PureInsight | July 23, 2025
[PureInsight.org] During the Tang Dynasty, at Huilin Temple in Luoyang, one day, the Zen Master Yuanzé and the layperson Li Yuan were inexplicably debating: "Take the water route, take the land route. Take the land route, take the water route."
As it turned out, the two had planned to travel together to visit Qingcheng Mountain and Mount Emei in Sichuan. However, they argued over whether to take the water route or the land route. The monk wanted to go by land, passing through Chang’an, while the layperson insisted on going by water, passing through Jingzhou. In the end, the monk sighed and said, “A person’s fate is truly beyond their own control. Let’s take the water route then.”
So they traveled by boat. When they reached Nanpu, their boat docked along the shore. There, they saw a plump woman in brightly embroidered silk trousers and top, drawing water by the riverbank. Suddenly, Yuanzé shed tears and said, “Do you understand now? The reason why I didn’t want to take the water route was because I was scared of encountering her!” Li Yuan, shocked, asked why.
Yuanzé replied, “That woman’s surname is Wang. Because of karma from a past life, I am destined to be reborn as her son. I have resisted reincarnation all the time, unwilling to continue the cycle of birth and death. She has been pregnant for three years but still hasn't given birth. Now that we've met, I can no longer escape my fate.
Please, use a talisman or incantation to help me quickly be reborn. Three days from now, when the baby is bathed, come to visit me at the Wang household. I will prove it to you with a smile. Thirteen years later, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, meet me outside of the Tianzhu Temple in Hangzhou. We will see each other again.”
Overwhelmed with sorrow, Li Yuan could only weep as he helped Yuanzé bathe and change clothes. At dusk, Yuanzé passed away in peace. That very moment, the woman drawing water by the river—Madam Wang—gave birth to a baby boy.
Three days later, Li Yuan sought out the Wang family to visit the infant. As soon as the baby saw him, he smiled brightly, just as Yuanzé had foretold. Li Yuan told the Wang family the whole story, and they offered the funds to bury Master Yuanzé at the foot of the mountain.
Thirteen years later, Li Yuan traveled from Luoyang to Tianzhu Temple by West Lake in Hangzhou to fulfill the promise. Just as he arrived outside the temple, he heard someone singing by the banks of the Gehong River: Upon the Stone of Three Lifetimes, a soul of old returns. Speak not of wind and moon, nor how the seasons turn. Ashamed I am, my friend, that you’ve traveled far to see— Though I wear another form, my heart remains as me.
Li Yuan followed the sound and looked into the distance. In a bamboo grove, he saw a young shepherd boy patting a buffalo’s horn and singing. Li Yuan instantly knew—the shepherd boy was the reincarnation of Zen Master Yuanzé. Choking back his sorrow, Li Yuan called out with tears in his eyes: “Master Zé, Master Zé! Thirteen autumns have passed since we parted. How have you been?”
The boy replied: “Lord Li, you are truly a man of loyalty and righteousness. Our friendship was not in vain. But alas, my worldly karma is not yet finished—I can no longer remain close to you.”
Then he began to sing another song: The affairs before and after this life are vast and uncertain; To speak of karma and fate would only break the heart. Through Wu and Yue mountains I searched for my true self, Only to return to Qutang Gorge, drifting through the mist on a boat.
The shepherd boy sang as he walked, gradually fading into the misty mountains, until he was no longer seen. From that day on, his whereabouts remained unknown.
This poignant and haunting tale is recorded in The Biography of Monk Yuanzé, written by the great literary master Su Shi (Su Dongpo) in Song Dynasty. It was also the origin of the Chinese idiom “三生有幸” (sān shēng yǒu xìng)—“blessed over three lifetimes.” In Buddhism, “three lifetimes” refers to one’s past life, present life, and future life. The phrase signifies a fortune so great that it transcends lifetimes—an expression of immense gratitude and rare blessing.
Just as the seasons cycle, human life also passes through reincarnation. Thus, traditional Chinese culture emphasizes: “Accumulate virtue and do good, and the gods will reward you. Do not commit evil, even if it seems small; do not ignore good deeds, even if they seem minor.” One should cherish virtue and do good—not just for this life, but for the next; not just for oneself, but for one's descendants. This is one of the most profound principles in the 5,000-year-old cultural heritage of the Chinese nation.
However, since the Chinese Communist Party seized power, it has brainwashed the people with atheism and labeled true spiritual belief as “feudal superstition.” It promotes falsehood, ugliness, hatred, cruelty, and struggle. It encourages selfishness and ruthless competition, with no regard for moral principles or heavenly law. Traditional culture has been brutally destroyed, and human morality has plummeted at an alarming pace. Amidst this chaos at the end of times, Falun Gong shines like a radiant light—awakening conscience, inspiring goodness, and rekindling hope in people’s hearts. It offers salvation to the lost souls.
But on July 20, 1999, the evil dictator Jiang Zemin, driven by personal jealousy and ego, launched a bloody persecution against practitioners of Falun Dafa. This monstrous crime has enraged both Heaven and Earth. The fall of the Chinese Communist Party is inevitable.
Good-hearted people: please withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations—the Party, the Youth League, and the Young Pioneers. Choose a bright future for your soul. The laws of Heaven allow for no escape. Heaven’s justice spares no one.
Chinese version: https://www.zhengjian.org/node/297155
