1) What is authentic Fortune with Blessings?

Have we ever really thought seriously about this matter before? I would like to talk to you about it briefly now. You may wonder, how long it will take to acquire Fortune with Blessings? My answer is this: In a very short time, after reading this brief book, anybody can acquire Fortune with Blessings.

The Way of Fortune with Blessings has been my own experience for many years. It has not come from studying many books, nor has it come from listening to others talk about good and bad or other such things. In other words, this is not just merely a "talk affair," but my own personal experience.

If we want to acquire Fortune with Blessings the first thing we should do is to be clear and determined about our own intentions. If you want something other than what I am talking about, that is fine, but, in that case, you will not be able to acquire real Fortune with Blessings.

Sometimes I have asked people, "Do you know what real Fortune with Blessings is?" "Of course!" they answer.  "Then please try to explain it to me," I reply. They then take their fingers and make the shape of a coin and say: "Just this--money! If you have money, you can acquire anything you want. Wouldn't this be Fortune with Blessings?"

I can truly say that this kind of person does not really understand anything about Fortune with Blessings. We cannot say that a person who has a lot of money has real Fortune with Blessings. My dear friends, please pay close attention to those people in the world who have a lot of money. Some of them have millions. Others have hundreds of millions. Yet many of them are very unfortunate. Merely to acquire a lot of money is not the true meaning of Fortune with Blessings.

Another person has said to me: "Good health is Fortune with Blessings. Surely, good health must be the first thing one needs to have!" But I still cannot truly say that just to have good health is Fortune with Blessings. Let me give you an example. I know of a couple with three children. They all have very good health, but they also have very bad tempers. The husband and wife quarrel every day. The children do not have any discipline and are constantly getting into mischief. Having such good health seems only to strengthen their defiance of each other. On many occasions they engage in screaming matches that are nothing more than one gigantic free-for-all. There are many families like this. So how can we say that good health is definitely Fortune with Blessings?

If you continue to say: "Money and health are very important in the world. Without them, one can never be happy and content," I would agree that these things are very good and important. However, from my point of view, they are still not enough and lie outside the true meaning of Fortune with Blessings.

Many people envy those who seem to have everything-- fine homes, fancy cars, new clothes--in short, what many people call the "good life." However, even though some people live in very favorable circumstances, sometimes they are still very unhappy and discontent. On the other hand, there are many people living under adverse circumstances for whom we have great pity and sympathy; yet sometimes these "unfortunate" people consider themselves to be very lucky. In short, they really have Fortune with Blessings.

2) There are many people living under adverse circumstances who have Fortune with Blessings.

Sixty years ago in a place called Ta Pab Chu Chiang, six criminals were to be beheaded. This caused a great disturbance in the town and in the newspapers. The first five criminals were beheaded but the sixth was not. Instead, they cut off both her hands and inflicted a large wound from her ear to her mouth. This person was both a nun and an artist. Her name as an artist was Chi-Chi., and she was famous throughout Japan.

When people saw her, they had a feeling of great pity. Whether she was eating, sleeping, taking a bath, putting on clothes or going to the toilet, everything caused her great hardship. Therefore, people considered her to be most unfortunate. But, in actuality, she was quite happy. A few years ago, even though she had no hands, she used gold and a kind of silk paper to write the Heart Sutra. This book was put on display in Japan for all to see along with her many beautiful paintings, for all of which she has become very famous. She also travelled about the country giving lectures. In one of her lectures she said: "I think that I am fortunate to have had both my arms cut off, because today I enjoy this great Fortune with Blessings." All of you should think about her words! Are they reasonable or not?

There is another story about a woman whose name was Helen Keller. Miss Keller lived in the United States, and she had experienced much suffering. After the Second World War, she came to the city of Kobe to give a lecture in the Hall of Music. I thought that this was a good opportunity for me to hear her speak, so I arrived at the hall thirty minutes before the lecture was to begin. Already the hall was very crowded, and it was difficult for me even to find a place to stand. Miss Keller was deaf, dumb and blind. But she could communicate by moving her mouth and using sign language in English. On the other side of the stage was a Japanese man who translated Miss Tomtien's (Miss Keller's assistant) words into Japanese. He was a famous blind man whose name was Mr. Yen Ch'iae Wu Fu. He has since passed away.

At the beginning of her talk Miss Keller said: "My eyes cannot see. My ears cannot hear. My mouth cannot speak. But I think I am the most fortunate person in the whole world. I travel all over the world, encouraging others like myself, as well as those who are not deaf, dumb or blind, not to lose hope. This is a source of great joy and happiness for me. My life is so full and good." Her talk left me feeling quite astonished. Even though she could not see, hear or speak, nevertheless she was full of happiness and joy. What astonished me even more was, as I later learned, that Miss Keller had two Ph.D.! degrees, one in French and the other in English Literature! Everybody should think about her example. How difficult it is for ordinary people to get even a one Ph.D.! I think that she truly understood real Fortune with Blessings. Therefore, everyone should work hard and be diligent. Do not pity yourself or waste your time!

3) There are many people living in favorable circumstances who are very unfortunate.

In this world, there are many people living under favorable circumstances that are very unfortunate. They possess new homes, fine clothes and the latest-style cars. Some, in addition to their wives, keep one or two mistresses. In other words, they live very comfortable and luxurious lives. But even with all these fine and luxurious things, these people still have discontent and defilement. Even in favorable circumstances, both husband and wife still cannot live in harmony. If they have children, many of them do not have any discipline or show any respect. People who do not have all these fine things think that such people must be happy. However, they cannot see beyond appearances. Therefore, when we examine people living in either favorable or adverse circumstances, we can see that Fortune with Blessings is not dependent on outside conditions.