While On The Path    

 

Pure And Honest Thoughts

Master's teachings often sound very simple and commonplace, but when the real situations come, we might find it difficult to follow Her directives. Therefore, we must meditate at least two and a half hours each day, to help us maintain our good thoughts and morality, and to keep the precepts strictly.


By Supreme Master Ching Hai News Reporter Mei Jun Liu, Taipei, Formosa
/ Edited By Yun Shan

Fellow brother Li is a taxi driver. One day, after a passenger alighted, he found five thousand dollars left on the seat. When he turned around to look for the passenger, he had already disappeared into the crowd. Brother Li thought, "I shall take it to the police station later!" However, he had a continuous stream of passengers, and it was already midnight when he went home to rest in total exhaustion. Early the next day, he had to deliver some fund money to a friend. He calculated and found that he was short five thousand dollars. Amazed by the coincidental amount of money he had found, he thought it could be God's merciful arrangement helping him to solve this problem. He decided to borrow this money to use and in the meantime, would try to raise another five thousand dollars to be taken to the police later.

After delivering the fund money, he continued with his taxi business until noon, then he parked the car by the roadside to take a rest. Suddenly, an on-coming motorcycle dashed across the safety island and rammed against the front of brother Li's car, creating two dents. The rider was thrown from the motorcycle as it twirled on the road. Before brother Li could react, the rider got up and brushed off the mud on his body. After checking that the bike was okay, he just drove off. Brother Li was stunned and thought, "How could such a thing happen to me!?"

When he took the car to repair, the garage owner gave him an estimation of five thousand dollars for the repairs. How could there be such a coincident- - exactly five thousands? Brother Li was immediately enlightened: Master often reminds us to keep our acts, speech and thoughts pure, and that even the slightest improper thought could create karma. Therefore, he immediately took the found money to the police station. He also realized that, even borrowing the money for temporary use is wrong, because it didn't belong to him in the first place. Brother Li decided not to have his car repaired; he wanted to keep the two dents as a reminder.

After this incident, whenever brother Li finds any property left by passengers in his car, he immediately takes it to the police. He doesn't even leave his name or address, fearing that the police might ask him to take the lost property when no one claims it. Having made this decision, he feels so free and peaceful at heart. Since then, his driving career has always been safe and smooth.

Now, brother Li realizes the moral of Master's aphorism: "Just realizing our mistakes and deciding not to repeat them is not good enough. The real penitence is to rectify the mistake and make it even better." This incident left a deep impression in his mind. Apart from repenting sincerely, he also hopes he can implement Master's teachings completely in the future.

A Great Man Should Be Flexible Pure And Honest Thoughts