(Minghui.org) Laozi, an ancient Chinese sage, once wrote, “The biggest danger is greed.” People today, unfortunately, are obsessed with material gain.
There is a Chinese proverb about greed: “Humans die for wealth, just like birds die for food.” Here is a story that illustrates that.
Once upon a time, two men, Wang and Zhang, climbed a mountain, intending to make charcoal. While digging a charcoal kiln, they discovered a jar of buried treasure, and both were overjoyed. Wang said to Zhang, “Please go get us lunch. I will stay here and keep the treasure safe. Do not tell anyone about it.”
After Zhang left, Wang looked thoughtfully at the jar and imagined what it would be like if he possessed the entire treasure for himself. He began to formulate a plan.
As he was walking down the mountain, Zhang was also thinking about keeping all the treasure for himself, so he poisoned the food intended for Wang and returned.
As he climbed back up to the kiln, he failed to see Wang hiding nearby with a hoe. When Zhang reached the kiln, Wang swung the hoe and killed Zhang with one blow.
Satisfied with his terrible deed, Wang sat down to enjoy his lunch, dreaming of a future filled with riches. Before long, he fell over and died, spilling the food around him.
Drawn to the food, several birds landed and began eating the remains of the meal, and they too died.
A deity who had been surveying the scene as it played out sighed and said, “Humans die for wealth, just like birds die for food.”
For thousands of years, people in China have believed in the divine. Guided by the belief that humans are being watched over by divine beings, they hold that good deeds will bring blessings, while bad deeds will incur consequences.
Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa) is a meditation system that focuses on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. About 100 million people, both inside and outside of China, have benefited from the practice and enjoy good health, improved mental well-being, and a better life.
Jealousy over Falun Gong’s popularity, however, overcame former CCP leader Jiang Zemin, who started a nationwide suppression of the practice in July 1999. The persecution continues to this day.
Liu Shen of Renqiu City, Hebei Province, was paid 20 yuan (about US $3) per day to remove or deface posters that Falun Gong practitioners had put up and that explained the facts about the practice. After that, Liu often acted erratically when he got drunk, and his wife left him. Liu was later diagnosed with cancer and died in January 2011.
Xiao Jinzhao, a political officer with the Baoding Police Department in Hebei Province, also actively participated in the persecution of Falun Gong. Especially after he became a deputy director of an office responsible for persecuting practitioners in 2008, he became more fanatical. A few years later, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and died in 2023.
Wang Jiuliang, a security officer in Langfang City, Hebei Province, not only tore up the Falun Gong posters himself, but also ordered his family to do the same. His daughter became very promiscuous, and ended her own life in 2003. His wife later became ill, and Wang was hospitalized for a stroke. After he was released from the hospital, Wang continued to deface Falun Gong posters.
Wang’s son’s family were involved in a major accident. Wang’s grandson died, and his daughter-in-law suffered a broken collarbone.
By doing good deeds, we gain virtue for ourselves and our families, while we harm both ourselves and our families by doing wrong.