Third Story
 
Even though the person’s name is omitted, this is also a true story.
 
During the last years of the Qing Dynasty, a candidate was going to Beijing for the provincial civil service examination. The manager of the inn where he was staying was a recently widowed woman. Due to heavy snow blocking the road, he was forced to stay at the inn for a few consecutive days. After a few days of staring at each other, feelings for each other emerged and they started to have lustful thoughts. The candidate went to the widow's room and was about to knock on the door when he suddenly thought: “No, I can't do this. I'm going to take the provincial civil service examination. If I step inside and have an affair with her, I will be deprived of any fortunate outcome in the exam by heaven. I have to go back!” While he went back to his room, the widow started thinking about him. She stepped out the door and thought: “No! I am a widow and should hold chastity for my husband. How could I forget about this after seeing a young man? No, I have to go back!” (It is held in Chinese customs that if a widow holds chastity for her husband and remains clean, she will go to heaven after death; but if a widow is guilty of adultery, the sin is enough to make her go to hell.) So, the widow returned to her room.
 
After the man returned to his room, he could not contain his burning desire, so he went back to the widow's door and knocked. Before she could open the door, he quickly dashed away, realizing that he should not do this. He was afraid of being deprived of fame and fortune because of adultery. There is an ancient saying that, even if you have very good knowledge and are destined to win first place at the provincial civil examination, if you are guilty of adultery or have committed evil deeds, your first place status will be removed by heaven. So he went back to his room before the widow opened the door. However, the widow already knew he was there, so she went to knock on his door. She also struggled, telling herself that she should not be disloyal. Therefore, she went back. They went back and forth like this two or three times. The last time, the man opened the door, but they stood there hesitating, wanting to do it, but also feeling afraid.
 
At that moment, they heard a voice in the air: “You rascals! You both wanted to do it, and then were afraid to do it, over and over. My notebook is all messed up!” They heard something thrown down. The man and the widow both trembled. They quickly picked up the notebook that appeared at their feet. It turned out to be a “Merits and Demerits Book”. Their names were in the book: a first-place winner in the provincial civil service examination, whose name was crossed out after being guilty of adultery; a widow who was supposed to go to heaven after being loyal, and the name was crossed out after committing adultery. Looking more closely, there were the words “not committed”, and the names were checked back. Then below that, the word “guilty” was written, and the names crossed out. Then below that was the word “not committed”, and names checked back. Then “guilty” with the names crossed out. The notebook was all messed up with crosses and checks. After seeing this, the two quickly returned to their rooms and would not dare to have lustful thoughts again.
 
*****
 
Each thought arising in one's heart is known by heaven and earth. I mistakenly thought that it's alright to have lustful thoughts as long as one does not commit the deeds. Without actual deeds, there would be no sin, or the sin is light. It seems I was wrong.
 
When Lu Qing from the Ming Dynasty came back from the dead, he heard an official in hell telling him that it was a serious sin to have lustful thoughts. If the deities did not record the thoughts truthfully, this was also a big sin for the gods who are in charge of these matters.
 
Therefore, if one wants good fortune, one needs to get rid of evil and lustful thoughts immediately. Because once a thought of lust arises, it is a big sin and it will bring nothing good. One's life is changed forever and one will lose what good fortune one had, followed by bad fortune, or one's life may even be shortened. It can be said to be one's own fault.
 
It is even more serious for a practitioner, as one's precious opportunity to cultivate might be ruined by one thought of lust!
 
色欲心起，即为大过 (下)
 
（三）
 
虽然把状元的名字隐藏起来，但这同样是一个真实的故事：
 
清朝末年，有一个举子进京赴考，住进一家客栈，老板娘是新寡的少妇。因大雪封路，无法前行，连住几天。孤男寡女，天天对望，日久生情，就动了念头了。在起了淫念之后，举子到寡妇房前欲举手敲门，忽然想到：“不可以！我是去考状元的，这一进去要是犯了淫，天庭会除名的，回去吧！”他这边回去了，她那边却起了念头，想去找他了。一出门，心里想到：“咦！不可以，我是个寡妇，应该为丈夫守住贞节才对，怎么看到年轻人就忘了本份，不可以，回去吧！”为丈夫守节，守得贞操清白，死后可以升天的；但若是寡妇犯淫，这个罪恶也足以令她下地狱的。所以这个寡妇想到这里，就回房去了。
 
男的回去以后，禁不住欲火的煎熬，又来到女的门前，敲了门。寡妇就起来开门时，那男的又赶快跑掉，因为他又觉得不可以这样做，怕犯了淫会被革名。古人讲，纵然你有很好的学问，命中注定是状元，倘若犯了淫，或是造了恶，天庭会除去你的状元名份的。所以他趁女的将要开门，赶快回头去了。但是那个女的已经知道了，也跟过来敲他的门，而内心又挣扎地告诉自己，不可以失节，又回去了。就这样来来回回走了两三次。最后一次，这个男的起来开了门。两个人在那边犹犹豫豫，又想要，又想不可以这样做。
 
就在这要成不成的时候，听到空中有声音说话了：“你们两个王八蛋要干又不干，把我的功过簿画得稀巴烂！”说完就甩下一个东西来。他们两个听到这些话吓得发抖，赶快捡起来看，原来是一本“功过簿”，上面有他们的名字：一个今科状元，犯淫革名，打叉画掉了；一个是守节寡妇，死后升天，现在犯淫，也画掉了。再看看，又写“不犯”，勾上去；再看下面，又写“犯”，又画掉；然后又是“不犯”，勾上去；“犯”，画掉。把这本功过簿又画又勾，弄得一塌糊涂。这两个人一看，赶快各自回房，从此再也不敢犯淫念了。
 
*****
 
人心生一念，天地尽皆知。以前误认为只要行为上不犯，只生淫念，起色欲之心，没有实质的行为，便没有罪过或罪过是轻的。现在看来不是这样啊！明朝的吕青死而复生，听一位冥官讲，凡是人一动了邪淫的欲念，就是大过。如果神明若不如实记录申报，将其隐匿或是漏掉，就连对于专管这件事的神明来说都是大过啊！所以人要想得福报，还是趁早摒弃邪淫妄念。因为色欲心一起，即为大过，自招祸患。从此改变命运，损福折寿，恶运相随，其实皆为自取。对于一个修炼人就更严重，色欲之心一起，千古修炼的机缘也许毁于一旦了！