Why Is It Said That When One's Virtue Does Not Match One's Position, Calamity Is Inevitable?

Virtue (dé) includes merit, moral character, personality, cultivation, talent, ability, and other usable resources; position (wèi) includes status, power, fame, titles, retinue, benefits, and so on. Investing these resources to obtain that position—if the resources are insufficient, it is like taking out a high-interest loan; in the end, when assets no longer cover the debts, one goes bankrupt, collapses, and falls into debt; one may even lose one's family and loved ones, and pay off the debt with one's own life. If even one's life is not enough to repay the debt—if the deficiency in merit is too great—one will fall into the three evil destinies, and may even sink to the very bottom of the three evil destinies, from which it becomes very difficult to rise again.

Everyone in the world considers fame, power, and influence to be good and desirable, but if one's merit is insufficient and one resorts to schemes to seize them by force, that high-interest loan will exact an enormous price, and in the end one will discover that it would have been better to live an unknown but steady and solid life. In this life, what is there to fight for? Whatever one obtains requires the consumption of a corresponding amount of merit; when the merit is exhausted, one's qualification for being human is also gone. Therefore, do not pursue fame, praise, and gain; do not demand that others think highly of you or exalt you; do not demand respect from the powerful and noble; do not demand to be admired by others; do not act by any means necessary; do not demand to be above others—being below others brings greater benefit. Humility and yielding generate merit; prudence and caution generate merit.

Conversely, when all one's various desires are fulfilled, merit is consumed; when one's reputation rises, merit is consumed; when one feels proud and self-satisfied, merit is consumed. What consumes merit the most and the fastest is doing evil deeds and creating evil karma. Violating precepts and breaking rules are the acts that consume the most merit. Transgressing the five precepts and ten wholesome deeds, killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and lying, greed, anger, and jealousy, divisive speech and harsh speech, acting as a treacherous, villainous person—all evil thoughts and evil deeds consume merit enormously. When merit is nearly exhausted, all endeavors in the human world come to an end, and there is no longer any need to be a human being.

Gaining consumes merit; losing expiates karma. Being respected by others requires the consumption of merit; being insulted by others can expiate karma. Therefore, forbearance is a virtue: forbearance generates merit, and forbearance can accomplish a great undertaking. Seeing the Path and realizing the Path is the great undertaking; ultimately, when one attains buddhahood and the supreme karma is accomplished, there is no longer any need to cultivate—great bliss. Thus forbearance can accomplish both the great undertaking and great bliss. Do not enjoy your blessings to the fullest, but you may endure insults to the fullest. One may choose not to enjoy one's blessings, but one must accept one's insults. Those with great aspirations should bear this in mind.