Author：Sheng-Yen Lu
Publisher：True Buddha Prajna Treasury
Publication Date：2026/09/03
Language：Traditional Chinese
Suitable for ages ：All
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Summary：
Striking the Morning Bell (Preface)
This book is a collection of insights I have gained from reading. The contents of this book all come from what I have read or heard, combined with my own thoughts and reflections.
The books I read are not limited to modern works. I also read many ancient books, including works from ancient times, the medieval period, and the present day. Thus, my reading encompasses a wide range of subjects.
When I write, I do not want to be too serious or rigid, nor do I want to be concerned with whether something is scientific or unscientific.
In short, I do not want my writing to be boring. However, neither should it be bizarre and novel without reason.
Therefore, although there are indeed some strange and unusual things in this book, they can also prompt people to think deeply. If, upon reflection, they make sense, then they have their reason.
So, although they may be strange, they are also reasonable and make sense.
This is my explanation at the beginning of the book.
I have a story about a “small cause and effect.” It goes as follows:
There was once a village. Zhao San was very poor, while the Guo family was very wealthy. Zhao San and his mother, the two of them, entered the Guo family household as servants.
Several years later, his mother passed away. A year later, one night, Zhao San was about to go to sleep when, in a state between dreaming and wakefulness, he saw his mother standing at the head of his bed. She said to him:
“My son! There will be a heavy snowfall tomorrow, and a hen in the corner of the wall will freeze to death. The master will give you the chicken to eat, but you must not eat it. When I was working at the Guo family’s home, I stole three hundred coins from them out of greed. Because of this, the underworld officials sentenced me to be reborn as a chicken and lay eggs to repay the three hundred coins. As of today, the three hundred coins have been fully repaid, so I will be leaving tomorrow.”
Zhao San awoke from the dream and firmly remembered his mother’s words. Sure enough, a hen in the corner of the wall froze to death in the heavy snow, and the Guo family gave the chicken to Zhao San to eat.
Remembering his mother’s words, Zhao San found a place, dug into the earth, and buried the hen. While he was burying it, however, the master of the Guo family saw him.
The master asked, “Why are you burying the chicken?” Zhao San did not answer. He simply shed tears. The master asked again. Zhao San stammered and still would not say anything.
Later, after the master repeatedly questioned him, Zhao San had no choice but to tell the Guo family’s master everything from beginning to end. The master of the Guo family thought carefully and indeed remembered that three hundred coins had once gone missing. But three hundred coins was not a large amount, and he had not been particularly concerned about it at the time, so he had simply let it go.
The master of the Guo family thought to himself: Even something as trivial as a sesame seed can have its causes and effects. Just think about it! Indeed, it is enough to make one deeply vigilant!
After reading this story, I was deeply shaken. I thought about how the ancients said that everything has a predetermined destiny. For example, there is Shao Kangjie’s “Shaozi Numerology”. People today call it “Iron Plate Divine Calculation.” This is a method of divination based on verification. As long as the “year,” “month,” “day,” “hour,” and “minute” of one’s birth are all correct, one’s entire destiny is already determined. It is one hundred percent accurate. Only “great goodness” can change one’s destiny.
The Surangama Sutra mentions that only when there are no Three Conditions are there no Three Causes; therefore, when one ceases, one attains bodhi.
Remember, do not commit the Three Conditions: “killing,” “stealing,” and “sexual misconduct.” When there are no Three Conditions, there are no Three Causes, and only then can one attain purity.
May we all encourage one another in this.
Living Buddha Liansheng, Sheng-Yen Lu
Sheng-Yen Lu
17102 NE 40th Ct.
Redmond, WA 98052
U.S.A.
February 2026
Translated by TBTTs
Edited by DJ Chang
Striking the Morning Bell
Reflection and Retrospection, Book 310 by Living Buddha Liansheng, Sheng-Yen Lu
1. Does a Ghost Reveal Its True Form?
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