(Minghui.org) Traditional Chinese culture holds that virtues, such as being chaste, making up for past mistakes, and promoting good values, has always been important in the eye of gods. Those who uphold morality are blessed. Those who harbor promiscuity, jealousy, or hatred, defame others, or spread sinful ideas are bound to be punished and will have their good fortune in the future taken away.
Below are several stories from ancient China for us to bear in mind.
1. Resisting Desire and Lust Brings Fortune and Longevity
Sun Hou was a scholar from the Ming Dynasty. Because he was poor, he worked for a wealthy family for food and shelter. One night, one of the maids went to his room and wanted to spend the night with him. He rebuked her advances and explained to her why it was wrong. The family's private teacher overheard Sun scolding the maid and knew what had happened. The teacher then asked her to come by his room and they slept together that night.
The teacher later had a breakout of sores that wouldn't go away. The family then promoted Sun as their private teacher.
Sun's uncle told Sun of a dream he had. He saw that Sun was supposed to die of starvation at the age of 46, but because he had resisted the desire of lust, a divine being allowed him to live 24 years longer, with good fortune.
Later in Sun's life, he had many students and made a lot of money from tuition. His fortune allowed him to lead a good life during a famine. He died peacefully, without pain or illness at the age of 70.
2. Quitting Bad Deeds and Avoiding Misfortune
A man named Yan Hui'an came from a wealthy family. When he was young, he liked to share erotic stories with his friends. He peeped and flirted with a neighbor girl. For two years, he lived in a city away from home, under the excuse of taking an exam to become local official. Instead of studying, he frequently visited brothels and gambled.
In his third year away from home, he came across a man who was giving out free books with Taoist teachings that encouraged moral behavior. He read the books out of curiosity and realized that what he was doing was forbidden by the saints and sages.
He stopped being promiscuous from that day on and was determined to study hard to pass the exam. He also printed out a thousand copies of the books he read to give out for free, hoping to save people who were as lost as he was.
The next year, he did very well and ranked first in a major exam.
One of his classmates refused to listen to him or change his promiscuous behavior. He was caught committing adultery with a man's wife and agreed to pay a large sum of money after a beating. He then realized that his father would be furious and refuse to help him pay off the debt. He later committed suicide.
3. Making Up for One's Mistake and Given Back a Good Life
Sun Hong's classmate received a letter from his father, which included a prophetic dream he had about Sun failing an exam that he was supposed to pass. Sun’s fortune was taken away because he helped a couple with their divorce.
Sun recalled that he didn't think much of it when he helped an old couple with their divorce papers. His classmate told him that it was just a dream, and that a talented person like him would definitely pass the exam. However, Sun failed the exam, while his classmate passed.
Sun's classmate offered to help, seeing that he regretted what he did. He asked Sun the names and address of the couple. On his way home, he helped the couple remarry. Sun was very grateful for what the classmate did.
Sun passed the next exam and continued to be promoted in his career as an official. Wherever he went, when he came across a possible divorce, he would do everything he could to help the couple and save the marriage.
4. Writing Pornographic Articles Puts Self and Family in Harm’s Way
A scholar in the Ming Dynasty was a talented writer, but he was only interested in writing pornographic stories. He didn't think it was a big deal, because they were just stories.
One night in his dream, his father scolded him. The elderly man told him that the stories were too good and that many readers believed that they were true and copied the morally degenerate conduct depicted in his books. “You were supposed to be successful in your career and live a long life. Because of your pornographic books, the divine beings took away all your good fortune,” his father told him.
One year, he and his family were traveling to his new job on a boat. The boat capsized in a strong wind, and everyone drowned.
5. Vicious Lies Destroy Good Names and the Liar
Sun Yan was jealous of his coworker Li Shuqing, who was an honest and detail-oriented official. To defame Li, Sun spread rumors to humiliate him. Sun claimed that Li's sister-in-law was committing adultery and that he approved of it. When Li heard the rumor, he wanted to check with his sister-in-law but felt embarrassed to bring up the subject. Unable to deny the allegations, Li later died of depression and anger. Li’s sister-in-law couldn't stand the humiliation and hanged herself.
A few days after the two died, there was an unusual storm. A thunderstorm dragged Sun in front of Li's house before lightning struck and killed Sun. After Sun was buried, lightning struck his tomb and split open his coffin, exposing his body to rot in the wild.
6. One Evil Thought Destroys One's Future
A student in the Qing Dynasty went to a city to take an imperial exam with his servant. After the first exam, his servant told him that he saw in a dream that the student would pass the exam and become an official. The student was very excited. The servant then asked if he could help him find a wife once he was hired as an official. The student gladly agreed. He mentioned a certain man's daughter and said, “Once I'm an official, he wouldn't dare to turn down my request.”
After the second exam, the servant had another dream. He told the student that he would not be appointed an official. “In the dream, I heard the examiner say that you were already thinking about doing bad things before you were even appointed. The examiner then replaced you with someone else,” said the servant.
The student didn't really believe him. When the list of candidates who passed the exam was released, the student’s name was absent.
Related articles in Chinese:守正得福-贪色致祸（2）守正得福-贪色致祸（3）守正得福-贪色致祸（4）
Category: Traditional Culture
