fan" teaches us that we can rely on shifting our mindset to change our fate.

Changing one's fate begins with the heart and can be approached in three steps.

Step 1: Reevaluate this "illusory" world.

We live in an era of information explosion, where "algorithms" run rampant, and it seems that everyone can access all kinds of information anytime, anywhere. Yet, the more we are in such a seemingly transparent era, the less we can truly see. Our preferences are tracked, our thoughts are confined, and our actions are calculated. What we see is only what others want us to see, which narrows and distorts our perspective even further. Consider the person in the image below (Figure 9.2): his eyes are fixated on grabbing the bread in front of him, yet he is unable to see the key that could unlock his "prison of thought." This is the state in which the vast majority of people find themselves today.

Figure 9.2: The greatest prison in the world is the human mind

The first step toward wisdom and enlightenment is to let go of the bread and reach for the key!

The "Tao Te Ching" says: "The five colors make a man's eyes blind; the five tones make his ears deaf; the five flavors dull his palate." Our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body deceive our brain, trapping us within an illusion and shielding us from the true world.

The "Bible" states: "They have eyes but do not see, they have ears but do not hear." Though people have eyes and ears, they fail to see and hear the truth.

The "Quran" says: "The life of this world is nothing but play and amusement, mutual boasting and competing in wealth and children. It is like the rain whose growth of vegetation pleases the farmers; then it dries and you see it turning yellow; then it becomes scattered debris."

 Zen-Buddhism (禅宗) teaches that: ordinary people see the world but do not understand that this world is a fabrication of the five aggregates (form, sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness). Because they are attached to worldly things like fame, fortune, and love, they are unwilling to let go, and thus, endless troubles arise.

"The Art of War"(《孙子兵法》）says: "When you are strong, appear weak; when you are weak, appear strong." What appears to be false is often real, and what seems real is often false. The more desires a person has, the less they can see the true nature of the world. Thus, under the clear skies and bright sun, many people look at the world with open eyes, yet are like "blind men touching an elephant". "Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form". In Buddhism, the concept of "emptiness" can be understood as "illusion" or as "change". The essence of all existence is that it is constantly changing. There is no everlasting love, no eternal familial bonds, no eternal wealth — not even life itself is permanent.

Step 2: Settle Your Heart.

Those who believe in Buddhism know that "Buddhas do not speak falsely", and would never dare to slander the Buddha. However, many still doubt the concept of "emptiness". While chanting the Buddha's name, they are unwilling to believe: Why are the bustling crowds false? Why are the busy lives of beings false? What does others' good or bad, gains or losses have to do with me? What does the "formation, existence, decay and emptiness" of the universe have to do with me? Could these things really be connected to my "heart" in any way?

In fact, Buddhism stands from the perspective of the "observer", reminding us: all current events around us, even greed, anger, and ignorance, are false. They are there to refine our character and facilitate growth. It is precious to "see through" these phenomena and not be influenced by them!

If a person can separate their emotions from external events and adapt their mindset to circumstances, they are already halfway to success. Take drinking tea as an analogy: A cup of tea—how I perceive it and what it actually is—doesn't have much connection. Some people might care a lot about the appearance of the cup, the temperature of the tea, the price of the tea, or the environment in which they drink it, all of which affect their enjoyment. But if you can adapt your mindset to the circumstances, you can enjoy even tea that costs only 50-cents per pound. This is the state of moving with life's circumstances and being at peace with whatever comes your way. Wherever fate leads us, we follow. When an opportunity arises, we cherish it; when it fades, we bless it. This way, we won't be attached or unable to let go. No matter what life brings, we can remain settled in the present moment.

The true journey of life is a journey of cultivating the heart. The first step in this cultivation is to observe and understand your emotions, and to actively engage in dialogue with your inner child. Only when you truly become aware of the attachments behind your emotions, see through them, or let them go, and understand that everything in life happens to help us grow, will your heart find peace. By reconciling with this inner child, which represents your "true self", and by polishing your true nature and essence, you can experience a profound transformation, becoming healthier, more positive, and more radiant. The love you show to yourself will inevitably manifest in your life, allowing you to fully experience that you are indeed someone deserving of love.

Some people, diagnosed by medicine as having little time left, miraculously recover after traveling or reconnecting with nature. These individuals, facing the brink of life, suddenly awaken, gaining insight into life, letting go of everything they once thought was important. They realize that a lifetime of anxiety was an illusion, empty and powerless to decide or change anything. As a result, they settle into a state of complete self-care, experiencing an unprecedented sense of ease and relaxation, almost as if they are "living anew". I love the saying: "Dark clouds will always disperse, and only the new identity you give yourself will shine brightly under the sun — it is the truly indestructible part of you!"

Step 3: Make choices and go with the flow.

We know that in the three-dimensional space-time continuum, the past is gone and cannot be changed, but the future is like a "future tree" with countless parallel possibilities. How the future unfolds depends entirely on the choices made in the present. For example, having two job offers can lead to vastly different outcomes; encountering a fateful person, and deciding whether to form a lifelong partnership will also significantly impact one's life. There are many choices in life, from major decisions like choosing a career or a city, to minor ones like whether to offer assistance, wake up early or sleep in, go out or stay in... Some say: "There are no accidents in life, everything is predetermined." However, this statement only tells half the story. We are making choices every moment, and each choice leads to countless inevitable outcomes. When we look back after walking down a certain path, what seems accidental is actually inevitable.

How should we choose? Always make choices that align with the natural order, positivity and kindness. Prof. Zeng Shiqiang once said, "No one is born a bad person; it's only through making wrong choices." Therefore, if you realize you've made a mistake, there's still an opportunity to turn things around. If the distinction between right and wrong is unclear and making a choice is difficult, then follow your heart and let everything happen naturally. As the saying goes in "Life Doesn't Have to Be Too Hard": "There are two common regrets in life: one is being unable to meet the standard, and the other is exerting too much effort. Like cooking, too little salt makes it tasteless, while too much makes it hard to swallow."

When we understand that there are no coincidences in life, we might wonder how much we can actually control in the present moment. The truth is, we are not entirely without choices—in fact, there are many different choices available to us right now! We can decide how to spend each day, choose what to eat, what to wear, and what to do, because all of these occur in the present. You are happy because you choose to be happy, and you are angry because you choose to be angry. We cannot have it all; the laws of the universe treat everyone with fairness, not giving anyone extra. You might see a neighbor's child who excels in singing, dancing, academics, and graduates from a prestigious university, but they might not be filial. You might see someone who is successful, surrounded by a loving family, but they may not live a long life.

As "Zhuang-zi"（《庄子》）said: "To accept what cannot be helped as one's fate is something only the virtuous can achieve." Going with the flow is both a state of being and a way of making peace with oneself. Many seemingly difficult problems in life neither need nor can be resolved immediately.

Take myself as an example: I've been frail and sickly since childhood, and was diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis in my first year of university. Over the past 20 years, immune system issues have haunted me—one moment I had uveitis, unable to tolerate light; another time, my hands and feet stiffened within hours; then Meniere's disease made the world spin around me; and sometimes my spine would become so stiff from Ankylosing spondylitis that I couldn't even turn over in bed. Yet, I never seemed to feel anxious about these illnesses, and in recent years, my health has slowly, almost completely, recovered. Understanding the process of aging, sickness, and death, and grasping the essence of life, helps one realize that some chronic illnesses don't require surgical treatment as long as you can strengthen your immune system and reduce or prevent flare-ups. By accepting the imperfections of our bodies, we can let these illnesses become like an unattractive scar that accompanies us throughout our lives. Just let everything take its natural course, and that's enough.