Liaofan’s Four Lessons - Your Destiny is in Your Hands

There is a famous book in China called Liaofan’s Four Lessons (了凡四训), and Master Chinkung mentioned it often in his Dharma talks. This book tells us that our destiny is not fixed, but it can be changed through our thoughts, speech and actions.

Liaofan's Four Lessons is a book written in the sixteenth century in China by Yuan Liaofan (袁了凡; 1533–1606), who was a Chinese official during the Ming Dynasty. Yuan wrote the book to teach his son, Yuan Tianqi, about destiny, how he can change his destiny, how to correct his faults, and how to practice good deeds, to cultivate both virtue and humility. As an embodiment of his teachings, Liaofan was living proof of their benefits and he had changed his destiny. Thus, one should not be bound by fate, but by one's own actions and intentions (karma).

It was prophesied by Taoist master Mr. Kong that Yuan Liaofan would become a government official, and also what rank he would be placed in the county, regional and provisional exams, at what year he would become an official and for how long, and also he would only live to the age of 53 and have no son. As many of Kong's predictions began to occur with great accuracy, Liaofang began to believe that maybe what Mr. Kong said was indeed true and after that he had no interest in studying or aspiring for anything as he believed everything was already predetermined.

It wasn’t until he met a Buddhist Chan Master named Yun’gu (云谷禅师) that he began to realise that he could actually change his destiny, through changing his mind, thoughts, speech and actions; through cultivating kindness and compassion, and doing good deeds for the benefit of sentient beings. He then proactively made an effort to rewrite his fate, and Mr. Kong’s predictions started to fail. In relating his own life experience in changing destiny, Yuan, at the age of 69, wrote and taught these four lessons to his son. Here is a conversation between Yuan Liaofan and Master Yungu.

Learning to re-create destiny has long been of interest to those who believe that wealth or poverty, long life or short life—everything is destined. People who accomplished good deeds in their past lives will naturally enjoy wealthy and long lives now, while those who committed bad deeds in their past lives will undergo deprivations and short lives. However, there are exceptions. Destiny can be changed.

If we were originally supposed to enjoy wealth and longevity in this lifetime, but have committed excessive bad deeds, then without waiting until the next life, we will become poor and have shortened lifespans. If we were originally supposed to undergo poverty and have short lives, but have accomplished extremely good deeds, we may become wealthy and have long lives. History provides many examples of this. Although many things that we have to go through in this life are the result of our thoughts and behaviours in our past lives and have been predetermined, it is not rigid. We can still modify it with our current thoughts and behavior. Destiny can be created by ourselves by generating good thoughts and committing good deeds. And when one commits good deeds not to seek for any reward (with no attachment), then one’s merit will be immeasurable. 

This wonderful book is also highly praised by Master Yinguang, the thirteenth Patriarch of the Pure Land school. In the early part of the twentieth century, he printed millions of copies for people to study it and lecture on it, which helps people understand and learn how to change their destinies. 

There are four chapters or lessons in this book. The first lesson of Learning to Create Destiny is about the law of cause and effect. The second lesson, The Ways to Reform is developed from understanding causality. This third lesson of The Ways to Cultivate Goodness is the primary lesson, that of cultivating and accumulating goodness. It is based on feeling repent and reforming our faults. The fourth lesson, The Benefits of the Virtue of Humility is the conclusion for the book. The book, still in circulation after more than 400 years, is said to be a useful foundation in learning Confucianism and Buddhism.

You can access to the book here.

Below is a wonderful movie of Liaofan’s Four Lessons (Chinese subtitles with English dubbing).

Liaofang’s Four Lessons (English)