Good and Evil Will Be Rewarded#
This morning, I saw two news stories one after another. The Intermediate People's Court of Fuzhou, in accordance with the Supreme People's Court's order of execution, carried out the death penalty on Wu Xieyu. The Fifth Intermediate People's Court of Chongqing, in accordance with the Supreme People's Court's order of execution, carried out the death penalty on the two defendants Zhang Bo and Ye Chengchen in the "Chongqing Siblings Falling Case".
These two news stories quickly spread on the internet, and in my WeChat groups, everyone spontaneously said, "Good riddance!" "Killing them only once is too lenient!" This clearly shows the anger and sentiment of the people.
This also confirms the phrase "Clear righteousness, unwavering retribution".
According to the precepts of the Buddhist Bodhisattva, what I just said falls under the category of "praising killing" and violates the precept against killing. As we all know, in Buddhism, the precept against killing is a serious one and is difficult to resolve through repentance. However, I still firmly believe that Wu Xieyu and the couple from Chongqing deserved to be executed, and I strongly support the current stage of our country not abolishing the death penalty.
To many Buddhists, this view is considered "extremely rebellious" and lacks any sense of "compassion". But is that really the case? Faced with the criminal acts and their heinous nature, if the death penalty is not carried out on the criminals sentenced by the court according to the law, how can the ethics and morality of this society be upheld? It must be understood that protecting life sometimes requires killing, and only by eliminating evil can we live in peace. Moreover, Buddhism itself has the concept of cause and effect.
Nourishing Virtue in All Things#
Since I have already violated the precept, I might as well talk a little more, considering it as a joke.
2023 is the year of Gui Mao, the black rabbit. 2024 is the year of Jia Chen, the green dragon. And because this year's Li Chun (the beginning of spring) falls before the Spring Festival, it coincides with the verse of the 43rd image in the "Tui Bei Tu" prophecy:
The black rabbit enters the Green Dragon Cave, its intentions cannot be fully expressed.
Only on the outer roots of the tree, will descendants be born in thirty years.
In addition, according to the "Huang Ji Jing Shi" (The Emperor's Canon of the Yellow Court), 2024 will officially enter the "Three Cycles and Nine Periods" with the Ji Zi Li Fire Period.
The so-called "Three Cycles and Nine Periods" is just a method of dividing time that the ancient Chinese ancestors developed by observing the phenomena of the universe and nature. "Yuan" and "Yun" are both units of time and have no direct relationship with luck. The "Huang Di Nei Jing" (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) explains the concept of "Yun":
Yun is the management of qi, the rotation.
The ancients discovered that Jupiter and Saturn meet every twenty years (on the same side of the sun); every sixty years, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mercury meet; every one hundred and eighty years, the eight major planets and Pluto meet, forming a phenomenon of nine stars in a row. Therefore, the ancients defined a large cycle of one hundred and eighty years and divided it evenly, giving rise to the concept of "Three Cycles and Nine Periods". In other words, every twenty years is one period, and every three periods is one cycle.
This year is the eleventh year of the "Three Cycles and Nine Periods" cycle, which is the Ding Gua (hexagram). The Ding Gua is composed of the Xun Gua (wind and wood) and the Li Gua (fire). It symbolizes fire on wood, using a tripod for cooking. And this year's annual Gua is the Feng Gua, symbolizing the momentum of thunder and fire. This means that the Ding Gua and the Feng Gua have a common characteristic, which is that both hexagrams have fire, and it is the Li Fire, not real fire.
Doesn't this resemble the meaning of the "Three Realms as a House on Fire" mentioned in the Lotus Sutra? The Li Fire symbolizes change and uncertainty, whether it is in the natural world, society, or personal character.
"Clear righteousness, unwavering retribution", good and evil will eventually be rewarded. Faced with the Li Fire and various uncertainties, what we need is virtue like water. Just as the Tao Te Ching says:
The highest virtue is like water. Water benefits all things without contention. It stays in places that people dislike. Therefore, it is close to the Way. In dwelling, be close to the land. In meditation, go deep in the heart. In dealing with others, be gentle and kind. In speech, be true. In governing, be just. In business, be competent. In action, be timely. It is because it does not contend that it is never at fault.
By nurturing our roots like water with our own virtues, we will naturally reap abundant fruits.