---
title: "了凡四訓 · 立命之學"
description: "了凡四訓是明代居士袁了凡所著的家訓文集，融合儒家與佛教思想，成書於十六世紀。內容以立命之學、改過之法、積善之方、謙德之效四部分，闡述命運可通過行善修德改變，強調因果與自我革新。該書雖非正統佛經，但深受佛教界推崇，被視為居士修行的重要指南，對中國民間信仰與道德教育影響深遠，體現了人間佛教的實踐精神。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmcy56sj900col404swtpeb2s"
---

### 立命之學

> The Study of Establishing Destiny

余童年喪父。老母命棄學舉業解見前舊序中學醫。謂可以養生。含支持生計保養生命二義可以濟人。且習一藝以成名。爾父夙心也。藝技術賴以生存者也技術而專精即可以成名夙心即素心言久有此心也漢鄧禹佐光武中興功高祿厚以為不足恃有子十三人使各修一藝為天下後世法後余在慈雲寺遇一老者。修髯。在頤曰鬚在頰曰髯修長也偉貌。偉不凡也飄飄若仙。瀟灑出塵余敬禮之。語余曰。子仕路中人也。仕路官場也明年即進學。科舉時代考取秀才曰進學亦曰入泮何不讀書。余告以故。並叩老者姓氏里居。曰吾姓孔。雲南人也得邵子皇極數正傳。宋邵雍字堯夫讀書蘇門山共城令李之才奇之授以圖書先天象數之學妙悟神契多所發明研窮世變如觀掌紋有皇極經世書行世是書以易經六十四卦分配元會運世年月日辰以證古今治亂數皆前定謂之皇極數卒年六十七賜諡康節數該傳汝。余引之歸。告母。母曰。善待之。試其數。纖悉皆驗。纖悉見前漢食貨志至纖至悉言微細也余遂起讀書之念。謀之表兄沈稱。言郁海谷先生。在沈友夫家開館。我送汝寄學甚便。余遂禮郁為師。孔為余起數。縣考童生。年未二十曰童子未有功名之考生曰童生雖耆年碩學亦以此名之當十四名。府考七十一名。提學考第九名。提學使即科舉時代之考官亦號學臺一號督學使者明年赴考。三處名數皆合。復為卜終身休咎。休咎猶言吉凶也言某年考第幾名。某年當補廩。某年當貢。廩生貢生皆科舉時代學臺所考生員之程度貢後某年當選四川一大尹。尹府縣官名也在任職也三年半。即宜告歸。五十三歲八月十四日丑時。當終於正寢。正寢治事之室惜無子。余備錄一一記出也而謹記之。自此以後。凡遇考校。其名數先後。皆不出孔公所懸定者。懸定豫定也獨算余食廩米廩生所得之俸也九十一石五斗當出貢。廩生出貢廩米止給及食米七十餘石。屠宗師即當時之提學使也即批準補貢。余竊疑之。疑豫定之數卒至不驗也後果為署印署理代行職權之人楊公所駁。直至丁卯年。殷秋溟宗師見余場中備卷。備中之卷歎曰。五策。策論即五篇奏議也。如古名臣因事陳奏條議是非豈可使博洽淹貫之儒。老於窗下乎。博言見聞廣博也洽言理解融洽也淹言文義透澈也貫言工夫一貫也遂依縣申文准貢。連前食米計之。實九十一石五斗也。余因此益信進退有命。遲速有時。澹然無求矣。貢入燕都。北京留京一年。終日靜坐。不閱文字。己巳歸。游南雍。明南京國子監稱為南雍言其為南京之辟雍也古學制天子所設之大學曰辟雍未入監。國學曰國子監創始於晉至清末大學堂立國子監遂廢先訪雲谷會禪師。雲谷名法會為當代大善知識慕道往訪傳佛心印不立文字曰禪參究話頭明心見性曰參禪故宏揚宗乘者曰禪師精修戒律者曰律師說法度生宏宣教旨者曰法師於棲霞山中。對坐一室。凡三晝夜不瞑目。雲谷問曰。凡人所以不得作聖者只為妄念相纏耳。汝坐三日。不見起一妄念何也。余曰。吾為孔先生算定。榮辱死生。皆有定數。即要妄想。亦無可妄想。雲谷笑曰。我待汝是豪傑。原來只是凡夫。問其故。曰人未能無心。終為陰陽即氣數也所縛。安得無數。但惟凡人有數。極善之人。數固拘他不定。極惡人之數。亦拘他不定。汝二十年來被他算定。不會轉動。一毫豈非是凡夫。余問曰。然則數可逃乎。曰命由我作。福自己求。詩書所稱。的的確也為明訓。我教典中說。求富貴得富貴。求男女得男女。求長壽得長壽。夫妄語乃釋迦大戒。諸佛菩薩。豈誑語欺人。余進曰。孟子言。求則得之。是求在我者也。道德仁義。可以力求。功名富貴。如何求得。雲谷曰。孟子之言不錯。汝自錯解了。汝不見六祖說。六祖慧能傳達摩衣鉢之第六人有壇經行世一切福田。不離方寸。指心地也從心而覓。感無不通。求在我。不獨得道德仁義。亦得功名富貴。內外雙得。是求有益於得也。若不返躬內省而徒向外馳求。則求之有道。而得之有命矣。內外雙失。故無益。因問更欲有所開發接口再問也孔公算汝終身若何。余以實告。此省筆法一語代却多語雲谷曰。汝自揣揣度量也人不可無此自知之明應得科第否。應生子否。余追省良久。人人俱備如來智慧德性一念縱橫照去凡過去未來十方國土一一現前惜為種種情封慾閉失却本明如鏡蒙塵如鐵生鏽耳曰不應也。老實乃進德之基凡飾非掩過之人前途有何希望科第中人。類有福相。余福薄。又不能積功累行。以基厚培也厚福。福固有相但相隨心變此陰功善行之所以貴乎積累也兼不耐煩劇。不能容人。性情褊急度量淺狹實為福薄之相時或以才智蓋人。自以為才智過人便是短處安能再有進步直心直行。心無私曲之謂直直心是為聖為賢之美德此直心當作縱情或任性解則直行當作徑行解輕言妄談。凡此皆薄福之相也。豈宜科第哉。人苦不自知己短耳知之則必思所以救之此認罪者之所以終於無罪也地之穢者多生物。水之清者常無魚。余好潔。宜無子者一。和氣能育萬物。余善怒。宜無子者二。愛為生生之本。忍為不育之根。余矜惜名節。常不能舍己救人。宜無子者三。多言耗氣。宜無子者四。喜飲鑠精。宜無子者五。好徹夜長坐。而不知葆元毓神。宜無子者六。好潔亦美德潔而成癖則寡情此為無子之一因怒招人怨易敗事易失人心此福薄相亦可為無子之一因愛者仁愛不作情愛解愛即為仁仁如果核之仁種之即出忍則無慈無慈則無愛如無仁則無生機堅忍是入聖美德此處作殘刻解忍字從刃從心為心境殘刻之表示此亦無子之一因矜惜名節偏於自好此亦無子之一因既驕且吝不能種德此亦無子之一因多言耗氣喜飲則鑠精「鑠消失也」此不壽之徵縱令得子亦多夭折不數傳後或至絕嗣此亦無子之一因大修養人私欲淨盡心境空明更無陰氣足以覆蓋常在定中智光湛然永斷睡相此聖境也欲以凡俗而遽冀此戕害生機實所不免此為致病致弱之因不僅艱於得子已也其餘過惡尚多。不能悉數。雲谷曰。豈惟科第哉。世間享千金之產者。定是千金人物。享百金之產者。定是百金人物。應餓死者。定是餓死人物。天不過因材而篤。幾曾加纖毫意思。栽者培之傾者覆之同一境界同一時機生者自生滅者自滅成敗得失千差萬別其實種種境界都從心地上造出先哲知之認為自取世俗昧之諉諸氣數所以鮮知自拔也即如生子。有百世之德者。定有百世子孫保之。有十世之德者。定有十世子孫保之。有三世二世之德者。定有三世二世子孫保之。其斬焉無後者。德至薄也。此方便說法語世俗恆情以無後為可恥之事雲谷借此意以作警惕勵了凡努力修德耳出世聖賢以絕慾斷愛為去惑轉智超凡入聖第一功修惜俗情未及了解耳汝今既知非。將向來不發科第。及不生子之相。盡情改刷。各人有各人之病痛既能平心自檢尋出一一病痛一一過失所在便有下手處用全神全力反轉來慳貪者轉之以施捨憤激者轉之以和平虛夸者轉之以切實浮囂者轉之以沈定驕慢者轉之以謙恭惰逸者轉之以勤奮殘忍者轉之以仁慈怯退者轉之以勇進務要積德。務要包荒。務要和愛。務要惜精神。以上數者是了凡對證之藥吾人可各就特異之心病變通藥之從前種種。譬如昨日死。從後種種。譬如今日生。此義理再生之身也。此至人造命訣也改造命運第一步工夫便是痛改前非一一積習悉皆掃除一一病根悉皆拔去時時處處常自警覺嚴自克治保善天真如保赤子改造命運全權在己不屬造化即上文所謂極善之人數固拘他不定是也夫血肉之身。尚然有數。數定數也義理之身。豈不能格天。精誠所至金石為裂此至誠所以格天也太甲商之賢君初頗失德曰。感謝伊尹語天作孽。猶可違。自作孽。不可活。違作避免或挽回解活作生存解詩云。永言恆言也配命。上合天心也自求多福。此千古不磨之金言孔先生算汝不登科第。不生子者。此天作之孽。猶可得而違。汝今擴充德性。力行善事。多積陰德。作善於人所不知不覺之地謂之陰德獲福甚大若能併作善之念獲福之念而忘之則作善之心益真而善量愈不可以測量焉非天下之大德其孰能與於斯此自己所作之福也。安得而不受享乎。易易經多戒謹恐懼之言所言非臆造純從六十四卦三百八十四爻剛柔變化盈虛消息中來亦天然之因果律也為君子謀趨吉避凶。若言天命有常。有常乃眾生妄想試平心觀察無論何事何物有那一件站得住脚跟但見一一無常而已吉何可趨。凶何可避。因為諸行無常所以一切得失苦樂境界都覺得非常活變可以隨著各人行為把他加減乘除去來開章第一義。便說積善之家。必有餘慶。語見周易坤卦文言汝信得及否。余信其言。拜而受教。聞善言而生疑謗者是為罪惡之相故曰疑為罪根聞善言而起敬信者是為福德之相故曰信為福母因將往日之罪。佛前盡情發露。為疏一通。朱子家訓有云惡恐人知便是大惡可知回護掩飾便是罪業之相涅槃經云有二白法能救眾生一慚二愧慚者內自羞恥愧者愧作於人懺悔舊時所犯身口意諸不善業便開改過自新之路成翻染為淨之行或向長者前懺悔或向法師前懺悔或向佛座前懺悔疏敘述行狀之文也先求登科。誓行善事三千條。以報天地祖宗之德。雲谷出功過格示余。令所行之事。逐日登記。善則記數。惡則退除。功過格中所定功過數目為修省定則參照凡例十六條中所指示處於定則上尚有加減乘除稱量登記之作用義益圓滿且教持準提咒。咒乃斬除一切揣摩情想降伏千魔百邪之不思議法門佛母準提陀羅尼為過去七俱胝准提如來所說俱胝為千萬億大數佛母以諸佛從此法門產出故得此名陀羅尼乃萬行總持之義咒曰南無颯多喃　三藐三勃馱俱胝喃　怛姪他　唵　折隸　主隸　準提　莎婆（二合）訶持誦功德不可稱量詳準提陀羅尼經以期必驗。語余曰。符籙家有云。不會書符。被鬼神笑。此有祕傳。只是不動念也。執筆書符。先把萬緣放下。一塵不起。把心地打掃得乾乾淨淨從此念頭不動處。下一點。謂之混沌開基。混沌元氣未判之謂由此而一筆揮成。更無思慮。此符便靈。凡祈天立命。祈禱告也都要從無思無慮處感格。感格言感通也孟子論立命之學。而曰夭壽不貳。短命曰夭夫夭與壽。至貳者也。當其不動念時。孰為夭。孰為壽。細分之。豐歉不貳。然後可立貧富之命。窮通不貳。然後可立貴賤之命。夭壽不貳。然後可立生死之命。人生世間。惟死生為重。夭壽。則一切順逆皆該之矣。至修身以俟之。乃積德祈天之事。曰修則身有過惡。皆當治而去之。曰俟則一毫覬覦。音冀俞希望也一毫將迎。逐物曰將豫計曰迎皆當斬絕之矣。斷除覬覦將迎之意到此地位。直造先天之境。造到也返本還源顯出本來面目也即此便是實學。汝未能無心。但能持準提咒。無記無數。不令間斷。持如持物不釋手然言精勤持誦也得純熟。於持中不持。於不持中持。到得念頭不動。則靈驗矣。余初號學海。是日改號了凡。蓋悟立命之說。而不欲落凡夫窠臼也。窠臼言襲常蹈故也從此而後。終日兢兢。兢兢戒懼之狀便覺與前不同。前日只是悠悠放任。隨隨便便無拘無束也到此自有戰兢惕厲景象。戰戰兢兢如臨深淵如履薄冰內存畏敬之心曰惕外對嚴肅之威曰厲在暗室屋漏中。獨居無侶人目所不見處常恐得罪天地鬼神。遇人憎我毀我。厭惡曰憎造謗曰毀自能恬然容受。恬音甜安然也容受承受不較也到明年。禮部考科舉。禮部舊官制六部之一掌禮教及學校貢舉之法猶今之教育部也孔先生算該第三。該應當也忽考第一。其言不驗。而秋闈中式矣。科舉時代生員考舉人之鄉試時在仲秋闈考場也牆緣棘防弊亦名棘闈中式考取也然行義未純。未純言雜而不純勉強而未自然也檢身多誤檢檢點也誤過誤也或見善而行之不勇。或救人而心常自疑。或身勉為善而口有過言。或醒時操持而醉後放逸。以過折功。日常虛度。自己巳歲發願。直至己卯歲。歷十餘年。而三千善行始完。時方從李漸庵入關。未及回向。回回轉向趨向回己所修之功德有所趨向曰回向凡一切善行皆可回向或以之贖罪或以之報恩或以之普施法界眾生均可至誠祝願以植勝因庚辰南還。始請性空慧空諸上人。上人高僧美稱就東塔禪堂回向。遂起求子願。亦許行三千善事。辛巳。生汝天啟。余行一事。隨以筆記。汝母不能書。每行一事。輒即也用鵝毛管。印一硃圈於曆日之上。曆日即家家所備之曆本或施食貧人。或買放生命。一日有多至十餘圈者。至癸未八月。三千之數已滿。復請性空輩。就家庭回向。九月十三日。復起求進士願。許行善事一萬條。丙戌登第。授寶坻知縣。寶坻京兆縣名余置空格一冊。名曰治心編。此空格治心編應人人置備倣行人人可以覓出平地登雲之路晨起坐堂。家人攜付門役。置案上。所行善惡。纖悉必記。夜則設桌於庭。庭堂中階前也效趙閱道焚香告帝。解見前序文中汝母見所行不多。輒顰蹙。愁容也曰。我前在家。相助為善。故三千之數得完。今許一萬。衙中無事可行。何時得圓滿乎。圓圓成滿滿足夜間偶夢見一神人。余言善事難完之故。神曰。只減糧一節。萬行俱完矣。蓋寶坻之田。每畝二分三釐七毫。余為區處。計畫也減至一分四釐六毫。委有此事。委實屬也心頗驚疑。驚一念之微已為神明所知疑僅一善行如何便抵萬善適恰巧也幻余禪師自五臺來。五臺山名在山西五臺縣東北五峯聳立高出雲表山上無林木如壘土之臺故名華嚴名為清涼山今屬山西雁門道袁公夙因深植與當代出世聖賢有緣方便指引助成勝業福薄之輩緣慳不遇內典博載障重眾生多生多劫不聞佛名僧為上宏下化人中至寶佛法藉以宣傳苦海因而得度得遇聖賢僧宿福之厚可知余以夢告之。且問此事宜信否。師曰。善心真切。即一行可當萬善。况合縣減糧。萬民受福乎。吾即捐俸銀。請其就五臺山齋僧一萬而回向之。一即字足見其人當機立斷慷慨布施無絲毫牽強吝情處宜其受福無量也孔公算予五十三歲有厄厄災難也余未嘗祈壽是歲竟無恙恙憂也病也今六十九矣。書曰。天難諶。命靡常。文見商書咸有一德篇諶音申信也靡不也言天道難信以其命之不常也故曰禍福無不自己求之者又云。惟命不於常。文見周書康誥篇亦言天命無常修德為要皆非誑語。非欺人語也吾於是而知凡稱禍福自己求之者。乃聖賢之言。若謂禍福惟天所命。則世俗之論矣。汝之命未知若何。即命當榮顯。常作落寞想。即時當順利。常作拂逆想。即眼前足食。常作貧窶想。即人相愛敬。常作恐懼想。即家世望重。常作卑下想。即學問頗優。常作淺陋想。落寞不遇時也拂逆不稱懷也窶音矩貧無禮室也望重眾望所歸也此六想皆從現前境界反面看去如此行持自然克己復禮虛靈不昧可以入道可以進德此空前之庭訓也遠思揚祖宗之德。近思蓋父母之愆。蓋遮掩也愆過誤也上思報國之恩。下思造家之福。外思濟人之急內思閑己之邪。急急難濟救援邪邪念閑防制務要日日知非。日日改過一日不知非即一日安於自是一日無過可改即一日無步可進天下聰明俊秀不少。所以德不加修。業不加廣者只為因循二字耽閣一生因循苟且偷安也耽閣阻止進步也雲谷禪師所授立命之說乃至精至邃。邃音粹深遠也至真至正之理。其熟玩而勉行之。󳌤自曠也玩作珍愛研學解曠將光陰空過意毋禁止辭言不許也

> When I was young, my father died. My mother told me to give up studying for the imperial exams—note— and to study medicine instead. She said it could support the family, help others, and if I mastered a skill, it would bring me a good name—which had always been my father's wish. Later, I met an old man at Ciyun Temple. He had a long beard, a distinguished appearance, and an otherworldly grace. I greeted him with deep respect. He said to me: "You are someone meant for an official career. You'll pass the county exams next year. Why aren't you studying?" I told him why, and asked his name and where he lived. He said his name was Kong and he was from Yunnan. He had mastered Master Shao Yong's "Supreme Principle of Order" and said it was destined for him to pass this knowledge to me. I brought him home and told my mother. She said, "Treat him well and test his skills." Everything he predicted turned out correct, down to the smallest detail. So I decided to take up my studies again. I discussed it with my cousin Shen Chen, who told me that Mr. Yu Haigu was teaching at Shen Youfu's house and it would be easy for me to board there. So I became Yu's student. Mr. Kong made predictions for me. The county exam: 14th place. The prefectural exam: 71st place. The regional exam: 9th place. The following year, these all came true. He then predicted my entire life: which year I would pass certain exams, when I would receive government stipends, when I would become a tribute student, and that after that—three and a half years into serving as a magistrate—I should retire. He also said I would die at age 53, on August 14th, at the hour of the Ox, in my own home. And that I would have no son. I wrote it all down and took it to heart. From then on, whatever exam I took, the results matched his predictions exactly. Only one thing gave me pause: he said I would have to consume 91.5 \*dan\* of rice as a stipend student before becoming a tribute student. But when I had eaten through only about 70 \*dan\*, my superior approved my promotion. I questioned his numbers—until another official overturned that decision. So it wasn't until the Dingmao year that Examiner Yin Qiuming saw my essay and exclaimed: "How can a man of such broad and deep learning be left to waste away?" So my promotion finally went through. When I counted up my rice rations, they came to exactly 91.5 \*dan\*. From this, I came to truly believe that advancement and retreat, fortune and misfortune, are all predestined, with their own proper times. I grew calm and ceased to strive. I went to the capital as a tribute student and stayed a year, sitting silently every day, reading nothing. Then in the Jisi year, I returned and traveled to Nanjing. Before entering the Imperial Academy, I visited Master Yungu, a Chan meditator, at Qixia Mountain. We sat face to face in a room for three days and three nights without sleeping. Master Yungu asked me: "Ordinary people cannot become sages because they are tangled in false thoughts. You sat three days without generating a single false thought. How is that?" I replied: "Master Kong already calculated everything for me—honor and shame, life and death—all fixed. Even if I wanted false thoughts, there's nothing to think." Master Yungu laughed: "I thought you were extraordinary, but you're just an ordinary person." When I asked why, he said: "If a person cannot let go of their mind, they will be bound by forces in the world—how then can they be without fortune? But only ordinary people are ruled by fortune. People of ultimate goodness cannot be bound by it, nor can the extremely evil. You, for twenty years, have let him predict your life without budging an inch. Doesn't that make you just ordinary?" I asked: "But can we escape fate?" He replied: "Destiny is made by the self; blessings come from our own efforts. This is a clear teaching from the Poetry and History classics. Our Buddhist scriptures say: 'Seek wealth and status—gain wealth and status. Seek sons and daughters—gain sons and daughters. Seek long life—gain long life.' Lying is a major precept of the Buddha. How would the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas deceive people?" I pressed: "Mencius said seeking is a matter of self—we can seek moral virtues like compassion, righteousness—but how can we seek status and wealth?" Master Yungu said: "Mencius was right, you misunderstood him. Haven't you read the Sixth Patriarch? He said: 'All fields of blessings are never apart from the mind.' Seek in the mind—every seeking will connect. Seeking in the self, you gain not only inner virtue but also outer status and wealth, achieving both inward and outward results. If you fix only on the outer without reflecting inward, your pursuit might be correct but your reward will be predetermined, so you lose both. That pursuit does no good." He asked what exactly Master Kong had predicted for me. I told him truthfully. Yungu said: "Now ask yourself truthfully: Do you deserve an official career? Do you deserve a son?" I thought for some time and answered: "No. Those who achieve official status usually have signs of good fortune. I have thin fortune and haven't accumulated good deeds. I also can't handle stress or tolerate others. Sometimes I think I'm better than others, act impulsively, speak without thinking. Those are all signs of little fortune—how could I deserve an official career? "The ground yields crops, but clear water catches no fish—I’m too clean. That’s one reason I deserve no children. Harmony nurtures all life, but I get angry easily—that’s two. Love is the root of life; harshness is infertility. I’m too attached to my own reputation to give of myself—that's three. I talk too much, wasting energy—that's four. I drink, harming my essence—that's five. I stay up all night sitting, not knowing how to preserve my energy—that's six. There are still many other faults I can't list." Master Yungu said: "It isn't only about official careers. In this world, a person who enjoys a thousand pieces of gold definitely has the character for it. Someone with a hundred pieces has the character for that. Those who starve have the character for starvation. Heaven just nurtures according to capacity; it doesn't add any personal bias. A man of merit for a hundred generations is protected by descendants for a hundred generations, and one whose virtue is shallow will have the line cut off. Now that you know your faults, you can completely reform the traits that block you from a career and children. You must cultivate virtue, learn to be generous, be kind and loving, and protect your energy. From now on, treat your past self as dead; start anew today, as if reborn. This is a body renewed in meaning and truth. A physical body is still bound by fate, but how could a body of principles fail to move Heaven? "'The disasters Heaven sends can be avoided, but disasters one makes oneself cannot be survived.' This is known from the \*Book of Documents\*. 'Maintain constant virtue to align with Heaven's decree, and seek your own good fortune'—this from the \*Book of Songs\*. Master Kong predicted you won’t pass exams or have a son. That’s Heaven's trouble, which you can change. Now expand your virtuous nature, do good deeds diligently, build hidden virtue. That is genuine self-made fortune. How could you not enjoy it? "The \*I Ching\* helps the wise choose auspicious over ill-omened actions. If fate were fixed, what would be the point of choosing good? The first chapter says: 'A family that accumulates goodness certainly has abundant joy.' Do you believe this?" I believed him, bowed in thanks, and in front of the Buddha confessed all my past faults. I wrote a formal petition to become a scholar and vowed to do 3,000 good deeds to repay Heaven and Earth and my ancestors. Master Yungu gave me a merit-and-demerit ledger to record my daily actions—good gave me plus points, evil subtracted them. He taught me the Zhunti mantra to ensure results. He told me: "Magic practitioners say you must not think when writing talismans. Put everything down, empty your mind entirely. Then, with no thought, you place the first dot—the start of creation—and from there you complete it all in one stroke, without further thought. That talisman works. To petition Heaven for a new life, you must connect from a place beyond thought. When Mencius discussed developing one's life, he said: 'Neither a short nor a long life should have two meanings for you.' When there is no thought, what is short or long? By dividing it further, if good and bad harvests don't matter, you can establish your life regarding poverty and wealth. If difficulty and ease don't matter, you can live out your fate regarding high or low position. If short or long life doesn't matter, you can establish the destiny of your own life. "While you develop yourself to await it through cultivating virtue, you are 'developing' to remove faults and nurture goodness. 'Await' means to eliminate expectation and anxious anticipation. In this state you approach the primordial. This is real learning. Since you cannot yet be thought-free, just keep reciting the Zhunti mantra: don't count, don't calculate, just let it continue uninterrupted. When you become so familiar with it that you are chanting without chanting, or not chanting while chanting, then the mind will be still and it will work." I used to call myself Xuehai (Sea of Learning). On that day I changed it to Liaofan (Transcending the Ordinary), having understood the teaching about creating one's life and wanting to avoid being locked in ordinary thinking. From then on, I was always cautious and diligent. I felt a clear difference: before, I merely drifted; now, I was full of apprehension and seriousness. Even in the darkest corners—where no one could see—I feared offending Heaven and Earth and the spirits. When people hated or slandered me, I accepted it calmly. The next year, at the Board of Rites exam, Master Kong predicted I would come in third. I unexpectedly came in first. His prediction failed. Then I passed the provincial exam in autumn. But my conduct was still imperfect; I often made mistakes. Sometimes I couldn't bring myself to act on good intentions. When helping others, I hesitated. Sometimes I did good with my hands but said wrong things. Some disciplines I held during the day, I lost after drinking. Offsetting my good deeds with mistakes, I wasted many days. After that, my vow of 3,000 good deeds—started in the Jisi year—took over a decade to fulfill, only completing in Jimao. I'd just followed Magistrate Li Jian'an into the passes and hadn't yet dedicated the merit. Then, in the Gengchen year, I returned south and invited Reverend Xingkong and Reverend Huikong to conduct the dedication at the Dongta Chan Hall. I then prayed for a son and vowed 3,000 good deeds. In the Xinsi year, I had my son, Tianqi. Every time I did something good, I recorded it. My wife couldn't write, so she marked each good deed with a red circle on the lunar calendar with a goose feather quill—feeding the poor, freeing animals. Some days she marked over ten. By the Guiwei year, we completed the 3,000 and again invited the reverends to our home for dedication. Then on September 13, we vowed to do 10,000 good deeds to earn the highest degree. In Bingxu, I passed and became magistrate of Baodi county. I made a ledger called “Records on Cultivating the Mind,” which I took to the county hall every morning. My servant placed it on my desk; good and evil deeds, big and small, I recorded. At night I set up a table and incense in the courtyard, like Zhao Yue Dao used to do, reporting to Heaven. My wife noticed the volume was low and complained: "At home I helped you, so we reached 3,000. But now in office, there's little to do. How can we reach 10,000?" One night I dreamed a god told me: "Just reducing taxes one time—already ten thousand deeds are complete." Our Baodi farmland was taxed at 2.37 \*fen\* per \*mu\*. As county magistrate, I had implemented a reduction to 1.46 \*fen\*. I was stunned and unsure—so much impact from such a small thought? And could one deed really replace ten thousand? Just then Master Huanyu arrived from Mount Wutai. I told him my dream and asked if it was reliable. He said: "When your good intent is genuine, one deed can equal ten thousand. And this tax reduction benefits the whole county—countless people. Who can count that?" So I donated my salary to him, to sponsor a meal for ten thousand monks at Mount Wutai and dedicate the merit. Master Kong had predicted I would die at 53. I never prayed for long life. But that year I had no troubles at all. Now I am 69. The \*Book of Documents\* says: "Heaven's will is hard to trust; destiny is not fixed." Also: "Life is not permanent." These are not lies. From this I understood that those who say fortune and misfortune are sought by the self are the true saints. The claim that fate is entirely determined by Heaven is the talk of ordinary people. Your own destiny—what will it be? Even if destined for glory, always think of yourself as living in obscurity. If your path is smooth, imagine rough times. Even if wealthy, think of yourself as poor. Even when loved and respected, remain humble. If your family is prominent, lower your view of yourself. Even if you excel, think yourself shallow. Think far of honoring your ancestors' virtue, near of covering your parents' faults. Above, repay your country's kindness. Below, build your family's fortune. Outwardly, help others in need; inwardly, guard against your own improper thoughts. Every day you must recognize your faults—and correct them. If you don't see a fault one day, you stay satisfied with being right, and if you don't alter anything, you won't advance. Many in this world are smart and capable. The only reason their virtue doesn't grow and their achievements don't expand is because of \*procrastination\*—they give up their whole lives to drift along with the current. Master Yungu Chan's teaching on creating one's own life is the most profound and penetrating, the truest and most correct way of truth. Cherish it, look into it deeply, and practice it diligently. Don't let time slip away.