A Story about Retribution
 
In his collection of stories, Xu Huashan of the Qing Dynasty included the tale of a person from Nanfeng, Jiangxi Province. The person's name was omitted to protect his identity, since he was Xu's contemporary.
 
The story has it that this person had done many bad things for two lifetimes in a row. Surprisingly, he passed the national exam and became a Jinshi (a nationally recognized high level of learnedness). When he was awaiting the assignment of a government position, he thought about the things he did in his life and began to regret. He promised himself that he would change his behavior and do good from then on.
 
The next year, this person became blind. He was enraged and said, "I can do bad things and get promoted, or do good things and become blind. Heaven does not want me to be good." He began doing evil as he did before, and found a doctor who cured his blindness so he could see again.
 
This person had always been proud of his literary talent. Since he turned blind, he had to give up writing. Now that he could see again, he resumed writing. Shortly after that, he wrote a slanderous article and was sentenced to death on April 11, 1794 during Emperor Qianlong's reign (1735-1796 A.D.)
 
A person commented, "When he received the literacy recognition, that was the beginning of his misfortune. When he turned blind, it was for his own good. Heavens punished him for the bad things he did in the past by making him blind, yet he did not enlighten to it. Eventually he paid for it with his life."
 
When some people do bad things and do not receive immediate retribution, they think retribution does not exist. When some people do some good things but do not receive a reward right away, they think that the heavens are unjust. Those who are as short-sighted as the person from Jiangxi only know to blame heaven and hurt others, and eventually they will harm themselves.
 
Heavenly principles are absolutely just. Good deeds will be rewarded with good things, and evilness with retributions. One has to have some enlightenment quality and faith in heaven to understand heavenly principles. A person just needs to remember to do good and not worry about the future, and heaven will naturally bestow good things on him.
 
善恶迟早有报　怨天尤人害己
 
清朝人许画山在自己的文集中记载了江西南丰某人的故事，因为是近来的事，所以他故意隐讳了那人的真实姓名。
 
据说此人积恶两世，居然成了进士，在家中等候补缺时，他想到自己一生的所作所为开始后悔，于是决心从此改恶迁善。
 
第二年，此人双目失明了，他愤怒的说：“我积恶能科举登第，但积善却双目失明，这是上天不想让我做好人啊。”从此他便作恶如初，又找医生将自己的双目医治好了。
 
而且此人一直以文才而自傲，自从眼睛失明后就不得不放弃了。现在他眼睛复明，又开始故态复萌，没想到不久就因为写了篇诽谤之词而被处以死刑，这天是乾隆甲寅四月十一日。
 
当时有人说这江西人：“当他及第时，那是灾祸的开始啊；当他双目失明时，那是福要来临了。上天以双目失明惩罚他以前的恶行，他却不悟，最终拿自己的性命来替代了双目。”
 
有的人做了坏事没立即遭到报应就以为报应是不存在的，有的人做了一点好事没立即得到善报就认为上天不公，像这江西人这样目光短浅，只知怨天尤人，最终害了自己。
 
要知道天理是绝对公正的，善恶有报这可是天理，想要洞悉上天如影随形的善恶之报，这需要人的一点悟性和对上天的至诚。只需谨记“但行好事，莫问前程”，自然“天道无亲，常与善人”。