【玳瑚師父佛學論】 改命由心起
Fate alteration begins from your heart (English version below)
吾曾聽過這樣的故事：一對兄弟死後，同時到了閻王殿。閻王翻了翻簿子，說：“人間有兩個空缺，你們可以去投胎了。”
祂對著弟弟問： “我給你選。你要投胎做一輩子拿人好處的人，還是要做一輩子給人好處的人？”
弟弟答： “哥哥輩份比較大，我給哥哥先選。”
哥哥性格好勝，即刻就說： “我要做一輩子拿人好處的人！”
弟弟無所謂地說： “那我就做一輩子給人好處的人。”
閻王一聲令下，兄弟倆就各自轉劫去了。
後來，哥哥投胎在一個乞丐的家裏，常常到一個很慷概的富貴人家屋外向富貴人家討乞。而弟弟就是投胎在那個富貴人家里，常常施捨給來討乞的前世哥哥。
吾常提醒客人，一定要做多點善事。有行善，有福報。有福報，能擋災，能改命，能致富。如果你功德力不夠，拿什麽來談條件？
無奈這麽簡單的道理，很多人都不以爲然。
有客人說：“師父，我沒有時間啊！放工得回去看孩子，教他們功課！”
“有錢才給咯！現在錢不夠，所以才來找師父啊！”
“有啊！每個月，公司從我的薪水扣$10給公益金！”
更有客人說： “我每年都繳交所得稅，捐給新加坡政府！”
我講的善，不只是出錢。有錢，當然應該出，蓋廟、醫院、學校、蓋橋鋪路、振災等都是大善。這樣子為生命投資，包賺！好過每個星期‘捐’給新加坡博彩公司。 沒有錢，可以出力，幫忙派米給老人院，唱歌給老人聼，為寺廟教堂做翻譯等。連力都不可以，就用嘴巴來勸善，勸人不要墮胎、不要邪淫、不要偷公司的物品等。在服務業的，對客人要禮貌、周到、真誠也是一個善。
行善要懂得用腦，花點心思，運用您已有的能力和人际网络，一樣可以行善。父母也該帶著孩子一起去行善，灌輸給他們施比受更有福的道理，要不然，我們國家未來的棟梁只會追求物質的生活而不懂得人情味，未來怎麽會是孝子孝女呢？
“師父，我有做善事啊！爲甚麽我的命沒有改好？”
拜托，自己要用智慧衡量一下。
有位弟子哭著來問他的師父：“師父，我唸了很多的經，持了很多的咒，爲什麽我的命沒有改好？”
師父： “不要哭，不要哭。可以幫師父做件事嗎？”
弟子擦拭眼淚說： “師父要我幫你做什麽？”
師父拿出一些錢遞給他： “這裡有$500。你拿這些錢去幫我買一輛車。”
弟子看著師父說： “$500哪裏夠買車啊？”
師父微笑說： “就是啊！你說你做了很多，可是你要的比你做的還多。哪裏夠啊？”
有機會行善，不要一口拒絕，把心打開，多少都做一點。不要老是等人來邀，都這麽大的人了，要主動去行善，積極賺‘功德錢’！自己也要反省，不要還沒有積德，就缺德。這裡加，那裏減，驢年才能好命！
2014年6月28日，我的一些弟子和客人，召集了他們的家人和朋友，到Taman Jurong 的一老人中心演唱老歌、教健康操、請老人家吃茶點和分派禮包給150名貧困的獨居老人。這是他們第一次做這樣的活動。（弟子啊！教了你們七八年，現在才會用一下腦。）
他們沒有大機構做靠山。自己去聯絡老人中心，向朋友家人同事募款招義工，邀業餘唱歌的朋友來義演和教拳的來教健康操，找賣吃的友人贊助食物，去超市比較產品和價錢， 聯絡代理商問價，安排運輸等。
8人樂團（有專業器材）
20名贊助者
21名義工
150份價值$30的禮包
160片娘惹糕
160片蛋糕
200包美祿
能夠承辦，因爲肯做給人好處的人。今天，您拿了人家的好處還是給了別人好處呢？
*感恩此活動義工提供的照片拼圖。*
------------------------
There was once this story I heard. 2 brothers arrived at the Hades after their death. The King of Hades flipped through His book and said, "There are 2 vacancies in the human realm. You can go for your rebirths."
The King asked the younger brother: "I shall give you a choice. Do you want to be reborn as a person who is always given favours by others throughout his life or be a person who is always dispensing favours to others?"
The younger brother answered, "I will let my elder brother choose first as he is my senior. "
The older brother, being competitive, said immediately, "I want to be born as the person who is always getting favours from others!"
The younger brother, without minding at all, said :"I shall be reborn as a person that's always dispensing favours to others. "
With a command, the King of Hades sent both brothers to their rebirths.
Eventually, the older brother ended up in a family of beggars, often begging at the doorstep of a generous and wealthy household. The younger brother was reborn into this rich family and always providing for the beggar who was his elder brother in previous life.
I often remind my clients to do more good deeds. With good deeds come merits gained, and these merits will help you to ward off disasters, change your life for the better and even lead to riches. If you have insufficient merits, there is nothing to talk about.
It's a simple concept which, sadly, is taken lightly by too many people.
Some clients lamented, "Master, I have no time at all! There's the kid to take care and revise homework with after my work!"
"I will give money if I have! But I'm lacking it now and that's why I am here to seek your help!"
"I do! Every month, my company deduct $10 from my paycheck to the Community Chest!"
One even retorted, "I pay my income tax every year and that is donation to the Singapore government!"
The good deed I am talking about is not just monetary donation. Of course, whenever you can, it is very meritorious to contribute financially to the building of temples, hospitals, schools, roads and bridges and assist in any disaster relief. This is way better than weekly 'donation' to Singapore Pools.
If you are strapped financially, you can volunteer your time to do rice delivery to the old folks home, sing for them, or aid in translation for temples/churches. If you are too lazy to lift a finger, you still have your mouth! You can urge people to refrain from abortion, sexual misconduct, pilfering from the company etc. If you are in the service line, treat your customers with respect and courtesy. Sincerity in itself is a kind deed.
Doing good needs a bit of creative thinking. Leveraging on your abilities and network is a good way to start. Parents should involve their children in charitable works to inculcate the notion that giving to others is always more fortunate than receiving. Otherwise, our next generation, the future pillars of the nation, would end up as a materialistic and unfeeling bunch. Filial piety? It would be thrown out of the window by then.
"Master, I have done some good deeds! Why hasn't my life improved?"
Please use your wisdom to gauge.
One disciple came crying to his master, "Master, I have been reciting the scriptures and chanting the mantras for a long time. Why am I still living such a wretched life?"
The master replied, "Please don't cry. Will you help me do something?"
The disciple wiped his tears and asked. "Master, what is it that you wanted me to do?"
The master took out some money and passed to the disciple, saying, "Here's $500. Please take this money and help me buy a car. "
The disciple looked at his master in disbelief, "Master, $500 is not enough to buy a car!"
The master smiled and replied, "Obviously! You claimed to have done a lot but what you desire is more than what you have done."
Never turn down a chance to do good. Open up your heart and do good with whatever you can. Don't sit around waiting for invitations to do good. You are already a grown-up so take the initiative to do good and proactively earn more 'merits income'. You must self reflect at all times. Don't lose your merits through undesirable behavior before you even start to do more good. You would end up waiting till the Year of the Donkey to change your life for the better!
On 28 June this year, some of my students and clients gathered their family and friends to put together an event for the elderly folks living alone in Taman Jurong. They put up a band performance, an exercise demonstration and provided snacks and goodies bags for the 150 needy old folks. It was their first time doing such an event.
There was no corporate sponsor. They did it all by themselves, from contacting the elderly care centre to canvassing donations from family and friends, and getting volunteers for the band performance and exercise demonstration. Not to mention the sourcing of snacks, doing product and price comparison at the supermarket for the goodie bag items, liaising with the distributor and arranging for delivery.
8-piece band with professional equipment
20 sponsors
21 volunteers
150 goodies bag worth $30 each
160 pcs of Nyona Kueh
160 pcs of cakes
200 packets of Milo drinks
Mission impossible for first-timers? They got it done because of one common wish. They wanted to be the person who gives and improves the lives of others.
Have you been giving your bit to others today? Or have you just taken advantage of another?
* Thank you for the photo montage provided by event volunteers! *
