Blessings and Virtues

 Each person's existence, happiness, and success in the world all originate from virtue. The more blessings one possesses, the more complete their material life, the more comfortable their spirit, and the higher their position compared to others. Blessings function like a protective shield, a superpower that brings luck. When challenges arise, virtue exerts its power, neutralizing disasters and bringing peace.

Blessings are divided into two parts: Blessings and Virtues.

• Blessings stem from the living habits and actions of one's ancestors. Grandparents, parents, and forbearers create blessings and pass them on to their descendants, which is why we say people "enjoy happiness" passed down through generations.
• Virtue results from each person's daily actions and behaviors, accumulating to pass blessings on to future generations. Virtue is actively created by individuals, hence the phrase "accumulate virtue."

The concept is that the blessings influence a person's life up until around the age of 30, while virtues shape their life from 30 onwards and affect the lives of their descendants. The age of 30 is significant, marking maturity and a time when individuals must take responsibility for their lives and are no longer primarily influenced by their family's past.

Those born into virtuous families, with kind parents and grandparents, often have many blessings and experience considerable luck before reaching this age of maturity. After 30, however, their fate is more heavily influenced by their own virtues. If they live kindly and honestly, the rest of their life will be successful and peaceful. If not, they must pay for their actions, known as karma. Excessive negative karma can even be passed on to the next generation. This explains why some dishonest individuals may still find success in life. If they do not accumulate virtue, their blessings will eventually dissipate, leaving only karma and ensuing disasters.

For those who feel they lack blessings, virtue remains a path to salvation. While blessings cannot multiply or be created anew since they are set from birth, virtue has no such limits. The more good deeds you perform and the more honest you live, the more virtue you accumulate.

Half of life is determined by fate, but the other half is within our control. The divine principle of loving life means that no-one’s way of life is destroyed by higher powers; we are the ones who push ourselves into the abyss. Blessings and virtues represent a form of spiritual power that protects each person. Individuals often surpass others not merely through talent but through a lifestyle that fosters blessings and virtues, garnering respect from others. Wealth and status cannot be taken with us after death, but blessings or karma will be inherited by future generations.

Blessings diminish when karma surfaces, and karma is resolved through the accumulation of blessings. Each person holds a precious sword, determining whether it is used to create happiness or karma. Everything we do impacts not only ourselves but also many others. Parents who love their children should focus on living virtuously rather than merely leaving material wealth, setting a positive example for their children to follow. The quality of the second half of life is determined by our actions. We cannot choose how we begin, but we can certainly choose how we end.