Reward or Retribution Comes Exactly as Planned (Part 2)
2018-01-01
Reward or Retribution Comes Exactly as Planned (Part 2)
 
One night when the attendant at the Zhou family home was on duty, he fell into a deep sleep. Thieves came in and took everything from the residence of value. The attendant figured that the section of the old collapsed wall in the backyard was the only thing that could be sold in exchange for some money. He ran into Jia Ren in the street who was looking to buy bricks. The two immediately made a deal. When Jia Ren was digging out the dirt bricks, he spotted a stone slate, under which there was a large opening carved in a stone filled with countless gold and silver the size of bricks. Jia said to himself in surprise, "Such miraculous deities! Yesterday's dream has already been fulfilled."
 
He delivered the dirt bricks to the family who gave him the work order. Then he took the gold and silver bricks for himself. With so much wealth, he bought a large residence and started businesses. He purchased land and boats. People started calling him a baron. Despite his accumulation of wealth, he was very parsimonious and lived in thrift. Others called him Jia the Stingy. He got married but the couple did not have children. Jia Ren hired someone named Chen Defu to take care of his books. He often said to Chen, "I have such a big family business yet I don't have a child to succeed me. If you find any parents who are willing to let me adopt their child, whether it be a boy or a girl, bring the child to me."
 
Meanwhile, Zhou Rongzu, his wife and their son had gone to the capital. However, he was unfortunate and he did not pass the exam to become an official. When they returned to Caozhou, everything was gone except for the vacant house. He went to the backyard to look for the gold and silver that he had inherited. Only an empty opening in the stone remained. He was forced to sell his house in exchange for money. The family of three headed to Luoyang to find their relative. However, the relative had been out of town for a long time. Soon Zhou Rongzu’s money was used up from the travel. He begged along the way so they could return to Caonan Village in Caozhou. It was winter and the snow was heavy. The three of them did not have enough food or clothes. When they knocked on people's doors, nine out of ten did not even open their door. They came to a restaurant that served liquor, where they ran into Chen Defu, the bookkeeper at Jia's residence. Chen said to Zhou, "Since you are in such financial difficulty, how about allowing others to adopt your son? A rich family here does not have any children. If you let them adopt your son, his entire family business will be passed to this child of yours. I was given the task to look for a suitable child for adoption." Zhou discussed this with his wife. They decided that it was better for the boy to be adopted rather than starve and freeze to death. Chen reported back to Baron Jia. Jia was quite pleased. Both families signed the paperwork. At the time, Zhou's son, Changshou, was six years old. Zhou reminded Changshou, "Your parents had no choice but to let you be adopted so that you don't have to starve. Take care not to offend others. When we get a chance, we will come visit you." The three burst into tears and parted.
 
After adopting the young boy, Baron Jia gave him the name Jia Changshou. Jia's family kept this adoption a secret. As Changshou grew up, he started to forget about what had happened when he was a child. He thought of Baron Jia as his natural father. Baron Jia remained stingy and spent each penny with care. However, Changshou was quite generous, especially so when helping the poor and those in need. He did not seem to treat money with any more importance than a dirt brick. People figured he was quite rich, and called him "the Donator." A dozen or so years later, Baron Jia and his wife passed away. Thus, Changshou became the young baron and took charge of the family business.
 
Zhou Rongzu and his wife went to various cities to find relatives who will support them for over ten years. They found none. Begging along the way, the couple returned to Caonan Village to see how their son was doing. Upon entering the village, they saw a medicine shop with a sign, "Donated Medicine Available." They went inside the shop and found that Chen Defu was the owner. Chen told the couple, "Baron Jia passed away. Your child, Jia Changshou, is now the young baron. Unlike Baron Jia, he is quite generous. The medicines that I give out were because of his seed money." Chen went to Jia Changshou and told him the whole story. Although no one had ever talked about his adoption for years, Changshou was able to recall what happened when he was 6 years old. He immediately took out a box of gold and silver and followed Chen to the shop to meet his natural parents. His parents were glad to meet him.
 
When he handed over the box of gold and silver, Zhou Rongzu was about to decline the money when he saw the carving on a silver brick "marked by Zhou Feng." He was surprised, "Wasn't this from my family?" Chen asked how that could be. Zhou explained that his grandfather's name was Zhou Feng. The mark was left by him. Chen then wondered, "Why did it come to Jia's home?" Zhou Rongzu said, "Twenty years ago I went to take the imperial exam with my wife and son. Before leaving, I buried gold and silver under a section of wall, which had disappeared when I returned home." Chen realized immediately and said, "Baron Jia used to be really poor. He made bricks out of dirt and built walls for a living. He turned rich overnight. It turned out that he dug up your gold and silver. He has no children, so he adopted your son, who inherited back the Zhou family wealth. Is this not exactly as heaven planned! No wonder Baron Jia was so stingy with the money. It wasn’t his to start with so he was merely guarding your wealth." The Zhou couple sighed, "This is truly the result of reward and retribution." He then told Chen and Changshou how his ancestors had believed in Buddha, and about his father who did not believe in Buddha. Changshou was also amazed. He took his parents home. Zhou Rongzu gave his son the box of gold and silver and asked him to hand it out to villagers who needed help. He also asked his son to build a Buddhist temple as their ancestors had done. The couple started cultivating. Changshou restored his family name of Zhou. The entire family respected Buddha. Their family business became even more prosperous than it had been before.
 
Zhou Rongzu's family accumulated blessings for generations. His grandfather respected Buddha and was wealthy. His father destroyed the temple for home improvement. His family business took a downturn. Zhou Rongzu and his family were punished for this wrong deed. Jia Ren, who did not respect heaven in his past lives, should have died in hunger and cold. The deities understood His Majesty's virtue of promoting growth and prosperity, and lent Jia twenty years of wealth. Zhou Rongzu was punished for the same number of years. Twenty years later, everything was returned to the original owner.
 
Things have been planned well ahead of time, despite whatever methods people attempt to make. In fact, everything has its cause and effect. Retribution based on the heavenly principles comes exactly as planned. How can people not be careful in what they do? Believing in reward and retribution and carrying out good deeds conscientiously not only increases one's own blessings, it also lays a good foundation for one's descendants. It is most important, in terms of a person's fate and future, to respect heaven and gods, and to carry out good deeds by following heavenly principles.
 
因缘果报 丝毫不差 ()
 
恰好周荣祖家里看家当值的,晚间睡著,被贼偷的精光。家里别无可卖的,只有后园中这一垛旧坍墙,想到:“要它没用,不如把泥坯卖了换点钱度日。”走到街上,正碰上贾仁,贾仁道:“我这家正要泥坯。”谈定价格,交易成功。贾仁锄泥坯时,却撬起一块石板,石板下是一个石槽,满槽多是土砖块一般大的金银,不计其数。贾仁吃惊道:“神明如此有灵!已应著昨梦。”
 
他把泥坯运给人家后,自己又把银子运走。贾仁有了这许多银子,买了房子,做生意越来越大,旱路上有田,水路上有船,人们也多改口叫他员外了。他虽有这样大家业,却非常吝啬,一文也不使用,财富越聚越多,人们称他“贾啬儿”。他娶了妻子,却无子女,请一个叫陈德甫的人管账目,平日常对陈德甫说:“我有这样家业,无个后人承,如果遇著肯过继的,无论是男是女,帮助寻一个来。”
 
周荣祖一家自从应举去后,怎奈命运未通,功名不达。岂知回到家里,家私一空,只留下一所房子,去寻墙下所埋祖遗之物,只剩一个空石槽。从此衣食艰难,索性把这所房子卖了,三口儿去洛阳探亲。哪知亲眷久已出外,身边盘缠用尽,只得沿途乞讨,受尽辛苦。到了曹南,时值暮冬,连日下著大雪,三口儿冻饿交加,又十谒朱门九不开,于是来到一酒务店里避雪。陈德甫正在店中,了解到此情形,说道:“看你这样艰难,你把小孩儿与人家过继怎样?这里有一大富户无子女,过继后将来这家计都是你这孩儿的,他正让我帮著寻找。”周荣祖与妻子商量:若是这样,倒也比冻饿死强,只要那人养的活,也只能这样了。陈德甫于是跟贾员外说了详情,贾员外非常高兴,双方立了文书。此时长寿六岁,周荣祖嘱咐儿子:“父母实出于无奈,你在此也可免些饥寒冻馁,只要晓得些人事,我们得便来看你就是。”三人痛哭而别。
 
贾员外过继了儿子,就叫他贾长寿,此事防的水泄不通,那长寿长大来逐渐把小时的事忘怀了,只认贾员外是自己的父亲。他父亲一文不使用,他却心性阔大,仗义疏财,看那钱钞便跟土块般相似,人道是他有钱,多顺口叫他为“钱舍”。又过了十多年,贾仁夫妇相继亡故,长寿就做了小员外,掌管家业。
 
再说周荣祖夫妇往各处投人不著,流落在他方十多年,如今乞化回家,想要来贾家探取儿子消息。到了曹南村,看见一个药铺,牌上写著“施药”,二人进去打听,主人正是陈德甫。陈德甫说:“贾员外已亡故,你孩儿贾长寿,如今已做了小员外,不比当初老的那样吝啬,仗义疏财,我这施药的本钱就是他的。”陈德甫又找到贾长寿,把前话一五一十对他说了。那贾长寿虽是多年没人题破,见说了,转想幼年间事,还自隐隐记得,急忙取了一匣金银跑到铺中来要认父母。陈德甫领他拜见,周荣祖夫妇见了儿子非常高兴。
 
贾长寿递上银子,周荣祖正要推辞,却看到银子上凿著“周奉记”。周荣祖道:“这不原是我家的吗?”陈德甫道:“怎么是你家的?”周荣祖道:“我祖父叫周奉,是他凿字记下的。”陈德甫看了道:“那为何在贾家呢?”周荣祖道:“学生二十年前,带了家小上朝应举,把家里祖上之物藏埋在地下,回来后都不见了。”陈德甫道:“贾老员外原系穷汉,与人脱土坯的。偶然致富,想是你家原物被他挖著了,所以如此。他不生儿女,就过继著你家儿子,承领了这家私。物归旧主,岂非天意!怪道他平日一文不使,两文不用,不舍得浪费一些,原来不是他的东西,只当在此替你家看守罢了。”周荣祖夫妇感叹不已,周荣祖道:“这真是因果报应啊。”于是讲起祖上信佛,后人不信佛之事,贾长寿也很惊异。贾长寿就接父母到家去住,周荣祖把匣中银子交给儿子,叫他明日都散与那贫难无倚的。又叫儿子照依祖上时节,盖所佛堂,夫妻两个双双修炼。贾长寿仍旧复了周姓,全家人都敬佛向善,家业越发兴隆了。
 
周荣祖家“福力所积,阴功三辈”,其祖父崇佛而家富;其父修房用砖木毁佛堂而亡故,家业衰落,“一念差池,合受折罚”。而前世不敬天地,“本当冻饿而死”的贾仁,因在神像面前祈祷,神明体念上帝“好生之德”,遂将周家的福力借与他二十年,周荣祖受了二十年贫穷的折罚。二十年后,果然物归原主,可见物有定主如此,世间人枉使心机。其实任何事情的发生,都有其因果关系,天理循环,报应不差,所以人之所为怎能不谨慎啊?!相信善恶有报的真理,自觉的行善积德,不仅为自己增加福份而免灾,而且为子孙积福打下基础。敬天敬神、一切遵循天理而为善,这是决定人命运及未来的最重要的事情。
    来源: 看中国

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