5 main factors affecting our life (一命、二運、三風水、四積陰德、五讀書)

[sunny]

While I was translating 5 arts text, I encountered this sentence: 古人云：「一命、二運、三風水、四積陰德、五讀書。」

I think there was another one similar to this posted before. 10 factors perhaps, if I remembered correctly.

Now this is about 5 main factors affecting our life. For the Chinese people, we typically hear this in dramas and movies. It gives us a clue and hope.

The first factor is about our fate (命). If we born into rich family, like the wealthy Donald Trump family for example. It's all set (almost!) . Meanwhile if we born into poor family with low education background, then don't worry. There are still hopes in remaining 4 factors.

The second factor is about our current luck (運). In good times, lucky periods, amazing things can happen. Such as winning huge lottery prize, get promoted or landed a lucrative job, contract that sometimes defines your life.

During unlucky times, keep our head down and continue exerting our efforts in doing something which may bear fruit in future lucky times. This gives us hope, purpose and positively looking forward, waiting for better times to come.

The third factor is this geomancy (風水). In my country, typically geomancy is the game or the thing for the already so rich people. Modern environment such as housing apartment and other planned housing layout already largely limit what geomancy can do for us.

Unless you own a plot of land and you are rich enough to build/renovate your house according to geomancy recommendation, we are mostly doing "small scale" geomancy with lesser effects.

While the way to induce good luck from geomancy is practically expensive or limited due to modern layout, another way to benefit from geomancy is to avoid places that are really bad in geomancy point of view. Another word, meanwhile we cannot gain from geomancy, please make sure we do not stay in really really bad houses. It is cheaper to move away from bad place than rebuild everything so that we might gain 20% to 30% from the factor of geomancy.

The fourth factor is about morality (accumulate virtue 積陰德). Please don't mistake this number 4 factor as lesser factor because it's the fourth in the list.

This accumulate virtue basically means the Dao (the path) or Heaven's wishes, the Heaven's approved ways of doing things. Or in Buddhism, we call it kamma or karma. As a simile, I would describe this factor a wild card just like in the playing card game.

Anything related to Heaven's wishes can overwrite the entire things being written here. There are many examples I can share. Some from five arts text, some from Buddhism, some from my experience as well.

From the simplest definition, this factor accumulate virtue which means do good things. Make donation to people, organization, places of worship, offer helps to disaster zones, coordinating relief effort, etc.

In olden times, we often hear this statement: repairing bridges and roads in order to accumulate virtue (積陰德).

In modern times, there is government agency or contractor to do this stuff. But this does not stop us from helping the same way. Roads and bridges in rural areas are the prime target we can pursue. Those areas often neglected by government.

In Buddhism, the Buddha had taught us the greater way to accumulate virtue (積陰德). While making donation and repairing works certainly will gain much virtue (積陰德), the Buddha's way can accumulate virtue (積陰德) in the greatest.

There are few ways to accumulate virtue (積陰德) as told by the Buddha.

1. Offer meals to people in spiritual path (monk, nun, etc). Chances are if you encountered someone who had attainment in spiritual path, arahant for example, your virtue "points" is immeasurable huge when they took the meal given by you.

2. Offer material, financial and/or physical help to places of worship.

3. Offer meals to the deceased one (i.e. beings in nether world, wandering ghost or our deceased relatives, clans, friends etc). How to do this? This is the way: Every time you eat or drink, firstly just say I want to share this [food name] or [drink name] to [the deceased name]. The deceased name can be specific such as mother name (if applicable) or even better if you mention specific names and then general population such as "all beings in East, West, South, North, Up, Down, all directions, all inclusive". This way you can accumulate virtue (積陰德) in huge huge amount without specifically spending any money. Tips: each time you mention this, you will gain. As Buddha told us in the past, mention 3 times = x3 times gain. So you might repeat twice or thrice each time you eat or drink.

4. Practice "awareness-release through good will" meditation. This is the huge huge one. You might want to Google this and learn more. If you do this persistently, you will enjoy the greatest rewards as enjoyed by the Buddha in the past. Again, this practice is free and without using any money. But the return is one of the greatest in pursuing "accumulate virtue (積陰德)" works.

5. Feeding birds, animals, even insects, ants.

6. Saving and healing lives including human, animal, insect.

The fifth factor and the last one is learning. Well, although this is commonsense but education really will lift you out of difficult situation regardless of your background.

During unlucky times, with adequate knowledge, skills we still can survive. Equipped with even higher level of skills, the attainment of middle-class social position is still possible without the help of family background (fate 命), current luck (運) and geomancy (風水).

[tea]

Agreed

My self preferred deeds virtue ( less complicated to understand ) but again deeds relevant with our heart and mind
As long we doing good deeds without ill intention neither hope it will rewarded then its good , all i knew its not good deeds saved us, but the sincerity is, and sincerity can be build through habitual. if we used to care others then universe will care for us and helping hand in the right time on the right place
i experienced it many times but i afraid to called it accumulated virtue, i preferred to called it universe too good for me

If we don't have money to alms we still have physical to help others if we both don't have it anymore ( due old age ) still we have PRAYS fr them through meditation. So the weakest help is prays , since its weakest why not do so much efforts when still have materials and physical strength. thats my motto