清明時節談孝親Filial Piety on Qingming Festival

清明時節雨紛紛 路上行人欲斷魂
借問酒家何處有 牧童遙指杏花村

美極的唐詩，用來揭開這妙美的文章，最是恰當不過了。「妙」，妙在何處呢？妙在讓妳你們知道，人若無修行，年輕時就可看出，她他未來的「去向」。妙在讓妳你們知道鬼神無所不在。妙在讓妳你們知道，人的呼吸之清濁，竟也決定她他們的未來「去向」啊！

在一次的「以茶會友」中，正忙於解說陽宅藍圖時，猛然憶起其中一位來者的要求，故抬頭示意她可先回，她在現實生活中，當然是不折不扣的人，可是那時呈現吾 眼前的，卻是一張「鬼臉」。隔了好幾天，又有因緣來向吾討教佛法，吾就在用餐時，直言對她說。說出來是讓她快快，積極地累積更深厚的福報，速將吾那時所看 之「鬼臉」，轉化成神臉、仙臉、菩薩臉，又或者佛臉，最起碼也要人臉吧！

一位一歲左右，就被一位没有血緣關係的女子，含辛茹苦撫養成人的男子，因女同事的介紹，來找吾批大運，從其長相及八字，皆屬苦之一字。後來與他還有些緣份，就渡他皈依佛門，願他善自珍重，學習善法達清靜。但吾早已看出這人，乃財、色、名、食、睡，慾望重之人，所以對於他的希望，也真的是那一點點的希望。 吾相信不諳玄學的人，都會知道一位養育之恩未報，且還對養母的積蓄有貪念的人的後果是不明朗的。是的，這種人絕對有機會，過清明節。而前段述及的女子，有善知識特別為其教授佛法，苦口婆心又教又勸，大量光陰虛渡，自私又自利，所以其臉才現「鬼臉」，以示吾再勸之啊！

清明乃「水庫」之月份，清明時節雨紛紛，是不在話下的。是否所有冒雨上山掃墓的人兒，一定就是孝順的呢？又或者，上山掃墓是一種孝順的表徵呢？那如果答案 是是的話，為何天色總是愁雲密佈，而没有雨過天晴，愉悅之氣氛呢？記得讀小學時，有位男教師對我們說，孝順父母應在他們生前，而不是他們百年歸去後，才在他們墳前哭爸哭媽的。這位男教師所極是。要知道不孝乃天地不容也。好壞皆有循環，何苦日後歷史重演，在妳你身上呢？

The ceaseless rain drizzles like tears during Qing Ming,
So broken-hearted are the mourners on the way.
When asked where could a tavern be found,
A shepherd boy points to yonder village of the apricot flowers.

To start this interesting article with this beautiful poem from the Tang Dynasty is simply apt. Why is this article fascinating? It tells you that if one does not cultivate spiritually, you can tell what the future beholds for him/her, even at a young age. It tells you of the omnipresence of the gods and spirits. It tells you that even the purity of our every breath determines our future path!

During one of the tea sessions, while I was busy explaining some Feng Shui pointers on a floor plan, I suddenly remembered a request from one participant, that she would like to leave the session early. I raised my head and signaled to her to leave first. What greeted me was a “ghostly” face, even though she is most certainly 100% human in real life. A few days later, the affinity arose as she came to learn the Dharma from me. During dinner, I told her straight what I saw the other day of her face, in hope that she would be diligent in accumulating merits and turn her life around quickly. I would like to see on her a face of the deity, celestial being, Bodhisattva or even the Buddha. At the very least, her face should look human!

I knew a man who was adopted, at the age of one. The lady, with totally no blood relation to him, brought him up painstakingly. He was introduced by a female colleague to look for me. I analyzed his birth chart, luck cycles as well as his facial features, and all pointed to one single outcome: suffering. In later days, we had some affinity and I guided him to take refuge in the Triple Gems and I wish him well that he would learn the great Dharma well, rid himself of all defilements and attain the state of purity. But I had long foretold that this person is a man of desires: wealth, lust, fame, gluttony and sloth, and thus I hold little hope, very little hope. I believe that even a person who is not familiar with the Chinese metaphysics would know that a person who has not repay his dues to his adopted mother for raising him up, and yet had greedy designs on her savings, would not have a good ending. The lady I mentioned in the above paragraph, despite having the affinity to meet a virtuous Buddhist practitioner who repeatedly teaches and advises her, squandered away a large part of her life and continued in her selfish ways. The ‘ghostly’ face I saw was a sign to remind her again before it was too late!

The period of Qing Ming is the month of water storage, thus it is no wonder at all that there will be incessant rainfall during this time. Is it true that those, who braved the rain to visit the cemetery for tomb-sweeping, are certainly filial? Or is this act of tomb-sweeping a show of filial piety? If your answer is yes for both, why is the sky often gloomy and overcast, with no sun shining bright and cheery after the rain? I remembered a male teacher from my primary school days telling us that we should be filial to our parents while they were still alive, and not shed tears of anguish in front of their tombs after they had passed on? This male teacher was spot on. Please know that the Heaven and Earth will not tolerate the unfilial ones, and what goes around comes around, be it the good or the bad. Is it worth it to see the bad history repeat itself in your life?