Good Deeds and Bad Deeds Have Their Consequences

[PureInsight.org] In ancient
China, when the moral standards were high, no one ever doubted that
good deeds would be rewarded and bad deeds would meet with retribution.
Even under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, which forced
everyone  to be an atheist, I still heard the elderly giving
kindly advice, " If one has a good heart, Heaven would surely notice"
or "If one acts against the principles of Heaven, then one will be
stricken by a thunderbolt."  In recent years, however, due to our
moral degradation, many Chinese no longer listen to words of good deeds
being associated with rewards or bad deeds with 
retribution.  A lot of people even think those are just words to
intimidate the bad guys.  In this human world, one can never get
away without paying what one owes, and cause and effect presents itself
everywhere.  I heard a true story a few days ago. I want to tell
this story not because I want to scare people but because I want to
warn those who have not awakened to the truth and intend to deceive
others.



Mr. S is a good friend of mine. He is a self-made rich man.  He
has a friend, Mr. H, from the old days. One day Mr. S got a call from
Mr. H who was short of cash to buy a commercial building and wanted to
borrow 50,000 yuan as a short term loan.  Mr. S sent the money the
next day, because 50, 000 yuan was not a big deal for him and, at the
same time, he wanted to be helpful.  A year had passed, and Mr. S
had not received any word from Mr. H. Mr. S called to find out how his
friend was getting along and also when he could expect to have his
money back. Mr. S was surprised to hear that his friend shamelessly
said," Why don't you forget about the money. I never intended to pay it
back." Mr. S realized then that he had been taken advantage of, and he
said angrily,"If you don't pay me back in this life time, you will have
to reincarnate into a cow or a horse to repay me."  Mr. S felt his
remarks were a little too severe and regretted afterwards, and he also
felt that he did not behave his best and this cost him the
friendship.  When Mr. S was looking for ways to amend his
relationship with Mr. H, he was told by a classmate that Mr. H had
terminal cancer, and his medical bill was over 100,000 yuan. Mr. H
finally realized his wrong doing and told his wife before his death, "I
don't want to reincarnate into a cow or a horse in my next life, and
you must repay the 50,000 yuan even if you have to sell the house."



After Mr. H passed away, his wife called Mr. S many times to repay the
loan. Mr. S was quite uncomfortable about the whole event, and he also
felt somewhat responsible for the situation. He did not feel right
taking the money from a widow with a young child, therefore he found
various excuses to decline.  After hearing her continuous begging
and crying: if you don't take the money, my deceased husband would
reincarnate into a cow or a horse, Mr. S finally swore to Heaven that
he intended to give 50,000 yuan for the mother and child to improve
their lives, and Mr. H needed not reincarnate as a cow or a horse to
repay the debt.  After hearing that, Mr. H's wife stopped crying
and smiled.



Good deeds and bad deeds have their consequences, and that is the
principle of Heaven. If one chooses to deceive others and do bad deeds,
he gives up his own future.



Whether we believe this principle of Heaven or not, the consequences
manifest everywhere. Being kind to others, one can avoid disasters and
build a foundation for a bright future.



Translated from: http://zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2007/3/20/42857.html