Fate is generally taken as the predestined course of your whole life from when you are born until the day you pass away. But is our fate really predestined?
Some say ‘Yes’ and some say ‘No’ and some do not even believe in fate at all. They only believe in themselves. They believe that they are able to achieve whatever they want by just manifesting, have confidence in themselves and take massive action.
This is to them are according to the Law of Attraction.
And again, is it true? Is it so simple? If so, how come so many people are still laboring from morning to evening, six days a week, and living from hand to mouth?
How about you?
Do you believe in fate?
Why do you behave the way you do? What makes you who you are? What are your innermost desires?
What are your hidden talents? How do you know what gifts you have to give to this world?
How about your relationships? How many children are you going to have?
Are you going to live until your ripe old age?
Fate and destiny are two words often used similarly and believe to relate to man’s fame, fortune and future. However, there is a difference.
Fate?
Fate is often associated with negative implications when compared to destiny. For example, a person who has experienced a misfortune might resign himself to fate. Since fate is certain, he wouldn’t try to change his future. Is it so? Are you like that?
To me, fate is something that life has ‘planned’ for you. Nothing much can be done about this. For example, when you are born, the family you are born into, the number of brother and sister you have, the place, the environment, the people that you are going to meets, the number of children you are going to have, when you are going to die and how, and a lot more.
Some people, even metaphysicians through palm, face, numerology or date-of-birth readings, are of the opinion that fate could be changed. They said that you are in control of your own life. Can it be so simple? To a certain extent, it seems to be true.
The lines in your palm are unique and are there for a reason. You are the only one with such a face features and shapes. Your date-of-birth reveals a lot about you to those who know how to ‘decode’ it – some of which you yourself also do not know or realizes.
It is very difficult to change fate but not destiny. Can you think back to a time where you felt you have no control of your life – like everything are against you and not as what you have hope it to be?
Destiny?
Destiny can be changed and shaped. Hard work, effort, patience, self-discipline and courage can help you change your destiny.
You can effect change by taking action through right education, right life experiences, and practice moral and ascetic deeds. It is by no means easy but where there is a will, there is a way. And it takes time.
Whatever happened in the past lives, are the causes for this life. What we experience and go through now are the effects. As long as you are a human, you can change your destiny – which animal cannot do. How? By planting new causes or seeds.
You can change the future by changing your actions today. It is really a very simple concept but may not be easy to do. Humans are always in the process of change. Therefore, you might as well guide the changes in the direction you want. But, it may not always turn out the way you imagine. Sometimes, life has other plans for you.
Quotes related to Fate
We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts, we make the world.
– Buddha
The thought manifests as the word,
The word manifests as the deed,
The deed develops into habit,
And the habit hardens into character.
So watch the thought and its way with care,
And let it spring from love,
Born out of concern for all beings.
– Anonymous
Watch your thoughts, they become words;
Watch your words, they become actions;
Watch your actions, they become habits;
Watch your habits, they become character;
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.
– Frank Outlaw, Late President of the Bi-Lo Stores
Imagine your life as a game, a play where you are the main actor. For every game, there are rules and regulations, or parameters, that you must follow. It is your show. How you play or act in the game or play is entirely up to you? But still within limits or boundaries of the said play. Some you can control and most you are not able to. But whatever it is, always make the best out of any situations. You will not know whether it will be ‘good’ or ‘bad’ until very much later. Sometimes what seems to be advantageous to you will become a disadvantage and likewise. A blessing in disguise?
Fate – The Truth
In the ‘Journey to The Underworld’ in Journey No. 9, Intercalary 8th Moon 19th Day (12th October 1976), Continuing Tour of ‘Wang Si Cheng’
– City of Those Who Died Unnatural Deaths.
An Officer of Guard was replying to a question by Mr. Yang Sheng on –
Why must there be such things as accidental deaths of various types?
From the beginning of Time, there has been a chain of three-cycle cause and effect (Karma) rotation in human existence and these Karmas have been continuing and will continue in the human lifetime.
Buddha himself had also mentioned this Karma. The meaning of “past existence” is not the immediate past existence but the accumulation of all the three-cycle past existences of each individual.
Take the case of a present short three-cycle existence for consideration. Life is governed by 70% past existence and 30% present existence. Therefore the lifespan of an individual cannot be changed but his luck can be changed depending on his behavior and everyday actions.
On another question on,
All must die anyway according to their Karma and why should murdered people souls be sent to Wang Si Cheng?
The Officer replied:
According to your reasoning, it is correct but some of those who died through fighting were in accordance to the law of retribution as demanded in their Karma; and also there were others who did not practice moral and ascetic deeds thus causing others to fight and murder one another, thereby bringing about accidental deaths.
I, therefore, entreat all human beings to understand the doctrine of retribution that this is not the matter of revenge in this existence. Grievances, if any, must be dissolved and not be prolonged. If it is true that you have some grievance, you should not prolong that grievance but must try your very best to forget it or lessen it. Then only will you attain much merit.
If there is no greed on Earth, the situation will be like in the Heavens where there is no selfishness and then there will be no cause and effect.
We must understand that to live is not an easy matter.
For example, parents have to encounter many obstacles, hardships, and sacrifices to bring up their children. So, therefore, everyone must have a sense of morality and must do good whenever possible.
Present day human beings are very fond of womanizing, thinking that females owe males a “flower debt” in the previous life. That is why females must repay and males must womanize, they think. It cannot be argued that this action is to offset the previous Cause and Effect.
The true meaning of retribution according to Karma is the happening of actions unintentionally; therefore the present intentional action or womanizing on purpose is a great sin, which will have to be repaid in the future existence.
So we can deduce from the above excerpts that Karma is the reason for our reincarnation that results as fate in this life.
A General continue:
Everything the Officer of Guard has just said is all very true. The reason why human beings do not believe or follow is because they think that only those who are born with “immortal bones” need not have to practice morality. Another argument they give is that if one is fated to be rich it will not be necessary for him to work anymore for money. This is all wrong thinking.
Then Sage JiGong chip in:
What the Officer of Guard and the General have said are all very true and correct. They have explained the illusion and have awakened human beings from their wrong thinking.
In the beginning, from time immemorial all souls were indeed very good and saintly but through the process of innumerable transmigrations of souls, on rebirth became involved in earthly sins.
That is why present-day human beings cannot return to the original pure state of their souls.
Therefore, all the Sages appeal to human beings to do good deeds and to engage in ascetic practices in order to save their souls.
Let this be a warning to all human beings to try and do good with the expectation to be reborn into a better life, otherwise, they will have to undergo six stages of transmigration of souls (reborn).
Saints and ghosts are the product of human beings’ thinking, not destined by Heaven. Now after seeing the inside of Wang Si Cheng, you are convinced of the need to do good whenever possible. ………..
When I read this book “Journey to the Underworld“, I realized and understand a lot about the Truth of life. I hope you will have the same realization as I am. I am just doing my little part here to share so that more people will come to some realization.
The world is getting smaller and in order to create a world of unity, we must all learn to live together harmoniously and lovingly; Utopia. Hopefully, by doing so, we will not see the sufferings, disasters, or is it the end of the world described in the “Book of Revelation“.
What is your take? Appreciate your sharing.
If all souls are originated from god or lets say from a pure original source, then why would those pure souls needed to get involved in reincarnation and experiencing filthy earthily life?
This thought bothers me and makes me doubt the whole afterlife philosophy…
I’m prisoner of this thought … can you help?
Hi Paul,
First of all, I would like to thank you for reading and leaving a comment. I appreciate it very much and this shows that you did give some thoughts to the article. I also have the same question as you initially and after asking around I am still not sure. By the way, who has been living so long to know what really happens? I may not have the correct understanding because I am still a learner. I seek your understanding and my intention is just to share. You are free to decide for yourself whether to accept or not.
From my shallow understanding, there are two possibilities:
1) Our world is not the only one in the universe.
Here is an excerpt from another website extracted from “The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra“: “The Buddha then told the host of Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas, “Stop! Good men, you do not need to protect and maintain this Sutra. Why not? Within my Saha world itself there are Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas equal in number to the sands of sixty thousand Ganges Rivers, each of whom has a retinue equal in number to the sands of sixty thousand Ganges Rivers. After my quiescence, all of them will protect, uphold, read, recite, and vastly proclaim this Sutra.”
Just as the Buddha said this, the earth in the three thousand great thousand lands in the Saha world trembled and split open, and from its midst limitless thousands of tens of thousands of millions of Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas simultaneously welled forth.”
From the excerpt, I conclude that the world we are living in now is only one of the thousands. This means that when we were put into this world, there is a very high possibility that we are already not pure ‘transported’ from the other Saha world.
Then I also asked myself, then why are we sent onto this world if originally we are pure? That leads to the second possibility.
2) We had sins when in Heaven falling into the traps and temptation by Satan.
You can read the whole Adam and Eve story in Genesis, 3 KJV version. That is how the human story started in this world according to the Bible.
Whatever the original stories are, after attending some spiritual classes and discussions, I am convinced that mother earth is just a training ground for us to elevate our spiritual self cultivated back to the original pure self while still in human form. It is possible by just looking at the past saints and sages that have successfully done so … Buddha, Jesus, Prophet Muhammad, and countless others … they have shown us the way to do it. The question now is … can we withstand all the worldly temptation and remain spiritually pure just like the lotus flower growing above the mud? Are we strong enough spiritually? I have to say, it is not easy … but possible.
By the way, have you read “The Journey to the Underworld“?
Thank you once again and I hope I gave you some food for thought and answer your question.
May Almighty bless you and your loved ones.