Sometimes, one may suddenly and unexpectedly recover from a serious illness, and we think of it as a chance occurrence; but in traditional Chinese culture, nothing happens “by chance” — there is always a reason behind it. How can people have their fates reversed?
In ancient China, people believed that the gods were aware of each person’s every thought and would bless those with good thoughts and punish those with evil thoughts. Often, one thought can bring a miraculous change, as we can see in the following recorded incidents.
Fate changed after one kind thought
At the end of Qing Dynasty, a man named Wei Yu (1860-1927) excelled in calligraphy and music. He was also good at martial arts. As one of the few candidates who passed the provincial exam in China’s imperial examination system in 1885, he served as a copywriter of Inspector-General of the Two Expanses and Surrounding Areas (兩廣總督Liangguang Zongdu), and one of the eight regional Viceroys during Imperial China’s last two dynasties, the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Wei started to learn martial arts at a young age and as a teenager he was well-known for being both brave and kind. But in his early years, his fate hung in the balance, and his good future might have easily been lost.
When he went to take the imperial examination in the fall of 1882, he ran into a fortune teller named Guang Wen, who was especially good at reading one’s face to predict the person’s future. Guang told Wei that he saw the possibility of misfortune and was confident that Wei would fail the exam.
Success
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Success
Check your email to complete sign up
As predicted, Wei failed the exam, and afterwards became depressed and started drinking. A spiteful old woman named Qi told everyone about his bad behavior. Wei was furious and wanted to take revenge.
One night, he went to the woman’s neighborhood with the intention of burning her house down. When he saw that she had many poor neighbors in wooden homes, he had a change of heart. “Although that woman is abominable,” he sighed, “I can’t let my anger ruin her neighbors.” He gave up his plan.
Three years later, in 1885, Wei went to take the imperial exam again. And again he happened to run into Guang Wen. Guang Wen was very surprised after studying his face. “How strange,” he said. “Your face has changed. Not only has your misfortune been eliminated, but you will pass the imperial exam. You must have done something good. What was it?”
Upon hearing how Wei abandoned his plans for revenge on the old woman in consideration of the poor families next to her, Guang Wen said, “That thought saved many lives, and your life has changed accordingly.”
Wei passed the imperial exam that year, and later became a good friend of Cao Rulin, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Beiyang Government.
An ancient Chinese proverb says that “Fortune is with the man who carries righteous thoughts, just as misfortune follows the man with wicked thoughts.” This principle holds true in modern times as well.
Chronic ailments disappear after showing support for a righteous faith
Ms. Zhang, in her 60s, lives in a village in Mengying City, Shandong Province. She had suffered chronic back pain for many years. In addition, her back was covered with small bumps that were itchy and painful.
Ms. Zhang’s neighbors, a middle-aged couple, were fined a huge amount of money because of the wife’s spiritual practice. Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a cultivation practice of mind and body, featuring gentle exercises and meditation, which are highly effective at improving health. The practice also improves moral character, through following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance.
Because the practice became widely popular, with approximately 100 million people learning Falun Dafa in China alone, the Chinese Communist Party began persecuting the practice and spreading false information to invoke hatred against practitioners. This husband was therefore often angry at his wife, and verbally abused her so loudly that Ms. Zhang heard it very clearly. She wanted to help but did not know how.
One day when the husband started yelling at his wife again, Ms. Zhang could not stand it anymore, and went to their house. By then, the wife had left to work in the family’s fields.
She said to the husband kindly, “Please calm down and listen to me. It is not good for you to abuse your wife in front of your grown children. Think about how poor her health used to be — she couldn’t even do simple household chores; but now look at her. After she started practicing Falun Dafa, she regained her health and can do all the housework plus work in the fields.”
The husband still grumbled, “How can I not be angry? A whole year of hard work will not be enough to pay off her fine.” Ms. Zhang continued, “But that was not your wife’s fault. It is the authorities who extort money from innocent people.”
“Think about it. Since your wife has practiced Falun Dafa, she’s never talked back when she is insulted or hit back when she’s attacked, right? And with all her illnesses gone, have you thought about how much money she has saved for you? Look at me. I have spent a fortune on treatments over the years, but I haven’t improved at all. I may as well have thrown my money away.”
Ms. Zhang’s heartfelt words made the husband speechless, and his anger dissipated. As Ms. Zhang was talking, she unconsciously stood straighter than she had in years. After she returned home, she realized that all the itchy and painful bumps on her back were gone.
Both happy and confused, she later found the wife to ask if she could explain what had happened. The wife smiled and said, “I was wondering why my husband suddenly changed his attitude. Thank you so much! What happened to you is no surprise. Since you had the courage to speak up for a Falun Dafa practitioner despite the persecution, you have been blessed.”
The news that Ms. Zhang was cured after speaking up for a Falun Dafa practitioner quickly spread throughout the village, as she readily exclaimed, “Falun Dafa is so amazing!”
