Fan Sixun

Chapter 1 Preface
一
I have a friend who graduated from a prestigious university and started doing business in the 20s.After primitive accumulation, by the 80s, I became rich, but it seemed that I became more restless than before.It costs 90+ per year to hire a feng shui master or a fortune teller to help him arrange furniture, release animals, worship gods, etc., which are said to be good luck and avoid bad luck.I couldn't help criticizing his approach, and used examples to illustrate that many Feng Shui masters and fortune tellers are just liars who are well versed in the weaknesses of human nature.The friend smiled and said that he didn't fully believe it, but he was just buying peace of mind.

My friend is just one of countless ordinary Chinese people.For thousands of years, the life issues that Chinese people have been most concerned about are these two immediate utilitarian issues: one is how to keep safe, and the other is how to obtain fame and fortune.But what is intriguing is that most Chinese people do not think about these two issues in depth, neither at the ultimate level of life and death, truth, nor at the social level of system and morality, but regard them as personal issues , is a problem that needs to find its own solution.

The method that most people find is the simplest formalistic method under the names of gods, Buddhas, immortals, numerology, feng shui, etc.And it is very utilitarian, drawing a talisman will immediately drive away evil spirits; chanting a mantra, the stock will immediately rise.I copied the Heart Sutra once, wishing that the cancer cells would disappear immediately.If it doesn't meet your expectations, it's not working.Chinese people often say that this temple or this fortune teller is not working.To be spiritual or not is a criterion for many Chinese people to choose their beliefs.Unfortunately, this spirit is still not working, and it is very subjective.Therefore, the so-called spirit is often just the emperor's new clothes, deceiving oneself and others.

Italian missionary Matteo Ricci arrived in Zhaoqing, China in 1583 and died in Beijing in 1610.In the book "China Notes", he talked about what he saw and heard in China, and said that the most incredible thing for him is that the Chinese people believe in Fengshui. It is absurd that these scammers were able to deceive the emperor and the common people."In his view, these feng shui cheaters are the big pests of China.

Matteo Ricci sharply pointed out one of the lowest levels in the Chinese belief system: always wanting to seek good fortune and avoid evil through numerology, feng shui, praying to gods and worshiping Buddha, and even changing one's own destiny.Until today in the 21st century, this extremely utilitarian superstition, which is close to witchcraft, is still a widespread phenomenon, and it generally exists among officials, civilians, the rich, and the poor.However, if we look at the larger historical and cultural background, it is not fair to simply say that the Chinese are only superstitious.

"Four Precepts of Liao Fan" shows another layer in the Chinese belief system: creating a good life through self-cultivation.The author of this book, Yuan Liaofan, was born in 1533 and died in 1606. He and Matteo Ricci lived in the same period of the Ming Dynasty, but they probably did not know each other. Matteo Ricci must have never read "Four Lessons of Liaofan" .If you read it, you may have a more comprehensive understanding of Chinese beliefs.In China, although there are some people who are superstitious, there are also many well-informed people who have unique thinking about life. The value of "Four Lessons of Liaofan" lies in the integration of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism with numerology and feng shui, surpassing the level of superstition and turning it into a highly operable philosophy of life.

two

"The Four Lessons of Liao Fan" answers the two questions that Chinese people are most concerned about: how to keep safe?How to get fame and fortune?Or more simply combined into one question: How can I change my destiny?Yuan Liaofan first tried to correct two common habits of Chinese people in "Four Lessons of Liaofan": one is accustomed to "destiny" and "resignation to fate"; , Seek from numerology, seek from feng shui, seek from gods.

Yuan Liaofan said that when he was young, he met a Mr. Kong, who calculated his fate clearly, and it was fulfilled one by one over the years.Because of this, Yuan Liaofan's heart was as still as water, and he felt that since the fate was already predetermined, there was no need to work harder.It was not until one day that I happened to meet Zen Master Yungu that a fundamental change occurred.Zen Master Yungu explained a truth to Yuan Liaofan: "Everyone's destiny is actually made by oneself; everyone's blessings are also obtained through hard work." If the human heart is searched from the level of the heart, there will be no response. Whether to seek it depends on oneself. Not only morality, benevolence and righteousness can be obtained if one wants to seek it, but also fame and wealth. We can not only seek morality, benevolence and righteousness inwardly, but also You can also seek fame and wealth from outside, and gain from both inside and outside, this is the correct pursuit.”

So how can we change our destiny?Zen Master Yungu said: "Plant new seeds, let them germinate, bloom, and bear new fruits. From now on, you must constantly expand and enrich your virtues, persevere in doing good deeds, and do good deeds silently. Accumulate yin virtue. Is there any reason why you can't enjoy the merits you have created?"

Zen Master Yungu gave Yuan Liaofan another book of merits and demerits, asking him to reflect every day and record all the good and bad things he did.In the end, he taught Yuan Liaofan to recite the "Zhunti Mantra", saying that if he recited it to the point where he knew it by heart, he would have a powerful induction.

Therefore, Yuan Liaofan re-planned his life according to what Zen Master Yungu said.It didn't take long for his fortunes to change.This "Four Lessons of Liao Fan" was written by him for his son.In this book, Yuan Liaofan, through his own experience, tells that destiny can be changed through practice, and through what practice can it be changed?Change by doing good things consistently.

Continuously doing good deeds can change your destiny.This statement is not very creative in theory. We can easily find similar statements in Buddhist, Confucian, and Christian classics.But in Chinese society, Yuan Liaofan has demonstrated special value. The value lies in his turning this statement into a real way of life.That is to say, in terms of secular life, Yuan Liaofan is remarkable, because he corrected the superstition of numerology and feng shui that is common in Chinese people's daily life, and advocated a positive attitude towards life in which one's own destiny is controlled by one's own destiny.

When people generally seek help from gods, Buddhas and Fengshui, Yuan Liaofan tried his best to prove to people that what can really change their destiny is their own thoughts and actions.If we want wealth and fame, we should cultivate the mentality, thought, character and ability that match the wealth and fame.Nothing can truly bless us except what we think and do.Peace comes from the heart.

three

Yuan Liaofan lived a life of practice according to Zen Master Yungu's instructions.The first is to correct one's mistakes, that is, to correct one's own behavior and not to do something.The second is to do good deeds, that is, to continue to do good deeds.He distinguished what is good and what is evil, and listed ten kinds of good deeds in detail.Finally, I talked about the importance of being humble.

"Four Precepts of Liao Fan" is a family motto, a life textbook written by a father to his son and future generations.Writing to future generations is nothing more than hoping to tell them my most valuable life experience and experience, to help them avoid detours, and to pass on the family smoothly from generation to generation.Chinese people's philosophy of life, values, and way of life can best be seen from family precepts.

Famous family precepts include "Yan's Family Precepts" during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and Zeng Guofan's family precepts in modern times.The principles in family precepts are not metaphysical speculations like "Zhuangzi" and "The Analects of Confucius", but the real way of life, some practical principles of life.And because it is written for my descendants, I hope they will benefit from it, so there are very few superstitious and supernatural powers, but some methodologies that are helpful to ordinary people.

Also because it is written for future generations, I am very sincere, and try my best to teach my life lessons and all life insights to my children, hoping that they will live a good life. The value of "Liaofan Four Trainings" in Chinese family training is very prominent, because the living method he advocated was very inspirational at that time.At the same time, he does not shy away from the pursuit of wealth, and the way to pursue wealth is not black school, trickery or gods and ghosts, but to purify one's mind and continue to do good deeds in action.These, even in today's China, still have positive meanings.

From the point of view of Buddhism, Lao Tzu, and Chuang Tzu, "The Four Precepts of Liao Fan" is obviously not enough, and it also contains a profound paradox of wanting and not wanting.In addition, just like all family precepts in China, it is a shortcoming of Chinese tradition that the pursuit of security is completely placed on personal mentality and behavior, but there is no ultimate and institutional thinking.But in any case, as a lifestyle manual, this book is still worth reading, it is worth using in our lives to varying degrees, and it is a book that can make us better.

Yuan Liaofan practiced his belief in goodness and spent his life with peace of mind.He was originally named Xuehai, why he changed his name to Fan later, it was mentioned in "Four Lessons of Liaofan", you will understand after reading it.Mr. Yuan is not a great writer, nor is he a high-ranking official. In today's words, he is just an ordinary civil servant.It's just that compared with ordinary civil servants, he has a strong thirst for knowledge. He has extensively dabbled in philosophy, astronomy, agriculture, water conservancy and other aspects of knowledge, and has written more than 20 books.In ancient China, these were not considered fields that were conducive to official careers, so his official position would not be too high, and his reputation would not be too great.He served as the county magistrate of Baodi County, and also served as a military officer to go to North Korea, which was being invaded by Japan at that time.

He spent most of his life in his hometown, Jiashan, reading, writing, and educating his children. The most famous of his works is this "Four Lessons of Liao Fan", which has become a handed down work.

four

Back to that friend I mentioned earlier. Starting in 2012, I suddenly stopped hiring Feng Shui masters, and donated 20 yuan to charity organizations every year.I ask him why?He said that over the years, based on his own observations, it is very one-sided to simply believe that a certain act, such as chanting Buddha and mantras, can protect oneself.Many people who do this have not actually received any blessings, and those who should go to prison will not be prevented from going to prison just because they recited Buddha's name.

God is fair, not by whether you worship or not, but by what you actually do.In the end, everyone has to pay for his own actions.Money cannot buy the blessings of the gods. We can only find peace of mind in our own thoughts and actions.Therefore, cultivate your mind.This is the greatest experience in his decades of life.He said that his change was also due to a book, the "Four Lessons of Liao Fan".He added another sentence: This book says that as long as you do good deeds, you can have children, and if you seek wealth, you will be rich. He doesn't quite agree with it.If doing good deeds is still obsessed with begging for children and wealth, then doing good deeds will be very tiring.

It is best to only do good deeds, don't ask about the future, and just feel at ease.

Fei Yong
Nov. 2017, 2

in Guangzhou

(End of this chapter)