Liao Fan
Encyclopedia
Liao-Fan Yuan was born during Ming Dynasty
, in about 1550, in Jiangsu
Province, Wujiang County. Liao-Fan wrote a book, Liao-Fan's Four Lessons (了凡四訓) , which were written originally to teach his son, Tian-Chi Yuan. The principal behind those lessons is that destiny can be changed through proper cultivation of kindness and humility. Thus one should not be bound by fate but by one's own action.
Liao-Fan was predicted by a wise monk, Mr. Kong that he would only live to the age of fifty-three and have no son. At first, he disregarded this wise monk's words as farcical nonsense, but then other things that Kong had predicted were rapidly coming true, which greatly disturbed him, but made him realize the force of destiny. He then proactively made an effort to rewrite his fate. In relating his own life experience in changing destiny, Liao-Fan, at the age of sixty-nine, wrote and taught these four lessons to his son.
The first lesson shows how to create destiny. The second lesson explains the ways to reform. The third reveals the ways to cultivate kindness and the fourth discloses the benefits of the virtue of humility.
This book, still in circulation after more than 500 years, is said to be the very basic foundation in learning Buddhism
.
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Excerpt from his book
3 conditions for reform:
3 methods to reform:
10 ways to cultivate kindness:
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, in about 1550, in Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
Province, Wujiang County. Liao-Fan wrote a book, Liao-Fan's Four Lessons (了凡四訓) , which were written originally to teach his son, Tian-Chi Yuan. The principal behind those lessons is that destiny can be changed through proper cultivation of kindness and humility. Thus one should not be bound by fate but by one's own action.
Liao-Fan was predicted by a wise monk, Mr. Kong that he would only live to the age of fifty-three and have no son. At first, he disregarded this wise monk's words as farcical nonsense, but then other things that Kong had predicted were rapidly coming true, which greatly disturbed him, but made him realize the force of destiny. He then proactively made an effort to rewrite his fate. In relating his own life experience in changing destiny, Liao-Fan, at the age of sixty-nine, wrote and taught these four lessons to his son.
The first lesson shows how to create destiny. The second lesson explains the ways to reform. The third reveals the ways to cultivate kindness and the fourth discloses the benefits of the virtue of humility.
This book, still in circulation after more than 500 years, is said to be the very basic foundation in learning Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
.
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Excerpt from his book
3 conditions for reform:
- One must feel shame,
- One must know fear,
- One must have determination and courage.
3 methods to reform:
- Changing through action
- Changing through reasoning
- Changing from the heart
10 ways to cultivate kindness:
- Supporting the practice of kindness
- Harboring love and respect
- Helping others succeed
- Persuading others to practice kindness
- Helping those in desperate need
- Developing public project for the greater benefit of the people
- Giving through donation
- Protecting the proper teaching
- Respecting our elders
- Love and cherishing all living beings