改命由心起Fate Alteration Begins From Your Heart
吾曾聽過這樣的故事：一對兄弟死後，同時到了閻王殿。閻
祂對著弟弟問： “我給你選。你要投胎做一輩子拿人好處的人，還是要做一
弟弟答： “哥哥輩份比較大，我給哥哥先選。”
哥哥性格好勝，即刻就說： “我要做一輩子拿人好處的人！”
弟弟無所謂地說： “那我就做一輩子給人好處的人。”
閻王一聲令下，兄弟倆就各自轉劫去了。
後來，哥哥投胎在一個乞丐的家裏，常常到一個很慷概的富
吾常提醒客人，一定要做多點善事。有行善，有福報。有福
無奈這麽簡單的道理，很多人都不以爲然。
有客人說：“師父，我沒有時間啊！放工得回去看孩子，教
“有錢才給咯！現在錢不夠，所以才來找師父啊！”
“有啊！每個月，公司從我的薪水扣$10給公益金！”
更有客人說： “我每年都繳交所得稅，捐給新加坡政府！”
我講的善，不只是出錢。有錢，當然應該出，蓋廟、醫院、
行善要懂得用腦，花點心思，運用您已有的能力和人际网络
“師父，我有做善事啊！爲甚麽我的命沒有改好？”
拜托，自己要用智慧衡量一下。
有位弟子哭著來問他的師父：“師父，我唸了很多的經，持
師父： “不要哭，不要哭。可以幫師父做件事嗎？”
弟子擦拭眼淚說： “師父要我幫你做什麽？”
師父拿出一些錢遞給他： “這裡有$500。你拿這些錢去幫我買一輛車。”
弟子看著師父說： “$500哪裏夠買車啊？”
師父微笑說： “就是啊！你說你做了很多，可是你要的比你做的還多，哪
有機會行善，不要一口拒絕，把心打開，多少都做一點。不
2014年6月28日，我的一些弟子和客人，召集了他們
他們沒有大機構做靠山。自己去聯絡老人中心，向朋友家人
8人樂團（有專業器材）
20名贊助者
21名義工
150份價值$30的禮包
160片娘惹糕
160片蛋糕
200包美祿
能夠承辦，因爲肯做給人好處的人。今天，您拿了人家的好
*感恩此活動義工提供的照片拼圖。*
There was once this story I heard. 2 brothers arrived at the Hades after their death. The King of Hades flipped through His book and said, “There are 2 vacancies in the human realm. You can go for your rebirths.”
The King asked the younger brother: “I shall give you a choice. Do you want to be reborn as a person who is always given favours by others throughout his life or be a person who is always dispensing favours to others?”
The younger brother answered, “I will let my elder brother choose first as he is my senior. ”
The older brother, being competitive, said immediately, “I want to be born as the person who is always getting favours from others!”
The younger brother, without minding at all, said :”I shall be reborn as a person that’s always dispensing favours to others. ”
With a command, the King of Hades sent both brothers to their rebirths.
Eventually, the older brother ended up in a family of beggars, often begging at the doorstep of a generous and wealthy household. The younger brother was reborn into this rich family and always providing for the beggar who was his elder brother in previous life.
I often remind my clients to do more good deeds. With good deeds come merits gained, and these merits will help you to ward off disasters, change your life for the better and even lead to riches. If you have insufficient merits, there is nothing to talk about.
It’s a simple concept which, sadly, is taken lightly by too many people.
Some clients lamented, “Master, I have no time at all! There’s the kid to take care and revise homework with after my work!”
“I will give money if I have! But I’m lacking it now and that’s why I am here to seek your help!”
“I do! Every month, my company deduct $10 from my paycheck to the Community Chest!”
One even retorted, “I pay my income tax every year and that is donation to the Singapore government!”
The good deed I am talking about is not just monetary donation. Of course, whenever you can, it is very meritorious to contribute financially to the building of temples, hospitals, schools, roads and bridges and assist in any disaster relief. This is way better than weekly ‘donation’ to Singapore Pools.
If you are strapped financially, you can volunteer your time to do rice delivery to the old folks home, sing for them, or aid in translation for temples/churches. If you are too lazy to lift a finger, you still have your mouth! You can urge people to refrain from abortion, sexual misconduct, pilfering from the company etc. If you are in the service line, treat your customers with respect and courtesy. Sincerity in itself is a kind deed.
Doing good needs a bit of creative thinking. Leveraging on your abilities and network is a good way to start. Parents should involve their children in charitable works to inculcate the notion that giving to others is always more fortunate than receiving. Otherwise, our next generation, the future pillars of the nation, would end up as a materialistic and unfeeling bunch. Filial piety? It would be thrown out of the window by then.
“Master, I have done some good deeds! Why hasn’t my life improved?”
Please use your wisdom to gauge.
One disciple came crying to his master, “Master, I have been reciting the scriptures and chanting the mantras for a long time. Why am I still living such a wretched life?”
The master replied, “Please don’t cry. Will you help me do something?”
The disciple wiped his tears and asked. “Master, what is it that you wanted me to do?”
The master took out some money and passed to the disciple, saying, “Here’s $500. Please take this money and help me buy a car. ”
The disciple looked at his master in disbelief, “Master, $500 is not enough to buy a car!”
The master smiled and replied, “Obviously! You claimed to have done a lot but what you desire is more than what you have done.”
Never turn down a chance to do good. Open up your heart and do good with whatever you can. Don’t sit around waiting for invitations to do good. You are already a grown-up so take the initiative to do good and proactively earn more ‘merits income’. You must self reflect at all times. Don’t lose your merits through undesirable behavior before you even start to do more good. You would end up waiting till the Year of the Donkey to change your life for the better!
On 28 June this year, some of my students and clients gathered their family and friends to put together an event for the elderly folks living alone in Taman Jurong. They put up a band performance, an exercise demonstration and provided snacks and goodies bags for the 150 needy old folks. It was their first time doing such an event.
There was no corporate sponsor. They did it all by themselves, from contacting the elderly care centre to canvassing donations from family and friends, and getting volunteers for the band performance and exercise demonstration. Not to mention the sourcing of snacks, doing product and price comparison at the supermarket for the goodie bag items, liaising with the distributor and arranging for delivery.
8-piece band with professional equipment
20 sponsors
21 volunteers
150 goodies bag worth $30 each
160 pcs of Nyona Kueh
160 pcs of cakes
200 packets of Milo drinks
Mission impossible for first-timers? They got it done because of one common wish. They wanted to be the person who gives and improves the lives of others.
Have you been giving your bit to others today? Or have you just taken advantage of another?
* Thank you for the photo montage provided by event volunteers! *
