(Minghui.org) How can one improve one’s appearance? Below are two examples.
Saving a Baby
In Xiao Doupeng (Little Canopy of Beans) there is a story about a scholar in the Qing Dynasty whose name was Fan Daoji. Fan was from Ningbo (in today’s Zhejiang Province) and he lived in poverty. Someone was sympathetic and gave him some money so that he could take the imperial exam.
On the way to Hangzhou to take the exam, Fan saw an abandoned baby by the side of the road, crying with hunger. Others were passing by, but no one stopped to help. Taking pity on the child, Fan gave all his money to a couple who were sellingtofu nearby, and they agreed to take care of the baby.
In Hangzhou, no other scholars would help Fan because he was so poor. He had no choice but to stay with a monk that he knew. That night, the monk had a dream in which deities from all over reported to Lord Wenchang (who is said to beresponsible for literature, scholarship, and knowledge) the results of the imperial exam. Some of the candidates had been disqualified and those slots needed to be filled.
“Fan Daoji took pity on a life—he could score well on the imperial exam,” said the deity from Ningbo.
Lord Wenchang summoned Fan and noticed his inferior appearance. “He does not look very distinguished, does he?”
“We can change his beard and eyebrows and make him handsome,” replied the deity.
Fan did not look handsome because he had no beard. Pointing at a nearby judge with a purple beard, the deity asked, “Could you spare your beard?” The judge removed his own beard for Fan.
After the monk woke up, he realized the dream had shaken him. He went to tell Fan about it and was shocked to see that beardless Fan had grown whiskers overnight. Amazed, the monk just grinned. Fan was baffled since he did not know what had happened.
The monk told Fan about his dream, and Fan did, indeed, score well on the exam. When he returned home, the villagers were surprised by his appearance and his title. Fan later became an official and handled lawsuits.
Change of Appearance
The following from a Minghui reader tells about an amazing change in appearance.
One of the photos displayed in my home was of me before I started to practice Falun Dafa, an ancient mind-body discipline. Anyone who saw it would ask who the person was. Although my wife told them it was me, people could hardly believe her.
That is understandable, because my face is now square and I have good features. The person in the photo, however, had squinting, fierce eyes, a pointed jaw, and a long face. “It looks like a wanted criminal,” people often said. In fact, because of my gambling and thievery, I was indeed a wanted criminal for a while.
Not only that, probably due to malnutrition when my mother was pregnant with me, I was born bow-legged with a hunchback and oddly-shaped eyes. My mother died when I was seven. My father was usually lazy and did not love me. I did not get a formal education. To make things worse, I picked up lots of bad habits from my father. I often stole things and gambled. As a hunchback, I often walked with my hands behind my back and looked at people sideways. Acquaintances tended to avoid me, worrying I might beat them up if I happened to be in a bad mood that day.
I often fought with others and my neighbors were annoyed. Because I often beat my wife and hurt her, she asked for a divorce. Pushing a cooking knife against her neck, I asked, “Do you want to divorce?”
“No, no...” she said timidly.
I continued to act recklessly and my wife did not dare to do anything.
But a life without constraints also destroyed my health. The local doctors could not help me. I became physically ill and mentally lost, and had no hope.
Right at that time, someone gave a copy of Zhuan Falun, the main teachings of Falun Dafa. It took me two months to finishing reading the book. I realized I had been wrong and that one should be a good person.
By holding myself to Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, I let go of all my bad habits. My mind was purified and my body became healthier. Not only that, my hunchback, bowed legs, and strange-looking eyes all became normal without medical intervention. Those were true miracles!
My relatives and neighbors were very impressed by how I changed. My wife also joined me in practicing Falun Dafa. My family became happier than ever. And I know none of this could have happened without Falun Dafa.
Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions or understandings. All content published on this website are copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
